Boyne Mountain Invitational Welcomes 29 Teams, Multiple 2025 Finals Champions
By
Tom Spencer
Special for MHSAA.com
August 28, 2026
Boyne Mountain has provided memorable championship experiences over several years as a regular host of the MHSAA’s Girls & Boys Ski Finals.
Now it’s become the field of dreams for boys soccer as well.
Since 2023, some of the state’s top soccer programs have started the season at Boyne, participating in the Boyne Mountain Invitational. This year’s event featured 29 teams, including two 2025 Finals champions.
“It's a massive state – from Marquette to Monroe, Leland to Hartford – we spanned all of it, and undoubtedly we had a 2026 state champion in attendance … or four,” said Jeff Suffolk, tournament director and boys soccer coach of Harbor Springs, the official tournament host. “I have this innate desire as a coach to teach kids how to believe in themselves. A lot of these kids that live this far north never get to see those teams that they may see in the Finals in November.”
Boyne first hosted soccer in 2022 as preseason scrimmages. Twenty-two teams competed last August, including Leland and Warren De La Salle Collegiate, the eventual champions of Divisions 4 and 2, respectively.
“I think we had 12 teams up there for it,” Suffolk recalled of the first soccer played at the Boyne Mountain Sports Complex. “It's a really nice venue to host everybody, and the legend of the of the kids' experience kept growing and parents wanted to be a part of it. So that was kind of how we got to where we're at now.”
Leland is one of the many programs benefiting from the tournament’s popularity. The Comets, also Division 4 champions in 2018, have been a part of it the past two years.
“We actively go off and always try to find the best teams to play,” Leland coach Rob Sirrine said. “I think it's just a fun event, and the teams keep coming back. Special thanks to Jeff Suffolk, because it takes a tremendous effort to pull this off.”
This year Leland sandwiched a 2-0 loss to Detroit Country Day, last year’s Division 3 champ, between ties with Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood and Plymouth Christian Academy.
“You have to score goals to win, and I think we learned we don’t have to get the perfect shot to score,” Sirrine said of the Comets’ games at Boyne. “And I do think defensively we’re solid.”
Leland will now move on to the Elk Rapids Cherry-Kee tournament this weekend playing Muskegon Western Michigan Christian. Elk Rapids also will play WMC along with Williamston.
The Elks, who fell 3-2 to Pontiac Notre Dame Prep in the 2024 Division 3 Final and ended last season in the Regionals, played Grand Rapids South Christian, Eaton Rapids, and Country Day at Boyne this time. They tied Country Day and won their other two matches.
Host Harbor Springs, having capped last season with a 4-1 Regional loss, got off to a rough start at the tournament – but it didn’t discourage Suffolk.
The Rams tied 2001 Division 3 champ Ludington, 0-0, dropped a 3-0 decision to Country Day and fell 4-0 to Cranbrook.
Harbor was playing without senior all-stater Henry Juneau, who broke his shoulder during preseason football while planning to dual-sport this fall. Also, standout sophomore center back and captain Alex Marquardt left the Rams’ first game early with a broken nose after being accidentally kicked in the face. Marquardt and Juneau are expected to miss a good portion of the fall season.
Juneau scored 48 goals last year for the Rams and added 16 assists. With 141 career goals, he ranks among the MHSAA’s all-time leading scorers.
“The boys learned how to play low block, and they did it really, really well,” Suffolk said of the Rams’ adjusting to the losses of Marquardt and Juneau. “By the end of the weekend, they were phenomenal at it, and they held Notre Dame to zero, and we even actually had chances to beat Notre Dame. I thought Notre Dame was one of the better teams there, … They beat Country Day. They beat De La Salle. They beat Marquette.”
Suffolk, who quickly added Romeo or Birmingham Seaholm also were among the best in the tournament, if not the best, received considerable positive feedback on Northern Michigan also offering tremendous team-building activities for teams with its rivers, lakes and campgrounds.
Those extra activities will be available next year, even if the tournament ends up being played right in Harbor Springs, home of Ottawa Stadium.
“This is six years of the making, and we look forward to next year,” Suffolk said. “I kind of want to move into Harbor Springs because I think the experience would be cooler … having the town right there would be great for the parents and Ottawa Stadium is such a cool venue. A lot of people have never seen that place before. I'd like to expose them to that as well. too.”
More credit, too, goes to the school district’s administration, especially athletic director Chris Gallagher.
“I give the administration a lot of credit for being brave and trusting me to produce something like this,” Suffolk said. “There has been tons of support from the administration.”
Tom Spencer is a longtime MHSAA-registered basketball and soccer official, and former softball and baseball official, and he also has coached in the northern Lower Peninsula area. He previously has written for the Saginaw News, Bay County Sports Page and Midland Daily News. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, Roscommon, Ogemaw, Iosco, Alcona, Oscoda, Crawford, Kalkaska, Grand Traverse, Benzie, Leelanau, Antrim, Otsego, Montmorency, Alpena, Presque Isle, Cheboygan, Charlevoix and Emmet counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Clockwise from top left: Harbor Springs keeper Turner Schultz dives to his right to stop a shot. Monroe players enjoy some time by the fire. Marshall players and their coach huddle during a break in their tournament schedule. Pontiac Notre Dame Prep supporters tailgate. (Middle) Visiting players take advantage of a chance to go canoeing. (Below) Harbor Springs coach Jeff Suffolk talks things over with his team. (Harbor Springs photos by Drew Kochanny/Petoskey News-Review. All other photos courtesy of Jeff Suffolk.)
Preview: Pitch to Provide No Shortage of History-Making Possibilities
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
November 1, 2024
Byron Center and Plymouth Christian Academy will make school history Saturday just by showing up for their first MHSAA Boys Soccer Final. Pontiac Notre Dame Prep can make some as well with a first championship victory.
Grand Ledge High School also will host the second-most successful program in this sport’s postseason history – Muskegon Western Michigan Christian will play in its 17th Final, tying Detroit Country Day for the most title game appearances.
Saturday’s first Final will be Division 4 at 10 a.m., followed by Division 3 at 12:30 p.m., Division 2 at 3:30 and Division 1 at 6 p.m. Tickets cost $11 and may be purchased online only at GoFan. All four Finals also will be broadcast and available with subscription on the NFHS Network.
Division 1 | Division 2 | Division 3 | Division 4
Below is a glance at all eight contenders, with statistics through Regionals:
Division 1
BYRON CENTER
Record/rank: 19-4-1, unranked
Michigan Power Rating: No. 35
Coach: Chad Bays, second season (36-7-3)
League finish: First in Ottawa-Kent Conference Green
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Luke Philo, sr. GK; Kaleb Smith, jr. MF; Brendan Walker, sr. D (Statistics not submitted).
Outlook: Byron Center has added its first Finals run to its first Regional championship won last week. Bays also led the Bulldogs to a 17-3-2 record in his first season last fall after previously coaching the junior varsity. The team advanced in part with shootout wins over Grand Haven and No. 4 Oxford and also defeated top-ranked Portage Central during this postseason. Smith is the team’s leading scorer, and only three seniors start – so this could be just the start of a run at the top of Division 1. Philo earned an all-state honorable mention last season.
ROCHESTER ADAMS
Record/rank: 17-2-4, No. 5
Michigan Power Rating: No. 5
Coach: Josh Hickey, 16th season (188-94-62)
League finish: Second in Oakland Activities Association Red
Championship history: Two MHSAA titles (most recent 2022), two runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Anthony Page, sr. W (7 goals, 7 assists); Alex Rosin, sr. M (15 goals, 17 assists), Logan Lilla, sr. W (13 goals, 6 assists).
Outlook: Adams is making its second championship match appearance in three seasons and playing for the OAA Red’s third-straight title after Troy Athens won Division 1 a year ago. Any team emerging from that league will be prepared; in addition to Adams, Troy finished the regular season ranked No. 3, Oxford was No. 4, Troy Athens was No. 8 and Berkley No. 12 in Division 1. Adams defeated Troy in overtime, No. 10 Utica Eisenhower and No. 11 Saline in a shootout during this playoff run. Senior Reid Dennis has been a force in goal, giving up 0.4 goals per game with 12 shutouts heading into this week. Page earned an all-state honorable mention last season.
Division 2
GRAND RAPIDS FOREST HILLS NORTHERN
Record/rank: 19-4-3, No. 7
Michigan Power Rating: No. 19
Coach: Juan Torres, fourth season (59-18-7)
League finish: First in O-K White
Championship history: Division 2 champion 2019, two runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Drin Mandija, soph. F (12 goals, 6 assists); Almedin Hoxha, jr. M (14 goals, 6 assists); Beau Lincoln, jr. M (7 goals, 14 assists).
Outlook: Forest Hills Northern has done some impressive damage on the way to the season’s final weekend, among others defeating top-ranked Fruitport, No. 12 Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central, 2023 champion Grand Rapids Christian and No. 8 Bay City John Glenn during the playoffs – the first three on the list in shootouts. Junior Lukas Darling has been in goal for all of it, with eight shutouts this season while giving up just 1.2 goals per game. The Forest Hills Central win avenged a 3-0 loss in the regular-season finale. Total, 18 players had scored at least once entering this week.
WARREN DE LA SALLE COLLEGIATE
Record/rank: 19-3-1, No. 2
Michigan Power Rating: No. 4
Coach: Thaier Mukhtar, 36th season (594-143-97)
League finish: Second in Catholic High School League Central
Championship history: Five MHSAA titles (most recent 2005), one runner-up finish.
Players to watch: Andrew Corder, soph. F (16 goals, 6 assists); Daniel Makara, sr. D (9 goals, 8 assists); Joshua Ross, sr. M (13 goals, 8 assists).
Outlook: The Pilots rode a 3-1 win over No. 5 Mason into their first championship match since 2005. Mukhtar is the winningest coach in MHSAA boys soccer history and has directed the program to all five of its Finals titles. He began this season with three all-state first-teamers from last year in Makara, Ross and Corder, while junior midfielder Nikolai Zacharko (6 goals/4 assists) made the third team last season and sophomore keeper Dominic Baldarotta earned an honorable mention. Baldarotta has played the majority in net this season, with a 1.21 goals-against average and eight shutouts heading into this week.
Division 3
ELK RAPIDS
Record/rank: 18-6-1, No. 10
Michigan Power Rating: No. 13
Coach: Nate Plum, 17th season (275-116-34)
League finish: Tied for first in Northern Shores Conference
Championship history: Two MHSAA titles (most recent 1998), three runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Jayden Hresko, jr. F (14 goals, 11 assists); Mason Hilley, soph. M (3 goals, 7 assists); Tyler Standfest, soph. F (16 goals, 9 assists).
Outlook: After reaching the Semifinals for the sixth time under Plum’s leadership, Elk Rapids broke through to get back to championship weekend for the first time since its last title was won in 1998. The Elks have given up just three goals over six postseason games and no more than one in any match going back to Sept. 7; they haven’t lost since Sept. 9. They defeated No. 4 Kingsford, No. 9 Hartford and No. 12 Traverse City St. Francis during this run, and junior Jacob McManus has played most in net with a 0.79 goals-against average and 10 shutouts over the course of the fall. Hresko, Hilley and junior midfielder Carter Denoyer (6 goals, 1 assist) earned all-state honorable mentions last season.
PONTIAC NOTRE DAME PREP
Record/rank: 22-2, No. 1
Michigan Power Rating: No. 1
Coach: Rob Suffredini, 10th season (111-80-35)
League finish: Does not compete in a league.
Championship history: Division 3 runner-up 2000.
Players to watch: Benjamin Liparoto, jr. M (8 goals, 4 assists); Will Lanham, sr. F (28 goals, 14 assists); Jack Kilpatrick, jr. M (12 goals, 13 assists).
Outlook: Aside from stumbles against No. 5 Detroit Country Day and Division 1 No. 3 Troy, Notre Dame Prep has put together one of the most dominating runs in the state in any division – and the Fighting Irish avenged the Country Day loss with a shootout win in the District Final. They also downed No. 2 Flint Powers Catholic and No. 13 Williamston during this postseason, the latter in their 12th shutout of the fall. Lanham made the all-state first team last year, and Kilpatrick made the third team. Four others had at least five goals scored entering this week.
Division 4
MUSKEGON WESTERN MICHIGAN CHRISTIAN
Record/rank: 14-7-3, No. 8
Michigan Power Rating: No. 10
Coach: Ben Buursma, fifth season (73-32-12)
League finish: Does not compete in a league.
Championship history: Nine MHSAA titles (most recent 2023), seven runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Dan Minasian, sr. GK (1.04 goals-against average, 9 shutouts); Tekalegn Vlasma, sr. F (27 goals, 5 assists); Cole DeJonge, sr. M (5 goals, 24 assists).
Outlook: WMC is seeking its third-straight Division 4 title, and earning it would have to make this run one of the program’s most impressive over its highlight-filled history. The Warriors have yet to give up a goal over five postseason games against Ravenna, No. 6 North Muskegon, No. 13 Harbor Springs, No. 2 Leland and No. 5 Grandville Calvin Christian. Minasian, senior defender Ben Visser and DeJonge all made the all-state first team last season, while Vlasma made the second team and was the star of last year’s championship match with two goals in finishing 2023 with 26 total.
PLYMOUTH CHRISTIAN ACADEMY
Record/rank: 15-5-3, unranked
Michigan Power Rating: No. 24
Coach: Ryan Thompson, second season (21-10-9)
League finish: Second in Michigan Independent Athletic Conference Blue
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Caedmon Whipple, sr. M (23 goals, 12 assists); Mac MacDonald, sr. M (3 goals, 1 assist); Grant Ramseyer, soph. F (12 goals, 11 assists).
Outlook: Coming off a solid regular season, PCA has put together a stunning playoffs outscoring its six opponents by a combined 21-5. The two most recent victories came over No. 3 Royal Oak Shrine Catholic and No. 4 Lansing Christian and are part of a 13-0-2 streak going back to Sept. 13. Whipple made the all-state third team last season, and MacDonald earned an honorable mention, and they are two of only four seniors total. Sophomore midfielder Leo Lavigne also had scored 12 goals entering this week.
PHOTOS (Top) Pontiac Notre Dame Prep’s Edziu Lis (9) pursues the ball during a regular-season victory over Birmingham Seaholm. (Middle) Byron Center’s Kaleb Smith (10) pushes the attack during Wednesday’s Semifinal win over Oxford. (Top photo by Adam Sheehan; middle photo by John Johnson.)