(Jason Juno photo) Iron Mountain senior Foster Wonders (00) releases a lay up over Mason Heuker of McBain, in the Mountaineers Division 3 quarterfinal win over the Ramblers, April 6 at Lake City High School.

IRON MOUNTAIN — The 2021 All-U.P. boys basketball team, for the fifth season in a row, features an Iron Mountain athlete as the Division 1-3 player of the year

Foster Wonders was a unanimous selection for the honor, as voted by the Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association at their annual basketball meeting April 14 in Marquette.

Wonders, who claimed the Division 1-3 award for a third season in a row, also was unanimously selected as Mr. U.P. Basketball, also for a third straight season. Bound for Southern Illinois University, The 6-foot-5 Wonders averaged nearly 35 points per game, while grabbing 8.5 rebounds.

Wonders’ older brother, Carson, was named Class ABC player of the year in 2017. In 2018, Mountaineers sophomore Marcus Johnson was tabbed for the same accolade.

Iron Mountain head coach Harvey “Bucky” Johnson was unanimously named Division 1-3 coach of the year for 2021. Johnson, who won his 300th career game on Feb. 22 versus West Iron, guided the Mountaineers to the Division 3 state championship game.

(Daryl T. Jarvinen photo) Iron Mountain head coach Harvey "Bucky" Johnson (center) gives his team instructions during a time out, in a game at Ishpeming on March 4. Johnson was unanimous selection as Division 1-3 coach of the year by the Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association.

“Going back over 30 years, Foster Wonders is the best basketball player to come from the Upper Peninsula, bar none,” Coach Johnson said in the Mountaineers’ post-game press conference after the Division 3 state championship game at Michigan State University’s Breslin Center in East Lansing on April 10.

Iron Mountain was unanimously named Division 3 team of the year by the UPSSA.

Rudyard in Division 4, as well as their head coach Jim Suggitt, were both unanimous selections as team of the year and coach of the year. The Division 4 player of the year, junior Jaden Borseth of Ewen Trout-Creek, was the other Mr. Basketball candidate.

Escanaba, who advanced to the state quarterfinals for the first time since 1960, was named Division 1-2 team of the year over Marquette, whom the Eskymos defeated twice in the regular season within the Great Northern Conference.

Wonders and Marquette senior Kameron Karp were the only unanimous selections to the all-class Dream Team. They were joined by Boreseth, senior Erik Victorson of Escanaba and Westwood junior Zach Carlson.

Karp has signed to play both football and basketball at Northern Michigan University.

West Iron center Justin Nelson was a unanimous selection to the Division 1-3 first team, after receiving a nomination and a handful of votes for the Dream Team. The 6-foot-8 Wykon average nearly 22 points, 14 rebounds and seven blocks per game.

Other unanimous selections to the Division 1-3 first team were seniors Cam Ballard of Gladstone and Carter Hudson of Escanaba. Rounding out the Division 1-3 first team are seniors Lincoln Sager of Marquette and Eli Loukkala of Negaunee.

Iron Mountain seniors Bryce Pietrantonio and Ricky Brown were unanimous selections to the Division 1-3 second team. The Mountaineer duo was instrumental in the Mountaineers’ undefeated regular season and their run to the Division 3 title game.

Area players to receive honorable mention in Division 1-3 were senior Cole Bracket, junior Brody Kopp and sophomore Nick Nora of Kingsford. Also named were Norway senior Logan Parolini and senior Nathan Thomson of West Iron.

North Central sophomore Luke Gorzinski was tabbed as a first team selection in Division 4. A first-team selection in 2020 as a freshman, Gorzinski averaged 17 points per game for the Jets this season.

The Jets’ Ian Gorzinski, a senior, and sophomore Jesse Sampson received Division 4 honorable mentions. Also receiving honorable mentions in Division 4 were Forest Park senior Keall Emmers and North Dickinson junior Maximus Mattson.

2021 All-U.P. Boys Basketball Team

(U)= Unanimous

Major Awards

Mr. U.P. Basketball: Foster Wonders, Iron Mountain, 6-5, Sr. (U)

Division 1-3 Player of the Year: Foster Wonders, Iron Mountain, 6-5, Sr. (U)

Division 4 Player of the Year: Jaden Borseth, Ewen-Trout Creek, 6-3, Jr.

Division 1-2 Team of the Year: Escanaba

Division 3 Team of the Year: Iron Mountain (U)

Division 4 Team of the Year: Rudyard (U)

Division 1-3 Coach of the Year: Harvey “Bucky” Johnson, Iron Mountain (U)

Division 4 Coach of the Year: Jim Suggitt, Rudyard (U)

Dream Team

Foster Wonders, Iron Mountain, 6-5, Sr. (U)

Kam Karp, Marquette, 6-1, Sr. (U)

Jaden Borseth, Ewen-Trout Creek, 6-3, Jr.

Erik Victorson, Escanaba, 6-0, Sr.

Zach Carlson, Westwood, 5-9, Jr.

Division 1-3 First Team

Carter Hudson, Escanaba, 6-7, Sr. (U)

Justin Nelson, West Iron County, 6-8, Sr. (U)

Cam Ballard, Gladstone, 6-2, Sr. (U)

Eli Luokkala, Negaunee, 6-5, Sr.

Lincoln Sager, Marquette, 6-2, Sr.

Division 1-3 Second Team

Aiden Bellisle, Menominee, 6-1, Jr. (U)

Johnny Schutz, Jeffers, 6-2, Jr. (U)

Ricky Brown, Iron Mountain, 6-0, Sr. (U)

Colin Hudson, Escanaba, 6-7, Jr. (U)

Ty Lotterman, Marquette, 6-4, Sr. (U)

Bryce Pietrantonio, Iron Mountain, 6-1, Sr. (U)

Zach Beckman, Westwood, 6-0, Jr.

Trenton Wood-Keshick, Bark River-Harris, 6-3, Sr.

Jonny Ingalls, St. Ignace, 5-9, Fr.

Christian Hocking, Jeffers, 6-4, Sr.

Honorable mention: Cole Bracket, Kingsford, 6-0 Sr.; Cooper Conway, Menominee, 6-5, Jr.; Brandon Frazer, Escanaba, 5-11, Sr.; Reid Hill, Gwinn, 6-1, Sr.; Nick Javurek, Bark River-Harris, 6-1, Sr.; Jayce Kipling, Ishpeming, 6-2, Jr.; Brody Kopp, Kingsford, 6-0 Jr.; Von Lyons, Ironwood, 6-0, Jr.; Nick Nora, Kingsford, 5-8, Soph.; Ely North, St. Ignace, 5-11, Fr.; Nick Javurek, Bark River-Harris, 6-1, Sr.; Logan Parolini, Norway, 5-10, Sr.; Hunter Potier, Gladstone, 6-3, Jr.; Brady Schultz, Menominee, 6-3, Jr.; Joey Stein, Bark River-Harris, 6-0, Sr.; Nathan Thomson, West Iron County, 6-0, Sr.; Carter Zawacki, Bark River-Harris, 6-2, Sr.; Vinicio Febles, Sault Ste. Marie, 6-0, Sr.

Division 4 First Team

Logan Depew, Newberry, 5-11, Sr. (U)

Davin Hill, Dollar Bay, 5-8, Sr.

E.J Suggitt, Rudyard, 6-0, Jr.

Luke Gorzinski, North Central, 5-9, Soph.

Connor LeClaire, Dollar Bay, 5-10, Sr.

Division 4 Second Team

Eric Abramson, Ewen-Trout Creek, 6-4, Jr.

Tate Besteman, Rudyard, 6-5, Jr.

Beau Koffman, Carney-Nadeau, 5-11, Sr.

Caleb Kohlmann, Cedarville, 6-0, Sr.

Lane Kortemeier, Bessemer, 6-4, Sr.

Mason Kudlick, Rapid River, 5-10, Sr.

Jack Matrella, Bessemer, 6-0, Jr.

Kane Nebel, Munising, 6-1, Soph.

Grady Newland, Brimley, 6-0, Jr.

Karl Rautiola, Chassell, 6-1, Jr.

Honorable mention: Keall Emmers, Forest Park, 6-1, Sr.; Grant Fountain, DeTour, 5-10, Sr.; Kyle Frusti, Superior Central, 6-0, Sr.; Ian Gorzinski, North Central, 5-10, Sr.; Travis Johnson, Big Bay de Noc, 6-1, Sr.; Bryce Kuehneu, Stephenson, 5-6, Sr.; Parker Maki, Superior Central, 6-0, Sr.; Maximus Mattson, North Dickinson, 5-8, Jr.; Cam Peterson, Rudyard, 5-10, Fr..; Jesse Sampson, North Central, 6-4, Soph.; Micah Bailey, Maplewood Baptist, 6-2, Sr.