Finals Preview: 2012 Best Back for More
June 14, 2013
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
A number of players taking the field at MHSAA Girls Soccer Finals on Saturday should be plenty familiar with the awe that accompanies competing in a championship game.
The Division 4 Final is a rematch of last season's Grandville Calvin Christian win over Waterford Our Lady/Clarkston Everest Collegiate. Reigning Division 2 champion Birmingham Marian is back, as is Troy – the runner-up the last two seasons in Division 1.
The one game without a familiar team is in Division 3. Although Grand Rapids South Christian and Pontiac Notre Dame Prep entered the postseason ranked Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, neither has played in an MHSAA Final.
Below is Saturday's schedule, followed by a look at each team that will be playing.
Division 1 at Williamston, Noon
Grandville (14-7-1) vs Troy (14-6-3)
Division 2 at Williamston, 3 p.m.
Richland Gull Lake (20-1-1) vs Bloomfield Hills Marian (17-2-4)
Division 3 at Mason, Noon
Grand Rapids South Christian (21-1-3) vs Pontiac Notre Dame Prep (21-2-2)
Division 4 at Mason, 3 p.m.
Grandville Calvin Christian (17-2-4) vs Waterford Our Lady/Clarkston Everest (20-0)
Tickets cost $7. All Finals will be streamed live online at MHSAA.tv, with radio broadcasts available on MHSAAnetwork.com.
All statistics below are through at least the regular season, with most through teams' Regionals or Semifinals. (Click for links to brackets and scores.)
Division 1
GRANDVILLE
Record/rank: 14-7-1, unranked
Coach: Lewis Robinson, third season (45-16-4)
League finish: Third in Ottawa-Kent Conference Red
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Rachael Braginton, soph. F; Delanie Bosworth, sr. D; Sydney Blitchok, fr. F. (Statistics not submitted.)
Outlook: Grandville has improved its win total all three seasons under Robinson, with three District titles, but is finishing off an unprecedented playoff run this weekend. The Bulldogs advanced in part by beating honorable mention Caledonia in the Regional Final and No. 3 Novi in Wednesday’s Semifinal. Grandville shut out three of those six postseason opponents after navigating a league that included No. 6 East Kentwood and No. 8 Rockford.
TROY
Record/rank: 14-6-3, unranked
Coach: Brian Zawislak, fifth season (80-22-18)
League finish: Fourth in Oakland Activities Association Red
Championship history: Two MHSAA titles (most recent 2003), four runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Sarah Troccoli, soph. M (12 goals, 8 assists); Alison Holland, sr. GK (0.69 GAA, 7 shutouts); Madison Hirsch, sr. F (5 goals, 4 assists).
Outlook: Troy has been on the cusp of the last two titles, falling in Finals to Novi and Okemos, respectively, the last two seasons. The Colts are on an 11-0-1 run after a bit of a slow start that did include 1-0 losses to three teams ranked among the top three in their respective divisions at the end of the regular season. Troy beat honorable mention Anchor Bay in the Regional Final and then No. 10 Rochester in a shootout in Wednesday’s Semifinal.
Division 2
BIRMINGHAM MARIAN
Record/rank: 17-2-4, No. 2
Coach: Barry Brodsky, 12th season (222-21-28)
League finish: Second in Detroit Catholic High School League Division 1
Championship history: Five MHSAA titles (most recent 2012), one runner-up finish.
Players to watch: Kelly Sweeney, sr. M (10 goals, 5 assists); Catherine Anger, sr. F (11 goals, 12 assists); Kaitlin Patouhas, fr. GK.
Outlook: All five of Marian’s titles have come over the last decade, including three over the last four seasons. Both losses and a tie this season came against top-ranked Livonia Ladywood, and the Mustangs beat honorable mention Avondale in the District Final and No. 6 Fenton in the Semifinal on the way to this weekend. Patouhas and senior Allison Conway have combined to allow only 12 goals.
RICHLAND GULL LAKE
Record/rank: 20-1-1, No. 3
Coach: Jeff Corstange, second season (33-7-2)
League finish: First in Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference East
Championship history: Class B champion 1992, four runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Carley Rice, sr. M (17 goals, 18 assists); Rachel Fouts, jr. M (17 goals, 16 assists); Megan Harma, jr. GK (0.40 GAA, 15 shutouts).
Outlook: Gull Lake was a regular finalist during the 1990s and is back in a championship game for the first time since finishing runner-up in 1999. Junior Tabitha Boze and sophomore Amanda Pavletic each add 13 more goals to the team total, and junior Sydney Nikitas has scored 10. Gull Lake opened this season with nine shutouts in 10 games giving up a one goal only, in a 2-1 win over No. 8 Plainwell. The lone loss was 2-1 to honorable mention Stevensville Lakeshore in the regular-season finale.
Division 3
GRAND RAPIDS SOUTH CHRISTIAN
Record/rank: 21-1-3, No. 1
Coach: Jason Boersma, sixth season (91-30-12)
League finish: First in Ottawa-Kent Conference Gold
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Jessica Owen, soph. F (15 goals, 12 assists); Kendra Haan, sr. F (13 goals, 11 assists); Emily Blankespoor, jr. GK (0.45 GAA, 14 shutouts).
Outlook: South Christian has been building toward this run, winning four straight District championships before then claiming its first Regional title last week. The Sailors eliminated reigning champion and No. 4-ranked Hudsonville Unity Christian in the Regional and also honorable mentions Delton Kellogg and Paw Paw during the tournament. Senior Kayla Diemer adds another 11 goals and seven assists splitting time in the midfield and on defense.
PONTIAC NOTRE DAME PREP
Record/rank: 21-2-2, No. 2
Coach: Jim Stachura, fourth season (59-24-4)
League finish: First in Detroit Catholic High School League AA
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Taylor Timko, jr. M (39 goals, 12 assists); Lindsey Klei, jr. F (12 goals, 11 assists); Alexandra Arnoldy, sr. GK (0.73 GAA, 12 shutouts).
Outlook: After making just its second Semifinal ever in 2012, Notre Dame has taken a first-time step into the season's final game. Notre Dame eliminated No. 3 Detroit Country Day, No. 9 Jackson Lumen Christi, honorable mention Grosse Ile and No. 8 Flint Powers Catholic along the way – and also beat Division 1 finalist Troy 3-0 during the regular season. Stachura was an assistant when Troy won the boys Division 1 title in 2003.
Division 4
GRANDVILLE CALVIN CHRISTIAN
Record/rank: 17-2-4, No. 2
Coach: Tim TerHaar, 13th season (209-60-20)
League finish: First in Ottawa-Kent Conference Silver
Championship history: Division 4 champion 2012.
Players to watch: Camie Rietberg, jr. M (23 goals, 4 assists); Hilary Curry, soph. F (14 goals, 17 assists); Emily VanVliet, soph. F (13 goals, 17 assists), Natalie Curry, sr. M (14 goals, 10 assists)
Outlook: Calvin Christian has kept on cruising after winning its first championship a year ago, with losses this season only to Division 3 No. 4 Unity Christian and Division 2 No. 5 Grand Rapids Christian. The Squires beat No. 3 Kalamazoo Christian in the Semifinal to advance. Although they’ve scored 127 goals (5.5 per game), the defense has been just as impressive with freshman keeper Jordyn Postema posting 19 shutouts and giving up 0.43 goals per game.
WATERFORD OUR LADY/CLARKSTON EVEREST COLLEGIATE
Record/rank: 20-0, No. 1
Coach: Katie Hearn, second season (38-1-2)
League finish: First in Detroit Catholic High School League Intersectional
Championship history: Division 4 champion 2010, runner-up 2012.
Players to watch: Anna Robb, jr. F (29 goals, 9 assists), Alex Troy, fr. M (12 goals, 14 assists); Ava Doetsch, sr. F (14 goals, 12 assists); Jessica Parry, sr. M (14 goals, 12 assists); Lindsay Straw, jr. M (13 goals, 8 assists).
Outlook: The Lakers are loaded with skilled scorers despite only three seniors on the team. Like with Calvin Christian, the defense has been incredibly steady as well – junior Megan Luttinen and her defenders didn’t give up more than one goal in a game this season until No. 4 Lansing Christian scored two in the Semifinal. Luttinen has 12 shutouts.
PHOTO: Troy's Madison Hirsch (22), here moving the ball ahead against Okemos in last season's Division 1 Final, hopes to help her team to its first championship since 2003. (Click to see more at HighSchoolsSportsScene.com.)
Wilk Inspires - Again - as 2nd Injury Comeback Helps Spark Historic Midland Run
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
May 28, 2025
The physical feeling of tearing her ACL was familiar to Theresa Wilk.
She tore the ligament in her right knee while playing soccer not long before starting her freshman year at Midland. So, when she suffered the same injury, to the same knee, in the same fashion, during the District Final her sophomore year, there was little doubt in her mind what had happened.
What was unfamiliar, however, was the feeling that came along with it.
“As soon as I felt the buckle, I knew,” Wilk said. “Honestly, I didn’t think I would ever come back to soccer. I really wanted to quit everything. I didn’t want to go out and see people. It was definitely a lot harder than the first time around. The first time, I was able to think, ‘I still have three more years after this.’”
Those injuries cost Wilk two full high school seasons, but not, as she had feared, her career. After a second long rehabilitation process, and nearly two full years away from the field, she’s back in the Chemics’ midfield and has helped lead her team to a 19-0 record heading into Friday night’s Division 1 District Final against Midland Dow.
It’s a comeback that required special types of resilience and determination – and anyone who has watched Wilk play is well aware she possesses both.
“It’s unbelievable, for the size of her, how much of a scrapper she is,” Midland coach Rico Barassi said. “She’s great at stealing balls. She will see the player, and they’ll try to shield the ball, and she’ll just take it, then the other player will push her and we’ll get a foul. It’s uncanny. She also sees the field very well and is very unselfish. She’s very often the assist behind the assist. But with Theresa, you just let her float on the field. She always finds the ball and finds the player. She will chase somebody down. She could be on the 18 (yard box) on the other side of the field, and she will chase a player down.”
Barassi has always seen the potential in Wilk, so much so that despite her suffering her first injury seven months prior to what would have been her freshman season, he saved her No. 20 jersey and a spot for her on the varsity team.
Saving a jersey and spot is something Barassi said he does for all players on his team when they suffer a serious injury, but it’s still a massive statement for a freshman who has yet to play a high school game, and one that meant a lot to Wilk.
“That was the biggest part – I had my number, he gave me a jersey, a bag and everything,” Wilk said. “He told me that in my sophomore year, when you’re ready, you have a spot on the team. That really pushed me through.”
Wilk was one of several freshmen to earn a spot on the varsity team their first year, as nine were brought up and made an immediate impact. That year, while Wilk served as a team manager, the Chemics finished 7-7-4 – and Barassi knew the future was bright.
“I thought they’re small, they’re little, but they’re very good,” Barassi said. “Wait until they get to be juniors and seniors, they’re going to make history.”
The following two seasons resulted in District titles for Midland, including with a shootout victory over Dow in 2023.
Wilk’s second ACL tear came during the second overtime of that game, on a cross she played with her left foot. The familiar buckle was enough to tell her what had happened, even if the initial MRI results were inconclusive.
Due to her familiarity with the injury, Wilk said she recovered more quickly the second time. She was even given clearance to return to action in March of her junior year. But knowing that she still had a ways to go to build up her strength and be the player she was capable of being, she decided to keep working on her recovery and sit out last season.
Once again, her spot and her number were safe, and she served as a team manager while the Chemics went 16-2-3, claimed a second-straight District title and advanced to the Regional Final where they lost 3-2 to eventual Finals champion Spring Lake.
Watching it all happen without being on the field was difficult for Wilk, but the support system around her helped get her through.
“I think the biggest thing was they didn’t treat me any differently than if I wasn’t injured,” she said. “My family still had me do my chores, they let me be independent and only came (to help) if I asked. Same as my team, they didn’t constantly bring it up and talk about it, or be like, ‘Oh man, that’s really sad.’ I think they knew I didn’t want that. Everyone was so amazing and nice, and I didn’t ever feel like I wasn’t part of the team.”
On March 19 of this year, Wilk returned to the field for the Chemics in a 2-1 win against Grand Ledge. She admits there’s a bit of a difference in how she plays, and that she isn’t always as aggressive as she used to be. But her game has evolved, and while she continues to be a defensive force in the midfield, her ability as a passer has shined through, leading her to first-team all-Saginaw Valley League honors.
It also helped her to feel like her return to action was complete.
“The biggest moment for me that was like, ‘I’m back,’ was during the Dow game (April 28) when I had an assist to Alahna Beckett,” Wilk said. “She scored our second goal, and that got us up a little bit and we got the momentum. That was a really big moment where I was proud of myself. That’s when I felt I was fully back.”
This past week, Wilk graduated summa cum laude from Midland, and she will attend Grand Valley State University in the fall, where she plans to study nursing.
“I think that I kind of knew before my experience that I wanted to do healthcare,” she said. “But my experience set in stone what I wanted to do.”
Before she leaves for Allendale, there’s more work to be done on the soccer field, starting with Friday night’s match against Dow which will be a bit of a full-circle moment for Wilk.
As it approaches, though, she’s more focused on what she and her teammates have been able to accomplish together, and what could still be ahead.
“I’m really proud of the team,” she said. “I’ve known all these girls basically my whole life, and seeing us all grow up together and all accomplishing this amazing task together is wonderful to see. I think we can (make a postseason run), we just have to play our style and continue doing what we do, and work together. We have an amazing connection on the team, and I feel like it really shows on the field.”
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) Midland's Theresa Wilk (20) and her teammates celebrate during a game this season. (Middle) Wilk takes a quick photo from her hospital bed after her second ACL tear. (Below) Wilk, left, shares a positive moment during physical therapy. (Soccer photo provided by the Midland athletic department; hospital and therapy photos courtesy of the Wilk family.)