Calumet Invite Produces Northern Stars
September 18, 2013
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The Calumet Invitational dates back roughly 30 years as an annual staple of the cross country schedule for schools at the northernmost tip of Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
A creative move by the Copper Kings last year added some statewide prestige to the event.
Last week, for the second season, Calumet ran the series of races at Keweenaw Mountain Lodge, a resort near Copper Harbor and the northern bank of the Keweenaw Peninsula.
Calumet is the northernmost high school in Michigan. And moving this race another 35 miles northeast more or less guaranteed it's the northernmost event run in the state.
"We figured it was pretty safe. We're the northernmost school in the state, and you can only go four more miles and you're in Lake Superior," Calumet athletic director Sean Jacques said. "Nobody else is going to do anything more north than that."
A total of 10 schools were represented this fall in the races for boys and girls varsity, junior varsity and middle schoolers.
Jacques said the event formerly was run at a golf course in Calumet. But a few years ago, Calumet graduate and former Copper Kings cross country runner Dan Harri moved home from Florida to become general manager at the Mountain Lodge (he's also a renowned chef and has owned restaurants in Miami with Hall of Fame Dolphins coach Don Shula).
Harri had asked a few times about bringing a cross country or golf event to the lodge. Jacques told him last year they'd give it a try, so Harri set up a course that includes golf course, a couple of bridges, trails and finishes with a climb on the No. 1 fairway. It also provides various points for fans to watch runners go by, not always available on other courses.
"We were looking for a little bit of a change, and it's a beautiful course," Jacques said. "We thought if people were willing to make the extra drive, it would be really nice."
Calumet won the boys race this season, just ahead of runner-up Houghton. Houghton's girls were victorious, followed by the host Copper Kings.
Click to read more about this year's event from the Houghton Mining Gazette.
Michigan's claim to an NFL evolution
As part of its NFL preview this month, Sports Illustrated reported on one of the most significant developments for offenses over the last few decades – the silent snap count, which is used regularly by visiting teams because offensive linemen can’t hear the quarterback calling for the ball over the clamor of the home crowd.
And the article explained that the silent snap count might’ve gotten its start at one of Michigan’s smallest high schools – Flint’s Michigan School for the Deaf.
Offensive linemen during the 1980s were feasted on by pass rushers like Lawrence Taylor and Bruce Smith, who built record sack totals by blasting past blockers who seemed a step slow. Turns out, that was true. Defensive players were getting an edge by attacking as soon as they saw the ball move. But blockers (especially offensive tackles), focused instead on the defensive ends and linebackers lined up across from them, and didn’t have the luxury of watching the ball – and since they also couldn’t hear the snap count, started each play a step behind.
Enter the silent count. The quarterback signals to the center that he is ready to receive the ball (with a pat on the back, by raising a foot, etc.). The center then raises his head, and after a predetermined count of at least one second snaps the ball without a sound. This means an offensive tackle doesn’t have to listen for a snap count – he just counts after seeing the center get set.
The SI report recognized longtime offensive line coach Howard Mudd as the guru of the silent snap count. But Mudd recalled a conversation he’d had while working for the Seattle Seahawks with another coach, the late Andy MacDonald, who also had coached early in his career at a school for the deaf in Michigan.
The article doesn’t mention Michigan School for the Deaf by name. But it seems to make sense that the Tartars were the first to use the now-revolutionary count. MacDonald – who played at Central Michigan University and went on to coach at Michigan State and four other colleges and also for the Buffalo Bills – grew up in Flint and attended Flint Northern before playing for the Chippewas from 1950-53. The historical web site Michigan-football.com has results for Flint’s Michigan School for the Deaf dating to 1950, making it a decent assumption that MacDonald might’ve gotten in a little early coaching experience at the school down the road from his home.
Click for the SI story and go to page 4 for the mention of Michigan’s school.
Michigan mourns trooper, running standout
The law enforcement community is mourning the death of Michigan State Police trooper Paul Butterfield, who was shot Sept. 9 during a traffic stop in Mason County. He also was a well-known distance runner during the 1980s and the MHSAA Class A cross country champion running for Bridgeport in 1987.
According to a Ludington Daily News report, Butterfield continued running after high school at the University of Tennessee, and also competed at the 1989 Pan American Junior Games in Argentina.
Butterfield was stationed in Hart after previously serving in Manistee, and lived in Mason County. He also had served in the U.S. Army. Click to read more from the Ludington Daily News.
PHOTO: Calumet's Chelsea Jacques (right) won this season's Calumet Invitational with a time of 21:08.06, just ahead of Ironwood's Jessica Gering at 21:46.16. (Photo courtesy of Calumet athletic department.)
Suttons Bay Goals, Assists Record-Setter U'Ren Savoring Memories from Every Season
By
Tom Spencer
Special for MHSAA.com
June 12, 2026
Megan U’Ren knows full well there’s no guarantee the best-played soccer ball for a scoring chance will find the back of the net.
Her perspective comes from being the passer and shooter the past four years for Suttons Bay High School.
“Goals and assists are almost equally as hard because you can set someone up perfectly and then they miss,” U’Ren said. “And then even my scoring chance … if I got set up perfectly … everyone misses.”
Enough perfect-like passes were finished though — to and from U’Ren. She just finished her career as the leading goal scorer in the school’s history as well as with the most assists ever recorded. U’Ren, who plans to attend Michigan State University in the fall, gives the lion’s share of credit to her teammates for the records.
“I wasn't really expecting to break any records,” U’Ren pointed out. “You can't really score without someone assisting you and then to get all these assists, my teammates had to score goals.”
While leading the Norse to a 13-5-1 record this spring, U’Ren toppled the marks of Sydney Deadman for career goals and Lauren Lints for career assists. She had already set the single-season assists school record a few seasons earlier, surpassing Paige Kohler.
U’Ren quite possibly would have walked away with the single-season scoring record this year too, but the Norse saw six regular-season games cancelled due to Northern Michigan’s rather miserable spring weather. She finished her shortened senior season with 17 goals and six assists.
But it’s not necessarily the goals or the assists headlining U’Ren’s legacy.
“I am proud, as a dad and a coach, to see somebody from a young age take something serious, and be willing to put hours and hours of work into it … lifting weights, going to the field on her own shooting balls and stuff,” recalled her coach and father Randy U’Ren. “The girls see it. They see what happens when you put in a lot of work.”
The graduating senior U’Ren has been around Suttons Bay soccer since her dad returned to coaching high school. Under Coach U’Ren, the Norsemen’s boys soccer teams picked up District and Regional titles on a pretty regular basis.
“Megan was a great example of you put in the work, good things are bound to happen,” Randy U’Ren said. “This girl has been working with that level for many years.”
With opponents like Leland, Elk Rapids and Harbor Springs often in the Suttons Bay’s District bracket, the record holder wasn’t able to experience the postseason runs the boys had under coach U’Ren.
Leland also was a thorn to the Norse in the Northwest Conference, winning the title all four of Megan’s playing years.
“Winning Districts was always a goal, but our District has been hard,” admitted U’Ren, an all-conference player again this season. “Every single year we had teams like Harbor Springs in it.”
The Norse fell to Harbor this season in the District Semifinals on the Rams’ home field, 3-0. The Rams went on to advance to the Division 4 Final being played today at Michigan State University.
The Suttons Bay coach pointed out the assists and scoring records are more of a reflection on all the players he’s coached the last four seasons, not just his daughter.
“It’s a testament to the whole program when you have any records that come,” Randy U’Ren said, noting he’s never focused much on individual stats. “It's more like if the team is doing well, the other stuff follows. It's kind of like in business too. If you do the right things in your business, then the money will come.”
Megan U’Ren, who hopes to play college club soccer, looks back at her freshman year as her high school favorite.
“Every year was special,” she said. “But my freshman year was my favorite, getting to play with Dani, my oldest sister.”
And Megan leaves with fond memories of all four years.
“The sophomore year … breaking the assist record, and having Lauren (Lint) — that duo — was special,” she recalled. “Junior year it was seeing that the records were reachable and possible. And then, senior year breaking the records and just graduating with all of my teammates who have played club with me for so many years.”
Winning was a bigger priority than records for both U’Rens.
“I liked doing whatever the team needed and working as hard as I can to help the team succeed,” Megan U’Ren said. “But scoring was really fun, especially in the harder games.”
U’Ren broke Deadman’s record late in this season, scoring two in a win over Kalkaska. The game was stopped as center referee Ed O’Brien delivered game ball to school officials for presentation to U’Ren after the game.
“It was an honor to be asked to remove the ball if she got the record,” O’Brien said, noting he’s never done anything like it in his 25 years of refereeing high school soccer. “Number 10 is such a great player, and she could have scored more. She gave up chances prior, choosing to pass the ball instead.”
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) Suttons Bay’s Megan U’Ren (10) works against a pair of Leland defenders this season. (Middle) Megan U’Ren, right, and her father and coach Randy. (Below) U’Ren creates space during another game this spring. (Top photo courtesy of the Leelanau Enterprise. Family and Glen Lake photo by Trudy Galla Photography.)