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)
Flashback 100: Lalas Leaves High School Legacies on Ice & Pitch
October 4, 2024
Alexi Lalas was named the Mr. Soccer Award winner by the Michigan High School Soccer Coaches Association in 1987 after his senior season at Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood. He went on to have a storied career in the sport, playing for the U.S. men’s national team in the 1992 Olympics and the 1994 World Cup and professionally for a decade.
In high school, Lalas also was a part of two ice hockey MHSAA Finals-winning teams. He played on the 1987 and 1988 Cranbrook teams that won Class B-C-D championships as part of a run of four consecutive titles that began in 1985.
Lalas captained the 1988 team, which defeated Riverview Gabriel Richard 11-0 in the first round and Grand Rapids Catholic Central 8-0 in the Semifinals before winning the Final 5-2 over Sault Ste. Marie at Michigan Tech. In 1987, Cranbrook triumphed over Riverview Gabriel Richard 12-0 in round one, Forest Hills Central 8-0 in the Semifinals, and Hancock 6-3 in the Final at the I.M.A. Sports Arena in Flint.
On the pitch, Lalas also was the first American to play in Serie A, Italy’s top soccer division. He spent two seasons with Padova, scoring three goals in 44 appearances. Afterward, he transitioned to Major League Soccer (MLS), playing for the New England Revolution, New York/New Jersey MetroStars, Kansas City Wizards, and Los Angeles Galaxy before retiring after the 2003 season.
Today, Lalas is a soccer commentator for Fox Sports, having previously spent six years with ESPN in a similar role. He also hosts a soccer podcast called State of the Union.
Follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, and TikTok for more weekly "Flashback 100" photo features and additional content celebrating our 100th anniversary.
Previous "Flashback 100" Features
Sept. 27: Tamer's History-Making Run Starts in Dexter, Continues to Paris - Read
Sept. 20: Todd Martin’s Road to Greatness Starts at East Lansing - Read
Sept. 13: James Earl Jones, Dickson High Hoops to Hollywood Legend - Read
Sept. 6: Pioneers' Unstoppable Streak Stretches 9 Seasons - Read
Aug. 30: Detroit dePorres Rushes to 1995 Class CC Football Championship - Read
PHOTOS At left, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood's Alexi Lalas poses for a photo in his soccer uniform; at right, Lalas plays for Cranbrook during his high school hockey career. (Middle) Lalas stands fifth from left with his 1987 Cranbrook soccer team. (Soccer photos courtesy of Alexi Lalas and Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood; hockey photo courtesy of Stouffer Photo/Observer & Eccentric Newspapers.)