As the 2024 spring sports season comes to a close, this article talks about the performances of two teams through each season, highlighting key accomplishments and standout players. This article talks about things from the crack of the bat, the splash at swim meets, to the fast pace of the basketball court.
Fall: Boys Soccer
Led by captains Sam Niyo, Mac Sperl, August Cumming, and Kai Nielson, Berkley came into this season with excitement. They started off the season strong winning their first seven games, but then fell to Troy Athens 1-3 and tying AA Huron 1-1. During the season, Berkley also placed 1st in two tournaments, Imlay City and Stoney Creek. As they entered districts, they started off by beating Groves 3-2. They then went on to beat Troy Athens 1-0 in another close game. The season came to an end with a loss in the district finals to Troy 0-1. They finished with a record of 17-5-2, going 3-3-1 in their conference, which placed them 4th in OAA Red. Accomplishments for Berkley this season were: ranking 9th in Division 1, finishing 7-1-1 at home, outscoring their opponents in the whole season 69 goals to 22, and becoming an All-State academic team. Awards given to the players included: Kai Nielson and Mac Sperl winning MVPs, Nate Neuser winning MIP, the OAA Sportsmanship award went to Ephraim Ball, and the All OAA players were Kai Nielson, August Cumming, Sam Niyo, and Case Bishop. Some more individual honors were Kai Nielson, Mac Sperl, Brody Cain, Spencer Bajcz, Nate Neuser, and Zoran Djordjevic. Rookie of the year was Aidan Darrah.
Fall: Girls Swim
Girls Berkley Swim had an eventful year, starting the season with three wins and one loss. They then went on to win the rest of their competitions finishing with a final record of 6-1. When the team went to many tournament competitions, including Raven Relays where they placed 1st, and in the Huron Invite they placed 3rd. At both the Jensen Invite and the Oakland County tournaments they placed 8th. The Berkley team had nine swimmers go to states this year five for individual events and three relays. One of the nine swimmers that went to states was Maddie Collins who broke two pool records this year in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 24.03 seconds and the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 54.47. Another state swimmer who broke a pool record was Mia Mracna in the 200-yard IM (Individual Medley) with a time of 2:11.70 . When looking forward to next year Mracna says “The new Coach Brian McNeff has been doing a great job motivating and encouraging everyone and that makes me super excited for the upcoming season.
Winter: Boys Basketball
Varsity Boys Basketball coached by Joe Sermo had high expectations at the beginning of the season with nine seniors coming to play for them. As their season started they won two of their first three games but after that, they caught a cold streak and went 1-10. When the season came to an end Berkley’s final record was 1-13 in conference and 7-17 overall. The MVP from the season was Sam Niyo and the most improved player of the season was Evan Young. The basketball team also had an All-OAA (Oakland Activities Association) player, Jacob Friedman. When asked what it took to make this achievement possible, Jacob said “I continued to show up day after day, staying consistent, pushing through the lows, and enjoying the highs.” These seasons for basketball might have not lived up to the expectations but it was a stepping stone for the program to grow and get better.
Winter: Girls Basketball
Coming into the season, Berkley girls’ basketball had high expectations. They started off the season well, winning their first four games including beating Plymouth in a tight overtime game, 50-45. Following this, they had a good middle of the season, going 8-7, and maintaining a win rate of 53%. They also finished out strong, winning their last four games to end the season. They finished with a season record of 16-7 and were 9-3 in their division, OAA Blue. The captains were Madi Bonsall and Hailey Kirkwood. There have been many significant awards given to the team. For example, Hailey Kirkwood was the MVP of the team, Caleigh Tracey was the offensive player of the year, and Veah Green and Avery Weingarden were the defensive players of the year. The BCAM team’s first award went to Madi Bonsall, and Bear of the Year went to Avery Weingarden. Lily Larson-Wolbrink was awarded the OAA sportsmanship honor. As a program, they had multiple 4-year varsity letter winners, including Madi Bonsall, Hailey Kirkwood, and Avery Weingarden.
Spring: Girls Soccer
There was a lot of confidence for this team coming into this season, as nearly all of the starters were returning. Led by captains Jessie Burns, Hailey Kirkwood, Nora Sleeman, and Avery Weingarden, Berkley’s season did not disappoint. They went 11-4-5 and earned a bye in districts. In the second round, they won 1-0 in double overtime with Hailey Kirkwood scoring the game-winning goal. In another intense battle, the Bears managed to defeat Groves and advanced to the district final. They played Royal Oak and beat them 2-0 with Hailey Kirkwood scoring both goals, giving them a spot in Regionals for the first time in many years. Unfortunately, Berkley was defeated by Dakota High School 0-2, ending a historic season.
Spring: Boys Baseball
Berkley boys baseball had a rough start to their season, as they were swept by Troy and split two games with North Farmington. Through the first 10 games of the season, the team dropped eight games while picking up two games. This slow start ended as the Berkley team went on a mid-season tear within the span of seven games winning five of them with a Farmington sweep. Moving into the final games of the season the Bears caught fire winning five straight and rolling into districts. The varsity team matched up with Royal Oak in the first round and after taking a quick lead they were up 5-0. The Royal Oak team did not give up and unfortunately ended up coming back with a 5-8 win. The two captains are Reed Reynolds and Spencer Bajcz. Bajcz commented, “I was honored to be a captain that everyone looked up to and listened to. The players respected me and it was also great to be someone their underclassman could look up to and listen to.” The Bears are looking forward to another great season next year and to keep growing as a team.
All of these teams had great accomplishments this season, and this closed out another great sports year for Berkley High School!
