SAC Sound-off: The Sixth Man
February 14, 2012
It's double overtime and your legs are exhausted. The score is tied with 10 seconds left. Your team needs that key play to win the game. It’s do-or-die, and all the while there are fans screaming so loud your ears are ringing.
I don’t know about you, but most athletes get a much-needed boost in adrenaline when they hear this. I know I have.
Crowd noise plays a huge factor in deciding the outcome of the game. It doesn’t necessarily have to be that “double-overtime buzzer-beater” moment. Steady cheering throughout the game can help a team gain momentum and push through while the other team is near exhaustion.
Once in a while, when I’m playing, I’ll glance up at the crowd. Just to see the excitement on their faces gives me the extra drive. They are there to watch you. YOU are the showcase, the main event, the entertainment.
The MHSAA Student Advisory Council has been featuring the best student sections in the state with our “Battle of the Fans” contest. The fan bases for some of the schools in Michigan is incredible. They all have one goal – help their team to victory.
I attend Rudyard High School in the Upper Peninsula. I come from a small area, and the population is much smaller than many communities down-state. Life is a little slower up here, but the townspeople all have one thing we can do to get away from everyday stress – go to the big game.
Whether it be Friday night football, or District Finals in basketball, you can expect to see Main Street empty and the school parking lot full of cars.
One game I will always remember for lots of fans and noise was our basketball Quarterfinal in 2010. I was a sophomore, brought up to varsity toward the end of the regular season. I had gotten more playing time in the playoffs and got to play some solid minutes in the Quarterfinal. We ended up losing the game, but the atmosphere was exhilarating. To step on the court, and look up and witness 3,000 fans going absolutely nuts gave me an experience I will never forget. Keep in mind, Rudyard’s population is a whopping 500 people.
For me, there are those certain fans for whom you always want to perform well. I am always working hard to impress my grandparents. They live more than 100 miles away and still manage to attend a good portion of my games. They always have been supportive, and I always try my best to win for them and for my team.
Then there are the young ones who look up to you. Just this year, my basketball coaches started a youth basketball camp, and every Saturday we open the gym and kids as young as 3-years-old get their chance to be like us. They bounce the ball with the biggest smiles on their faces, and we know that they are always watching us on and off the court – and always learning from us.
I once had a young boy ask me, “Can you slam dunk it during a game for me this year?” He had been attending camp every Saturday and watched some of our practices. Just knowing how much of an influence we have on the youth of our town makes me want to be even better, and work even harder.
Young or old, sold-out house or not, fans always will be essential in supplying the home team advantage and deciding the outcome of the game. And they’ve left me with more sports-related memories than just those made on the court.
Tyler Wilson, Rudyard senior
- Sports: Football, basketball, baseball
- Non-sports activities: Student Council, band, drama, National Honor Society
- Favorite class: AP government
- Must-see TV: "Pardon The Interruption"
- One shining moment: When we made the football playoffs this year after starting the season 2-3.
- What's next: I plan on attending college and playing a sport. I’m not exactly sure where, but I have been narrowing it down. I plan on studying pre-med.
- My favorite part of game day is: ... spending time with teammates. Sometimes we will have a team breakfast on game day. We’ll get together during lunch at school, etc. Just the feeling you get when you walk around the halls wearing a jersey or being dressed up.
PHOTO courtesy of Tyler Wilson.
Century of School Sports: Top Performers Tell Us What High School Sports Mean to Them
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
June 17, 2025
As we move into the final installments of our MHSAA 100th-anniversary "Century of School Sports" celebration, we present a project we've been working on this entire school year -- an opportunity for some of the state's highest achievers from 2025-26 to explain how school sports have played an important role in their lives.
Following is a collection of answers from athletes we recognized with our "Performance of the Week" over the last 11 months, as we asked all of them: "What has participating in high school sports meant to you?"
@mhsaasports What do high school sports mean to you? Student-athletes like you share their take on high school sports. Stay tuned as we share our #HighSchoolSportsMeanToMe series starting in July🔥🚨📢 #MHSAA ♬ Inspirational - neozilla
Be sure to check out the MHSAA's TikTok channel starting on July 8 to see more answers to the question "What does high school sports mean to you?" Search the hashtag #HighSchoolSportsMeantoMe.
Video transcription:
Asher Clark – Bay City John Glenn: [00:00:00] Every time I step on the field, I get to wear the name of my high school on my jersey, which is an honor.
Aubrey Hillard - Rochester: [00:00:05] It's basically shaped me into the person I am today. It's brought me closer to some of my favorite people, like with my team and my coaches.
Chloe Qin – Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood: [00:00:11] It like helps you figure out how to manage your time better and how to, like, cooperate on a team and how to, like, push yourself past your limits.
Izzy Horvath – Bangor: [00:00:23] It's also a stress reliever for me, playing with my friends.
Kate Simon – East Grand Rapids: [00:00:26] I love competing and pushing myself, and they've taught me how to set goals and stay focused and work hard.
Katie Spicer – Fowler: [00:00:32] To me, high school sports are kind of like an escape from reality, and they brought me friendships that I'll have forever and memories that I'll hold on for my whole life.
Alex Graham – Detroit Cass Tech: [00:00:40] You build real good, strong relationships with the coaches, and even after football they'll be there for you and everything.
Asher Clark – Bay City John Glenn: [00:00:46] It's very unique in that you're playing with kids who are older than you that you can learn from, and kids that are younger than you, who you can pass on your knowledge to.
Brock Morris – Southfield Christian: [00:00:54] Being an athlete has taught me discipline, mental toughness, and it's taught me how to push past my limits. I've learned how to lose. I've learned how to win. I've learned how to lead my team through all of that and support my teammates through all of that.
Hunter Lemmon - Fraser: [00:01:06] There's a lot of people that like, I don't know if I ever would have talked to them, and they're like my best friends to this day.
Maggie Buurma - Fowlerville: [00:01:12] The team atmosphere that you get out of high school sports is not really comparable to anything else I've ever experienced. Whether I won or I lost, they were there for me the next day. They didn't base my worth off of my wins and losses.
McRecco McFadden III – Burton Bentley: [00:01:26] It's definitely a learning experience to watch yourself grow. Throughout this whole experience, it made me who I am, if I'm being honest.
Olivia Flynn – Harbor Springs: [00:01:32] Being on a team has had a huge impact on my confidence. It's bringing and embracing the leadership roles on and off the court. And then, just like I said, playing with girls from all different backgrounds, just being together to accomplish one goal, it's so fun and I love it.
Wyatt Spalo – Reed City: [00:01:47] It's become my home away from home in a sense. High school sports has definitely been like a key factor in not only who I've become today, but like, also how I've grown.
Victoria Garces – Midland Dow: [00:01:57] Every school day, no matter if it's good or bad, you always have your practice after school. And it's just such a fun way to see all your friends and then also get to focus on something that you love.
Shaelyn Perry – South Lyon United: [00:02:08] And all those lessons are so applicable in other areas of my life, and they've enabled me to be successful in other areas of my life, and it opens up so many other doors and other relationships that without it, I wouldn't have.
Previous "Century of School Sports" Spotlights
June 10: 'The Mitten' Becomes Sought-After Symbol of MHSAA Greatness - Read
June 3: MHSAA's Move to TV, Now Internet, 60 Years Old & Growing - Read
May 27: Upper Peninsula Helps Make Michigan's School Sports Story Unique - Read
May 20: From Nearly A to Z, Schools Repped by 221 Nicknames - Read
May 13: These Record-Setters were Nearly Impossible to Defeat - Read
May 6: 200+ Representatives Fill All-Time Council Roster - Read
April 29: MHSAA Programs Prioritize Health & Safety - Read
April 23: Patches Signify Registered Officials' Role in MHSAA Story - Read
April 16: Student Advisory Council Gives Voice to Athletes - Read
April 9: State's Storytellers Share Spring Memories - Read
April 2: Sharp Leadership Synonymous with MHSAA Success - Read
March 25: Athletic Directors Indispensable to Mission of School Sports - Read
March 18: 2025 Finals Begin Next Half-Century of Girls Hoops Championships - Read
March 11: Boys Basketball's Best 1st to Earn MHSAA Finals Titles - Read
March 5: Everything We Do Begins with Participation - Read
Feb. 25: Slogans & Logos Remain Unforgettable Parts of MHSAA History - Read
Feb. 19: MHSAA Tickets Continue to Provide Fan-Friendly Value - Read
Feb. 11: We Recognize Those Who Make Our Games Go - Read
Feb. 4: WISL Conference Continues to Inspire Aspiring Leaders - Read
Jan. 28: Michigan's National Impact Begins at NFHS' Start - Read
Jan. 21: Awards Celebrate Well-Rounded Educational Experience - Read
Jan. 14: Predecessors Laid Foundation for MHSAA's Formation - Read
Jan. 9: MHSAA Blazes Trail Into Cyberspace - Read
Dec. 31: State's Storytellers Share Winter Memories - Read
Dec. 17: MHSAA Over Time - Read
Dec. 10: On This Day, December 13, We Will Celebrate - Read
Dec. 3: MHSAA Work Guided by Representative Council - Read
Nov. 26: Finals Provide Future Pros Early Ford Field Glory - Read
Nov. 19: Connection at Heart of Coaches Advancement Program - Read
Nov. 12: Good Sports are Winners Then, Now & Always - Read
Nov. 5: MHSAA's Home Sweet Home - Read
Oct. 29: MHSAA Summits Draw Thousands to Promote Sportsmanship - Read
Oct. 23: Cross Country Finals Among MHSAA's Longest Running - Read
Oct. 15: State's Storytellers Share Fall Memories - Read
Oct. 8: Guided by 4 S's of Educational Athletics - Read
Oct. 1: Michigan Sends 10 to National Hall of Fame - Read
Sept. 25: MHSAA Record Books Filled with 1000s of Achievements - Read
Sept. 18: Why Does the MHSAA Have These Rules? - Read
Sept. 10: Special Medals, Patches to Commemorate Special Year - Read
Sept. 4: Fall to Finish with 50th Football Championships - Read
Aug. 28: Let the Celebration Begin - Read