Jets' Record: Never to be Broken
April 13, 2017
By Dennis Grall
Special for Second Half
ESCANABA - The North Central Jets are champions.
Of the billions of words I've typed on keyboards over the years, none are more appropriate or more true than "The North Central Jets are champions."
It is more than what they have done on hardwoods and gridirons across the state.
Five MHSAA championships in the past three years underline those six words, but it is how the guys wearing red, black and white uniforms have comported themselves on those playgrounds.
They've done it with class all the way. They display wide smiles – at least where you can see their faces in basketball. They hug themselves and you after the game and thank you for coming and for your support.
They may run you over in football and leap above you in basketball, but that is their job and they have supreme joy in doing it well and getting it done the right way.
No matter who they play or where they play, the result has always been the same, another win. Think of it: They have won 134 games in those two sports, including 26 straight in football and a state-record 83 in basketball, with one lonely defeat over those past four hoops seasons. The title runs included two in 8-player football and the last three in Class D basketball.
The word “lose” is simply not in their vocabulary.
It has been a treat for all of us to watch them go about their business as they share a tremendous skill set and build an incredible legacy that has surpassed anything else in the Upper Peninsula.
Ishpeming football and girls basketball at Carney-Nadeau also have been model programs. And of course Chassell, which won three straight Class D basketball titles and 65 straight games in the 1950s.
It is unlikely North Central's current streak of 83 straight basketball wins will ever be surpassed. Don't forget, Chassell's record lasted 59 years and the Jets are now 18 games beyond that standard.
You can put this record up with Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak and the 18 majors of Jack Nicklaus as being unbreakable, along with the recently-ended University of Connecticut women's basketball streak of 111 straight wins that is beyond reality.
I don't know what the national high school win streak record is for boys basketball but found that Palmer, Iowa, is only fifth with 103 straight wins from 1986-89. (Editor’s Note: The record belongs to Passaic, NJ, with 159 straight from 1919-25, but no team has won even 85 consecutive since 2003-06.)
Let us just remember how wonderful it has been to be a spectator of this outstanding accomplishment and what it has done for the school, the community and the entire Upper Peninsula.
Thank you Jets. You are champions.
Denny Grall retired in 2012 after 39 years at the Escanaba Daily Press and four at the Green Bay Press-Gazette, plus 15 months for WLST radio in Escanaba; he served as the Daily Press sports editor from 1970-80 and 1984-2012, and as interim during the 2016-17 school year. Grall was inducted into the Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame in 2002 and serves as its executive secretary. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for the Upper Peninsula.
PHOTO: The Powers North Central boys basketball team holds up its Class D championship trophy last month at the Breslin Center.
Breslin Bound: 2024-25 Boys Report Week 7
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
January 13, 2025
We've reached the midpoint of this boys basketball season, and that means shifting gears slightly as we take on the next six weeks before District play begins.
We will still be highlighting the major statewide matchups our teams play, of course, and have done so with last week's below. But the focus at this point for most has turned to league play, and we're highlighting several potential title deciders as well, including with all five of our "Can't-Miss Contests" coming up over the next five days.
“Breslin Bound” is powered by MI Student Aid based on results and schedules posted for each school at MHSAA.com.
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. Berrien Springs 69, Benton Harbor 51 Berrien Springs (7-2) moved into first place alone in the Lakeland Conference after having been swept by eventual co-champion Benton Harbor (8-3) last season.
2. Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice 66, Muskegon 50 The Warriors (12-1) made a statewide statement in this matchup of Division 1 contenders at the GottaGetIt Classic at East Kentwood, handing the Big Reds (8-1) their lone loss.
3. Grass Lake 39, Michigan Center 34 Grass Lake (9-0) remained undefeated and moved into first place alone in the Cascades Conference East, sending Michigan Center (9-2) to second.
4. East Lansing 69, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 68 The Trojans (10-1) held on in East Kentwood in another matchup of Division 1 contenders, although the Eaglets (7-5) played without injured star Trey McKenney.
5. Jackson Lumen Christi 53, Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep 41 The Titans (10-0) impressed in winning the Traverse City Catholic School Tournament, downing Hackett (9-2) after defeating Saginaw Nouvel in their semifinal.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Lansing Waverly (7-2) The Warriors – 19-6 and District champs a year ago – moved into a tie for second place in the Capital Area Activities Conference Blue with last week’s 48-45 win over Okemos, and their only two losses this season are to league leader East Lansing and Flint Carman-Ainsworth – which are a combined 18-1. Waverly also handed Belleville what remains its lone defeat, 60-53 on Dec. 7, and will get another shot at East Lansing on the road Feb. 7.
Warren Fitzgerald (9-1) The Spartans made a nice jump last season, going from 10-14 two years ago to 17-6 and Macomb Area Conference Gold champions. Now in the MAC White, Fitzgerald has jumped out to a quick co-lead thanks in part to a 67-37 win over Utica, which avenged a league tournament championship loss from last season. The Spartans also have avenged a last-season loss to Detroit Edison and handed Waterford Mott its lone defeat, falling only to Grosse Pointe South 39-37.
DIVISION 2
Freeland (9-1) The Falcons are leading the Tri-Valley Conference Red again as they look to repeat as champions, thanks in part to a 67-61 overtime win over second-place Frankenmuth on Jan. 3. Freeland also is nearly halfway to last year’s 20 wins, with its lone loss 58-49 to Saginaw United on Dec. 11. Total, six of the team’s victories are against teams with winning records so far, and the Falcons will get another league challenge this week from Bay City John Glenn.
Onsted (10-0) The Wildcats have opened up an early lead in the Lenawee County Athletic Association as they seek to win the league title for the fourth-straight season, and they’ve also already avenged losses to Stockbridge and Dundee after finishing 20-6 a year ago. A 59-34 win over Adrian Madison on Dec. 12 is to thank for the top spot in league play, and a 63-57 win last week over Ypsilanti Arbor Prep also jumps out among first-half results.
DIVISION 3
Harbor Beach (8-1) The Pirates are a two-point loss to Blue Water Area Conference leader Yale from a perfect record, but have handed BWAC second-place Croswell-Lexington a 45-41 loss and can establish themselves as the lone team without one in the Big Thumb Conference Black with a win over Ubly on Wednesday. Harbor Beach won the former Greater Thumb Conference East by a large margin last season and finished 20-4 – a stunning jump from 7-12 in 2022-23.
Millington (8-0) The Cardinals have surged to the top of the first-year BTC White after tying for first in the TVC Blue a year ago. Their only single-digit games have come against Carrollton and Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker, the former coming off a 2023-24 season split with the Cavaliers and the latter pushing Millington into the league lead alone last week. The Cardinals can take a couple more big steps in establishing themselves as conference favorites this week against Bad Axe and Reese, which joins Laker tied for second in the BTC White.
DIVISION 4
Allen Park Inter-City Baptist (7-1) The Chargers went from second in the Michigan Independent Athletic Conference Blue all the way to the Division 4 Semifinals last season, and capped last week with a 59-50 win over Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest – the reigning league champion. Inter-City has played all larger schools so far this season and pulled out three wins by five or fewer points, with its lone loss to Division 2 Detroit Voyageur College Prep, 63-57.
Pickford (8-1) A 67-42 win over Rudyard is likely the highlight so far; in addition to facing Rudyard twice a year in Eastern Upper Peninsula Conference play, Pickford also has seen its last three seasons end with losses to the Bulldogs. The Panthers also downed St. Ignace by 43 after being swept by the Saints a year ago and has swept Brimley coming off a 2023-24 season split with the Bays. The lone loss came to Harbor Springs; no other opponent has come closer than 17 points to catching Pickford.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – Hartford (9-1) at Centreville (7-0) – These two are both undefeated in Southwest 10 Conference action, Hartford with a half-game lead having played one more league game.
Tuesday – Cheboygan (8-1) at Harbor Springs (9-1) – Harbor Springs is undefeated in Northern Shores Conference play and Cheboygan is one of three teams tied for second, but these two have been the best of the bunch overall so far.
Thursday – Okemos (10-1) at East Lansing (10-1) – East Lansing has taken on and defeated several of the state’s elite, but this time will do so to hold onto first place alone in the Capital Area Activities Conference Blue.
Thursday – Yale (10-1) at Croswell-Lexington (8-3) – This will be the first of two meetings between these Blue Water Area Conference rivals, and Yale holds a one-game edge at the top of the league standings.
Friday – Petersburg Summerfield (10-0) at Adrian Lenawee Christian (8-1) – This pair is tied atop the Tri-County Conference standings heading into their first of two meetings.
MHSAA.com's weekly “Breslin Bound” previews and reviews are powered by MI Student Aid, a division within the Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP). MI Student Aid encourages students to pursue postsecondary education by providing access to student financial resources and information. MI Student Aid administers the state’s scholarship and grant programs that help make college Accessible, Affordable and Attainable for you. Connect with MI Student Aid at www.michigan.gov/mistudentaid and find more information on Facebook and Twitter @mistudentaid.
PHOTOS (Top) A Mt. Morris player soars toward the basket during his team's 70-42 loss at Davison last week. (Middle) Iron Mountain's Oskar Kangas blocks a shot by Marquette's Kyler Sager during their teams' December matchup, won by the Sentinels 67-47. (Mt. Morris/Davison photo by Terry Lyons. Iron Mountain/Marquette photo by Cara Kamps.)