Athletic teams throughout the state continued waiting word about what would happen with their seasons due to the COVID pandemic. At the beginning of 2021, football, volleyball and girls swimming and diving were waiting on word when they could conclude their season with postseason tournaments. Winter sports were anxious to see when they could start practicing and competing.
January 6
Football, volleyball, girls swimming and diving tournaments to wrap this month: Michigan High School Athletic Association announced updates for concluding postseason tournaments for football, volleyball and girls swimming and diving. Volleyball and swimming and diving resumed their postseason on Monday, Jan. 4 after a delay due to COVID.

January 13
Shutout for regional title: Clarkston Everest Collegiate Football team sealed its spot in the Final Four as their postseason games restarted Saturday, Jan. 9. They claimed the MHSAA Football Division 8 Region 4 championship with a 35-0 win over Petersburg Summerfield.
Wolves hockey team in good hands with new, local coaching trio: Nathan Bryer, Ryan Larkin and Garrett Polish, all Clarkston High School graduates, were excited to start the winter season coaching the Clarkston Hockey team.

January 20
Wolves volleyball shows grit, falls in state semifinals: Clarkston Varsity Volleyball finished in the Final Four in the MHSAA Division 1 Volleyball State Championship in Battle Creek in the semifinal game to Birmingham Marian, 3-2. They lost the fifth and final set, 15-11. “We played great,” said Kelly Pinner, head coach. “You never like to lose and we wanted a chance at the state title. But, I don’t know if I could have asked for any more out of the team.”
CHS winter sports update: When midnight struck on Saturday morning on Jan. 16 the Clarkston Girls Basketball program headed back to the gym to start workouts for the winter season. Per the MHSAA, contact sports – basketball, hockey, wrestling and competitive cheer could begin indoor practices with non-contact activities.
Mountaineers close season early following positive COVID test results: The football season came to a premature end for Clarkston Everest Collegiate as the school announced it was bowing out of the MHSAA Division 8 Football playoffs. In an email to The Clarkston News and on their social media accounts, they explained they had positive test results for COVID.

January 27
Wolves open on slopes: The Clarkston Boys and Girls Ski teams were racing to great finished in their first few weeks of competition. The girls varsity team won their Giant Slalom and Slalom races against Lake Orion and split their races against Notre Dame Prep. The boys varsity team won their meet to Lake Orion and lost to Notre Dame Prep.
Pause continues for contact sports: The start of the winter season hit another delay. Governor Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced winter contact sports must remain non-contact until Sunday, Feb. 21.

February 3
Spindler brings Anvil Award to Clarkston: Rocco Spindler smiled as he lifted the STATE CHAMPS! Anvil Award, which showcases the best Michigan lineman and linebackers in high school football. “It’s just the cap of my entire career here at Clarkston,” said Spindler, adding he had his eye on the award since it was created 2018.

February 10
Volleyball coach Pinner steps down: After 18 years at the helm, Kelly (Avenall) Pinner stepped down as the head coach of Clarkston Varsity Volleyball for personal reasons.
Athletes, coaches rejoice as pause ends for winter contact sports: The music was louder as athletes and coaches celebrated the the latest news released on on Thursday, Feb. 4 – winter contact sports could begin full activity on Monday, Feb. 8.
Champions of division race as Pine Knob Ski Resort: The Wolves ruled the slopes as the girls varsity ski team won the Pine Knob League Division.
Swimmers cut down times in meet against Avondale: Clarkston Boys Swim and Dive celebrated their 11 seniors during their win over Avondale, 147-23, while also cutting times.

February 17
Skiers state-bound after regional success: The Clarkston Girls Varsity Ski team finished as champions at the MHSAA Division 1 Regional 2 competition with 30 points. The boys finished in third place with 130.5 points. Both teams qualified for the state championship.
Cagers dominated court in first trio of games: The Clarkston Boys Varsity Basketball team opened the season with three wins following short practice time after tryouts the week prior. They defeated Farmington, 57-43; Waterford Mott, 58-37; and Troy Athens, 50-38.
Surge in first quarter aids in season opener: The Clarkston Girls Varsity Basketball team opened the season with a 66-49 win over Troy, Feb. 9, after closing the first quarter with a 20-9 lead.

February 24
Wolves’ spirit leads to first-place finish in league championship: Clarkston Varsity Competitive Cheer ruled the league as they won the OAA League Championship at Oxford High School, scoring 677.82 after three rounds.
Wolves post first win: After an icy 0-4 start to the season, the Clarkston Varsity Hockey team posted a 4-1 win over undefeated Bloomfield Hills.
Third time’s a charm for JV: The Clarkston Girls JV Ski team won the Don Thomas JV Championship for the third year in a row and finished first place in the Pine Knob High School League JV Divisionals.

March 3
All-State finish in the state championship: The Clarkston Girls Varsity Ski team finished in third place in the MHSAA Division 1 Ski State Championship and the boys finished in sixth place. Courtney Bayley and Andrew Roeser finished with All-State honors, placing in the top ten.

March 10
Pieces coming together for Wolves as grapplers head into postseason: Seniors were celebrated as Clarkston Varsity Wrestling hosted their second quad. They went 2-1 for the day with Grady Castle winning his three matches with pins and Drew Stark also went undefeated for the day including wins with two pins.
Swimmers and divers prepare for league meet this week: The Wolves competed in the Oakland County Swimming and Diving Championship against 30 teams. Valen Kurmaniak finished in 15th place in the 100-yard freestyle, 50.30. He also finished in 18th place in the 50-yard freestyle, 22.72. Zach Yamanhoa finished in 20th place in the 100-yard butterfly, 54.58. The 200-yard medley relay team finished in 17th place, 1:47.24.
Spring is on for athletes: Michigan High School Athletic Association shared the latest update for the 2021 Spring season. The start of practices were delayed one week to March 22 and competition to begin March 26.

March 17
Clarkston tops OAA Blue with first-place finish: The Clarkston Boys Swim and Dive team finished the OAA Blue in first place with 424 points. Valen Kurmaniak and Zach Yamanoha finished as All-League in their swim events. Kevin Hardtke and Ryan Putnam finished as All-League divers.
Wolves’ winning streak continues with victories over Oak Park, Stoney Creek: Clarkston Boys Varsity Basketball avenged their earlier loss to Oak Park with a 44-41 win at home. They also were victorious over Stoney Creek, 48-37.
Two shutouts on ice: Clarkston Varsity Hockey closed the regular season with three wins including a 3-0 shutout against M-1 Griffins United; and 5-0 shutout against Utica Eisenhower.
Everest claims title: Clarkston Everest Collegiate Varsity Boys Basketball cinched the Catholic High School League title with a 71-55 win over Cristo Rey.

March 24
Grapplers capture team, individual titles in district competitions: Clarkston Varsity Wrestling claimed their 15th consecutive district championship and had eight grapplers qualify for the individual regional meet.
Wolves ‘happy to play’ as postseason begins: The boys basketball season ended earlier than players and coaches expected in 2020 as the COVID pandemic was just beginning. For 2021, the Wolves were ready and happy to play as they went into the district playoffs.
Mountaineers finish second: Clarkston Everest Competitive Cheer finished in second place at he MHSAA Division 4 District 21 meet at Whitmore Lake with 710.14 points.
McLetchie places ninth to head to states: Patrick McLetchie qualified for the MHSAA Division 1 Boys Bowling State Championship finishing in ninth place at the regional competition.

March 31
Wolves down Dragons, Highlanders for district title: The Clarkston Varsity Boys Basketball team went on a shooting frenzy against Rochester Adams to claim the MHSAA Division 1 District 5 title with a 67-31 score.
Cagers outshoot Adams in second half: Clarkston Varsity Girls Basketball defeated Rochester Adams for the district title, 75-48, but there was a deeper meaning to the win. “Every game has been a blessing,” said John Weyer, head coach. “Every practice has been a gift. I was waiting for the call today you are shut down. This year, you just enjoy every moment.”
Mountaineers capture district title: The Clarkston Everest Collegiate Varsity Boys Basketball team won the Division 4 District 126 championship with a 57-50 win over Oakland Christian.
Wolves ready for third consecutive trip to quarterfinals: The Clarkston Varsity Wrestling team were all smiles as they claimed their third consecutive regional crown – sending them to the state championship after their 39-33 win over Stoney Creek. They had four advance from the individual regional meet.

April 7
Clarkston closes season in regionals to St. Mary’s: The Clarkston Boys Varsity Basketball team finished the season in the MHSAA Division 1 Regional 2 Semifinal in a 38-37 loss to Orchard Lake St. Mary’s.
Three All-State finishes in Clarkston Wrestling: Clarkston Varsity Wrestling had three finish in the top eight in the individual state championship. Ashton Anderson finished as state champion in the 125-pound weight class. Grady Castle finished in fourth place in the 152-pound weight class and Auggie Anderson finished in eighth place in the 130-pound weight class.

April 14
Lacrosse opens spring season with three wins: Clarkston Varsity Boys Lacrosse opened their 2021 spring season with a goal from Evan McClorey 25 seconds into their season opener against Plymouth. They finished the game with a 14-4 win. They finished the first week with a 14-8 win over Midland and 15-1 win over Oxford.
Wolves prove can ‘ compete with anyone’: It wasn’t the result Clarkston Varsity Girls Soccer wanted in the 4-2 loss against Troy Athens. But they proved they could play with anyone.

April 21
Wolves mark second week of competition with two shutouts: Clarkston Girls Varsity Soccer finished their week with a 5-0 win over White Lake Lakeland and a 8-0 win over Avondale, with a hat trick from Ava Tereau and Ava Bechtell.
Boost in fourth inning for win: Clarkston Varsity Baseball opened the week with a 8-6 win over Troy Athens with Brady Krcziok going 3-for-3 at the bat.

April 28
Wolves go on three-game winning streak at home: The Clarkston Girls Varsity Girls Lacrosse team defeated Rochester, 17-14; Grosse Pointe South, 15-14; and Stoney Creek, 13-3 in their home games for the week.

May 5
Game for Hope leads to huge win for lacrosse: Clarkston Varsity Boys Lacrosse dominated the field against Troy during the annual Game for Hope event with a 18-1 win.

May 12
Holbein scores hat trick in CHS soccer victory over Berkley: Clarkston Varsity Girls Soccer didn’t waste anytime getting on the scoreboard against Berkley. Michaela Holbein netted the first goal 41 seconds into the 7-3 win. She finished with a hat trick in the win.

May 19
Wolves’ track and field nearing season finish: Ben Haas finished his final OAA Red/White Track and Field Championship taking first place in shot put with 55-01. He finished second place in discus, 126-09. The boys finished in fifth place with 54 points and the girls finished in seventh place with 49.5 points.

May 26
Wolves jump ahead of Lightning in first quarter: Clarkston Varsity Boys Lacrosse finished the first round of the regional playoffs in three quarters with a 21-0 win over Lapeer. Braedyn Callahan and Ryan Berry led with three goals each.
Success at relays: Clarkston Girls JV Track and Field finished in first place at the Bill Breen JV Relays at Troy High School. They finished five events in first place and one event in second place.
On to finals: Clarkston Varsity Girls Tennis moved on to the state championship after taking second place at the regional meet with 18 points.
Everest qualifies for state in track, field and tennis: Clarkston Everest Collegiate competed in the MHSAA Division 4 Track and Field Region 38 competition with the boys team finishing in second place and the girls finishing in third. The tennis team tied for second in their region competition.

June 2
Wolves finish in top ten at freshman county meet: Alexandra Brigham finished as champion in the 3,200-meter run during the the Freshman Oakland County Championships as the Clarkston girls and track team finished in fifth place. Emily Valencia finished in top ten in three events and Genna Golab finished in top ten in two events.
Hitters rule sixth inning against Grand Blanc: Clarkston Varsity Baseball finished the regular season with a 1-1 split against Grand Blanc. They lost their first game, 6-4, and won the second game, 6-5 with five runs at the bottom of the sixth inning.

June 9
Wolves rule county at middle school track meet: Clarkston Junior High School Girls Track and Field team finished as champions at the 36th Oakland County Middle School Championship for the third time in school history. They finished with 72 points, 11 more than second place finishers Oxford.
District champs!: Wolves claimed the MHSAA Softball Division 1 District 27 championship for the fourth consecutive year with a 13-3 win over Waterford Kettering.
Spring winds down: Ben Haas finished his high school career as state champion at the MHSAA Division 1 Track and Field State Finals. He took first place in shot put, 57-08.5 and 12th place in discus. Andrew Sesti finished in ninth place in the 3,200-meter run and Genna Golab finished in 18th place in pole vault.
Everest claims district championship: Clarkston Everest Collegiate victorious with two shutouts to claim the MHSAA Division 4 District 58 Girls Soccer Championship. They defeated Montrose, 8-0; and Oakland Christian, 6-0.
Clarkston student-athlete chosen for MHSAA advisory council: Keira Tolmie was one of eight chosen to be on the Michigan High School Athletic Association Student Advisory Council.

June 16
Wolves close down Groves in six innings: Ella Cady hit the ball over the fence for a homerun in the bottom of the sixth inning in the MHSAA Division 1 Regional 7 Semifinals. The hit brought in three runners and closed the game against Birmingham Groves with a 12-1 win for Clarkston Varsity Softball. The Wolves lost to Farmington Hills in the regional final, 14-4.

June 23
Everest golfer achieves state championship goal: Remy Stalcup had a lofty goal when he began his sophomore spring season playing on the Clarkston Everest Collegiate Boys Golf team. He wanted to finish the season state champion and he did – claiming MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 4 Boys Golf Individual State Championship.

Highlights from the 2021 year continues in the January 5, 2022 edition.

  year in review