By Wendi Reardon Price
Clarkston News Sports Writer
 The beginning of 2022 brought both personal and team achievements for student-athletes in the Clarkston area. Here are just a few from the pages of The Clarkston News from January through June.
January 12
Grapplers top first two foes in OAA Red matches: Clarkston Varsity Wrestling returned from holiday break to post two wins in the OAA Red, defeating Stoney Creek, 45-21, and Lake Orion, 43-28.
Clarkston makes splash in pool in victory over Ferndale: Clarkston Boys Swim and Dive jumped right back into action after break with a win over Ferndale at home.
January 19
CHS hits slopes, picks up wins to start season: Clarkston High School Ski teams ruled the slopes in their first week of competition. The girls team had all seven athletes finish in the top 20 in the Giant Slalom and five finishing in the top 20 in the Slalom, winning all three of their dual meets over Detroit Country Day, Notre Dame Prep and Lake Orion. The boys had four finish in the top 20 in the Giant Slalom and three in the top 20 in the Slalom. They won their dual meets over Detroit Country Day and Lake Orion.
January 26
For the love of the game: Michael Stroster looked to make a basket while sneaking in a smile as Clarkston Unified Basketball started its season against Birmingham Groves Unified, Jan. 20.
Clarkston grapplers pin down OAA Red title: It came down to the last match for the OAA Red title between Oxford Varsity Wrestling and the Wolves at the Clarkston High School Performing Arts Center. Brock Trevino led through the 215-pound weight class match and finished with a 6-1 win, putting Clarkston ahead of the Wolves to win the league title, 38-33.
February 2
Dance fever: Clarkston Boys Basketball fans were treated to a performance from Clarkston Dance and their young friends during half time.
Wolves win off court for Chad Tough: Clarkston Boys Varsity Basketball finished the annual Chad Tough Night with a loss but in the end it was a big win for the Chad Tough Foundation. “The atmosphere was great,” said Tim Wasilk, head coach. “We had a great crowd.”
February 9
Slopes no match for Wolves’ skiers: Jeremy Nord and Cameron Thomas took the top spots during the Don Thomas Cup. Nord led the Clarkston Boys JV Ski team, finishing in first place in the combined time of 38.98. Thomas led the girls JV team, also finishing in first, in the combined time of 39.46.
Cheer takes second place: Clarkston Varsity Competitive Cheer took second place at the OAA White League Championship at Troy High School.
February 16
C-Town claims district crown in Lapeer: The Wolves took down two foes to claim the MHSAA Division 1 Wrestling Team District Championship at Lapeer High School. They opened the night on their way to their 16th consecutive championship with a 40-28 win over Oxford. They defeated Lapeer in the championship round, 45-22.
Cager milestone: The fans enthusiastically cheered as Maddy Skorupski scored her 1,000th point with 6:46 let in the Clarkston Girls Varsity Basketball game against West Bloomfield and finished the night with 26 points. She was the third player in the Clarkston Girls Basketball history books to achieve the milestone.
States for CHS power lifter: Dillon Hunter finished in second place in the 220 pound weight class in the Michigan High School Powerlifting Association Regional meet with a total of 1300. The finish qualified Hunter for the state meet.
Mountaineers cheer to the top: The Clarkston Everest Collegiate Competitive Cheer team finished in first place at the Catholic High School League Championship.
February 23
Gridiron legend ‘KR’ calling it a career: The sidelines wouldn’t be the same after Kurt Richardson announced he was retiring after 35 years at the helm for Clarkston Varsity Football. He explained it was a combination of different things including stepping down with assistant coaches Steve Pearson, Phil Price and John King.
Wolves’ wrestling quintet off to state meet: Archer Anderson, Auggie Anderson, Gabe Gipe and Preston Lefevre qualified for the MHSAA Division 1 Wrestling Individual State Championship during regional at Midland. Lillian Francy finished at the Girls Regional competition in the top eight in her weight class.
Clarkston racers rule Pine Knob in regional meet: The Clarkston Girls Varsity Ski team finished as regional champions with 35 overall points in the MHSAA Division 1 Region 2 race. The boys team finished in second place.
March 2
Off to districts: Clarkston Girls Varsity Basketball closed the regular season with a 68-31 win over Royal Oak. Izzy Hadley and Maddy Skorupski were named to the All-League OAA Red team. Keira Tolmie received honorable mention.
Top finishes in last comp: Clarkston Varsity Dance had their final competition of the season and finished in first place in their jazz routine; second, pom routine; and second Overall Champs in the competition.
March 9
CHS girls’ hoops three-peat at districts: Clarkston Girls Varsity Basketball won their third consecutive district championship with a 62-38 win over Waterford Kettering in the final game; and defeated Waterford Mott in the semifinal game, 54-9.
Solid showing for wrestling: Clarkston Varsity Wrestling had four place in the top eight during the MHSAA Division 1 Individual State Championship with Preston Lefevre, Auggie Anderson and Archer Anderson finishing in third place and Gabe Gipe in eighth place.
Wrapping the season on the slopes: Clarkston Varsity Ski teams finished the season during the MHSAA Division 1 State Championship with the girls team finishing in third place and the boys in fifth place.
March 16
Sweet sixteen finish for Clarkston girls basketball: Clarkston Girls Varsity Basketball finished their winter season in the Sweet Sixteen after a 48-46 loss to Hartland in the region championship. They defeated Lake Orion in the regional semifinal, 61-47.
Steinman leads the Wolves past Mott: Clarkston Boys Varsity Basketball won the district championship over Waterford Mott, 50-45, Nate Steinman led with 19 points, with 16 scored in the second half.
District times two: Clarkston Everest Collegiate Boys Varsity Basketball claimed their back-to-back district championship by defeating Auburn Hills Oakland Christian, 56-38.
March 23
Mat county title for middle school wrestlers: Grapplers finished in the top spot of out 19 teams at the Oakland County Middle School Championship at Lake Orion.
March 30
Passionate coach taking over Wolves’ gridiron: Justin Pintar has always had a passion for coaching since he was a child. The passion would help as Pintar stepped into his new role as Clarkston Varsity Football Head Coach, which was announced by Clarkston Athletics Director Jeff Kosin on March 22.
April 13
Shutout for Clarkston soccer over Martians: Clarkston Girls Varsity Soccer finished the first half against Goodrich with zero goals. Going into the second half, the starting 11 were put back in the game and within 20 minutes they had sealed the win 4-0.
Trio of wins for Clarkston lax: Clarkston Boys Varsity Lacrosse waited until after spring break to jump into competition and it paid off with three wins in the first week as they went 11-7 over Cranbrook, 10-7 over Okemos and 8-6 against Orchard Lake St. Mary’s.
April 20
Girls gain first win of ‘22 lacrosse season: Clarkston Girls Varsity Lacrosse posted their first win of the season against North Farmington at home with a 8-7 score.
Home-opening triumph over Berkley: Clarkston Varsity Baseball won their home opener against Berkley, 16-3.
April 27
Wolves’ lacrosse on verge of OAA title: Clarkston Boys Varsity Lacrosse was one step closer to winning the OAA Red Championship after a 11-2 win over Birmingham United.
Wins for Wolves over Cougars: Clarkston Varsity Baseball opened OAA Red competition with two wins over Stoney Creek, 6-2 and 2-1.
May 4
Wolves crowned OAA Red lax champions: The Clarkston Boys Varsity Lacrosse team rallied against Lake Orion for the OAA Red Championship, 8-7.
May 11
Clarkston soccer keeps kicking away: Clarkston Girls Varsity Soccer celebrated a 2-1 victory over the Dragons at Lake Orion Soccer Stadium. Emerson Wood and Micaela Hohlbein scored the two goals for the Wolves.
Lacrosse earns thrilling victory over WLN: Kaya Matthews broke Walled Lake Northern’s 1-point lead with her shot on the net for Clarkston Girls Varsity Lacrosse. Her shot tied the game and 23 seconds later Meredith Brennan brought the girls into the lead, 11-10. The Wolves won the game 12-10 with the last goal from Ainsley Gothard.
Mountaineers take first place Catholic High School League Jamboree: Clarkston Everest Collegiate Boys Track and Field finished in first place in the Catholic High League Jamboree. The girls team finished in sixth place.
May 18
Wolves compete against league teams: Clarkston High School Track and Field teams wrapped the league at the OAA Red-White Championships at Oxford. The boys finished in third place while the girls team finished in sixth place.
May 25
Clarkston tennis shines on courts in regional meet with 21 points: The Wolves were heading to the MHSAA Girls Tennis Division 1 State Championship after finishing in second place in the regional meet at Clarkston High School. Clarkston Everest Collegiate Girls Tennis also qualified for the state championship in Division 4 after tying for second place in their regional meet.

June 1
Brigham, Perry qualify for state championship this week: Senior Brooke Perry and sophomore Alexandra Brigham qualified for the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Track and Field State Championship with their finished in the regional meet. Brigham finished in first place in the 1,600-meter run while Perry finished in second place in the 100-meter hurdles.
Clarkston shuts down Anchor Bay in regional play: Clarkston Boys Varsity Lacrosse was on a mission in their regional semifinal game against Anchor Bay – finish early and get the seniors to their commencement ceremony on time. They did it with a 19-1 win at the end of the first half at Troy Athens High School.
June 8
Laxers conquer regional final over Macomb Dakota, fall to Grandville: After jumping to a 5-1 lead in the first quarter of the MHSAA Division 1 Boys Lacrosse Regional 1 Championship against Macomb Dakota, the Wolves finished with the victory, 15-3.
Tennis wraps season in seventh at state championship: The Wolves finished the season in seventh place with 12 points at the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 1 Girls Tennis Finals. Abbey Labate and Katarina Fisher, seeded third in their respective flights, finished 2-1 in the finals.
Mountaineers earn titles: Clarkston Everest Collegiate finished as champion at the MHSAA Division 4 Boys Golf Regional 23 at Fountains Golf Course. The girls finished as champions in the MHSAA Division 4 Girls Soccer District 56 with a 2-0 win over Orchard Lake St. Mary’s. The Mountaineers were also successful at the MHSAA Division 4 Track and Field State Championship with the 400-meter relay team finishing in first place. Gavin Ryeson finished All-State in both hurdle events, finishing third in the 300-meter hurdles, setting new school and personal records; and fifth in the 110-meter hurdles.
June 15
Champions at middle school county meet: The eighth grade boys and track and field team from Clarkston Junior High School won the 37th Oakland County Middle School Championship with 94.5 points, June 2, with two relay teams finishing as champions in the 400-meter relay and 800-meter relay.
Check out the January 4, 2023 edition of The Clarkston News for highlights for July through December.

  January through June, year in review, Year in Review 2022