Did you see that? (10/29-11/4)
November 5, 2012
We had champions upon champions upon champions last week, whether they were winners of MHSAA Finals in cross country and soccer, Districts in volleyball or league champs in swimming and diving.
Girls cross country
Favorites make good: Reigning individual champions Erin Finn of West Bloomfield, Julia Bos of Grand Rapids Christian and Kirsten Olling of Breckenridge all repeated Saturday at Michigan International Speedway, with Macomb Lutheran North's Gina Patterson joining the group. Second Half talked to all four. (Division 1) (Division 2) (Division 3) (Division 4)
Boys cross country
Taking two titles: Highland Milford and Concord won both the MHSAA Lower Peninsula team championships in their respective divisions Saturday and also had the top individuals in those races. Second Half provided same-day coverage from every race. (Division 1) (Division 2) (Division 3) (Division 4)
Soccer
Headed west: A year after Detroit-area teams claimed all four MHSAA LP boys soccer championships, Grand Rapids area teams took back three. East Kentwood, Hudsonville Unity Christian and Grand Rapids South Christian won titles, while Hamtramck Freedom International kept one on the east side of the state with its first Finals win. Second Half covered them all. (Division 1) (Division 2) (Division 3) (Division 4)
Volleyball
Hang that banner: Bay City John Glenn won its first volleyball District championship in the 47-year history of the school, beating Essexville-Garber in four sets to claim a Class B title. John Glenn had to come back after dropping the first game. (Bay City Times)
Hang that banner, part II: Three Rivers also won its first volleyball District championship, downing Vicksburg in four games to claim the Class B championship. (Sturgis Journal)
Copper Kings, once again: After finding itself only two points from the District championship in 2011, and then giving up the final five to lose it, Calumet defeated rival Houghton in three games to take back the trophy after two straight Houghton wins. The Copper Kings are ranked No. 4 in Class C. (Houghton Daily Mining Gazette)
West Iron ends near-decade of dominance: Iron River West Iron County had last won a District title in 2002, before nine straight by rival Iron Mountain. But the Wykons knocked out the Mountaineers in a Semifinal and came back from match point to score the final five and beat Ironwood for a Class C championship. (Escanaba Daily News)
Swimming and Diving
Holland still rules: Coming off their first MHSAA championship in 2011, the Dutch continue to roll and piled up seven O-K Green records in winning that league championship meet. Cassie Misiewicz and Holly Morren each set two individual marks. (Holland Sentinel)
Double Dow: Midland Dow won the Saginaw Valley League championship meet with 638 points, more than double that of the runner-up. The title was Dow's seventh straight. (Midland Daily News)
Wrestling
Longtime Napoleon coach steps down: Todd Anderson announced his resignation after running the program since 1990-91. His father Don Anderson started the program in 1967. (Jackson Citizen-Patriot)
Tennis
Forman is Mr. Tennis: Troy senior Brett Forman, the MHSAA Division 1 champion at No. 1 singles as a sophomore and runner-up this fall, was named Mr. Tennis by the Michigan High School Tennis Coaches Association. He finished his career with a 77-8 record. (Oakland Press)
Story of the Week
Kirsten fights on: A little more than a year ago, doctors found cancerous tumors throughout Kirsten Longstreth's body, including multiple in her lungs. But the Beaverton senior had fought back to nearly knock the cancer completely out, and while continuing to play sports including volleyball this fall. (Midland Daily News)
Boyne City Public Schools Receives MIAAA's Exemplary Athletic Program Award
February 3, 2026
The Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (MIAAA) has named Boyne City Public Schools as a recipient of the 2026 MIAAA Exemplary Athletic Program Award.
The award will be formally presented to Boyne City athletic director Matt Windle on March 15 during the MIAAA Annual Business Meeting at the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa.
Established in 1998, the MIAAA Exemplary Athletic Program Award recognizes high school athletic programs across Michigan that model excellence, equity, and educationally sound practices. The program was created to identify and publicly recognize outstanding athletic programs, provide a framework for voluntary self-assessment, promote the sharing of best practices statewide, and encourage continued improvement in Michigan’s high school athletic programs.
Boyne City Public Schools becomes the 24th athletic program recognized over the past 25 years and only the 14th program honored during the last two decades, underscoring the selectivity and prestige of the Exemplary Athletic Program Award.
As part of the evaluation process, the MIAAA Exemplary Athletic Program Committee conducted a three-day on-site visit in the fall, meeting with district administrators, coaches, student-athletes, parents, and support staff. The visit provided committee members with the opportunity to review and share Boyne City’s vision, goals, and systems supporting a comprehensive, equitable, and education-based athletic program.
Boyne City athletics was selected following a thorough assessment and review process examining program structure, leadership practices, equity initiatives, sportsmanship, and the ways in which the athletic program serves its various constituents. Exemplary programs demonstrate sustained success in advancing the emotional, social, moral, and physical growth of all participants while reinforcing the core values of interscholastic athletics.
The 2026 recognition places Boyne City Public Schools among a distinguished group of athletic programs statewide that have demonstrated consistent excellence since the award’s inception.
Boyne City athletic director Matt Windle said of the award: “This recognition reflects the collective effort of so many people who care deeply about providing meaningful opportunities for our student-athletes. Our coaches, staff, administrators, families, and community consistently put students first and work together to create an environment rooted in growth, accountability, and support.
“We are proud of the culture that exists within Boyne City athletics and grateful for the opportunity to serve students through education-based athletics.”
(Photos by Kishba Media.)