(4-8-26) The 76th Annual boys’ basketball meeting of the Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association last week released its 2026 All-U.P. boys basketball teams. 18 reporters from across the entire Michigan U.P. met in Marquette to make the selections.

6’3 Ethan Marta from Ishpeming Westwood finished his career with 2,069 points to earn the Mr. U.P. Basketball Award and Player of the Year honors in the WestPAC and Mid-Peninsula Conferences.

Marta averaged 28 points a game this season …including a career-high 46 points in a game against Negaunee.

Marta, a Michigan Tech recruit, averaged 7.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 3.6 steals and was a 57-percent field goal shooter this past season.

Marta ends ranked 36th in state scoring history which helped him earn Player of the Year honors in Division 1-3 and land an all-state D-3 first-team berth. He also helped the Patriots reach the state semifinals a year ago.

Liam Tourtillott, Dollar Bay

Major Awards
Mr. Basketball: Ethan Marta, Westwood
Division 1-3 Player of the Year: Ethan Marta, Westwood
Division 4 Player of the Year: Liam Tourtillott, Dollar Bay
Division 1-2 Team of the Year: Marquette
Division 3 Team of the Year: Menominee
Division 4 Team of the Year: Dollar Bay
Division 1-3 Coach of the Year: Sam Larson, Menominee
Division 4 Coach of the Year: Jesse Kentala, Dollar Bay

Dream Team
Ethan Marta, Westwood, 6-3, Sr.
Tanner Theuerkauf, Menominee, 6-3, Sr.
Vic Giuliani, Forest Park, 6-3, Jr.
Liam Tourtillott, Dollar Bay, 6-0, Sr.
Gunner Bennin, Pickford, 6-0, Sr.

Division 1-3 First Team
Terrence Nolan, Houghton, 6-0, Soph.
Lonnie Davey, Gladstone, 6-0, Jr.
Jack Kriegl, Kingsford, 5-11, Sr.
Ford Richardson, Marquette, 6-0, Sr.
Darrent Butler, Menominee, 6-2, Sr.

Second Team
Connor Fierstine, Marquette, 6-4, Sr.
John Wheeler, Ishpeming, 6-5, Sr.
Brayden Kassin, Iron Mountain, 6-2, Jr.
Nick Miskovich, Ironwood, 6-3, Sr.
Jett Buckley, Kingsford, 5-11, Jr.
Finley Johnson, Sault Ste. Marie, 6-0, Jr.
Alex Prins, Gladstone, 5-8, Soph.
Tristan Slater, Negaunee, 6-0, Sr.
Caden Balzarini, Westwood, 6-2, Sr.
Gionni McDonough, Bark River-Harris, 6-2, Jr.

Special Mention
Alex Hebert, Houghton, Jr.; Seth Oberlin, West Iron County, 6-6, Soph.; Hayven Sandoval-Nolde, Escanaba, 6-1, Jr.; Peter Torola, Calumet; Talan Woods, Menominee, 5-9, Jr.

Honorable Mention
Charles Baldridge, Iron Mountain, Jr.; Dylan Beal, Menominee, 5-11, Jr.; Brody Clements, Marquette, 6-3, Jr.; Braden Cooper, Escanaba; Brayden Derouin, Bark River-Harris, 6-0, Sr.; Ethan Gauthier, Negaunee, 6-2, Sr.; Easton Guenette, Negaunee, 6-0, Sr.; Will Inghram, Gladstone, 6-6, Soph.; Halen McCollum, Marquette, 5-10, Sr.; Pavel McCutcheon, Marquette, 6-7, Sr.; AJ Pizziola, Westwood, 5-10, Sr.; Jacob Ridl, Westwood, 5-10, Sr.; Louis Salmi, Westwood, 5-10, Sr.; Gabe Spear, Bark River-Harris, 6-4, Jr; Owen Olkkonen, Kingsford, Sr.

Division 4 First Team
Jaxon Clark, Rudyard, 6-1, Sr. 
Baron Colbert, Dollar Bay, 6-3, Jr.
Daniel Connor, Baraga, Sr.
Lyle Price, Forest Park, 6-0, Fresh
Sam Lee, L’Anse, 6-2, Soph.

Second Team
Trenton Kramer, North Dickinson, Jr.
Trevor Barr, Cedarville-DeTour, 6-0, Jr.
Josh Daavettila, Lake Linden-Hubbell, Jr.
Dax Hukki, Forest Park, 6-0, Jr.
Chase Lane, Wakefield-Marenisco, 5-9, Jr
Logan Thiele, Newberry, 5-11, Jr.
Mac Collins, Pickford, 6-1, Sr.
Jack Nelson, Ontonagon, 5-10, Sr.
Andrew Charlebois, Superior Central, Jr.
Nolan Connaughton, Munising, 6-2, Sr.
Caden Chromy, Maplewood Baptist, 6-1, Jr.

Special Mention
Evan Arnold, St. Ignace, 6-2, Sr.; Joseph Fish, Baraga, Jr.; Caleb Kentala, Dollar Bay, Sr.; Spencer Kramer, North Dickinson, Sr.; Brayden Larson, Chassell, 5-10, Sr.; Kaden Malone, North Central, 5-9, Jr.; Drew Moser, Cedarville-De
Tour, Sr.; Jayden Verrett, Bessemer, 5-11, Jr.

Honorable Mention
Brooks Castle, North Central, 6-1, Sr.; Keegan Davidson, L’Anse, 6-0, Sr.; Easton Foucault, Baraga, Sr.; Leland Hollenbeck, Bessemer, 6-3, Sr.; Cooper Jones, Brimley, 6-2, Jr.; Brady Jungwirth, North Dickinson, Sr.; Ty King, North Dickinson, Sr.; Nathan Klein, Stephenson, 6-0, Jr.; Ryder Kroupa, Superior Central, Jr.; Talan Larson, L’Anse, 5-10, Soph.; Caden Lester, St. Ignace, Jr.; Kegan Martin, Newberry, 5-10, Sr.; Lane Olsen, Rapid River, 6-0, Jr.; Brock Pangrazzi, Wakefield-Marenisco, 6-4, Soph.; Asher Priebe, Stephenson, 5-7, Sr.; Chase Seeley, St. Ignace, Soph.; Izaiah Tarter, Forest Park, 6-1, Jr.; Carter Yiirs, Pickford, Jr.; Sam Beaver, Hannahville, 6-0, Sr.; Anthony Pineda, Norway, Sr.

Did you know…

A Short History of the “State of Superior” — And Why the 45th Parallel Still Matters

Ever since Michigan became a state in 1837, there’s been a quiet tug-of-war between the rugged north and the political south. The Upper Peninsula didn’t even want to be part of Michigan in the first place — it was handed to Lansing as part of the Toledo War settlement. By the 1850s, Yoopers were openly campaigning for their own state. They wanted to call it “Superior.”

The Toledo War settlement resolved a border dispute between Ohio and Michigan.
In 1836, the conflict culminated in a compromise where:

  • Toledo Strip: Ohio retained control of the Toledo Strip, a narrow strip of land along the border.
  • Michigan’s Compensation: In exchange, Michigan was granted statehood and received the Upper Peninsula, which included valuable resources like timber and minerals.
  • Historical Context: The dispute began in the early 1830s when both states claimed the Toledo area, leading to a series of confrontations, including militia mobilizations.
  • Final Agreement: The settlement was formalized in 1836, and the boundary was definitively agreed upon in 1915 when the governors of both states met