PETOSKEY — It was only a few years back when the Petoskey football receiving records were being rewritten on a weekly basis.
The tandem of Seth Marek and Mitch Eberhart helped the Northmen offense hum between 2023 and 2024, bringing explosive plays to the offense, while keeping defenses back for the run game to hit the same game-changing plays.
The look of the PHS offense changed a bit a year ago without those veterans, though entering 2026, there’s athletes ready to break out and challenge past marks set.
Look no further than Petoskey junior Parker Ward.
“Definitely. I’m pretty confident in myself, especially after this summer,” Ward said. “I’ve been getting a lot of reps with Lukas (Nemec) and the other guys around me.”
As a sophomore on varsity last season, Ward saw the majority of his action at cornerback, shinning as a young player.
Now, he’s ready to fill an obvious hole, leaning on that experience on both sides of the ball as a junior. He was one of six sophomores to start throughout the season on varsity a year ago.
“We’re all a step ahead,” Ward said on that experience. “We know the plays and know what’s coming. We don’t have to be surprised by how much faster and more intense it is.”
While it’s a small sample size, Ward flashed the kind of ability that leaves one to believe he’s next in line in the offense.
He caught just four passes a year ago, though they went for 75 yards and a touchdown, good for an 18.7 average. He also ran the ball just three times, though picked up 20 yards and another score. It was another impressive average of 6.7 yards.
There’s plenty of opportunity to step up in Petoskey’s offense, especially with leading receiver Luke Pike making a switch to running back.
Pike made 38 catches for 450 yards last season. No other receiver back had more than 10 catches.
The Northmen have a true leader and standout at quarterback to lean on in the junior Nemec, someone Ward grew up playing with and built even more chemistry with in the offseason.
“He’s really good and always pushing you to get extra reps in the summer or offseason,” he said. “That helps with chemistry, because you know exactly when and where the ball is coming. He pushes you.”
Nemec’s up-beat attitude and positive leadership is another area that’s been key for a positon group looking to make a name for themselves. While he’ll hold guys accountable, he keeps it positive.
“That helps a lot,” Ward added. “If you miss a ball, you’re obviously not going to be happy with yourself, but he’s always, ‘You’re good. You got the next one. I’ll put it on you even better.’ That just boosts your confidence a lot, even when you miss it.”
Ward will likely continue to get his reps on defense, as well. He’s too good of an athlete otherwise. Also a standout leadoff hitter and centerfielder for Petoskey baseball in the spring and a talented guard on the basketball court in the winter.
Whatever his role becomes, Ward’s just trying to help put wins on the board, still feeling the close losses that kept his team from a consecutive playoff trip last season. He believes that experience will pay off ahead.
“Definitely,” he added. “We had a good amount of young players last year and just that first year gets us over that hump of all those close games.”
Reach Sports Editor Drew Kochanny at dkochanny@petoskeynews.com and follow him on X @DrewKochanny and Instagram @drewkochanny
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Petoskey Parker Ward ready to fill a void in Northmen offense
Reporting by Drew Kochanny, The Petoskey News-Review / The Petoskey News-Review
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By Drew Kochanny, The Petoskey News-Review | USA TODAY Network
