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Walled Lake Northern welcomes Shaela Byrnes (9) as she crosses the plate after her go-ahead sixth-inning home run.

Turmell's Near No-Hitter, Byrnes' Blast Deliver Northern's 1st Finals Championship

By Tim Robinson
Special for MHSAA.com

June 13, 2026

EAST LANSING – Grand Haven softball coach John Hall had an idea how Saturday’s Division 1 Softball Final with Walled Lake Northern was going to go.

“I told our coaches last night at the hotel this is going to be a 2-1 game,” Hall noted. 

Indeed, it was a pitcher’s duel that saw the teams combine for just four hits in Northern’s 2-1 victory.

The Finals championship was the first for the Knights – and while the result may have been predictable given the talent in the circle, it also took a minute to believe for the winner of that individual duel.

“I didn’t believe it was real until my catcher (Anna Doyle) started running at me,” said Northern senior pitcher Lyla Turmell.

The Knights also made their first appearance in a Semifinal on Thursday, edging Northville by the same 2-1 score.

This game was decided on a home run by junior Shayla Byrnes in the bottom of the sixth inning. Her fly ball down the left field line banged off the foul pole to break a 1-1 tie.

Turmell then struck out the side in the top of the seventh inning.

Grand Haven’s Ryley Jeltema is stuck between third base and home as Northern catcher Anna Doyle runs her back.She had given Northern (39-3) a 1-0 lead on a homer in the first inning. 

“I threw her a wicked rise ball, and she got her hands up to it,” Grand Haven pitcher Lorelei Chcuik said. “There was nothing I could do about it.”

"(I was) getting a rally started, at least," Turmell said of her round-tripper. "I knew my bat could help me."

Chciuk scored Grand Haven’s run in the fourth inning, scoring on a fielder’s choice.

Both pitchers were outstanding.

Turnell allowed only one hit, a first-inning single by Ryley Jeltema. She walked three and struck out nine.

She worked out of trouble in the top of the sixth inning, handling a comebacker with the bases loaded to end a Grand Haven rally. 

Chciuk was equal to the task, striking out 12 while getting on base three times on two walks and being hit by a pitch.

Grand Haven (36-5-1) also was making its first appearance in a championship game.

“It was a game that could go either way,” Hall said. “It came down to two swings. Would I have liked to win? Sure.

“But I wouldn’t’ve traded this for nothing. Nothing.”

Click for the full box score.

PHOTOS (Top) Walled Lake Northern welcomes Shaela Byrnes (9) as she crosses the plate after her go-ahead sixth-inning home run. (Middle) Grand Haven’s Ryley Jeltema is stuck between third base and home as Northern catcher Anna Doyle runs her back.

Tony Coggins serves as PA announcer during a 2022 Division 3 volleyball match at Kellogg Arena.

In Memoriam: Tony Coggins (1971-2023)

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

October 24, 2023

The MHSAA and Holly school communities are grieving this week after the sudden loss of Tony Coggins, a shining light in his educational community and an enthusiastic supporter of school sports as a public address announcer for several of our largest championship events.

But while that cheerful tone has been quieted, it surely will not be forgotten by the many fortunate to enjoy an event in the presence of that voice and the joyfulness he brought into every arena, press box and classroom.

Coggins, 51, died Saturday. He is survived by his wife Kristy and children Emma and Bradlee, among several family and friends from his local and greater sports communities.

Tony CogginsHis career as a PA announcer began during his freshman year of high school in 1985, when his father Dale Coggins – Flushing’s athletic director at the time – couldn’t find anyone else to announce middle school football games. That was 39 years ago, and this fall Tony Coggins was in his 24th announcing at Holly, where he taught and served as an administrator in addition to his role as “Voice of the Holly Bronchos” for football, basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball, competitive cheer and swimming & diving over the years.

Coggins has been a mainstay among MHSAA Finals PA announcers over the last decade in football, basketball, softball and most recently volleyball. He lent his voice to college sports at University of Michigan as well. “Tony was a huge part of our Finals events. It’s hard to imagine it being the same without him,” MHSAA Executive Director Mark Uyl said.

As part of the run-up to the MHSAA public address announcers clinic in 2018, Coggins said this about what drew him to the microphone:

“I have zero athletic ability whatsoever, which is interesting because my father was an all-state running back. But I enjoy being involved, and I've always been the one for history and statistics and knowing what's going on,” Coggins said. “This is a way for me to be involved. It's a way for me to use a talent I've been given; public speaking has always come pretty naturally for me.

“So I worked at my craft to get better. I got better from watching the people around me, from studying the people I like, and the people – if I saw someone I didn’t care for – I'd make a note and say to myself, ‘Don't do that.’ I take feedback from people very personally, and I mean that in a good way. If somebody takes the time to come up and say, ‘You did this well; I think you should change this,’ that means they care about the program also. We all have the same goal in mind, and that's to make the experience good for the high school student and the parents, the fans, that come there.”

Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, at St. John Vianney, 2415 Bagley Street in Flint. There will be visitation from 2-8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27, at the Swartz Funeral Home, 1225 West Hill Road, and at the church from 10 a.m. Saturday until the time of the Mass.