J. Heckman

When Isaac Zocco first stepped on campus in Alpena, he had no idea how much playing time he would see or what college life would look like. He could not have guessed that the title of 'National Champion' would one day be attached to his name. Zocco started all four years on the varsity baseball team at Big Rapids before graduating in the Class of 2025. With the Cardinals, he joined the 100-hit club and broke the school record for most runs scored in a career.

Michigan will have a new “one-buck rule” for the 2027 hunting season. On May 13, 2026, the state’s Natural Resources Commission approved the new hunting regulation. The change will apply only in the Lower Peninsula; the Upper Peninsula will remain under the two-buck-per-hunter rule. The new regulation takes effect March 1, 2027.

The Michigan High School Athletic Association met in Gaylord this past weekend to discuss new proposals across a variety of sports, including approving a rule change that will bring a revamped playoff bracket to football this fall. While playoff points will still guide the seeding process, the structure of the district and regional brackets will be different this season. Each regional will now be seeded from first through eighth and then split into two districts.