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Mason Awe, Three Rivers grad, named Emrick/Mielcarek Male Athlete of the Year

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Sturgis Biscuits beat Elkhart County RailRoaders for second year in a row

The Sturgis Biscuits won their second straight vintage baseball game over the Elkhart County RailRoaders on Wednesday, 26-4.

(Brandon Watson/Journal)

THREE RIVERS — Mason Awe knows the overall workload when he arrives at the college level will be a lot.

But he’s ready for it. In carrying a solid effort in his time at Three Rivers High School both on the playing field and in the classroom, Awe understands what it will take to be successful.

Now, as he put it, he just has to continue to bring the work ethic on a daily basis. A challenge? Sure. Is he scared? Not gonna happen.

Three Rivers graduate Mason Awe was voted as this year's Corky Emrick/Tom Mielcarek Male Athlete of the Year.

Three Rivers graduate Mason Awe was voted as this year’s Corky Emrick/Tom Mielcarek Male Athlete of the Year.

Awe was chosen as the recipient of the 2026 Corky Emrick & Tom Mielcarek Male Athlete of the Year award. The honor, presented by Sturgis Journal Sports Editor Brandon Watson, is a yearly one for a local graduating senior who played multiple sports throughout their high school tenure in addition to being a solid student and a strong member of the community.

Each year, a panel is put together by Watson, and votes are cast for nominated senior student athletes.

“You know, I think I’ll miss seeing my friends every day. Coming into school, you know who you are going to see on a daily basis and who will be at school to talk to,” Awe said of moving on. “Going to college, everyone will probably be going their own way. They’ll each have their own things going on.”

Awe will continue his football playing career with Kalamazoo College later this fall. The academic draw was a big one for Awe to Kalamazoo. He has a nice scholarship in his pocket and plans to make the most of it.

The decision, he said, came down to playing football or baseball at the next level.

“It came down to I love playing football, I like playing baseball. So part of the reason I picked K was because I love football,” he said. “I could have an opportunity to play baseball there as well, but we will see what happens. Dual sporting is a lot.”

The location of the school, its proximity to his home in Three Rivers and facilities were also positive pulls for Kalamazoo and Awe.

“It felt like the right place,” he said.

Mason Awe lets one fly down the field for the Wildcats on Friday night.

Mason Awe lets one fly down the field for the Wildcats on Friday night.

Facing adversity is nothing new for the Three Rivers grad. He missed his entire junior season on the football field with a significant knee injury. But he was determined to get back onto the field of play at all costs and eventually came back to play that junior season for the Wildcat baseball team.

It helped propel him into his senior year on the gridiron.

“I think coming off that injury, getting a chance to play baseball as a junior, it really kept my confidence up going into football that fall,” Awe said. “I wasn’t being tackled in baseball, but I did a lot of the running and cutting with my legs, so I felt good. It was full-send; I had to trust it.”

Awe returned for his senior season and helped lead the Wildcats to the MHSAA football playoffs.

At Kalamazoo, he plans to study either business or economics. Kalamazoo offers a major and minor to its undergraduate students, so Awe will have an option there as well. It could be political science, it might not.

Three Rivers head coach Jeff Awe calls a play to quarterback Mason Awe on Friday night.

Three Rivers head coach Jeff Awe calls a play to quarterback Mason Awe on Friday night.

“We’re just gonna have to see where it goes,” he said.

Growing up, football was everything outside of family for Awe. It even included family as he played for father Jeff in the purple and black. Awe has been throwing a pigskin since he could walk, and with dad being a coach, he was continually around the older players and soaking it all in.

“Summer workouts, always being around the older guys, and I couldn’t wait to be in that position, to play on the big field,” Awe recalled about being a youngster around the program. “It grew on me a lot. I will miss it, the Friday nights. Walking out those doors, the atmosphere, the band. It’s just different.”

The Kalamazoo College playbook will certainly be bigger than what Awe is used to. He admitted seeing it already and trying to become acclimated as early as possible. There’s a lot to it, obviously, and with him being a future quarterback for the Hornets, he will be expected to know it from cover to end.

He’s not concerned.

“I’ll learn it; I’m not worried about that,” he said.

The Hornets will open the season at home against Kenyon College (Ohio) at 1 p.m. Sept. 5.

Contact Sports Editor Brandon Watson at bwatson@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @BwatsonSJ.

This article originally appeared on Sturgis Journal: Mason Awe, Three Rivers grad, named Emrick/Mielcarek Male Athlete of the Year

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