3 Michigan Leaders Earn NFHS National 'Coach of the Year' Honors
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
January 18, 2022
Three Michigan high school varsity coaches have been recognized among 23 National Coaches of the Year for 2020-21 by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NHFS) Coaches Association.
Ann Arbor Pioneer girls swimming & diving coach Stefanie Kerska, Bronson volleyball coach Jean LaClair and DeWitt football coach Rob Zimmerman were selected by a committee including representatives from all eight NFHS sections – Michigan is part of Section 4 with Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Wisconsin.
The following brief bios includes an excerpt from each honoree’s coaching philosophy, which nominees were asked to submit after being identified as candidates for the awards.
Stefanie Kerska took over both the Ann Arbor Pioneer girls and boys swimming & diving programs during the 2014-15 school year, and she has led the girls to the last two Lower Peninsula Division 1 Finals championships; her 2020 team doubled up the runner-up’s score with 368 points, and this fall’s team climbed even higher with 405.5 points at the season-ending meet. She also led the girls team to a runner-up Finals finish in 2019 and the boys team to last season’s LPD1 Finals championship. Kerska previously served as an assistant coach at University of Michigan from 1997-2012 and on the USA Swimming national team staff from 2008-16. She remains active with USA Swimming, the FINA Swimming Development Team and as a presenter for the Summit for Empowering Women in Swim. She was named the Michigan Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association Coach of the Year for both Division 1 girls and boys during the 2020-21 school year.
“Athletics starts with a belief in belonging and making every team member feel safe and valued. Teammates should depend on coaches and each other for support, guidance and motivation to be the best they can be. Athletics should create an environment where effort, attitude and dependability are valued and required for success. It is often said that athletics builds character. I, however, believe it reveals it.”
Jean LaClair ranks fourth in Michigan high school volleyball coaching history for varsity victories with a record of 1,289-398-99 having led Midland Dow from 1988-90, Pinconning from 1997-99 and Bronson beginning with the 2000-01 winter season. She’s coached Bronson to five MHSAA Finals championships – including four straight in Class C/Division 3 from 2015-18 – and her last two teams have reached the Division 3 Quarterfinals and Regional Semifinals, respectively. She is a longtime executive board member of the Michigan Interscholastic Volleyball Coaches Association and has served as president, and was a 2017 inductee to the Michigan High School Coaches Association’s Hall of Fame. She also serves as Bronson’s athletic director and has received both the MHSAA’s Women In Sports Leadership Award and Allen W. Bush Award.
“High school athletics should be a lifelong, fun experience for our student-athletes where they learn what it takes to be a part of a team, what it means to work hard for the team. Those who play competitive spots in high school demonstrate more confidence, leadership and self-respect. They learn to set goals and manage their time! They have a better appreciation for diversity and a more developed sense of morality. These are all reasons why athletics are important, and I love working with our kids to make them better leaders for the community and world.”
Rob Zimmerman led DeWitt to the last two Division 3 championship games and the Panthers’ first MHSAA Finals title to cap the 2020 season with a 12-0 record. He’s built a 241-67 record coaching DeWitt’s varsity since 1999 after previously coaching the varsity at Cedar Springs from 1996-98. He also has served as a head varsity track & field coach and middle school wrestling coach during his tenure in school sports, and he has served as both a regional director and on the executive board for the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association. His teams total have played in six MHSAA Finals, to go with 19 league, 14 District and 12 Regional titles during his 23 seasons at DeWitt. He has five times received statewide Coach of the Year recognition from The Associated Press, and in 2020 was named the state Dream Team Coach of the Year by both the Detroit Free Press and MHSFCA and state Coach of the Year by the MHSCA and Detroit Lions.
“In an ever-changing world that poses more social and emotional challenges for young people than ever before, systems that can provide a foundational support and teach high levels of collaboration, discipline, accountability and relationships are more important that ever. Athletics provides young people the opportunity to foster and cultivate these key traits that are crucial for their development. For future success, students need to be equipped to handle a variety of diverse situations and work with a variety of diverse people. This is sports at its core.”
Rockford wrestling coach Brian Richardson was honored in Section 4 after leading the Rams to the Division 1 Semifinals and a 20-4 record.
The NFHS has been recognizing coaches through an awards program since 1982.
Zeeland West Reigns Again as Hendricks Sets Pace with Record-Setting Day
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
November 30, 2024
DETROIT – Keaton Hendricks put his name atop the MHSAA Football Finals record book Saturday, scoring six touchdowns to lead Zeeland West to a 42-22 Division 3 victory against Detroit Martin Luther King.
But following his record-setting performance, the senior back made sure to rattle off the names of as many teammates as he could while dispersing the credit.
“The performance couldn’t have gone without my offensive line, they blocked things up perfectly,” Hendricks said. “Even the backs, Isaac (VanderZwaag), Jonah (Leslie), Brody (Maas) or Brandon (Holman), they carried out their fakes tremendously, and that’s what led to the scores. Also Trey (Sloothaak) on those beautiful throws. He just dropped it right in there.”
Hendricks finished with 129 yards and three TDs on the ground, and had three catches for 25 yards and three scores.
He passed Chelsea’s Lucas Hanifan (Division 4, 2021), Grand Rapids Catholic Central’s Nolan Fugate (Division 4, 2017), Saginaw Nouvel’s Bennett Lewis (Division 7, 2011) and Ithaca’s Alex Niznak (Division 6, 2010) who had shared the record with five total touchdowns in a Finals game.
His three receiving TDs are tied for second most in a Finals game with 10 others.
“Honestly, I had no idea until everyone started coming up and screaming at me,” Hendricks said. “I was like, ‘What’s going on?’ When they told me, I was just in shock. But once again, shout out to everybody.”
The title is the fifth in program history for Zeeland West, and first since 2015.
“It’s good to be 5-for-5,” Zeeland West coach John Shillito said. “Before I got here, I was 0-for-3. It’s been good in Zeeland for me. I’m just real proud of these guys. The five is big, but for this group of kids, it’s theirs.”
The Dux (13-1) never trailed, and held at least a two-score lead for much of the game. That had a lot to do with an opportunistic defense, which forced three turnovers, including two in the red zone. But anytime King did break through, it couldn’t find a way to back it up by stopping Zeeland West’s powerful T-formation run game.
“It was very difficult to prepare for that style of offense in four days,” King coach Terel Patrick said. “We have not seen it in probably six years. We went back and looked at some things, I wish we would have had a little bit more time, but nevertheless, hats off. They executed the (heck) out of that offense today. We also had two turnovers in the red zone, and you have to be able to match them possession for possession.”
Zeeland West rushed for 327 yards in the game, averaging seven per carry. It wasn’t just Hendricks, as Sloothaak added 124 yards on 12 carries, and VanderZwaag had 54 yards on his 10 carries.
Much of the damage was done in the first half, as the Dux rushed for 194 yards during the opening 24 minutes. Hendricks had 104 yards and three touchdowns (49, 14 and 30 yards) on nine carries in the first half.
He also had a six-yard touchdown reception on a play that wasn’t designed for him. Sloothaak, the quarterback, rolled and looked to his left, but with all options covered, he made a last-second glance to his right, where Hendricks was all alone. The senior then sprinted untouched into the end zone.
Hendricks scored on a very similar play early in the third quarter, this one coming from 11 yards out and stretching the lead to three scores at 34-14.
“They were supposed to go to Isaac,” Sloothaak said with a laugh. “Coach has been telling us in practice for a few weeks now, we have to be prepared for that, and Keaton executed that well.
The final score was on purpose, as Hendricks set the record with an eight-yard reception from Sloothaak midway through the third quarter.
“I thought I had the film on fast forward, because he’s got some speed,” Patrick said. “Speed is speed. That kid is fast in every league. He outran some angles today and proved he’s a really good football player. I would like to see kids like him get more chances at the next level. That kid’s a ballplayer. I’m glad he was able to get that exposure today on a really big stage, and hopefully he can parlay that into a college scholarship.”
Despite Hendricks’ heroics and its own mistakes, King managed to remain in shouting distance thanks to a pair of second-quarter touchdowns.
The first was set up by a fumble recovery deep in Zeeland West territory, as Michael Dukes scored on a five-yard run.
The second came as the first half clock expired, with Daryl Flemister finding David Calmese for a 10-yard score. Flemister’s two-point conversion run made the score 28-14 heading into the second half.
But shouting distance was as close as King would get. Dukes would score again, on a 14-yard run midway through the third quarter.
He finished with 93 yards rushing on 14 carries. Flemister rushed for 77 yards and was 10-of-18 for 111 yards through the air. Kristian Wheeler led the King defense with nine tackles, while Gregory Keller had eight.
Sloothaak and Tyler Bauman each had six tackles to lead Zeeland West, with Sloothaak also forcing a fumble near the goal line. Hendricks also forced a fumble, while Maas had an interception.
PHOTOS (Top) Zeeland West’s Keaton Hendricks (1) breaks into the open field during his team’s Division 3 championship win. (Middle) The Dux’ Brody Maas (8) closes in on a tackle. (Below) Hendricks pulls away as King’s Kyle Ruff (30) pursues. (Photos by Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)