By Dan Hardenbrook
Championship teams, record setting performances, one-of-a-kind careers capped off, and a new wave of exciting talent were the sports hallmarks of 2025. Here’s a look back on some of the year’s top athlete accomplishments.
Female Athletes of the Year
Samantha Taylor, Newberry
Very few anywhere are better at what they do than Taylor, who dominated in the spring track season, helping lead the Lady Indians to a state championship while smashing several records along the way. Always locked in, and always at the top of her races, Taylor came back in the fall and started her senior year with another historic cross country season. Her accomplishments have her headed to Division 1 Central Michigan University, making her Newberry’s first athlete to sign at a Division 1 school since fellow legendary runner Natalie Beaulieu, who also went to Central after graduating in 2016.
Abby Taylor, Newberry
Sammy ‘s younger sister Abby is following in her sister’s footsteps. An equally important part of the Lady Indians’ success in track and cross country, Abby has also emerged as a pretty impressive part of the Lady Indians basketball team, where she helped Newberry’s JV team finish undefeated last season. The 2026 spring track season will give her one last chance to run alongside her big sister before Abby takes over and steps out of the shadow next fall, where she will be a favorite to win a state title of her own in cross country.
Sydney Duflo, Newberry
Only a sophomore, Duflo has had breakout seasons in basketball and volleyball. She was a catalyst for Newberry’s conference and district title winning varsity volleyball team. Her performance in the fall earned her EUP All Conference honors and she was named to the UPSAA All UP Team as well. Duflo was a four-sport varsity athlete as a freshman and will lead the Lady Indians programs for years to come.
Hali Butkovich, Engadine
The heart and soul of the Lady Eagles graduated in 2025, but Butkovich left her mark before leaving Engadine. Butkovich was a standout basketball player who could score with the best of them and always gave it everything she had. Very few players were as respected by opposing coaches, who always praised her talent and character. Butkovich went on to play at the college level, where she is currently a member of the Women’s Basketball team at Grace Christian University.
Male Athletes of the Year
Matthew Rahilly, Newberry
Opposing schools finally rejoiced this fall, with Rahilly graduated and gone following one of the greatest careers in Newberry High School history. He finished with a staggering 24 varsity letters, a school record that may never be matched. Not only did he participate in six different sports (football, basketball, hockey, baseball, track, and golf) but he somehow excelled in all of them. Rahilly also carried himself with equally elite character. Former Newberry AD Kenn Depew used to say that Rahilly should someday have an award named after him at NHS. He’s continued to pursue athletics at the highest level, playing collegiate prep baseball this summer and fall in preparation for the spring season, where he will be based in Myrtle Beach.
Coleman Loebach, Engadine
What Rahilly was to Newberry, Loebach may end up being for Engadine. A multi-year varsity starter in basketball as an 8th grader, Loebach just entered his third varsity season as a sophomore. He has since also earned multiple varsity letters in football, led Engadine to a cross country title and shined in track & field. I still think the young lefty would be a really good baseball player (Please, Mom!?). Loebach will go down as one of the greatest to ever wear the green and gold.
Garrett Lewicki, Newberry
The undisputed leader of the Newberry football “FAMILY”, Lewicki helped complete an incredible turnaround for the Indians, both in the locker room and on the field. A dual threat quarterback who beat teams with his arm and his legs, Lewicki also led Newberry defensively. He earned multiple awards and postseason honors, and topped it off by being named the UPSSA’s 8 Player UP Defensive Player of the Year. He also starred on the track, leading Newberry to its second consecutive U.P. State Championship this past spring
Kegan Martin
Newberry turned around its boys basketball program in recent seasons, and Martin was a huge part of that. Thrown into the fire earlier in his career, Martin helped the team rebuild while emerging as one of the elite scorers in the EUP Conference. He ended last winter as an All Conference selection and was named an All UP Honorable Mention. He helped get the Indians into the District Final, and has them expecting to compete for titles again this season.
Team & Coaches of the Year
Two teams. Two coaches. Two state championships. One mindset that led them to success. The Newberry boys track and field team, coached by Drew Schultz, repeated as U.P. State Champions. The Newberry Lady Indians track and field team finally broke through for a title of their own under Coach Cori Autterson. They trained together, prepared together, pushed each other, and most importantly, supported each other every step of the way. Together they painted Kingsford orange and black last spring at U.P. Finals. On that day in early June, Newberry became the track title town of the U.P.
Other programs finished at the top of their sports in 2025. The Newberry Lady Indians varsity volleyball team won the EUP Conference Championship, dominating the region with only one league loss to St. Ignace, which Newberry later avenged in both the regular and postseason. They took down one of their fiercest rivals three separate times, beating Rudyard twice in league play and again in the playoffs, on their way to an MHSAA District Championship. They reached the Division 4 Regional Finals, making them one of the final 16 teams left standing in the state. Coach Kayla Welker, in her first season at the helm, was excellent in leading her Lady Indians, a group she also helped develop at the JV level in previous seasons. Welker was a runner up for Coach of the Year honors in All UP Voting.
On the golf course, Coach Kenn Depew oversaw the birth of a potential dynasty. Newberry’s golf teams consistently ruled the greens at the high school and middle school levels, sweeping all of the EUP Conference title races. But his Lady Indians took it to another level, emerging as State Champions, the first of three state titles taken home that weekend. With a young core and record-setting numbers, the game of golf has never been better in Newberry.
