Saints Remember, Rally During Semifinal Run
November 20, 2015
By Dennis Grall
Special for Second Half
ST. IGNACE – Tradition and excellence are distinctive parts of the athletic program at LaSalle High School at this eastern tip of the Upper Peninsula.
Located at the north end of the Mackinac Bridge, St. Ignace has won five MHSAA girls basketball championships since 1999, and the school's football team won the 1983 Class C title. The football team also is currently preparing for its third MHSAA Semifinal appearance since 2011.
When the Saints face two-time defending Division 8 champion Muskegon Catholic Central on Saturday at Thirlby Field in Traverse City, they will have an extra player in their huddle.
Mitchell Snyder, a three-year starter at center, was killed in a car accident following the school's homecoming in October when he was struck by an alleged drunk driver.
"Since his death, the team has really come together as a unit," said veteran St. Ignace News sportswriter Dave Latva.
Head coach Marty Spencer, in his 19th season at the helm, agreed. "This has been a rallying point for us," said Spencer, noting the Snyder family has become an integral part of every football game.
"This has brought us closer; it has brought his family closer to us. We have rallied around him. He is with us. He is on our shoulders. He is in our huddle."
Snyder's father, Brent, wears his son's No. 69 jersey to every game, and the players reach out and touch the jersey as they leave the locker room for the field. His number also appears on the back of each player's helmet.
In the first game after the accident, against Ironwood and played in Gladstone, Brent Snyder asked the Saints what they thought Mitchell would want them to do. Snyder told them Mitchell loved to play football, and they should continue to play the game.
The Saints ran their opening two plays against Ironwood with just 10 players, in memory of their deceased teammate. "Mitchell was there blocking for us," said Spencer.
Spencer said the coaching staff and players talked extensively about the tragic accident. "It was tough that first week. We struggled," said Spencer. "We talked a lot trying to find answers, and you never can answer those questions.
"We had to do that for our well-being, for us to survive. As he helps us through each game, it gets better and better for us. Not just for us, for the whole community."
Spencer has guided St. Ignace to an 11-1 record. Its only loss was 20-14 to unbeaten Ishpeming, which is in the Division 7 Semifinals for the fourth straight year. Last week the Saints beat perennial Division 8 power Crystal Falls Forest Park 22-8.
"Our kids are pretty resilient," said Spencer. "He (Mitchell Snyder) has been our backbone for this run. It could have destroyed us all. Mitchell's dad said there should be no more crying. Mitchell is not crying. He wants you to play football."
Because the Saints have played such powerful foes as Ishpeming and Forest Park, they will not be intimidated going up against a team the stature of Muskegon Catholic Central. "They are bigger than us, they have size and speed," said Spencer. "Our kids are confident. We have played some good teams (including also Fowler and Johannesburg-Lewiston). We are ready."
Leading the Saints is senior Gage Kreski, an all-state prospect in football and basketball and highly-sought college recruit in both sports. Kreski is the team's quarterback and was the Upper Peninsula's defensive player of the year (small school division, as voted by media) as a back. He also does the punting and returns punts.
"He does so much," said Spencer, noting Kreski had 11 interceptions as a sophomore and this year has scored off two of his three interceptions as offenses steer away from him. "He is a constant athlete who keeps working. He can play anywhere. He could be one heckuva wide receiver," said Spencer.
Kreski has rushed for 851 yards and added another 1,235 yards passing. He has solid backfield support from Mitchell Peterson, Andrew Goldthorpe and Dave LaVake, with linemen Cole Garen and Jared Helms setting the interior tempo for the two-time Ski Valley Conference champions.
Spencer said the heavily balanced Saints have emphasized defense this year with a 52 alignment (five linemen, two linebackers). "Against the run, this is the best it has ever been," he said.
The narrow loss to Ishpeming provided a confidence boost for the Saints, who have a fully home-grown coaching staff under Spencer, a downstate native. Spencer coached nearly every assistant coach when they played and said having St. Ignace grads on the staff "helps continue the legacy that has been built."
Two of the aides are volunteers who moved back home this fall, Chase and Zach Pierson, the sons of legendary St. Ignace football standout and coach Barry Pierson.
"It is nice having people who know the tradition here, the ins and outs of what the program means to people," said Spencer.
Denny Grall retired in 2012 after 39 years at the Escanaba Daily Press and four at the Green Bay Press-Gazette, plus 15 months for WLST radio in Escanaba; he served as the Daily Press sports editor from 1970-80 and again from 1984-2012. Grall was inducted into the Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame in 2002 and serves as its executive secretary. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for the Upper Peninsula.
PHOTOS: (Top) St. Ignace players all wear a decal on their helmets in memory of late teammate Mitchell Snyder. (Middle) A Saints defender stacks up an Indian River Inland Lakes ball-carrier earlier this season. (Below) St. Ignace huddles during a break in play. (Photos courtesy of Kristi Gustafson.)
Gull Lake Players Find Opportunities to Play, New Friendships as Part of 'Parchment Pride'
By
Pam Shebest
Special for MHSAA.com
September 22, 2026
PARCHMENT — When he took the field for his senior football season, Lucas Hutchinson did not expect to be wearing maroon and white.
The navy blue and white of Gull Lake High School was more his style.
But before the season started, an unusual series of events found Hutchinson and his 18 Gull Lake teammates without any team at all.
That’s when Parchment athletic director Brennan Davis stepped in, contacting Gull Lake AD Karyn Furlong and offering a solution: a cooperative team.
All of a sudden, those 19 players found a new football home.
“Obviously I’d rather be wearing navy blue and white but I’m happy to play in whatever color I can,” Hutchinson said. “Now that I’m playing for Parchment, I gotta have that Parchment Pride so I wear it with honor, and even though it’s not the color I wanted to wear, I’m excited to wear it.”
Gull Lake canceled its football season Aug. 12 after a preseason camp incident that resulted in school and law enforcement investigations.
Davis said his team’s numbers were down this year and adding the Gull Lake players would be the boost his team needed.
“I had heard about Gull Lake canceling their season due to safety concerns, and the schedule they’re playing is tough – to go into the game with 20 kids against some perennial powers,” Davis said. “So I reached out to Karyn (Furlong) on a Wednesday morning (about combining the teams). I heard back from her a few hours later.”
From there, a co-op team was born with the assurance that none of the players involved in the incident would be on the team.
The two groups held their first combined practice a week before the Aug. 27 season opener with just one snag.
“One issue we had was helmets,” Davis said. “We had a specific number of maroon helmets that would have outfitted our varsity and JV players, but then (Gull Lake) came over, they had white helmets.
"We asked the Gull Lake players to give up their white helmets for maroon helmets and gave the white to the JV players.”
First-day jitters
Several Gull Lake players, including Hutchinson, were a bit nervous that first practice.
“I didn’t know how we were going to work together and get along,” Hutchinson said. “I knew no one, but I do now,” he laughed. “When I first went into the locker room it was with a bunch of random faces I didn’t know. I was definitely eager to know everybody.”
He said he was worried about the way he and his teammates would be treated.
“Past two years, I was starting on varsity both ways, so even though I was getting to play football, I was worried how things were going to change, for not just me but all the guys from Gull Lake being treated equally and getting playing time. It transitioned smoothly, definitely no favoring with the coaches.”
Parchment quarterback Jordan Bagley said before the rosters combined the Panthers were preparing for a tough season with just 20 players.
“We knew we were going to have a lot of two-way players so that means we weren’t going to drag butt at practice,” the junior said. “We had to show up and bring it every day.
“It was definitely going to be a tough season mentally and physically. That’s a lot of wear and tear on your body.”
He added that Gull Lake players give the Panthers extra depth.
“It lets everybody come out fresh,” he said. “It reduces the risk of injuries, too. They don’t have to worry about coming out of the game if they’re gassed or need a breather, so it’s a big help.”
A bonus for Parchment was Hutchinson and junior quarterback Zac Pfenning, both past all-Southwest Michigan Athletic Conference first-teamers.
“We have a lot more skill positions so that’s always good for receivers and defensive backs to rotate in,” Bagley said. “They bring some leadership, too. Kessler (Johnson) is a good leader who’s helped X (Xavier Garcia). Depth and more players and a lot of new friendships.
"This has been one of better experiences for football in my career. I’ve actually enjoyed it a lot. It’s been a very positive thing for both sides, I believe. Everybody gets to play some football.”
Todd Nunn, Parchment’s second-year head coach, said he was excited to have his team’s numbers doubled.
“I don’t think we could have asked for a better practice that first day,” he said. “The group seemed to gel well; the Parchment kids were explaining to the Gull Lake kids our offensive plays, helped them understand the defense that was being called. It was like they’d been there the whole time.”
Nunn is no stranger to co-op teams.
He coached at Burr Oak, which combined with Colon for the four years he was there.
“I knew what it felt like being the team coming over to the main school,” he said. “I understood some of the reservations the Gull Lake kids might have coming over here.
“We sat the kids down, explained what was happening and how it would benefit them, not having to play both sides of the ball, getting more time to come to the sidelines to get a break. I think they were very receptive to that.”
Parchment and Gull Lake cheerleaders also have combined for several games.
“The co-op was just for football, but our cheerleaders and Gull Lake’s cheer team and coaches are good friends,” Davis said. “They have practiced together previously over the summer.
“We decided on a specific schedule where their cheerleaders would cheer with ours, four or five games.”
In addition, the football team will play a home game for Senior Night at Gull Lake, against Lawton on Oct. 16. The Blue Devils have 14 seniors and five juniors on the team.
Parchment has six seniors, 11 juniors and three sophomores.
Quick transition, perfect fit
The ease with which the process came together surprised Davis.
“Everything fell into place, which was strange because things usually take forever,” he said.
Over the course of one week:
- Davis and Furlong talked on a Wednesday.
- Parchment already had a staff development day scheduled that day and talked about the cooperative possibility.
- A Southwestern Athletic Conference meeting had been previously postponed from Tuesday to Thursday, and all 18 teams approved the co-op.
- “We did not involve the kids until prior to the (Parchment) board meet on Monday at 5.” Davis said. “I met with four of our team leaders at 4:50, board meeting at 5, meet the team night at 6:30, Gull Lake board meeting at 7, so that whole night was a lot.”
- The MHSAA then approved it.
With the season under way, the Panthers take a 2-2 record into Friday’s game against Kalamazoo United, another co-op team made up of Kalamazoo Christian and Hackett Catholic Prep players.
“(Gull Lake) kids follow our strength and conditioning requirements,” Davis said. “Whenever we have an away game, the kids drive here, ride our buses to our events.
“If there are disciplinary issues, they are a Parchment student-athlete, they function as Parchment students. Luckily nothing (bad) has happened.”
Bagley said the combined team has resulted in friendships that will last beyond this season.
“I got to meet a lot of new people, made a bunch of new friendships, which I’m really thankful for,” he said.
Hutchinson said he and his teammates have adjusted well.
“The first week it was weird seeing everyone wearing a different color (than he wore at Gull Lake), running out to a different field and having it be our home field. But now I’ve embraced it. Now I’m a Parchment Panther … for football,” he added, laughing.
Pam Shebest served as a sportswriter at the Kalamazoo Gazette from 1985-2009 after 11 years part-time with the Gazette while teaching French and English at White Pigeon High School. She can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Calhoun, Kalamazoo and Van Buren counties.
PHOTOS (Top) At left, Parchment quarterback Jordan Bagley (2) hands off during a game this season, and at right, Lucas Hutchinson (10) carries the ball downfield. (Middle) Clockwise from top left: Parchment athletic director Brennan Davis, varsity football coach Todd Nunn, senior Lucas Hutchinson and junior Jordan Bagley. (Below) Hutchinson wears the maroon and white of the Panthers. (Action photos by Kelci Henton. Headshots by Pam Shebest.)