1971 Free Soil varsity boys basketball team
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LUDINGTON — The Mason County Sports Hall of Fame has announced its Class of 2026 inductees. The 2026 class of inductees are individuals Kathy Calabretta, Steve Klemm and David Stubbs as well as the 1971 Free Soil boys’ varsity basketball Michigan High School Athletic Association State Runner-up team and the 1988, 1990, 1991 and 1992 Schoenherr Investment/FloraCraft men’s fast pitch softball teams.
“The MCSHOF Board of Directors is proud to announce the 22nd class of inductees since the initial class of 2005,” Mason County Sports Hall of Fame past president and current board member Vic Burwell stated. “The Board is proud to honor another excellent class of inductees who exhibit the highest level of athletic achievement.”
“Each year the Board reviews hundreds of athletes, coaches, contributors and teams in Mason County’s rich history of athletic achievement and after an arduous selection process, announces the new class,” Burwell said. “There are so many with incredible accolades who are deserving of this honor and thus, being selected as an inductee is a noteworthy honor. The MCSHOF Board of Directors is eager to honor the inductees by celebrating and recognizing the merits of their enshrinement through stellar athletic achievement.”
Kathy Calabretta
Kathy Calabretta of Ludington did not play high school or college sports. She had a 41-year career in education but began running at the age of 32 when she took up jogging for physical fitness. Calabretta joined a bicycle club along the way and then at age 57 she began swimming for therapy after surgery.
Calabretta’s first triathlon was the New Jersey Danskin Triathlon. Without a lot of preparation, she competed and finished first in her age division and she was hooked! She has gone on to finish 89 triathlons to date, finishing first in nearly all of them.
Most notable achievements for Calabretta are her two Gold Medal International Triathlon Union (now World Triathlon) Age Group World Finals in 2015 and in 2024, winning the second in Spain. She also has a Silver Medal won in 2023 in Hamburg, Germany and a Bronze Medal won in Edmonton, Canada in 2013.
Calabretta has won USAT Age Group National Championships across the United States. In 2015 and 2023 she won in Milwaukee, in 2017 in Cleveland and in 2024 in Atlantic City.
In 2025 Calabretta earned the distinction of USA Triathlon Karen McKeachie Grand Masters (60+) Female Triathlete of the Year – Honorable Mention.
Calabretta is owner and instructor at West Michigan Triathlete Coaching, offering encouragement and assisting individuals starting the journey to a triathlon.
Steve Klemm
Steve Klemm, a 1975 graduate of Ludington High School, played tennis, golf and basketball in high school. Klemm was a member of the tennis Team and Singles Conference Champions as well as the Team and Singles Regional Champions. In Klemm’s senior season, the Orioles posted a 16-0 regular season record.
In golf, Klemm was an individual medalist and part of the Conference Champion Team and as a point guard Klemm helped lead the Orioles to Conference and District Championships.
After graduation, Klemm earned three varsity letters in tennis at Michigan State University. Steve was #5 singles in 1977, moved to #3 singles in 1978 and in 1979 was No. 1 singles and captain.
From 2000 – 2025, Klemm served as assistant tennis coach for the boys’ and girls’ teams at Forest Hills Northern in Grand Rapids. The boys’ and girls’ teams combined for 48 conference titles, 43 regional titles, 13 state runner-up finishes and 16 state championship titles.
After college, Klemm continued playing tennis, winning the Men’s 4.5 (Under 50) Senior Tennis League #1 doubles State Finals in 2009 and 2010 and finished as runner-up in 2011 and 2012.
Giving back to Michigan State University, Klemm served 25 years on the MSU Advisory Board for the College of Chemical Engineering and Material Science.
Dave Stubbs
Dave Stubbs served as Ludington High School swim coach from 1976 – 1986, compiling a 91-32 win-loss boys’ record and a 70-34 girls’ win-loss record.
Stubbs moved to Lakeview High School, coaching boys’ and girls’ swim teams where he compiled a 150-23-1 boys’ record and a 132-37 girls’ record. The boys’ teams were State Runner-up in 1998 and 1999. While at Lakeview, Stubbs captured 282 dual meets, 21 conference titles and 25 City of Battle Creek championships. Stubbs was a two-time winner of the Regional High School Coach of the Year.
In 2002, Stubbs began a five-year coaching stint at Olivet College. Prior to Dave’s arrival, Olivet had never won a swim meet of any kind. At the end of Stubb’s five years, both the men and womens’ teams ended with winning records. Stubbs twice had MIAA champions, and he coached two NCAA All-Americans.
Stubbs was inducted into the Michigan High School Coaches Hall of Fame and in 2008 was inducted into Lakeview High School Athletic Hall of Fame.
In 2026, the 1971 Free Soil boys’ basketball team will celebrate the 55th anniversary of the magical season that led to a Michigan High School Athletic Association State Runner-up finish. Free Soil won the District Title with wins over Bear Lake (60-54) and Onekama (84-71), defeated McBain Christian (62-52) and Grand Rapids Covenant Christian (65-61) to win the Regional Title, won the quarterfinals by defeating Ellsworth (85-76) and in the semifinals beat Channing (67-63). In the State Championship game, Free Soil was up against powerhouse Covert and dropped the game in a close 79-70 defeat. The Free Soil team ended the season with a 22-3 overall record.
Members of the 1971 Free Soil team were Rich Shereda, Tony Papes, Jim Papes, Roger Chappel, Michael Heath, Max Carey, Jr., Roger Jacobsen, Paul Knizacky, Ted Knizacky, Bruce Hasenbank, Dave Morong and Bill Kovalcik. The team was coached by Max Carey, Sr.
The Pirates started with two seniors, a junior and two sophomores. All five starters averaged in double figures during the regular season, led by Richard Papes (23 points per game) and Anthony Papes (22 points per game).
Senior Rich Shereda was a UPI All-State Center and a West Michigan D League All Conference First Team selection. Senior Tony Papes was a UPI Special Merit and WMD All Conference First Team selection. Sophomore Jim Papes earned WMD All Conference Honorable Mention and sophomore Roger Chappel earned WMD All-Conference Honorable Mention honors.
The 1988 and 1990 Schoenherr Investment and 1991 and 1992 FloraCraft fastpitch mens’ softball teams are being inducted together as each team had a similar core group of men with additional players in each of the years to achieve Amateur Softball Association (ASA) or ISC State Championships as well as berths in National and World Tournaments.
The Schoenherr Investment and FloraCraft mens’ fastpitch teams established themselves as the powerhouse team in the area with excellent pitching, powerful hitting and precision fielding.
The 1988 Schoenherr Investment Team won the Class “B” ASA State Championship in Sturgis, Michigan. Losing game one to the Owosso Merchants, 1-8, forcing a long path through the double elimination loser’s bracket. In the team’s seventh game of the tournament, Schoenherr Investment faced off with another local team, Custer VFW, with a 2-1 victory to catapult them to the championship game.
Schoenherr Investment faced Johnson Corp twice, defeating the team in the first championship game, 9-2, forcing a second championship game with Johnson Corp, winning 10-1 to earn the State Championship title.
The 1988 team also won the Don and Louis Quade Tournament and had a season win-loss record of 44-12.
Team members included Joey Stankowski, Jimmy Stankowski, Greg Tyndall, Duane Tyndall, Rick Tyndall, Gary Cabot, Harvey Miller, Bob Cameron, Greg Melchert, Val Taylor and Ken Tyndall. Pick up players were Dan McCallum and Tom Paul and the team was coached by Jim “Potsie” Stankowski, Sr.
With a 2-0 win over Snitco of Flint, the 1990 Schoenherr Investment Team became the first Mason County team since 1963 to win the Matt Urka Memorial Tournament. The team won the Don and Louis Quade Tournament and the Michigan ISC State Championship in Frankenmuth.
Earning a berth in the ISC World Tournament in Victoria, British Columbia is a major accomplishment for a team and Schoenherr Investment was competitive, dropping the first game of World’s by a score of 1-0, but rebounded in game two winning 1=0 with a single hit in extra innings!
Team Members included members of the 1988 team; Jimmy Stankowski, Joey Stankowski, Val Taylor, Harvey Miller, Duane Tyndall, Ken Tyndall, Bob Cameron, Greg Melchert and Gary Cabot. Pick up players from the 1988 team, Dan McCallum and Tom Paul, joined the core team and new members, Terry Frye and Brian Wright were added to the 1990 team and pick up players were Jimmy Doyle and Rick Bettis. The team was managed again by Jim “Potsie” Stankowski, Sr.
The 1991 FloraCraft Team won the Mason County Major Softball League, the Don “Snowball” Johnson Memorial Tournament and finished fourth in the Michigan ASA Class “A” State Tournament. The team won the ISC State Championship at Frankenmuth in Open Class and played in ISC World Tournament at Sioux City, Iowa, finishing with a 1-2 record.
The team was led by Manager Jim “Potsie” Stankowski Sr and Coach Rich Stankowski. Team members included Jimmy Stankowski, Joey Stankowski, Rich Collins, Duane Tyndall, Terry Frye, Tom Paul, Greg Melchert, Bob Cameron, Ken Tyndall, Brian Wright, Rick Tyndall and Ed Sanders. Pick up players were Rick Bettis, Tom Stasik, Jeff Ryars and Matt Dijak.
The 1992 FloraCraft Team won the Angus Murphy Invite and the 18th Annual Don and Louis Quade Softball Tournament, as well as the MASA Class “A” State title in Lansing and competed in the ASA Class “A” Nationals in Sacramento, California.
The 1992 team members included Jimmy Stankowski, Joey Stankowski, Rich Collins, Duane Tyndall, Bob Cameron, Rick Bettis, Ron Fargo, Tom Paul, Greg Melchert, Jeff Barnett, Ken Tyndall, Kevin Louvell, Jeff Louvell and Tim Sabin. Manager Jim “Potsie” Stankowski, Sr. led the team.
The Class of 2026 will be enshrined into the Mason County Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday, June 27, 2026. The unveiling of the Class will be at noon at Historic White Pine Village with the induction banquet held at 6:00 p.m. at Lincoln Hills Golf Club. Please look for more information about both events and ticket sales in early April, 2026 through various media outlets and on our Facebook page and website.
The Mason County Sports Hall of Fame, located in Ludington, is a charitable nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving, honoring and enshrining those who have made outstanding contributions to sports in Mason County. Nominations for consideration may be completed online.
Photos submitted by Mason County Sports Hall of Fame.
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