4 months ago
- High School Sports
- Published: Jan. 07, 2026, 12:39 p.m.
BAY CITY, MI – A look astatine nan precocious schoolhouse wintertime sports segment successful Bay County for Jan. 6, 2026. Bay County coaches are asked to taxable results, highlights and comments nan nighttime of each crippled by emailing [email protected].
SWIM: GARBER ENJOYS SLICE OF SUCCESS
It’s nan caller “Hip! Hip! Hooray!”
For nan Essexville Garber swimming team, occurrence is celebrated pinch shouts of “Pep! Peperoni!”
After a thrilling 95-91 triumph complete cross-river rival John Glenn – a uncommon feat against nan perennial Independent Swim Conference powerfulness – nan Dukes had aggregate reasons to rejoice.
“We bribed them pinch pizza if they won,” Garber coach Erin Dowd said. “It was truthful awesome to spot really happy they were erstwhile nan people was announced. They started chanting ‘Pizza! Pizza!’”
Coupled pinch Garber’s squad trophy astatine nan Bay County Swimming Championship, this play is disconnected to a singular commencement for nan Dukes. While they won nan ISC Championship a twelvemonth ago, they mislaid to Glenn successful nan dual and had to stock nan crown. So Tuesday’s triumph put Garber connected a people for greatness.
“We knew that everyone had to deed tonight. No sickness, nary injury… thing other mattered if we wanted to triumph this thing,” Dowd said.
“These swimmers pushed done from nan beginning. Usually, we are a amended second-half team, but from nan opening they were fighting for each point. They ne'er mislaid their energy.”
Garber claimed conscionable 3 first-place finishes but utilized its roster extent to extremity nan scales. The Dukes landed wins from Josh Decker successful nan 50 freestyle and Ben Nickerson successful nan 500 freestyle. Nickerson, Jedrek Zaremba, Caleb Baczkiewicz and Ethan Lanava claimed nan 200 freestyle relay.
Glenn was paced by four-event winners Conner Wilkinson and Leif Briggs-Lind. Wilkinson won nan 100 freestyle (55.07) and 200 freestyle (2:06.94) while Briggs-Lind was tops successful nan 200 individual medley (2:21.63) and 100 breaststroke (1:10.96).
They joined forces pinch Henry Schanbeck and Charlie Schanbeck to triumph nan 200 medley relay (1:53.52) and teamed pinch Charlie Schanbeck and Lucas Weiss to return nan 400 freestyle relay (3:58.09).
Henry Schanbeck scored victories successful nan 100 butterfly (1:00.32) and 100 backstroke (1:00.00) while Chayse Sanchez won diving (199.70).
SWIM: GRANDY LEADS WAY FOR BCC
Bay City Central ran into immoderate reliable customers successful a Saginaw Valley League double dual, falling to Flint Powers 97-81 and Saginaw Heritage 119-67.
Ethan Grandy delivered Central’s lone first-place finish, winning nan 200 individual medley successful 2:22.43.
“Although we only won nan 1 event, location were a number adjacent races,” Central coach Dave Staudacher said. “We besides had a number of swimmers who had immense clip drops. At slightest we’re trending successful nan correct direction.”
Eli Riedlinger, Everett Duncan, Carl Villegas, Dean Hahn, Coco Costilla and Marti Wernecke each delivered notable clip drops successful their events for nan Wolves.
- Celebrating wintertime sports standouts pinch Bay City Athlete of nan Week for Jan. 5
- Bay City area sports roundup: Unexpected leader comes done successful nan clutch
- 27th yearly Lee T Awards observe wondrous moments from 2025 sports scene
- Bay City area sports roundup: Tone-setter delivers whirlwind first quarter
- Bay City sports roundup: Glenn girls wrestle for illustration champions again
Lee Thompson has served arsenic a sportswriter astatine MLive and The Bay City Times since 1996, covering each section sports pinch an accent connected our 24 area precocious schools. He has earned galore awards from nan Michigan...
