By Mr. Zane Harding, Yearbook & Journalism Advisor
It's difficult to understate what a rousing success the 2024 fall athletic season was for our Onekama student-athletes. Between football and volleyball, the Portagers arguably had their best collective fall athletic season in the school's 126-year history.
For the first time since 2018, and the second time in school history, Onekama football secured a regional title, defeating Au Gre Sims on the road in a 48-44 thriller. Although they fell to the eventual state champions, Forest Park, in a valiant 49-24 road effort, second-year head coach Justin Sedelmaier's team made Onekama's second-longest playoff run of all time.
Onekama volleyball, meanwhile, secured a fifth straight district title and won their first conference title in over 40 years, continuing their streak of 2020s district dominance while putting forth their best overall season under head coach Linda Elo to date.
When mixed together, it's hard to describe the 2024 fall athletic season here in Onekama anything other than generational. Football and volleyball did not simultaneously click in 2018, and the last time Onekama volleyball won their conference, football finished narrowly over .500.
To our 2024 teams, and to our class of 2025 student-athletes — Arden Bradford, Maddie Gunia, Brenna Johnson, Tommy Marcoux, Hunter Niesen, and Davin Sibo — congratulations on leaving your impact on Onekama Portager history. Our Journalism class greatly enjoyed covering and cheering on your teams, and we look forward to watching and covering the continued growth of our athletics program into the winter, spring, and next fall!