Program Builder Boyd Honored by Our Lady
October 12, 2016
By Keith Dunlap
Special for Second Half
WATERFORD – Mike Boyd always had a grand vision how his last home game as head coach at Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes would play out.
As it got into the later stages of a nearly 50-year tenure as football coach, athletic director and so much more at the school, Boyd had one specific idea for how he wanted to go out.
“I always said that the last game I coached before I retired, I was going to play it here under the lights,” said Boyd, referring to the field at the school that doesn’t have permanent lights. “I didn’t get a chance.”
Boyd did not, since in April 2013 he decided to retire as football coach from WOLL after a 46 year-career in order to move full-time to Sarasota, Florida.
However, last Friday proved to be the next best thing for Boyd and the Our Lady of the Lakes community.
In a ceremony that was more than three years in the making after he made his retirement official, Boyd was brought back for the honor of having the entire athletic complex at Our Lady of the Lakes named after him.
To top it all off, the ceremony took place under portable lights in what doubled as the first night game ever at the school.
The game was against Royal Oak Shrine, which is not only the biggest rival for Our Lady of the Lakes, but coached by Boyd’s longtime best friend in coaching, John Goddard.
All anyone needs to do is look at MHSAA record book for evidence that it was a no-brainer for Our Lady of the Lakes to name the athletic complex after Boyd, one of the state’s all-time greatest prep athletic figures.
As football coach, Boyd won 357 games in his 46 years, which currently is good for fourth place on the all-time wins list for coaches in that sport.
He led the Lakers to three appearances in MHSAA football championship games, with the zenith of his coaching career on the gridiron coming in 2002 when his Our Lady of the Lakes team won its only Finals title in school history with a 13-10 overtime win over Gaylord St. Mary in Division 8.
Facing a 4th-and-goal from the 1-yard line that day, Boyd didn’t hesitate in sending his offense out to go for the win on a do-or-die running play, and the decision paid off when running back Murray Percival broke the goal line to give Boyd his long-awaited title.
The jubilation was apparent on Boyd with how high he jumped over and over again in celebration following the handshake line.
While that was the only time Boyd celebrated an MHSAA championship in football, he did so plenty of times on the softball diamond.
Boyd led Our Lady of the Lakes to what remains a team state-record eight MHSAA championships in softball, going a perfect 8-for-8 in title game appearances and finishing with 703 career wins before retiring from that sport in 2007.
During his tenure, Boyd also coached two games for the hockey team, track & field and started the baseball program by coaching it for its first year of existence.
When not on a playing surface, Boyd was a principal, bus driver, the athletic director and overall face of not only what has become one of the state’s best small-school athletic programs, but the school as a whole.
One of Boyd’s big contributions was creating the home football field at Our Lady of the Lakes behind its school in stunningly quick fashion after some unexpected news.
Our Lady of the Lakes used to play home games at other high schools or middle schools in Waterford, but that changed suddenly in 2001 before a scheduled home game against Royal Oak Shrine.
“They got a new school board one year,” Boyd said. “We used to pay like $250 a game. They came back and said ‘We want $1,200 a game.’ The Dads club got together and put (the press box) up on one week and got the field ready.”
Indeed, in a matter of days a three-story press box was built (fully furnished later in the season) and space for a football field was created (the right side of it through the infield of the baseball diamond) to allow Our Lady of the Lakes to play games on its campus.
It was fitting that the first home game in 2001 was against Shrine and that the ceremony last week was against Shrine, given his nearly 50-year friendship with Goddard.
The two had a nice chat on Shrine’s bench before the game last Friday, and one can only imagine the stories that were re-hashed.
In fact, when Boyd announced his retirement in 2013, he said how much he would miss playing against “that old turkey” in Goddard.
No doubt, Goddard misses competing against Boyd just as much.
“One year he had a kid that got hurt during practice during that week and he shows up at our place for a game, and after kickoff he comes out and starts running a single-wing,” Goddard said. “I go, ‘What the heck is this offense he is running?’ We beat them, but it took us half a game to figure what he was doing. He made it up on Saturday and we played on Sunday. He was a great coach.”
Boyd still follows the Our Lady of the Lakes program from Florida, watching film online and communicating regularly with current Our Lady of the Lakes head coach Josh Sawicki, a player on that 2002 title team – although Boyd was quick to point out he wants no part in decision-making with the Lakes team. “He’s his own coach,” Boyd said of Sawicki.
Boyd also returns to Michigan every August to help out with preseason practices for Lake Orion, which is coached by his son-in-law, Chris Bell, and he visits Sawicki at his preseason practices while in the area.
Before the game last Friday, Sawicki spoke about how little the topic of the ceremony came up with Boyd during conversations in the days leading up to the game.
“He was talking to me Wednesday or Thursday night, and there was not one question about (the ceremony),” Sawicki said. “It was all about the game plan. ‘What have you got? What have they got? What will you do if they do this? Watch out for Goddard because he likes to do this and likes to do that.’ Still to this day, that was all he was talking about.”
Sawicki said doing things without fanfare is who “Coach” has always been, and it’s a legacy that will be carried on in name now that the athletic complex is named after Boyd.
More importantly, it will also be carried on in spirit.
“He built that brand,” Sawicki said. “It’s the responsibility of the coaches and the players to continue that brand on. That is what we are focused on doing.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Our Lady of the Lakes football coach Mike Boyd hoists the Division 8 championship trophy in 2002 after his team defeated Gaylord St. Mary at the Pontiac Silverdome. (Middle) Boyd (left) receives a plaque from Rev. Lawrence Delonnay, Our Lady’s pastor, on Friday to recognize the naming of the school’s athletic complex in Boyd’s honor.
A Game for Every Fan: Week 4
September 17, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
By a quick count, there are 11 matchups statewide this week of MHSAA football teams entering with 3-0 records.
That means that at most only 119 teams will be undefeated after this week – and looking at the rest of the schedule, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the total after Saturday was much lower.
Read on for some of the best games to watch no matter where you live in Michigan or traveling to this weekend. And, as always, tune in to our Score Center on Friday for scores as soon as we receive them – usually all statewide by 11 p.m. – plus updated standings and the only place you’ll find updated playoff point averages throughout the weekend.
Bay & Thumb
Goodrich (2-1) at Flint Beecher (3-0)
Beecher has rolled to another impressive start, building on last season’s 9-0 regular-season finish with shutouts the last two weeks. Genesee Area Conference Red rival Goodrich was one of only two teams to come within 20 of the Buccaneers during that run last season – and is seeking its first win in this series since 2012. The Martians’ loss this season was by a point on opening night to still-undefeated Ortonville Brandon.
Others that caught my eye: Fenton (2-1) at Ortonville Brandon (3-0), Millington (2-1) at Birch Run (1-2), Yale (1-2) at Croswell-Lexington (2-1), Davison (2-1) at Flint Powers Catholic (2-1).
Greater Detroit
St. Clair Shores South Lake (3-0) at Clinton Township Clintondale (3-0)
The Macomb Area Conference Silver is one of the most competitive conferences rarely brought up west of Detroit, and Clintondale’s reputation is along that same line although it's reclaiming a place on the radar – the Dragons won 20 straight regular-season games from 2011-14 before finishing last fall a disappointing 4-5. But they’ve bounced back with two shutouts this fall – although South Lake, which already has surpassed last season’s win total, is averaging 31 points per game and likely won’t be the next to put up a zero.
Others that caught my eye: Warren DeLaSalle (2-1) at Birmingham Brother Rice (1-2), Orchard Lake St. Mary's (3-0) at Detroit U-D Jesuit (3-0), Livonia Churchill (2-1) at Plymouth (2-1), Waterford Our Lady (3-0) at Clarkston Everest Collegiate (2-1).
Mid-Michigan
Portland (3-0) at Lansing Catholic (3-0)
Recent elite-level success and star power gives this matchup the edge over four other meetings of undefeated teams in this region. Portland was the Division 5 champion in 2012 and Lansing Catholic was runner-up in 2014. The Raiders own a 6-4 edge in their 10 recent meetings, but fell 34-6 last year to a Cougars team again led this fall by quarterback Tony Poljan. Portland hopes a defense giving up just under 12 points per game can contain the University of Minnesota prospect.
Others that caught my eye: Midland (3-0) at Mount Pleasant (3-0), Grand Blanc (3-0) at Brighton (3-0), Pewamo-Westphalia (3-0) at Dansville (3-0), Lake Odessa Lakewood (3-0) at Stockbridge (3-0).
Lower Northern Peninsula
Whitehall (3-0) at Traverse City Central (3-0)
An overtime win over Traverse City West last week put Central at 3-0 for the second straight season but with an undefeated opponent making the trip up north this week. This could come down to Whitehall’s defense stopping the Trojans, who have scored 130 points but against opponents that are a combined 0-9. Whitehall has given up only 27 points so far but against opponents half the size or smaller in comparison to Central.
Others that caught my eye: Kingsley (2-1) at Boyne City (3-0), Grayling (2-1) at Charlevoix (2-1), Rogers City (2-1) at Hillman (2-1), Petoskey (2-1) at Traverse City West (0-3).
Southeast & Border
Detroit Loyola (2-1) at Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard (3-0)
Gabriel Richard is off to a 3-0 start for the fourth straight season, but this time outscoring its first opponents by a combined 143-6. The Fighting Irish can make that run look even better by continuing against Loyola, the defending MHSAA champion in Division 7. The Bulldogs’ 12-point loss to reigning Division 3 champion Orchard Lake St. Mary’s during opening weekend was its first defeat during the regular season since 2010, and they bounced back with impressive wins over Muskegon-area powers Oakridge and Ravenna.
Others that caught my eye: Hudson (2-1) at Brooklyn Columbia Central (3-0), Grass Lake (2-1) at Manchester (2-1), Ann Arbor Skyline (2-1) at Monroe (2-1), Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central (3-0) at New Boston Huron (2-1).
Southwest Corridor
Benton Harbor (2-1) at Portage Central (3-0)
Portage Central continues to rank among the class of the southwest, with last week’s one-point win over rival Stevensville Lakeshore a great start to the Southwest Michigan Athletic Conference West schedule. Rival Portage Northern and St. Joseph are major obstacles in the league as well – and Benton Harbor suddenly can’t be overlooked with this season’s wins its first since 2012 and already its most for an entire season since 2006. The Tigers are a seven-point opening loss to Richland Gull Lake from entering this weekend undefeated.
Others that caught my eye: Cassopolis (3-0) at Berrien Springs (3-0), Stevensville Lakeshore (2-1) at St. Joseph (3-0), Edwardsburg (3-0) at Paw Paw (2-1), Kalamazoo Central (1-2) at Battle Creek Central (1-2).
Upper Peninsula
Ishpeming Westwood (2-1) at Ishpeming (3-0)
The story hasn’t changed much in a year – Westwood is still seeking its first win over the neighborhood rival since 1998. Ishpeming won during the regular season and in the playoff opener last year and hasn’t loss a regular-season game to anyone since 2012. But Westwood, coming off its first playoff berth in three seasons, looks even more impressive at this point than when it entered 3-0 a year ago; the Patriots last week handed a solid L’Anse team its first loss and fell only on opening night to a Wisconsin team now 3-1.
Others that caught my eye: Indian River Inland Lakes (3-0) at St. Ignace (3-0), Marquette (0-3) at Escanaba (2-1), Iron Mountain (2-1) at Negaunee (3-0), Munising (3-0) at Newberry (2-1).
West Michigan
Muskegon (2-1) at East Grand Rapids (3-0)
The Pioneers are off to their best start since 2010 and own impressive wins over Grand Rapids Catholic Central and Caledonia – but with the Big Reds this week plus Grand Rapids Christian and Lowell among the scariest teams left on the schedule. Muskegon dealt first losses to Christian and Grandville the last two weeks after opening with a loss to Detroit Catholic Central, and had one of its best defensive games of last year’s Division 3 Final run against EGR, winning 37-7.
Others that caught my eye: Muskegon Mona Shores (3-0) at Caledonia (2-1), Zeeland East (3-0) at Grand Rapids Christian (2-1), Grand Rapids West Catholic (1-2) at Hudsonville Unity Christian (3-0), Comstock Park (3-0) at Zeeland West (3-0).
8-Player
Posen (3-0) at Bellaire (2-1)
Before this season, Posen had scored 60 or more points three times in five seasons of 8-player football. The Vikings have scored 60 or more every week this fall for their best start since 2010; they likely will need to score at least half that many against a Bellaire team that won this matchup 49-0 a year ago. The Eagles fell to upstart Powers North Central last week but remain a consistent 8-player power and a great test as Posen looks to take a step up.
Others that caught my eye: Deckerville (3-0) at Kingston (2-1), Tekonsha (1-2) at Portland St. Patrick (2-1)
PHOTO: Portland’s defense, here against Ovid-Elsie on opening night, will be charged with shutting down a potent Lansing Catholic offense this week. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)