60 Years Later, Chassell Streak Stands
March 22, 2016
Sixty years ago, something happened in Michigan high school boys basketball that hadn’t happened before and hasn’t happened since – three Upper Peninsula teams won titles. Stephenson beat Detroit St. Andrew, 73-71 in overtime when “Marvelous” Mel Peterson made the first basket of sudden death; Crystal Falls (before it was called Forest Park) beat Berrien Springs, 71-69, in Class C; and Chassell won the first of three straight Class D titles, beating Portland St. Patrick, 71-68, by rallying from a 15-point deficit with less than four minutes to play.
The win was part of Chassell’s state record 65-game winning streak, which still stands. Below is an excerpt of a piece on the Chassell streak written before the teams were honored as part of the “Legends of the Games” program at the 1998 Boys Basketball Finals.
The old adage in sports states that records are made to be broken. The longer, however, the record stands, the more legendary the accomplishment becomes.
Chassell's wins were the centerpiece of Upper Peninsula success in the MHSAA Boys Basketball Tournament during the first 11 years after the format unified the two peninsulas. From 1932 to 1947, separate finals were conducted in both peninsulas. Between 1948 and 1958, Upper Peninsula schools won three Class B crowns (there were no Class A schools in the U.P. at the time), two Class C titles, and seven Class D championships – over one-third of the available first-place finishes.
Wrote the Marquette Mining Journal in 1956, the year that Stephenson in Class B, Crystal Falls in Class C and Chassell in Class D all won MHSAA titles, "All of these is a startling figure since in the period the U.P. has only 42 (schools) -- one eighth of all the lower class quarterfinalists.
"Under the law of averages, the U.P. should come up with one state champ every three years."
It looked at first that the law of averages would catch up with Chassell. After starting the 1955-56 season with 11 straight wins, the Panthers lost a close January game at Trout Creek, and then won their way downstate into the finals against Portland St. Patrick. In that final game, St. Patrick held a 15-point lead at 68-53 with less than four minutes to play.
Coach Ed Helakoski, the architect of the Chassell winning streak, called time out and told his team to apply full court pressure, a rarity at the high school level at that time.
Playing without standouts Terry Pokela and Tom Peters, who had fouled out, Chassell scored the final 18 points of the contest, the biggest game-ending rally in Finals history, and won the first crown, 71-68. Sophomore guard Don Mattson scored the winning points with only seconds to play, finished the game with a finals record 25 points, and the Panthers finished the season 25-1 with 14 consecutive victories.
During the 25-0 run to the crown in 1956-57, the only close games were regular-season wins against National Mine (71-66), L'Anse (64-63), Doelle (73-69), and a 58-50 decision over Stevensville in the championship game at Jenison Fieldhouse. Of the other 21 games, none were closer than 13 points, and the average margin of victory was 27 points.
The winning streak stood at 39 entering the 1957-58 season, and the 10-year state record of 59 consecutive victories by Mass from 1947-49 was within reach. However, Mattson was the only returning starter from the back-to-back championship teams, and perhaps Helakoski's greatest coaching job lay ahead to replace four starters in a school which had just over 30 boys enrolled in grades 9-12.
Doelle, which had given the Panthers one of its closest games the season before, was leading, 62-60, in an early-season contest. As time ran out, Bob Belhummer of Chassell was fouled at midcourt and sent to the free throw line with a one-and-one opportunity. Belhummer sank both shots to force the only overtime game of the streak, a 72-66 victory.
The new state record of 60 consecutive victories came in a 45-43 decision over Marenisco in the MHSAA District championship game. A trip over the newly-constructed Mackinaw Bridge came two weeks later and the Panthers became the first school to bring an MHSAA trophy across the structure when the 65th victory was recorded, a 66-61 decision over Owosso St. Paul. Mattson tallied 27 points in the finale to set another championship game record.
In the 40 years since Chassell's incredible feat, only twice has the winning streak been threatened. Flint Northwestern racked up 60 victories between January of 1984 and February of 1986; and Saginaw Buena Vista had a streak reach 55 games between December of 1991 and December of 1993.
In many communities, success streaks come and go, but a constant ideal of school sports then and today was captured by John Pyykkonen, a guard and forward on the 1956 and 1957 teams who summarized the events: "I remember the friendly competition amongst the members of the team and how well we worked together and how our parents, fans and the community were behind us 100 percent of the way. One of the greatest highlights in a young man's life and will never be forgotten."
Records were made to be broken. But legends, especially Legends of the Games like Chassell, endure the test of time.
GLORY DAYS ... Remembering The Streak
John Pyykkonen - 1956-57 Guard-Forward: "One thing I remember clearly, besides the games, is walking into Jenison Fieldhouse and being totally awestruck by the raised floor and the huge (in my eyes) guides who showed us around the building. I recall the game in 1956 when we were so far behind in points and we were able to overcome the point deficit by a full court press. The huge crowd gathered there were all cheering for the small-town team."
Robert Belhumer - 1956-1957-1958 Guard: "We had a great camaraderie among the members of our team. Also Chassell is a small town in the Upper Peninsula and the fans were there rooting for us during our seasonal games and were there for us at the championship games in Lansing."
Donald Jaakkola - 1956 Guard (On the championship game): "We ran out onto the court to a crowd of 12,000 people, most of whom were cheering for Portland St. Patrick. Needless to say, we felt a bit in awe as we came from Chassell, a small town in the Upper Peninsula.
"We were down 15 points with four minutes to go and two of our tallest players had fouled out earlier. Coach Ed Helakoski called a timeout and the basketball gods were with us. We threw a full court press defense and scored 18 points while holding St. Patrick scoreless. It gave us a screaming 71 to 68 victory. The crowd of 12,000 was now cheering for us."
Mike Wisti - 1956 Guard (On Coach Ed Helakoski): “I am quite sure there are many who will remember Ed Helakoski as a good coach. I'm sure he was a good coach; he had a knack for demanding discipline and teamwork, while not stifling the creativity of his players. However, I believe he should also be remembered as a great classroom teacher. He taught Government one year and Sociology the next and was the best classroom teacher that I had in high school. His ability to make Government interesting and explain how everything was designed to work is probably one of the biggest reasons for my lifelong interest in government and politics."
Kenneth Tormala - 1956-1957-1958 Forward: "The first year we surprised a lot of teams and people by winning the state championship. The second year we were picked to win when the year started and it would have been a real disappointment not to have done so. The third year was a real challenge since we lost so many players, but we had the backbone of the team, Don Mattson, who was an all-stater. This team was the most closely knit of all. We had a lot of very close games and had to dig down to everything we had learned to win many of them. A very satisfying year and we kept the winning streak going, to the surprise of many, including the previous teams.
"These memories will be fondly remembered until we die. Thank you to the late Mr. Helakoski."
James Komula, 1958 Guard (On what stands out from that season): "Being from a small town and playing in small gyms, the spaciousness and large crowd in Jenison Fieldhouse proved very exciting. Also, the reception and festivities upon our triumphant return to Chassell will forever be a highlight of personal memories. People were waiting in their vehicles nearly 30 miles from town to accompany our motorcade home.
"Although I didn't give it much thought, the experience and influence of playing on that team would set the direction for my career. Upon graduation from Michigan Tech, I was given an interim position to teach and coach at L'Anse High School. In 1966, I was assistant coach when L'Anse won the Class C state championship. After that I moved to Livonia, where in later years I was head coach at Bentley High School. Although I never intended, my high school basketball did influence my career to work with youngsters, and help them share in the rewards of the commitment and lifelong learning of athletics."
Terry Pokela, 1956-1957 Center: "We truly had a team. Coach Helakoski did not allow us to think of individual statistics or anything like that. He constantly emphasized the team concept. It certainly paid off.
"Also, we were one of the first teams to fast break after every missed shot by opponents. Our three-lane break broke many team's backs, as they couldn't keep up with us. Coach Helakoski emphasized rebounding position to enable the fast break to get started. We could also shoot field goals from any part of the court. Don Mattson would have scored 40 points a game if the three-point field goal would have been in effect."
Cancer Free, Haske Pulls Double Duty
March 3, 2016
By Dennis Chase
Special for Second Half
TRAVERSE CITY – Keith Haske calls coaching basketball “therapeutic.”
It’s a term that now holds more meaning for the 58-year-old Traverse City St. Francis basketball coach, who is recovering from a stage four throat cancer diagnosis two years ago.
“When you’re coaching you just kind of lose yourself,” he said. “You don’t think about how you’re feeling or what you went through.”
Coaching has been a major part of Haske’s life for 32 years – 13 at St. Johns, 13 at Charlevoix and six at St. Francis. Even when he felt weak and tired last season, Haske continued as the boys coach, using an amplified headset at practice to lessen the strain on his throat.
His health, he said, is continually improving. He’s cancer free. His energy and strength are returning – so much so that he added to his workload this season by taking on the girls varsity coaching duties, too.
“When you go through this stuff you almost have a renewed energy,” he said. “Your body fights so hard to beat the cancer, and you go through so much suffering, that when you come out the other side things really don’t faze you as much.”
This is a time of the year that will test Haske’s stamina because his schedule is busier than ever. He coached three doubleheaders last week. With the girls reaching Friday’s MHSAA Class C District Final, he’ll coach five games in five days this week. It could be a repeat next week if the boys and girls advance along the tournament trail.
“I can’t tell you how much fun that would be,” Haske said.
Another tough District matchup awaits, though. The girls team (21-1) played Elk Rapids (15-6) on Wednesday and will next face host Glen Lake (20-2). The boys (12-7) will face Johannesburg-Lewiston (16-2) – the team that knocked the Gladiators out last season– in their District opener Monday.
It’s a challenging schedule. But Haske, who’s taken four teams to the MHSAA Finals, is accustomed to challenges. None bigger than his battle with cancer.
The diagnosis came the day after Easter in 2014. Haske, who kept physically fit, couldn’t believe what the doctor was telling him.
“I said, ‘There’s no way,’” he recalled. “I never smoked, never chewed tobacco, things you would attribute (to throat cancer).”
He wasn’t the only one stunned.
“Most of the team started breaking down crying,” senior Dylan Sheehy-Guiseppi remembered when Haske broke the news. “We were so shocked. We couldn’t understand how it happened to him.”
Neither could Haske’s close friends.
“Your first take is that it’s pretty devastating because you don’t know (what to expect),” Adam Wood, who played for and coached under Haske at Charlevoix, said. “Cancer can run the gamut as far as severity. The one thing I did know is that he would fight it as hard as he could.”
Haske took his fight to the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. He, and his wife Barb, spent most of the summer there as Haske underwent radiation and chemotherapy treatment.
It was on a return trip to Houston a few months later – he still goes back every four months for scans – when he learned he was cancer free.
“When I left (in July) they were still worried about one of the lymph nodes, whether they got it or not,” Haske said. “Sometimes it gets inflamed from the radiation, and they can’t tell.”
Turns out, it was inflammation. No cancer was detected.
On the way home, Haske received a call from principal Eric Chittle, who then revealed the good news at a school assembly.
“The whole student body went crazy,” Haske said. “It was cool.”
For Haske, the dean of students at the high school, it was a big hurdle to clear. But there was a side effect – Haske’s throat was still inflamed, and he struggled to eat.
“When I came back I went six months without eating a single morsel of food,” he said. “I lived on Ensure and ice cream.”
He ended up losing 53 pounds – and at one point inquired about a feeding tube.
“He (doctor) said, ‘You don’t need it. You’ve been through the worst. You’ll be all right,’” Haske recalled. “He was right. A couple weeks later it started to turn around.”
After the boys basketball season concluded last March, and as Haske’s health improved, the girls basketball job opened up. Haske had coached girls basketball at Charlevoix for three seasons, leading the Rayders to a 27-1 record and a Finals appearance in 2004. He stepped down when the girls season was switched from fall to winter.
St. Francis athletic director Tom Hardy thought about the possibilities and approached Haske, a member of the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan Hall of Fame, about adding a second coaching job. After consulting with Barb, who he said has been “unbelievable” in his recovery process, Haske accepted.
Wood, who is now the boys basketball coach and athletic director at Lake Michigan Conference rival Harbor Springs, was among the first to call his former coach.
“He asked, ‘Adam, am I crazy?’” Wood said laughing. “My response was ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘I’ve been getting a lot of that lately.’
“For him to take that on was beyond impressive. It was all about the kids.”
What about physically?
“When I saw him this year I told him he looked great,” Wood said. “He said he felt great. The difference between this year and last is quite dramatic.”
Haske – who is mentoring two young coaches in the system, Tyler Sanborn and Stephanie DeNoyelles – said the casual fan might not even realize what he’s been through.
“If you were looking at me across the gym you wouldn’t have any idea,” Haske said. “If you get closer, I still have some swelling in my jaw, and I talk a little funny sometimes.”
But he’s enjoying every minute.
“The kids here are great, and that makes it so much easier,” he said. “You just don’t have many problems.”
The players are thankful to see their coach returning to his old self.
“He’s not only a basketball coach, he’s a mentor,” Sheehy-Guiseppi said. “He wants to make sure you’re taking care of stuff outside the game of basketball first. He really cares about you as a person, and he looks forward to helping you grow as a person.”
St. Francis officials adjusted Haske’s work schedule during the winter to accommodate his coaching, and Hardy had to work out arrangements with league members to schedule more varsity doubleheaders.
“All the schools were great about it,” Hardy said. “We have not had an issue with Keith having to be at two spots at the same time.”
Now comes the challenge of March Madness. And for the girls, that means a showdown with Glen Lake.
“They’re a lot like us,” Haske said, when asked about the Lakers. “They don’t have any one person you can key on. They have five or six girls that all share the ball and are dangerous. They’re tough in the paint and they can shoot. They’re very balanced, very sound.”
So are the Gladiators, who have won 19 in a row. Senior Annie Lyman is the leader, averaging 14 points, eight rebounds, five steals and five assists per game.
“She does it all,” Haske said. “She’s a tough, aggressive player.”
Juliana Phillips, a 6-foot-4 junior who has committed to play volleyball at St. Louis University, and 6-foot senior Lauren McDonnell also average in double figures.
Haske likes the growth he’s seen in his team.
“I think we’ve made great strides in understanding the system and what we’re trying to do,” he said. “We have some pretty talented kids. We have some size, some quickness, some kids who can shoot it. It’s a well-rounded team.”
The boys, meanwhile, are trying to find some consistency. Haske thought the Gladiators were turning the corner when Gabe Callery hit a mid-court shot at the buzzer to stun previously unbeaten East Jordan earlier this year. But St. Francis dropped three consecutive road games in February.
“A lot of it is shooting,” Haske said. “There are nights we just don’t shoot it well. When we do shoot it well, we’re a really good team.”
How good will be determined in March.
Dennis Chase worked 32 years as a sportswriter at the Traverse City Record-Eagle, including as sports editor from 2000-14. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, Roscommon, Ogemaw, Iosco, Alcona, Oscoda, Crawford, Kalkaska, Grand Traverse, Benzie, Leelanau, Antrim, Otsego, Montmorency, Alpena, Presque Isle, Cheboygan, Charlevoix and Emmet counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Traverse City St. Francis coach Keith Haske huddles with his boys basketball team during a game against Grayling. (Middle) St. Francis' girls team, here against Kalkaska, will play for a District title Friday. (Below) Haske speaks with a few of his players during a District game against Grand Traverse Academy. (Photos by Julie English.)