PETOSKEY — When your best athlete is your best leader and your hardest worker, you get a football player that looks like Korbin Sulitis. 
And, you get the kind of results on the field that Sulitis and the Petoskey football team had this season. 
Sulitis was the kind of player with his own gravitational pull within the Petoskey football program, the kind coaches let lead and watched as the team followed.
As a result, Sulitis, a senior quarterback and defensive lineman, leaves the Petoskey record books changed and the program itself bettered, the latter the biggest goal for the Northmen senior. 
“That was a big goal of mine for my high school career,” Sulitis said. “Talking with my dad probably my freshman year, creating a winning culture. Some of the grades before me, basketball was big when I was a freshman and they knew how to win. Our class just wanted to bring that to the game of football.”
That was mission accomplished for Sulitis, who knocked off just about every goal he did set out for this season. 
The Northmen earned just its second district title ever, earned the first 9-0 regular season in 50 years and won more games (11) than any Petoskey team ever. 
To get there, the mental hurdle within the team had to be leaped. The one that had the Northmen as a program that couldn’t make a run at the Division 3 level. 
“I think the hurdle for us was set long before the season,” Sulitis said. “Seasons prior, kids were in the weight room but we weren’t really trying to better ourselves there. So that hurdle and that chip started the day the season ended last year. When we started putting in the time, we believed in us and knew what we could do.”
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It’s a mindset that helped lead Sulitis to Michigan Sports Writers first team all-state honors and now, Petoskey News-Review Football Player of the Year honors. 
The accolades were never the goal for Sulitis, though. The wins were and if the records and postseason recognition came along for the ride, that likely meant the wins did too. 
“At the end of the day, we held ourselves to that high of a standard and knew what we wanted at the end,” Sulitis said. “I’m just proud that everyone chipped in and did their part to get where we were. We met some of the goals at the end of the year and that’s because worked hard and you can’t ask for anything more than that.”
What’s amazing about Sulitis, all 6-foot-2, 220 pounds of him, is that he had just one year at the QB positon for the Northmen. Heck, only one year of offense. But all he did with it was make it one that’ll never be forgotten. 
He ran for a program record 1,949 yards and 27 touchdowns on a 9.1 average, while also setting a new program record with 44 total touchdowns, numbers that would rival some of the best running backs in the state. 
“That’s the joke with some of my friends is I wasn’t a quarterback this year, I was a running back,” said Sulitis. 
That is a joke, because running backs don’t complete 60 percent of their passes for 1,509 yards and 17 touchdowns to six interceptions. His 3,458 combined yards also set a PHS record and his passing yards and touchdowns were both second all-time. 
While some players begin to break down as the season goes along, especially one as long as Petoskey’s, Sulitis only grew stronger, totaling 888 yards rushing through the playoff games, culminating with a 361-yard performance in the regional final against DeWitt. 
“When I started trusting my offensive line, trusting my receivers and reading their blocks, things opened up at the end of the season that I didn’t see before because I was just lowering my shoulder and going forward,” Sulitis said. “And their trust in me, that’s what got stronger and that’s what led to the outcome.”
With all the success that Sulitis had this season, many had the question of why only one season on offense? Maybe it was more of a wish, but Sulitis himself knows the plan was always for just one season. 
“I followed that plan and did what I could in the weight room over the summer and postseason,” he said. “I knew I was going to fill that role. That’s what they had been telling me since Joe (McCarthy) was in that position.”
Far from the loudest athlete in the room, Sulitis’ actions spoke louder than any words he could have shouted to his team this season. And the results were a program forever changed.
“I think we taught a winning culture and everyone on the team learned how to be winners,” Sulitis added. 
QB: Korbin Sulitis, Sr. Petoskey 
Writers first team all-state. PNR POY. 99/164 (60%) passing, 1,509 yards, 17 TD, 6 INT. 1,949 yards, 9.07 avg. 27 TD. 52 tackles, 7 TFL, 2 sacks.
RB: Ryan Spate, Sr. Boyne City 
First team all-state, 2,015 yards, 8.65 avg. 23 TD. 107 tackles, 7 TFL, 2 sacks.
RB: Logan Shooks, Sr. East Jordan 
Free Press HM all-state. 1,084 yards, 8.4 avg. 12 TD. 13 rec. 197 yards.
WR: Mitch Eberhart, Sr. Petoskey 
53 rec. 713 yards, 6 TD. 12 att. 170 yards, 1 TD.
WR: William Webb, So. East Jordan
Writers second team all-state. 48 rec. 774 yards, 7 TD. 57 att. 568 yards, 10 TD. 2 TD on defense.
WR: Jaden Alger, Sr. Boyne City 
25 rec. 644 yards, 7 TD. 70 tackles, 2 INT.
WR: Seth Marek, Sr. Petoskey 
All-region. 28 rec. 513 yards, 7 TD. All-BNC punter. PHS record holder for receptions, yards, touchdowns.
OL: Zach Herrick, Sr. Boyne City 
Free Press all-state, all-region. 27 tackles, 1.5 TFL.
OL: Brendan Aenis, Sr. East Jordan 
Free Press first team all-state. Led the EJ offense to 4,086 yards. Three-year starter.
OL: Hunter Lemerand, Sr. Charlevoix 
A two-year starter on OL. Led offense to 2,230 yards rushing. 60 tackles, 5 TFL, 1 INT.
OL: Bradley Flynn, Sr. Petoskey 
First team All-BNC. Helped lead offense to 5,156 yards, a program record.
OL: Logan Coutcher, Sr. Petoskey 
A two-year starter that also played as a sophomore. All-BNC.
AP: Logan Wadkins, Sr. Charlevoix 
Free Press first team all-state. 56 att. 609 yards, 6 TD. 22 rec. 569 yards, 6 TD. 494 return yards, 3 TD. 1 pass TD. 33 tackles, 2 INT.
DL: Sawyer Blaszczyk, Jr. Charlevoix 
League defensive player of the year. 48 tackles, 6 TFL, 4 sacks, 1 FF.
DL: Owen Chappuies, Sr. East Jordan
49 tackles, 7 TFL, 3 sacks. All-conference linemen.
DL: Ryan Chapp, Sr. Boyne City 
66 tackles, 13 TFL, 2 sacks, 2 FF, 1 FR.
LB: Logan LaHaie, Sr. Petoskey 
MHSFCA all-state. 123 tackles, 7 TFL, 5 sacks, 2 FF, 1 FR, 1 TD.
LB: Brady Warchol, Sr. Charlevoix
Free Press HM all-state. 63 tackles, 11 TFL, 3 PD, 1 INT. 90 att. 571 yards, 8 TD.
LB: Kaiden Boyce, Sr. Petoskey 
84 tackles, 4.5 TFL, 3 INT, 4 PD, 1 TD.
LB: Thomas Ager, Jr. Boyne City 
All-region. 76 tackles, 3.5 TFL, .5 sack.
DB: Haden Janes, Sr. Petoskey 
Writers, MHSFCA, Free Press all-state. 77 tackles, 4 TFL, 2 sacks, 8 INT, 11 PD, 1 FR. 16 career INT.
DB: Mason Fralick, Sr. Petoskey 
All-region. 32 tackles, 1 INT, 6 PD.
DB: Max Beal, Jr. East Jordan 
62 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 INT. All-conference.
DB: Owen Hewitt, Jr. Boyne City 
Second team all-state. 65 tackles, 5.5 TFL, 2.5 sacks, 2 INT. 21 rec. 408 yards, 5 TD. 142 att. 674 yards, 10 TD.
DB: Drew Olson, Sr. Petoskey 
54 tackles, 1 TFL, 2 INT, 4 PD, 1 FR.
K: Finn Yurek, Sr. Petoskey
All-BNC, went 39 of 45 on extra points and had 11 touchbacks on kickoffs.
P: Thaddeus Cosens, So. Harbor Springs 
All-NMFL Legacy as a punter. Also starting QB for Rams.
SP: Ben Stanek, Jr. Boyne City 
172 return yards, 1 TD. 61 tackles, 1 INT. 13 rec. 176 yards, 2 TD.
Brendan Swiss, Petoskey (RB); Ryan Pearl, Charlevoix (LB); Rowan Dohm, Petoskey (OL); Korbyn Russell, East Jordan (QB); Ely Pethers, Petoskey (DL); Jake Warner, Harbor Springs (DB) Austin Klingelsmith, Petoskey (OL); Ian Moran, Charlevoix (ATH); Leon Xiong, Boyne City (DL); David Gray, Charlevoix (DL); Coen Burks, East Jordan (LB) Hyker McKinney, Boyne City (LB). 

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