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Boys rankings: Iron Mountain, Brimley remain No. 1; Cedarville jumps to No. 2

Boys Basketball

Boys rankings: Iron Mountain, Brimley remain No. 1; Cedarville jumps to No. 2

2/11/2019 | Boys Basketball | By Bryce Derouin |

The inclement weather has been so severe to the point where coaches with decades of experience in the UP say they’ve never seen anything like it as far as games postponed and rescheduled. With the weather canceling practices and some games, it’ll be interesting to see how teams handle their preparation as the postseason approaches. The boys are now two...

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Girls rankings: St. Ignace impresses; C-N debuts in Division 4

Girls Basketball

Girls rankings: St. Ignace impresses; C-N debuts in Division 4

2/11/2019 | Girls Basketball | By Bryce Derouin |

The inclement weather has been so severe to the point where coaches with decades of experience in the UP say they’ve never seen anything like it as far as games postponed and rescheduled. With the weather canceling practices and some games, it’ll be interesting to see how teams handle their preparation as the postseason approaches. The boys are now two...

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Boys rankings: Big five remain same, C-N up to No. 2 in Division 4

Boys Basketball

Boys rankings: Big five remain same, C-N up to No. 2 in Division 4

2/5/2019 | Boys Basketball | By Bryce Derouin |

At least we all survived that cold spell, which means we no longer have to endure someone in sports media saying or writing “It may be cold outside, but (team name) was heating up!” when a group is shooting well. But the inclement weather did affect the number of games played, meaning there’s less change in this week’s rankings. Here’s...

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Girls rankings: Inclement weather limits movement

Girls Basketball

Girls rankings: Inclement weather limits movement

2/4/2019 | Girls Basketball | By Bryce Derouin |

At least we all survived that cold spell, which means we no longer have to endure someone in sports media saying or writing “It may be cold outside, but (team name) was heating up!” when a group is shooting well. But the inclement weather did affect the number of games played, meaning there’s less change in this week’s rankings. Here’s...

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Boys rankings: Large schools stay the same; Engadine cracks top 5

Boys Basketball

Boys rankings: Large schools stay the same; Engadine cracks top 5

1/28/2019 | Boys Basketball | By Bryce Derouin |

Before Thursday, we were doing pretty well as far as inclement weather. But then a snowstorm hit and numerous games were postponed. And now with the polar vortex arriving this week, it’s anyone’s guess how many games will be played. For any coaches or athletic directors reading this, feel free to reach out to let us know of postponements and...

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Girls rankings: Top teams stay winning

Girls Basketball

Girls rankings: Top teams stay winning

1/28/2019 | Girls Basketball | By Bryce Derouin |

Before Thursday, we were doing pretty well as far as inclement weather. But then a snowstorm hit and numerous games were postponed. And now with the polar vortex arriving this week, it’s anyone’s guess how many games will be played. For any coaches or athletic directors reading this, feel free to reach out to let us know of postponements and...

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Boys rankings: Gladstone, Munising make jump to No. 3

Boys Basketball

Boys rankings: Gladstone, Munising make jump to No. 3

1/21/2019 | Boys Basketball | By Bryce Derouin |

With upsets and losses within the top five, this week should see the most shakeup in the UPSSA poll. Weeks like this are expected at some point, because not every team is going 20-0. But with all the shakeup, comes more debate with who should go where. Here’s how I have it for the boys this week:

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Girls rankings: West Iron County new No. 1, Negaunee moves up

Girls Basketball

Girls rankings: West Iron County new No. 1, Negaunee moves up

1/21/2019 | Girls Basketball | By Bryce Derouin |

With upsets and losses within the top five, this week should see the most shakeup in the UPSSA poll. Weeks like this are expected at some point because not every team is going 20-0. But with all the shakeup, comes more debate with who should go where. Here’s how I have it for the girls this week:

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Girls rankings: West Iron County makes big move

Girls Basketball

Girls rankings: West Iron County makes big move

1/14/2019 | Girls Basketball | By Bryce Derouin |

After looking at the first poll, there wasn’t anything major I would deem that out of place. One voter didn’t put the Ontonagon girls in its top five, which I guess is fine if the basis used was the Gladiators don’t play anyone, leaving them undeserving of a top five spot despite being undefeated when the poll dropped. I didn’t...

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Boys rankings: Negaunee grinds out win; new teams at No. 5

Boys Basketball

Boys rankings: Negaunee grinds out win; new teams at No. 5

1/14/2019 | Boys Basketball | By Bryce Derouin |

After looking at the first poll, there wasn’t anything major I would deem that out of place. One voter didn’t put the Ontonagon girls in its top five, which I guess is fine if the basis used was the Gladiators don’t play anyone, leaving them undeserving of a top five spot despite being undefeated when the poll dropped. I didn’t...

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Boys rankings: Iron Mountain No. 1; Negaunee, Rapid River crack top 5

Boys Basketball

Boys rankings: Iron Mountain No. 1; Negaunee, Rapid River crack top 5

1/7/2019 | Boys Basketball | By Bryce Derouin |

One of the things I’ve enjoyed about Upbeat is being able to see more teams across the UP. It goes without saying that it makes doing this poll a lot easier with being able to lean on seeing these teams in person, along with being able to draw more sources from different parts of the UP. The same goes when...

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Girls rankings: Little movement, but big matchups ahead

Girls Basketball

Girls rankings: Little movement, but big matchups ahead

1/7/2019 | Girls Basketball | By Bryce Derouin |

One of the things I’ve enjoyed about Upbeat is being able to see more teams across the UP. It goes without saying that it makes doing this poll a lot easier with being able to lean on seeing these teams in person, along with being able to draw more sources from different parts of the UP. The same goes when...

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Boys rankings: Iron Mountain No. 1, Houghton rises, Munising cracks top 5

Boys Basketball

Boys rankings: Iron Mountain No. 1, Houghton rises, Munising cracks top 5

1/2/2019 | Boys Basketball | By Bryce Derouin |

We’re close to the debut of the Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association basketball poll. The first one will drop on Jan. 8, and the soonest outlets are allowed to post it is 6 a.m. each Tuesday. I will still release my rankings columns on Mondays, so at least by then, you’ll know how I voted for the poll. There’s...

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Girls rankings: Westwood remains No. 1, St. Ignace makes statement

Girls Basketball

Girls rankings: Westwood remains No. 1, St. Ignace makes statement

1/1/2019 | Girls Basketball | By Bryce Derouin |

We’re close to the debut of the Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association basketball poll. The first one will drop on Jan. 8, and the soonest outlets are allowed to post it is 6 a.m. each Tuesday. I will still release my rankings columns on Mondays, so at least by then, you’ll know how I voted for the poll. There’s...

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One month down: Thanks for your support

About

One month down: Thanks for your support

12/26/2018 | About | By Bryce Derouin

It seems surreal that it’s been a month since we launched the subscription service at Upbeat. In that time, we’ve covered games from Cedarville to Calumet to Traverse City as we strive to give you in-depth coverage on teams across the UP.

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Boys rankings: Not many changes, recruitment of Calumet's Matt Ojala

Boys Basketball

Boys rankings: Not many changes, recruitment of Calumet's Matt Ojala

12/17/2018 | Boys Basketball | By Bryce Derouin |

After the debut of the weekly rankings, we’re back at it again. If you missed the first one, the premise of this column is to rank the top five teams in the UP based on divisions. The first official Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association Poll will not be released until Jan. 8, but we’re already ranking the teams on...

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Girls rankings: Westwood, Negaunee move up

Girls Basketball

Girls rankings: Westwood, Negaunee move up

12/17/2018 | Girls Basketball | By Bryce Derouin |

After the debut of the weekly rankings, we’re back at it again. If you missed the first one, the premise of this column is to rank the top five teams in the UP based on divisions. The first official Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association Poll will not be released until Jan. 8, but we’re already ranking the teams on...

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Ranking the girls teams after the first week

Girls Basketball

Ranking the girls teams after the first week

12/10/2018 | Girls Basketball | By Bryce Derouin |

The first Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association Poll won’t be released until Jan. 8, but I figured we can start breaking teams down with early-season rankings. Those that followed my work at the Daily Mining Gazette will be familiar with this weekly column. For those of you that are new, I would rank the local teams in our coverage...

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Ranking the top boys teams after 2 weeks

Boys Basketball

Ranking the top boys teams after 2 weeks

12/10/2018 | Boys Basketball | By Bryce Derouin |

The first Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association Poll won’t be released until Jan. 8, but I figured we can start breaking teams down with early-season rankings. Those that followed my work at the Daily Mining Gazette will be familiar with this weekly column. For those of you that are new, I would rank the local teams in our coverage...

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Analyzing the Boys Dream Team possibilities

Boys Basketball

Analyzing the Boys Dream Team possibilities

11/25/2018 | Boys Basketball | By Bryce Derouin

The Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association will meet on March 27 to select the All-UP basketball teams. But why wait until then to start the Dream Team discussion? There’s enough returning talent on the boys side that we can begin to project where certain players may end up, so let’s run through the possibilities. But first, a couple things:...

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Kentala: Good coverage matters, and Upbeat has it

About

Kentala: Good coverage matters, and Upbeat has it

11/14/2018 | About | By Jesse Kentala

I remember it vividly, as if it just happened yesterday. I remember walking out of the men’s locker room at Michigan Tech and overhearing players from the MTU women’s team saying, “I wish we got crowds like this." And I remember walking to the concession stand to buy a water (part of my traditional pregame ritual) and seeing a line...

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Our coverage plans for the season

About

Our coverage plans for the season

11/14/2018 | About | By Bryce Derouin

Now that we’ve introduced ourselves, we can share more about our coverage plans and what you can expect from Upbeat for the upcoming basketball season. We’re currently working on preseason stories highlighting key players, coaches and their teams. With the boys season a week in, we have already started visiting gyms across the UP and conducting interviews. We’ll do the...

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Sutherland: From athlete to writer

About

Sutherland: From athlete to writer

11/8/2018 | About | By Jason Sutherland

In sixth grade, my dad, who was also the guidance counselor, came into our classroom to discuss planning for the future. He ran us through a website that took all of our interests and gave us possible career choices. The computer gave me two possibilities: teacher or journalist. This website is going to give me the opportunity to do both....

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Shelton: Game on

About

Shelton: Game on

11/8/2018 | About | By Keith Shelton

Many of my childhood memories revolve around the breakfast table. In our house in West Bloomfield, MI that overlooked a pond, which froze over perfectly in the winter for ice hockey, my dad would sit down for his coffee and open up the newspaper. He would often hand me the comics section and I'd have my cereal while looking over...

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Laase: Making a home in the UP

About

Laase: Making a home in the UP

11/8/2018 | About | By Eden Laase

When I came to Houghton a year ago I had a plan. That’s the thing about me. I’ve always had a plan, and generally, I stick to it. When I was 10 I decided the plan was to become a sports journalist, then as I got older the plan was to write about college sports. I attended Gonzaga University where...

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Derouin: Welcome to Upbeat

About

Derouin: Welcome to Upbeat

11/6/2018 | About | By Bryce Derouin

Just eight years ago, the landscape for following high school sports in the UP was quite different. Eight years doesn’t seem like a lot, but you must remember this was during the time of flip phones with T9 texting, so seeing scores in real-time and reading articles the same night were unheard of luxuries. Therefore, we worked with what we...

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