Chelsea Bulldogs Sports Recap, Oct 19-25, 2025

The fall season ends strong for the Dawgs in 2025.

Chelsea Boys’ Cross Country Captures D2 Regional Title; Girls Send Two to State

The Chelsea boys’ cross country team continued its remarkable legacy by capturing the Division 2 regional championship Saturday, extending the program’s state finals streak to 24 consecutive years—the third-longest active streak in Michigan. Only St. Clair (26 years) and Grand Rapids Christian (25 years) have longer runs of consecutive state appearances.

The Bulldogs edged SEC White rival Adrian, 60–66, in a tightly contested race that once again showcased Chelsea’s depth and postseason composure.

Senior Henry Fredenberg led the charge with a personal-best time of 16:06.7, finishing fourth overall. Junior Wyeth Angus was close behind in fifth at 16:10.0, also a personal record. Juniors Samuel Clifton, Owen Thorburn, and Leo Alafita all ran personal bests under 17 minutes to finish 14th, 17th, and 20th respectively, sealing the title for the Bulldogs. Freshman Jonathan Love and senior Linus Helzerman provided strong displacement in the 17:30 range to round out the team effort.

With their win, Chelsea once again punches its ticket to the Division 2 State Finals at Michigan International Speedway on November 1, where the Bulldogs will look to add another strong finish to the program’s storied tradition.

The Chelsea girls team also had an impressive day, placing fourth overall and sending two individual qualifiers to MIS. Senior Samantha Bieber finished ninth with a season-best 20:01.4, while sophomore Zora Ziolkowski was right behind in tenth with a personal-best 20:03.6, both earning individual state berths.

Freshman Kathryn Dunn ran a personal record 21:45.6, followed by Mila Schemahorn, Mireille Hunter, Persephone Berg, and Addison Leschuk, who all turned in strong regional efforts to close out the Bulldogs’ lineup.

Chelsea Field Hockey Season Ends in Heartbreaking OT Loss

The Chelsea field hockey team saw its season come to an end in heartbreaking fashion with a 1-0 loss to top-ranked Ann Arbor Pioneer in the state finals Wednesday.

The Bulldogs gave the eventual state champion Pioneer all they could handle as the teams were scoreless through regulation. 

Pioneer controlled most of the action in the first half, but the Bulldogs kept the game scoreless, stopping four penalty corners by Pioneer.

The Bulldogs offense came to life in the second half and had a great scoring chance, but a mad scramble out front of the net was kept out by the Pioneer goaltender.

Chelsea earned its first corner of the game in the fourth, but the Pioneer goaltender made a big save, Pioneer would get two more corners, but Elizabeth Timberlake came up with a big save to keep it 0-0.

The Bulldogs picked up the offensive pressure and earned three penalty corners in the final moments but could not find the net to keep end regulation tied at 0-0.

With the teams playing seven on seven in overtime, Pioneer earned a penalty corner four minutes in.

Pioneer had two shots on net that Timberlake turned away, but the third shot found the back of the net to end the Bulldogs season.

Chelsea outshot Pioneer with 7-6, but Pioneer had more corner chances in the game.

The Bulldogs reached the semifinals by taking down Detroit Country Day 5-0 to win the regional title.

Lucy Taylor scored twice for Chelsea, while Brenna Taylor had a goal and three assists. Madisyn McCollom and Milah Reeves each scored once, while Azlyn Eckert had an assist. Timberlake earned the shutout in net with two saves.

The Bulldogs finish 13-6-3 overall on the season. 

Bulldogs Hold Off Late Rally to Finish 8-1

The Chelsea football team staved off a huge second half rally with a late touchdown to take down Linden 35-28 Friday night.

The win improved to 8-1 overall o the season with the state playoffs looming next week.

Chelsea will likely open at home as the one or two seed in their district.

The Bulldogs dominated the game in the first half and looked like they were going to cruise to an easy win with a 28-0 halftime lead. 

Jax Ichesco broke free for a 37-yard TD run to put the Bulldogs on top 7-0 early.

Nolan Sciackitano bulled his way in from 12 yards out to push the lead to 14-0 late in the first.

The lead grew to 21-0 late in the second when Jax Ichesco hit Gibson Ichesco with a 22-yard scoring pass, but the Bulldogs were not done.

Chelsea recovered a fumble with just over a minute remaining in the half and Jax Ichesco hit Cadan Basar with a 14-yard scoring strike to give Chelsea 28-0 halftime lead.

Linden turned things around in the second half with a TD run early in the third to cut the lead to 28-7.

Linden then recovered an onside kick and quickly punched it in to cut the lead to 28-14.

The lead was cut to 28-21 early in the fourth with another Linden TD and they tied it up with just over five minutes remaining in the game.

The Bulldogs righted the ship and retook the lead with a Jax Ichesco two-yard run and they would hold on for the win.

Chelsea Swim & Dive Caps Perfect SEC White Dual Season with Win Over Lincoln

The Chelsea girls’ swim and dive team wrapped up an undefeated SEC White dual-meet season with a dominant 132–41 victory over Ypsilanti Lincoln Thursday night. The Bulldogs improved to 6-0 in conference duals and now turn their attention to the SEC White Finals, November 7–8 at Jackson High School.

Chelsea set the tone early, sweeping the opening 200-medley relay behind Brooke Paddock (31.04), Ane Doval Guijarro (35.13), Madeline Roebuck (31.03), and Kajsa Kajander (27.01), clocking a season-best 2:04.21.

Olivia Boland led a 1-2-3 Chelsea sweep in the 200 freestyle, winning in 2:19.32, followed by Natalie Boos (2:19.95) and Elise Seyferth (2:30.12). In the 200 IM, Millie Adams (2:45.17) and Madeline Roebuck (2:46.11) went 2-3 for more points.

Chelsea’s sprint crew was on fire in the 50 freestyle with a sweep by Ruby Jackson (26.65), Kajsa Kajander (27.21), and Elise Hugg (27.46). The Bulldogs continued their control in the 100 butterfly, as Roebuck took first in 1:15.96 and Adams added a second-place finish in 1:19.60.

Boland came back strong to win the 100 freestyle (1:02.47 PB) ahead of Alice Thiel (1:04.09), while Seyferth (6:46.99) and Anna Faye Bellizzi (7:01.84) went 2-3 in the 500 free.

Chelsea’s depth was on display as both 200 free relay squads finished in the top two spots. The A-team of Kajander, Doval Guijarro, Paddock, and Roebuck won in 1:52.71, while the B-relay of Snyder, Thiel, Barston, and Seyferth finished second in 2:03.87.

On the boards, Anna McAllister once again led the charge, winning diving with 233.50 points, followed by Adri Yado (190.15) and Kajander (162.35) for a 1-2-3 Chelsea sweep.

The Bulldogs closed the night in style with a victory in the 400 freestyle relay, where McAllister, Boland, Sophia Burgess, and Jackson posted 4:18.07.

Ruby Jackson (1:10.05) and Sophia Burgess (1:11.06) went 1-2 in the 100 backstroke, and Brooke Paddock (1:13.68) captured the 100 breaststroke with teammates Doval Guijarro (1:16.27) and Hugg (1:22.85) right behind.

Chelsea Tennis Finishes Fifth at Division 3 State Finals

The Chelsea boys’ tennis team capped a strong postseason run with a fifth-place finish at the MHSAA Division 3 State Finals. The Bulldogs tallied 12 points to tie East Grand Rapids, finishing behind champion Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood (34), Detroit Country Day (33), Holland Christian (26), and Ann Arbor Greenhills (23).

Senior Gavin Heinze led Chelsea’s effort with an impressive semifinal run at four-singles, earning state semifinalist honors. Heinze opened with back-to-back dominant wins — 6-0, 6-1 in both the second round and quarterfinals — before falling in a hard-fought three-set battle to Victor Marin of Detroit Country Day, 4-6, 6-4, 4-6.

At two-singles, Stephen McCulloch advanced with a 6-1, 6-1 first-round win before being eliminated in the second round, 1-6, 1-3. Dawson Holm followed a similar path at three-singles, cruising in his opener 6-0, 6-1 before dropping a 3-6, 2-6 quarterfinal match.

In doubles play, Jordan Rudolph and Luca Giardello battled through a three-set first-round win (6-1, 4-6, 10-7) at one-doubles before falling 2-6, 3-6 in the second round. The two-doubles team of Rowan French and Jack Jordan also earned an opening 6-0, 6-3 victory before bowing out 0-6, 1-6 in round two.

Isaac Snyder and Bradley Dunn were winners at three-doubles (6-3, 6-3) before a 1-6, 1-6 second-round exit, while Joseph Brodeur and Sebastian Valdina fought to a thrilling three-set match at four-doubles, winning 6-3, 6-3 in round one and narrowly falling 2-6, 7-6 (4), 2-6 in the second round.

Jordan Fansler also represented Chelsea at one-singles, contributing to a strong team showing that secured another top-five state finish for the Bulldogs’ tennis program.

Chelsea Volleyball Claims Dansville Invitational Championship

The Chelsea volleyball team continued its impressive late-season surge, capturing the Dansville Invitational championship over the weekend and following it up with a dominant and emotional Senior Night sweep of Ypsilanti.

The Bulldogs showed grit and consistency throughout the Dansville tournament, overcoming early adversity and finishing the day as champions. Chelsea split pool play with Colon and Charlotte before sweeping Dansville to secure first place in its pool.

Once bracket play began, the Bulldogs found another gear. They cruised past Portland St. Patrick 2–0 in the quarterfinals, battled past Manchester in three sets in the semifinals, and finished the day by sweeping Dansville once again in straight sets to bring home the tournament title.

Singer and Minyard Power Championship Run

Senior Ally Singer had one of the best tournaments of her career, pounding out 43 kills to go with 8 digs in a standout performance. Melayna Minyard was equally dominant, finishing with 38 kills, 9 aces, and 29 digs as Chelsea’s offense overwhelmed opponents all day.

Mia Kuboushek added 21 kills, Phia Stanavich chipped in 10, and Leah Helquist contributed 9 kills and 5 blocks in the middle.

The Bulldogs’ back row was superb, with Kiley Ellis (38 digs) and Ava Skrypec (28 digs) combining for 15 aces and consistent serve-receive play. Sasha Henriksen added 17 digs and 7 aces, while setter Lexi Cummer ran the offense with precision, collecting 131 assists, 8 kills, 5 aces, and 35 digs.

Seniors Shine in Sweep Over Ypsilanti

Just days later, Chelsea returned home for an emotional Senior Night, honoring eight Bulldogs who have been cornerstones of the program’s success. The team delivered a statement performance, sweeping Ypsilanti 25–12, 25–14, 25–5.

Senior Bella Radomski led the way with a career-high 7 kills, while Ella Root added 9 kills and Ally Singer tallied 6 kills and 6 digs.

Lexi Cummer dished out 20 assists, along with 2 aces and 7 digs, continuing her strong play at setter. Mia Kuboushek and Leah Helquist controlled the middle throughout the match, while Sasha Henriksen and Lyla Dabbs anchored the back row with a combined 8 digs and 7 aces.

Chelsea closed the final set on a 15–3 run, sealing a perfect night for the seniors in front of a packed home crowd.

A Bittersweet Victory

While the win was one to celebrate, it came with heavy hearts for the Chelsea volleyball family.

Coach Toney Cummer shared that “one of our devoted fans and community members, Tom Lewis—known to all of us as ‘Mr. Tom’—passed away the day before, so the win was bittersweet. Mr. Tom was a huge supporter of Chelsea volleyball and the athletic program as a whole. He attended every home match and treated every player as if they were the biggest star on the team. The girls adored him and developed a really close bond with him over the years.”

The Bulldogs dedicated their Senior Night performance to Mr. Tom, whose presence and encouragement meant so much to the team and the Chelsea community.