June 2024 Issue of Varsity Monthly Thumb Magazine

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PROUD TO COVER HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS IN THE THUMB 

June 2024 | Volume 12 Issue 6 

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photos here: 

STRIDES

Owner Jason Parmenter 

Magazine Design Alyssa Buhl 

Photo Editor Kaitlin Gunsell 

Office Manager Brenda Tomlinson 

Regularly Contributing Photographers 

Kaitlin Gunsell - Kaitlin’s Klicks 

Jason Parmenter - Quad N Productions 

Amanda Enos - Quad N Productions 

Paul P. Adams 

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Varsity Monthly Thumb is published 12 

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Caro 

Bad Axe 

Cros-Lex 

Cass City 

Sandusky 

Lakers 

Reese 

Caro 

North Branch 

Marlette 

USA 

Millington 

Akron-Fairgrove 

Deckerville 

CPS 

North Huron 

Peck 

Ubly 

Harbor Beach 

Vassar 

Kingston 

Brown City 

Caseville 

Owen-Gage 

Cass City 

Mayville 

Caro 

Frankenmuth 

QR Code to 

www.misportsphotos.com 

COVER IMAGE: 

Paytyn Sweat of Vassar Girls Track at Greater Thumb 

West Meet at Lakers on 5-14-24. 

Photo by Amanda Enos 

STRIDES 

As we finish out the regular season, it is 

always a lot of fun for us to see the strides 

that athletes and teams make. Speeds get 

faster, distances get longer, and teams get 

stronger as they improve throughout the 

season. Our goal each season is to cover all 

the varsity teams at least once from all the 

27 schools that we cover. We achieved that 

goal this spring before even getting to the 

playoffs, where we see many of the teams 

again. It is an incredible investment of 

money to reach this goal, but we are grateful 

to our advertisers and to those that buy 

pictures that help us meet it. If you haven’t 

purchased pictures yet this year, we have 

lots of fun products (hardcover books, flip 

books, collages, etc…) Feel free to reach out 

to us to let us help you create some 

keepsakes from this year. 

www.misportsphotos.com

PLAYERS OF THE MONTH 

Athletes are selected as the Players of the Month for their athletic 

accomplishments, leadership roles, and community impact. 

RAMON 

ZAMORA JR. 

CARO 

BASEBALL 

MIKAELA 

BOYLE 

BAD AXE 

SOCCER 

CARO BASEBALL COACH VICTOR GOMEZ HAS BEEN 

LOOKING FORWARD TO GIVING RAMON ZAMORA 

JR. AN OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY VARSITY BASEBALL. 

ZAMORA JR. TOOK THE CHANCE AND MADE THE MOST 

OF IT. 

Through mid-May, the lefty sophomore was everything 

Gomez hoped for and more, producing a 4-2 record on the 

mound, posting a 1.91 ERA, while striking out 68 batters in 

36.2 innings of work. 

“I watched him at a young age and knew he would be 

someone special,” Gomez said. “We’ve got him now and 

he’s just a great athlete and a great young man. He just 

really enjoys the game of baseball.” 

He added: “When he gets up on the mound, he 

commands it and makes people pay attention. Hitters 

have a hard time figuring him out.” 

Zamora Jr.’s pitching would have been 

enough for the Tigers, but he’s made an 

impact with his bat, as well, working his 

way up to be the team’s lead-off hitter. 

At the plate, he was batting .419, with 

31 hits, four doubles and 16 RBI in 74 at 

bats. 

“When we started the season, I thought 

with him being a sophomore, I would 

put him lower in the batting order,” 

Gomez said. “But he quickly became 

our lead-off batter. His RBI numbers are pretty impressive 

for a lead-off hitter. He outperforms and does everything 

he needs to do. If he comes up to bat and we’re in a key 

situation, I know we’re going to be OK and he’s going to 

make things happen.” 

Gomez is looking forward to what the future holds for 

Zamora Jr. over his final two seasons with Caro. 

“I’m very excited seeing what we’re seeing this year and 

knowing we have two more years with him,” he said. “I 

can’t fathom what’s to come from this young man in the 

next couple of years.” 

ARTICLES BY PAUL ADAMS 

MIKAELA BOYLE WILL GO DOWN AS ONE OF THE 

BEST PLAYERS THE BAD AXE SOCCER PROGRAM HAS 

EVER PRODUCED. DURING THE REGULAR SEASON, 

SHE HAS GONE FOR 17 GOALS AND 20 ASSISTS. HER 

CAREER TOTALS ARE 72 CAREER GOALS, ALONG WITH 

65 ASSISTS. 

She was first team all-state during her sophomore and 

junior seasons. Boyle’s impact goes much deeper than 

statistics, though. 

“She’s been amazing, she’s so much fun to coach,” said 

Bad Axe coach Matt Varner. “She loves playing soccer and 

loves being with the team. You can’t ask 

for much more from a player.” 

He added: “She used to rely heavily 

on speed, and just beating everybody 

with speed. Now, she’s more technical 

and physical. She’s not afraid to put a 

shoulder on you and use that leverage to 

get around players and score goals.” 

Boyle is all about the team and has been 

willing to give up scoring opportunities 

for the team to be more successful and 

well-rounded. 

“She doesn’t need to score a hat trick to feel satisfied,” 

Varner said. “She would rather have her teammates score 

too and make sure everyone is included and having fun. She 

could have 30 goals this season if she wanted to, but she 

likes the fact that her teammates are scoring.” 

Boyle is extremely intelligent about the game and has been 

able to lift her teammates through her leadership. 

“It’s very easy for a senior to be bossy,” Varner said. 

“Mikaela approaches it from a teaching standpoint. She 

does a lot of coaching behind the scenes and on the 

field. I don’t have to do as much coaching as normal 

and she knows the right time to do things. She’s never 

condescending or mean.” 

Varner reflected on what Boyle has meant to the program. 

“She’s been incredible, there’s only a handful of players that 

I’ve ever coached who compare to her,” he said. “Mikaela is 

up there with one of the most memorable players that I’ve 

ever coached.” 

4 June 2024 CONTACT US AT 989-673-5826 VIEW FREE ONLINE AT WWW.VARSITYMONTHLYTHUMB.COM PURCHASE PRINTS AT WWW.MISPORTSPHOTOS.COM 

VIEW FREE ONLINE AT WWW.VARSITYMONTHLYTHUMB.COM PURCHASE PRINTS AT WWW.MISPORTSPHOTOS.COM CONTACT US AT 989-673-5826 June 2024 5

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48 June 2024 CONTACT US AT 989-673-5826 VIEW FREE ONLINE AT WWW.VARSITYMONTHLYTHUMB.COM PURCHASE PRINTS AT WWW.MISPORTSPHOTOS.COM

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