GAYLORD ― Gaylord-area boys basketball teams rode the wave of up-and-down seasons in 2025-26, facing tough non-conference foes while dealing with loaded conferences in the Big North and Ski Valley.
Gaylord (8-13), St. Mary (15-10) and Johannesburg-Lewiston (2-20) all had players perform at high levels throughout the year, leading to upset victories, multi-game winning streaks and a near district-title run.
Now, it’s time to honor those individuals who had the most success and helped area teams to their biggest victories.
First up: Gaylord Herald Times Player of the Year, St. Mary sophomore Nathan O’Connell.
Maybe more well-known as the quarterback for a talented GSM 8-player football team, O’Connell has a unique mix of height and athleticism that made him almost unguardable when going against Division 4 opponents, and his numbers reflect that.
O’Connell averaged a double-double during the 2025-26 season, finishing at 18.5 points and 10.1 rebounds per game, both team highs. He shot 60% on 2-point field goals and added 2.5 steals per game, showing the versatility in his game as an underclassman.
Just a sophomore, O’Connell is part of a deep GSM Class of 2028 that has high hopes for future success on the football field and baseball diamond. With the way they played this season, they may be adding deep March runs to their expectations as well.
Here is the complete all-area team:
Gaylord Herald Times 2025-26 boys basketball All-Area team
First Team
Player of the Year: Nathan O’Connell, Gaylord St. Mary, forward
Cal Royce, Gaylord St. Mary, guard
A transfer student from Boyne City, Royce flourished in his first season under coach Rich Moffit. He averaged 11.0 points, 3.6 assists and 2.5 steals as GSM’s primary ball handler, helping the Snowbirds go 15-10 and finish fourth in the SVC.
His biggest performances came in an upset win over SVC Champion East Jordan (22 points) and a playoff win over Atlanta (20 points).
Cash Cunningham, JoBurg, guard
One of the best scoring guards in the entire Ski Valley, Cunningham averaged around 20 points per game and was integral to JoBurg’s two victories this season, scoring 16 points in the win over Central Lake on Jan. 13 and 18 points in the win over Forest Area on Jan. 15.
Grayson Glazier, Gaylord, guard
Glazier led the GHS Blue Devils in scoring (11.1 points) and assists (1.9 assists) in 2025-26. He was an All-Area and All-Conference player for football as well.
Cale Deer, Gaylord, forward
Deer averaged 9.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists in his final season in a Blue Devils’ uniform. He scored 29 points in a win over Alpena on Feb. 13.
Second team
Kaven Cole, Gaylord, Forward
Cash Wcisel, GSM, Guard
Charlie Cameron, GSM, Center
Joe Jacobson, GSM, Guard
Wyat Konkle, JoBurg, Forward
Honorable mentions
Carter Johnson, Gaylord
Matthew Vanderveer, Gaylord
Cooper McKinley, GSM
David Wahl, GSM
Logan Dodge, JoBurg
Contact GHT Sports Editor Dylan Jespersen at Djespersen@gaylordheraldtimes.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @dylanjespersen, and Instagram, @dylanjespersen
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: GSM’s Nathan O’Connell wins Player of the Year, leads all-area team
Reporting by Dylan Jespersen, The Petoskey News-Review / The Petoskey News-Review
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
