Preview: Soccer Finals Filled with Past History Makers, Potential Record Setters
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
November 6, 2026
This is nearly guaranteed to end up the most storied MHSAA Boys Soccer Finals since the sport’s inaugural season of tournament play in 1982.
Speaking of, two of the three champions from that first season will play Saturday at Grand Ledge to complete this latest campaign – Livonia Stevenson in Division 1 and Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett in Division 4.
Stevenson is one of the most accomplished programs in MHSAA history, and it will play for the Division 1 title against Troy – which it defeated for its most recent championship in 1996.
Troy, St. Joseph and Liggett, meanwhile, will attempt to join 19 others as undefeated champions. St. Joseph and Liggett, in fact, can become just the third and fourth (and first since 2015) to go an entire season without a loss or tie.
Warren De La Salle Collegiate in Division 2 is playing to become the fourth team to win three Finals in a row, but must take on a Bears team seeking to win its first.
Elk Rapids and Williamston in Division 3 will face off in a rematch after Elk Rapids won their first meeting 2-0 on Aug. 29. Elk Rapids is riding one of the longest shutout streaks in MHSAA history, and Williamston has been the tournament’s most incredible surprise after entering the postseason with a sub-.500 record.
And finally, certainly not to be forgotten, we have Muskegon Western Michigan Christian – Liggett’s opponent in Division 4 – set to tie Detroit Country Day for the MHSAA record with an 18th appearance in an MHSAA Final. The Warriors have won 10, good for second-most all-time.
Saturday’s first Final will be Division 4 at 10 a.m., followed by Division 3 at 12:30 p.m., Division 2 at 3:30 and Division 1 at 6 p.m. Tickets may be purchased online only at GoFan. All four Finals also will be broadcast and available with subscription on the NFHS Network: Division 1 | Division 2 | Division 3 | Division 4
Below is a glance at all eight contenders, with statistics through Regionals:
Division 1
LIVONIA STEVENSON
Record/rank: 16-4-4, unranked
Michigan Power Rating: No. 26
Coach: Louis Sala, first season (16-4-4)
League finish: First in Lakes Valley Conference Lakes and overall
Championship history: Six MHSAA titles (most recent 1996, five runner-up finishes).
Players to watch: Luca Allevato, sr. GK (0.59 goals-against average, 12 shutouts); Dominic Allevato, sr. F (13 goals, 4 assists); Niko Zhuli, sr. M (5 goals, 7 assists); Rocky Everts, jr. F (11 goals, 2 assists).
Outlook: Even with Stevenson headed to its first Final since 2008, the Spartans still rank third all-time in championship match appearances and tied for fifth for number of titles won. They defeated No. 12 Hartland during this tournament run and total have allowed only three goals over six postseason games. Stevenson started the season 2-3-2 but has lost only once since Sept. 10, and the Regional title also was a first since 2008. Sala was an all-stater at Orchard Lake St. Mary’s and then played at Northern Illinois and Michigan State.
TROY
Record/rank: 18-0-2, No. 1
Michigan Power Rating: No. 2
Coach: Adam Spinks, fourth season (55-14-4)
League finish: First in Oakland Activities Association Red
Championship history: Division 1 champion 2003, Class A runner-up 1996.
Players to watch: Kevin Garay, sr. M (11 goals, 6 assists); Connor Hotts, soph. F (19 goals, 14 assists); Ryan Wind, sr. M (4 goals, 12 assists); Mateo Coronado, sr. F (10 goals, 4 assists).
Outlook: Troy has reached this weekend after winning a third-straight District title and then its first Regional championship since 2017. The draws came against rival Troy Athens and No. 8 Birmingham Seaholm, and the Colts went on to defeat Seaholm three weeks later in a District Final. Troy also defeated Utica Eisenhower in a Regional Final and No. 6 Salem in Wednesday’s Semifinal. Senior midfielder Cole Cusmano has been another key contributor with six goals and eight assists heading into Wednesday, and junior keeper Will Horvath has shutouts in 10 of the team’s 20 games.
Division 2
ST. JOSEPH
Record/rank: 23-0, No. 1
Michigan Power Rating: No. 4
Coach: John Brown, 14th season (196-78-26)
League finish: First in Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference
Championship history: Class B runner-up 1992.
Players to watch: Jacob Gonzales, sr. GK (0.14 goals-against average, 19 shutouts); Remy Kelm, sr. M (16 goals, 8 assists); Evan Searles, sr. M (13 goals, 12 assists); Evan Hudak, sr. M (14 goals, 21 assists).
Outlook: St. Joseph is seeking its first championship after winning its first Regional title since 1992, and will go down in history for a few more reasons regardless of Saturday’s result. The Bears have given up four goals this fall, which right now is tied for fewest allowed in one season all-time, and their 20 shutouts are tied for fifth on that list. St. Joseph hasn’t allowed a goal in its last 12 games, a streak that is tied for sixth-longest in MHSAA history. Gonzales ranks similarly on the individual record book lists for keepers. The Bears also reached 100 goals for the season Wednesday in a 6-0 win over No. 5 Holland.
WARREN DE LA SALLE COLLEGIATE
Record/rank: 20-3-4, No. 6
Michigan Power Rating: No. 1
Coach: Thaier Mukhtar, 38th season (636-150-103)
League finish: Second in Catholic High School League Central
Championship history: Seven MHSAA titles (most recent 2025), one runner-up finish.
Players to watch: Andrew Corder, sr. F (28 goals, 10 assists); Antonio Cardella, sr. M (14 goals, 4 assists); Settimo Leone, sr. M (7 goals, 14 assists); Dominic Baldarotta, sr. GK (0.56 goals-against average, 12 shutouts).
Outlook: An eighth championship would send De La Salle into third alone for most titles won in MHSAA history. Corder and Baldarotta have been major contributors during all three recent runs, both making the all-state first team the last two seasons. Corder also has emerged as a favorite for the Mr. Soccer Award this fall, and junior Gavin Baldarotta made the all-state second team in 2025. The Pilots’ only in-state losses were to Marquette and No. 9 Detroit U-D Jesuit, and after also tying the Cubs during the regular season De La Salle defeated them in overtime in a Regional Semifinal. Mukhtar, who also coached six seasons at Fraser, is the state’s winningest in boys soccer with an overall 728-173-129 record.
Division 3
ELK RAPIDS
Record/rank: 23-1-3, No. 1
Michigan Power Rating: No. 1
Coach: Nate Plum, 19th season (315-120-40)
League finish: First in Northern Shores Conference
Championship history: Division 4 champion 1997 and 1998, four runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Jake Garrow, sr. D (3 goals, 4 assists); Mason Hilley, sr. F (19 goals, 15 assists); Drew Plum, sr. M (13 goals, 13 assists); Tyler Standfest, sr. M (28 goals, 14 assists).
Outlook: Nate Plum brought Elk Rapids back to the Finals in 2024 for the first time since 1998, and after falling to Pontiac Notre Dame Prep 3-2 that day the Elks will attempt to finish the season with their first title in nearly three decades. Keyed in part by senior keepers Corbin Bogard and Caden Schlicker, they’ve given up only six goals over 27 games, and their shutout streak of 14 is the third-longest all-time. Standfest made the all-state first team last season, while Garrow and Drew Plum made the second team and Hilley made the third. Juniors Blake Springstead (12) and Noah Liggett (10) also entered the week with double-digit goals.
WILLIAMSTON
Record/rank: 12-8-4, unranked
Michigan Power Rating: No. 25
Coach: Ian Kurth, fifth season (55-43-9)
League finish: Fourth in Capital Area Activities Conference Red
Championship history: Division 3 runner-up 2012, 2014 and 2015.
Players to watch: Noah Bazil, jr. F (8 goals); Yasser Daik, sr. F (7 goals, 8 assists); Lincoln Rockafellow, sr. D (2 goals, 12 assists); Beckam Harbert, sr. K (1.47 goals-against average, 10 shutouts).
Outlook: Williamston has been on a remarkable run. The Hornets went 1-6-3 from the end of August – starting with the loss to Elk Rapids – through the first day of October, but have since won their last eight games with their last four over No. 11 Eaton Rapids, No. 15 Saginaw Swan Valley, No. 3 Flint Powers Catholic and No. 14 Grosse Ile. Williamston has outscored its six postseason opponents by a combined 17-3 margin on the way to a third District title over the last four seasons and second Regional championship over the last three years.
Division 4
GROSSE POINTE WOODS UNIVERSITY LIGGETT
Record/rank: 21-0, No. 1
Michigan Power Rating: No. 1
Coach: David Dwaihy, 12th season (177-38-13)
League finish: First in CHSL Intersectional #1
Championship history: Four MHSAA titles (most recent 1999), five runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Liam Gady, soph. F (15 goals, 11 assists); Brady Ancona, sr. F (19 goals, 12 assists); Oliver Cooley, sr. M (18 goals, 10 assists); Brenden Logan, soph. F (16 goals, 8 assists).
Outlook: Last season’s runner-up is back after falling to Leland in a shootout a year ago, and the Knights earned this opportunity with a shootout win over No. 14 Clarkston Everest Collegiate on Wednesday. Liggett otherwise hasn’t given up a goal in four postseason games and has 11 shutouts total. The Knights defeated No. 9 Allen Park Inter-City Baptist and No. 8 Hillsdale Academy during their Regional run. Cooley made the all-state first team last season, and Ancona made the third. Five more players entered the week with at least 10 points, including senior Landon Wysocki (6 goals/10 assists) and sophomore Will Lynn (4/10).
MUSKEGON WESTERN MICHIGAN CHRISTIAN
Record/rank: 20-1-3, No. 2
Michigan Power Rating: No. 2
Coach: Ben Buursma, seventh season (106-39-17)
League finish: Does not play in a conference.
Championship history: 10 MHSAA titles (most recent 2024), seven runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Braedon Hoffman, sr. F/M (14 goals, 9 assists); Tyson Annema, sr. M (14 goals, 3 assists); Hudson Fair, sr. M/F (9 goals, 19 assists); Carter Heimiller, sr. M (13 goals, 17 assists).
Outlook: Western Michigan Christian has the second-most championships in state history in this sport and will attempt to win its fourth in five seasons after falling in its District Final a year ago. The Warriors avenged that loss in defeating No. 10 North Muskegon in this season’s District Final, and their only defeat this fall came to Division 2 No. 5 Holland. WMC also downed No. 6 Leland and No. 3 Kalamazoo Christian during this playoff run. Heimiller made the all-state first team last season, Hudson and Annema made the second, and Hoffman and senior defender Seth Moorhead (8 goals/3 assists) earned honorable mentions in 2025.
PHOTO Livonia Stevenson's Jack Bowen (10) pushes play upfield during his team's 2-0 Regional Semifinal win over Hartland. (Photo by Adam Sheehan.)
Long-Pursued Goals Becoming Expectations for Much-Improved Kearsley
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
August 30, 2023
Lucas Groulx could see this coming.
During his freshman year, when the goal some nights for Flint Kearsley boys soccer was “don’t get mercied,” Groulx knew there were better times ahead.
Much better.
With a 4-1 start to this season, those wins already eclipsing the total from the entire fall of 2021, it looks like he’s being proved correct.
“It doesn’t really surprise me at all,” the junior center back said. “I knew from the get-go that the guys I was playing with are really good. I could definitely see that (success coming) later on down the road.”
It’s still very early, and nobody at Kearsley is hanging a banner. The goals of winning a District championship and finishing among the top three in the Flint Metro League still require plenty of work.
But the feeling is different now. There’s no longer just hope that all of that is possible. It’s becoming an expectation.
“We don’t want to just be in games; we need to win those games,” Kearsley coach Art Moody said. “All those next steps that we talked about, we set those goals and we set them up three years ago. Midway through last season, that’s when the corner was turned. That’s when it was like, ‘OK, we can compete.’ Getting double-digit wins, that was a big deal for the program. Now, it’s like, that’s not even a question anymore. We’re doing way better than that now.”
Moody, who has won three MHSAA Finals championships coaching the Flint Powers Catholic girls program, is entering his third season at Kearsley.
In his first year, the team won just one regular-season game, but made a run to the District Final.
Year 2 saw the Hornets go 10-11, another major step forward.
The majority of that team was coming back this fall, including top scorers Caden Saxton and Tony Romero. Saxton, a senior, holds the school record for goals in a season (24) and career (52).
The back four, led by Groulx and classmate Saul Granados, returned intact, along with holding midfielder Danny Sanson and goalkeeper Aiden Tipton. All six received some form of all-league honors in the Metro.
And for many of the returning players, their experience playing together goes well beyond high school. Saxton’s father Keith, who is the school’s athletic director and Moody’s assistant, coached many of the current Hornets as kids on the MESA Sharks, a local travel team.
“We were all bonded,” Sanson, a senior, said. “We were pretty much family to each other since we were growing up playing with one another.”
That’s all led to the thought within the program that this is the year to truly make a mark and put Kearsley boys soccer on the map.
This season opened with four lopsided victories, and then a surprise from the Michigan High School Soccer Coaches Association: The Hornets were listed in the Division 2 rankings, coming in at No. 12.
“It felt incredible,” Sanson said. “I didn’t even expect that, to be honest. It was an incredible feeling for all of us. We were all so proud.”
Even Groulx, who had faith all along, had to get some extra confirmation on this development.
“When I first saw it, I honestly didn’t know if it was true or not,” he said. “Then it really kind of dawned on us that we need to set a new standard here at Kearsley. It’s definitely going to push us to try and excel and just play better overall.”
Rankings are often downplayed by coaches and players, even if they’re typically well aware of them.
But Moody, who consistently sees his Powers girls near the top of the list in their division, was OK with letting his players soak this one in a bit.
“I made that comment that we got recognized at the state level, and that’s something that’s never happened to Kearsley,” he said. “I told them it’s not because of your record. You get recognized if coaches say your name. You get recognized if coaches are saying, ‘That’s someone to watch out for.’”
Of course, celebrating the ranking has a limit, and while the Hornets dropped their first match after its release – a 3-2 loss against Lake Fenton – they’ve decided to use that recognition to further fuel them to achieve their true goals.
“I feel like it motivates us to be better, but it also puts a little bit of pressure on us,” Sanson said. “We have to keep our standards high and just be doing the best we can every time we go out on the field. We’ve gotta bring it. Bring it, bring it, bring it.”
Paul Costanzo served as a sportswriter at The Port Huron Times Herald from 2006-15, including three years as lead sportswriter, and prior to that as sports editor at the Hillsdale Daily News from 2005-06. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Genesee, Lapeer, St. Clair, Sanilac, Huron, Tuscola, Saginaw, Bay, Arenac, Midland and Gladwin counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Kearsley’s Carlos Granados (7) steps into a kick during a game against Durand on Aug 21. (Middle) The team celebrates its Hornet Invitational championship Saturday after defeating Birch Run and Saginaw Nouvel. (Below) Caden Saxton (6) makes his move during last season's game against Armada. (Photos courtesy of the Flint Kearsley athletic department.)