10 to Remember from 2011-12
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
July 11, 2012
Second Half's mission in this, its first school year, was to tell the best stories behind the scores and highlights of MHSAA competition.
Of course, every score and especially every championship has a story behind it. The MHSAA awarded 127 team and many more individual championships in 2011-12. Obviously we can't reflect on them all. But these 10 performances were loaded with prestige, drama and accomplishment that made them incredible stories for high school sports fans regardless of hometown or allegiance.
10. Grand Ledge gymnasts earn No. 5
The Comets had to fend off a charge by Canton, but won their fifth-straight MHSAA team title by 0.825 of a point with a final score of 149.400. The fifth-straight title tied the record set by Ludington from 1975-79 and extended Grand Ledge's first-place streak to 75 consecutive events. The next day, senior Christine Wilson and junior Sara Peltier swept the Division 1 and 2 individual titles, respectively.
9. West Bloomfield's Erin Finn joins elite
The Lakers junior said after her Division 1 cross country win that she'd dreamt of winning that title since she learned how to walk. She finished fourth as a sophomore before winning the championship by a little more than a second. After establishing herself as one of the top distance runners in the country in competitions over the winter, Finn finished the school year by winning the 3,200-meter run at the Division 1 Track and Field Final.
8. More and more Morley Stanwood
The Mohawks girls pulled off a rare feat this school year -- after winning their second MHSAA volleyball title in the fall, they added a first-ever girls basketball championship. Both efforts were keyed by seniors Alexis Huntey and Bailey Cairnduf, who had the most and second-most kills in the Class C Volleyball Final and then combined for 45 points and 25 rebounds in the basketball championship game.
That argument was made after Lansing Sexton claimed its second-straight Class B boys basketball championship in dominant fashion. The Big Reds finished 27-1, their only loss by a point to Detroit Pershing, and have won 74 games over the last three seasons -- tied for sixth-most in MHSAA history for that long of a stretch. Guards Denzel Valentine (Michigan State), Anthony Clemmons (Iowa) and Bryn Forbes (Cleveland State) all signed to play at Division I colleges this fall, with junior Jalen Hayes and freshman Trevor Manuel likely joining them in a few years.
Coyotes junior Sami Michell established herself as one of the top hurdlers in MHSAA history at the Division 3 Final by becoming the first Lower Peninsula girl to win four events at a championship meet since Mason County Eastern’s Maria Shoup in 1979. She set Division 3 records in the 100 hurdles, 300 hurdles and long jump, and her 300 time also was the best in MHSAA Finals history, regardless of division or class. She also won the 200.
Top-ranked Grand Haven's latest run at an MHSAA championship seemed all but over when Grosse Pointe South led the Class A final by 18 points with just under 10 minutes to play. But Shar'Rae Davis' fullcourt sprint and score that began with 12 seconds to play gave the Buccaneers a 54-53 win and their first title. It was the third-longest comeback in MHSAA Girls Basketball Finals history.
Livonia Ladywood had been a favorite to win its first MHSAA title all season -- with four-year pitcher Briana Combs in the circle. But when Combs couldn't finish the Semifinal because of an injury, rarely-thrown sophomore Lauren Hayes stepped in. All she did was finish that game and throw a three-hitter against Saginaw Swan Valley in the Final, while also getting three hits and driving in two of the team's four runs in the championship win.
St. Johns senior Taylor Massa finished off one of the most celebrated careers in MHSAA wrestling history with his fourth championship and not one loss during his high school career. Massa claimed the title at 171 pounds this year to go with others at 145, 152 and 160. He became the 15th in MHSAA history to win four titles, ranks 20th with 221 wins and seventh in the national record book for consecutive victories.
Grosse Pointe South's girls running teams had arguably the most dominant school year in MHSAA history, first winning the Division 1 cross country title before doing the same this spring in track and field. And the Blue Devils did it with mostly the same nucleus contributing to both -- particularly juniors Hannah and Haley Meier, sophomore Kelsie Schwartz and freshman Ersula Farrow. Those four combined to run a national record time of 8:48.29 in the 3,200 relay at the Division 1 Final this spring.
1. Short walk, championship run
Second Half was created as a place to tell great stories, Cass Tech made it easy on the first day of the Football Finals. The Technicians arrived at Ford Field after a short walk from their school. They had never played in a Final before and were unranked entering the postseason. They arrived with a strong group of seniors, but also a freshman quarterback named Jayru Campbell who ended up throwing five touchdown passes in a 49-13 win over No. 2 and perennial powerhouse Detroit Catholic Central.
PHOTO: The Morley Stanwood girls basketball team prepares to celebrate as the final seconds tick off in the Mohawks' Class C Final win. (Click to see more photos from High School Sports Scene.)
Block Party: 2026 Girls Volleyball Week 7 Report
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
October 7, 2026
Just as the girls volleyball regular season begins speeding toward its conclusion, clicks on our Michigan Power Ratings (MPR) page are sure to accelerate over the next three weeks.
District play begins Nov. 2, and brackets will be announced eight days earlier on Oct. 25. MPR is used to seed the top two teams in every District, and although there’s only one example below, references to how teams stack up on those lists will become more prevalent in our weekly reports as we close in on the start of the playoffs.
Records below are those reported and tracked on this website, and rankings referred to below reflect the latest polls posted by the Michigan Interscholastic Volleyball Coaches Association (MIVCA).
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. Saginaw Valley Lutheran d. Plymouth Christian Academy (25-21, 25-17) The Division 3 top-ranked Chargers (36-4-1) finished 6-0 at the D3/D4 Showcase, with this win arguably the most notable as Valley Lutheran remains No. 1 statewide this week but PCA (21-6-4) bumped up from honorable mention to No. 2.
2. Grand Rapids Christian d. Hudsonville (25-19, 25-19) Division 2 top-ranked Christian (22-3) avenged a pool play loss to Division 1 No. 5 Hudsonville (26-3) at the Jenison Invitational to win this rematch in the championship round.
3. Orchard Lake St. Mary’s d. Detroit Country Day (25-19, 25-16, 25-23) The Division 1 honorable mention Eaglets (13-8-1) continued their climb with a sweep of the two-time reigning Division 2 champion and current No. 2 Yellowjackets (12-6-1).
4. Kingsley d. Elk Rapids (25-15, 25-17, 25-11) This Northern Shores Conference matchup saw a pair of ranked teams face off and the Division 2 No. 5 Stags (29-3-1) prevail over the Division 3 No. 5 Elks (13-7-3).
5. Muskegon Western Michigan Christian d. Hart (24-26, 27-25, 25-18) While Division 3 No. 3 WMC went on to defeat Fruitport and Muskegon Mona Shores to win the latter’s Best of the West tournament, this win over No. 10 Hart (19-10-3) sticks out as well as the Warriors (23-2) came back after losing the first set.
Watch List
With an eye toward November, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern (22-8) The honorable mention Huskies opened this week with a notable four-set victory over honorable mention East Grand Rapids, which is listed ahead of FHN in Division 1 MPR. Six of Forest Hills Northern’s losses have come against top-10 teams in Division 1, and six wins have come against opponents ranked or honorable mentions in Divisions 1 or 2, including Division 1 No. 4 Byron Center.
Hudsonville (26-3) The No. 5 Eagles were runners-up at the Jenison Invitational thanks to a split with Division 2 top-ranked Grand Rapids Christian, but that championship match defeat broke a 13-match winning streak. The Eagles’ only other losses have come versus Brighton and Division 1 No. 2 Bloomfield Hills Marian, and Hudsonville has defeated No. 8 Lowell, honorable mention Forest Hills Northern twice, No. 4 Byron Center, No. 9 Grand Haven, No. 7 South Lyon East, honorable mention South Lyon twice and GR Christian another time as well.
DIVISION 2
Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard (25-3-2) The Irish are an honorable mention in Division 2 and finished second in the Catholic High School League AA to Dearborn Divine Child, thanks to early-September back-to-back league losses to the Falcons and Jackson Lumen Christi. FGR’s only other defeat came to No. 3 Parma Western during opening weekend, and the Irish have won 16 straight matches and their last three tournaments.
Edwardsburg (21-5) The No. 7 Eddies defeated honorable mention Marshall and Division 1 honorable mention Zeeland East over four wins to claim the Portage Central Tournament title on Saturday, and their win over the host Mustangs also avenged Edwardsburg’s most recent loss from Sept. 19. A championship at the Gull Lake Invitational to start this season included a win over Niles, which ended the Eddies’ 2025.
DIVISION 3
Calumet (14-9-1) After opening the season 0-4 at the Cadillac Invitational – which included defeats against Division 1 honorable mention Zeeland East, Division 3 No. 8 Cass City and honorable mention Manton – the honorable mention Copper Kings are 8-2-1 against in-state opponents. They’ve defeated Division 4 No. 7 Crystal Falls Forest Park and went five sets before losing to Division 4 No. 9 Hancock, and they saw more of the state’s best taking a loss but also tying Division 3 No. 2 Plymouth Christian Academy at the D3/D4 Showdown.
Plymouth Christian Academy (21-6-4) The Eagles returned to the Quarterfinals a year ago and are in the midst of an 8-1-1 surge this fall that’s sent them back up to No. 2 in the weekly coaches poll. Their D3/D4 Showdown weekend included the above-noted loss to No. 1 Valley Lutheran but also wins over No. 5 Clinton, No. 8 Cass City and honorable mention Calumet among others. Only two other losses this season came to Division 3 or 4 opponents.
DIVISION 4
Crystal Falls Forest Park (26-3-1) The Trojans reached the Semifinals last season for the third time in four years and haven’t slowed down, falling only to No. 4 Traverse City Christian, No. 9 Hancock and Division 3 honorable mention Calumet. They’re up to No. 7 in the Division 4 rankings while riding a 14-match winning streak and coming off a 6-0 day at the Escanaba Invitational. An opening-weekend trip downstate included the loss to TC Christian but also a win over No. 10 Onekama and tie versus No. 3 Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart.
Traverse City Christian (23-5) The No. 4-ranked Sabres have strung together two straight trips to the Quarterfinals and won their first 10 matches this fall including a three-setter over Division 3 top-ranked Saginaw Valley Lutheran. The losses are pretty impressive as well, to Division 3 No. 3 Roscommon, twice to Division 3 No. 7 Traverse City St. Francis, and then to Division 4 No. 3 Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart and No. 10 Onekama. A home match against Division 3 No. 5 Elk Rapids on Oct. 15 will be another important test.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these matches and tournaments coming up:
Thursday – Baraga (19-0) at Hancock (17-2-1) – The undefeated Vikings have an opportunity to establish themselves among Division 4 teams to watch with this trip to meet the No. 9 Bulldogs.
Saturday – Motor City Power Series Championship at UWM Sports Complex – The finale of this season’s series begins with power brackets, and the most intriguing includes Division 1 No. 6 Utica Eisenhower, honorable mention Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, Rochester Adams and Division 2 No. 9 North Branch.
Saturday – Hanover-Horton Invitational – An impressive field of 12 teams includes Division 2 No. 3 Parma Western, Division 3 No. 2 Plymouth Christian Academy, No. 6 Grass Lake, No. 7 Traverse City St. Francis and the honorable mention Comets, and Division 4 top-ranked Adrian Lenawee Christian and No. 2 Battle Creek St. Philip.
Monday – Roscommon Quad – Mount Pleasant (20-8-2), Essexville Garber (22-11-4) and Division 3 No. 7 Traverse City St. Francis (21-9-1) will join the No. 3-ranked Bucks (26-6-5) for a high-powered night.
Monday – Midland Dow Quad – Another impressive group will visit the Chargers (31-4-4), with Bay City Central, Division 2 No. 4 Frankenmuth (17-0) and Division 3 No. 1 Saginaw Valley Lutheran (36-4-1) taking the court.
PHOTOS (Top) Detroit Country Day’s Sienna Musachio (14) gets positioned to play the ball during her team’s sweep of Macomb L’Anse Creuse North on Monday. (Middle) A pair of Mount Pleasant blockers rise above the net during an outdoor match against Alma this fall. (Country Day photo by TCP Photography. Mount Pleasant/Alma photo by High School Sports Scene.)