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March 12, 2012
Check out our must-know scores and news from March 5-10.
(Click on links for coverage.)
Gymnastics
Where no team has gone before: Grand Ledge indeed accomplished what no team had before Friday by winning its fifth-straight MHSAA team championship. Senior Christine Wilson and junior Sara Peltier then won the Division 1 and 2 individual titles, respectively, on Saturday. (Second Half Team) (Second Half Individual)
Swimming and Diving
Celebratory dip: Saline isn’t the first boys swimming and diving program to win three straight MHSAA championships. But it’s definitely the program of the day after claiming another Division 1 title Saturday and breaking four records -- including two all-division/class records -- in the process. (Second Half)
Hockey
Consider it avenged: There are few better ways to go out than with a championship after falling in the Final the year before. That’s how Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice and super senior Mackenzie MacEachern finished off this season Saturday, beating Grosse Pointe South 4-1 after falling by the same score in the 2011 championship game. (Second Half)
Girls Basketball
Only one can move on: Detroit Martin Luther King won its third and final meeting this season against Detroit Pershing to move on to this week’s Class A Quarterfinals. King had lost to Pershing by five during the regular season, then beat Pershing by three in the Detroit Public School League Final before defeating Pershing again 54-53 on Thursday in a Regional Final. (Mlive.com)
Boys Basketball
Another championship down, two to go: Top-ranked and reigning Class B champion Lansing Sexton eliminated what was perceived heading into the postseason as one of the biggest obstacles standing between the Big Reds and a repeat. They downed No. 4 Lansing Catholic 66-56 in a District Final on Friday to improve to 22-1. (Lansing State Journal)
Editor's note: Did we miss something? Comment below and tell us about it. Is there an event coming up that we should make sure to note? Comment or e-mail [email protected].
Schafran Strikes Gold Close to Home Claiming Grass Lake's 1st Singles Bowling Title
By
Jeff Bleiler
Special for MHSAA.com
February 28, 2026
JACKSON – Marielle Schafran will not have to travel far to reminisce about what turned into a magical day on the lanes.
The Grass Lake High School junior became the first individual bowler in school history to claim an MHSAA Finals championship, winning the Division 3 singles title Saturday at JAX 60 — a short drive west of her school.
“It’s an amazing feeling being in my hometown, winning states,” she said. “I never thought I’d be here, but I wouldn’t have been able to do it without my family, friends and coaches.
“Now every time I come here it’ll remind me of it.”
She’ll likely linger a little longer at lanes 13 and 14, the site of the championship match against Otisville-LakeVille Memorial senior Myla Upthegrove. Schafren found herself in a 10-pin hole after the first of two games in the final despite rolling five strikes.
Trailing 180-170 and coming off a spare and open frame in the first two frames of the second game, Schafren rolled a six-bagger and eventually finished with 233 to Upthegrove’s 194 for a 403-374 victory.
The individual title helped ease the sting of the top-ranked Warriors falling in the Semifinals of the team event the day before to eventual champion Milan.
“I came in with a fresh mindset and knew that it’s a new day and everything’s different each day,” she said. “Just come in, make my spares and make good shots.”
Grass Lake coach Lindsey Torcolacci said it took a bit of convincing on her part to show Schafren that a Finals title was attainable.
“Today she came in and she wasn’t sure,” Torcolacci said. “I told her, ‘You’ve got this. You’ve been working for this for a while.’ We’re so proud of her.”
Schafren qualified 11th of 16 with a total of 1,088 after closing with games of 219 and 190. She opened match play with scores of 181 and 188 to beat Bronson freshman Audrey Shiery then secured a 389-317 victory over Flat Rock junior Diane Percha in the quarterfinals.
She advanced to the championship with games of 241 and 202 for 443 — the best two-game total of any competitor in the bracket — to defeat Grand Rapids West Catholic senior Ashley Van Linden.
Upthegrove qualified eighth with a total of 1,138 that included three games north of 200. She rolled 225 and 206 to win her first-round match over Ogemaw Heights senior Elena Martinez then pulled off a huge upset in the quarterfinal by sidelining top seed Maggie Smith of Milan, who dominated qualifying with a six-game total of 1,350 on scores of 247, 212, 203, 232, 207 and 249. Her score was 143 pins clear of second-seeded Averie Via of Ishpeming Westwood.
Upthegrove won 383-360 to advance to the semifinals where she defeated Madison Heights Bishop Foley senior Jacey Thibodeau 380-349.
“Honestly I was very surprised,” Upthegrove said of her runner-up finish. “I didn’t think I’d make it this far. It was a lot of fun.”