Did you see that?
May 21, 2012
Track and field, tennis and lacrosse teams have begun their marches toward MHSAA championships, but a number of sports are making offseason news as well.
Here's our sampling of some of the most intriguing from all over the state last week.
Track and Field
Setting up a showdown: In perhaps the most notable race of last week’s Regionals, Birmingham Seaholm’s Aubrey Wilberding edged Southfield’s Latipha Cross in the 400-meter dash in Division 1 at Farmington. Wilberding ran the race in 56.48 seconds, 19 hundredths of a second faster than Cross, who set an all-Finals record in the race in 2011. Click the link next to each Regional site for results. (MHSAA)
Soccer
Shooting for 67: Lake Fenton sophomore Jordan Newman scored a combined eight goals in the semifinal and championship games of the Genesee Area Conference tournament to lead her team to the championship. She has 54 goals this season – only 13 shy of the MHSAA single-season record with Districts beginning next week. (Tri-County Times) (Flint Journal)
KVA belongs to Kalamazoo Christian: The Kalamazoo Valley Association soccer championship came down to two of the top teams statewide in Division 4 – and No. 2 Kalamazoo Christian edged No. 3 Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Central 1-0 in the final. The two were flip-flopped in the rankings heading into the game. (Kalamazoo Gazette)
Athletes of the Year
Pinning down a major award: St. Johns wrestler Taylor Massa and Rochester Hills Stoney Creek's Gabby Yurik received the annual Michigan Student-Athlete of the Year Awards from the Detroit Athletic Club, from a group of nominees including Holland's Courtney Bartholomew, Birmingham Marian's Jaynie Pulte, Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett's Madison Ristovski, Plainwell's Lauren Saar and Charlotte's Raychel Wolever, and Grand Blanc's Zachary Carroll, Saginaw Heritage's Evan Chiplock, Bay City Western's Matt Costello, Lowell's Gabe Dean and Oxford's Prescott Line.
Golf
Plymouth rocks: The Wildcats topped a field that included 17 state-ranked teams in claiming the East Lansing Invitational with a two-round score of 595. The tournament was played at Michigan State University’s Forest Akers West and East. Scroll to the bottom of link for full results. (Michigan Interscholastic Golf Coaches Association)
Tennis
Match points: Five of the top seven ranked teams in Division 2 emerged from two suburban Detroit Regionals to advance to the Division 2 Finals: No. 1 Birmingham Marian, No. 2 Bloomfield Hills Andover, No. 3 Birmingham Seaholm and co-No. 7s Bloomfield Hills Lahser and Farmington Hills Marcy. Click next to each Regional site to see who qualified for their respective Finals. (MHSAA)
Softball
Perfect, again: Breckenridge’s Sam Willman threw her fifth perfect game this season, striking out 18 and 64 for the day as her team won the Montrose Snowball Tournament on Saturday. She also threw a perfect game two days before. (Midland Daily News)
Stacking numbers: Decatur senior pitcher Erika Southworth won her 100th game last week, then notched her 1,000th strikeout two days later. (Kalamazoo Gazette)
Basketball
Detroit mourns coach: Southeastern High girls coach Lisa Blackburn died Saturday at the age of 52. She was a former Detroit Pershing star who went on to play at the University of Detroit. (Detroit News)
Stolz legacy ends: Longtime Okemos boys basketball coach Dan Stolz retired with a record of 428-99 and a winning percentage of .812 in 18 seasons at Okemos and five at Williamston. Stolz took over the Chieftains program from his father Stan, who coached the varsity from 1968-93. (Lansing State Journal)
Wrestling
New coach at St. Johns: The reigning three-time Division 2 MHSAA team champion now will be coached by assistant Derek Phillips, who was promoted last week to take over for the recently-resigned Zane Ballard. (Lansing State Journal)
Media
Longtime editor announces retirement: The state’s print media will wave good-bye to another valuable member when longtime Escanaba Daily Press sports editor Denny Grall retires in two months. He’s been putting pen to paper for 42 years and is especially legendary across the Upper Peninsula. (Escanaba Daily Press)
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].
Flashback 100: Future Hall of Famers Face Off First in MHSAA Class A Final
January 24, 2025
Between them, Dave DeBusschere and Chet Walker spent 25 seasons in the NBA, won three championships, scored more than 32,000 points, and both earned induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
However, their first encounter on the court came much earlier — during the 1958 Class A MHSAA Final. In a battle of future Hall of Famers, DeBusschere led Detroit Austin Catholic to a 71-68 victory over Walker’s Benton Harbor.
Walker, originally from Mississippi, moved to Benton Harbor, where he attended high school. He guided the Tigers to the Class A Semifinals in 1957, where they fell to eventual champion Muskegon Heights. The following year, despite scoring 25 points in the championship game, his team came up short against Detroit Austin.
After high school, Walker starred at Bradley University, earning All-America honors twice. He was selected by the Syracuse Nationals in the 1962 NBA Draft and made an immediate impact, earning a spot on the league’s first All-Rookie Team in 1963. When the Nationals relocated and became the Philadelphia 76ers, Walker remained with the team, later joining the Chicago Bulls. He played a key role in the 76ers’ championship run in 1966-67 and was a seven-time all-star, averaging more than 18 points per game during his career. His was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.
On the other side of that 1958 championship showdown, DeBusschere delivered a dominant 32-point performance. Interestingly, his Detroit Austin Catholic team also had suffered a loss to Muskegon Heights in the 1957 Class A title game, falling 61-49. DeBusschere went on to play both basketball and baseball at the University of Detroit before being selected by the Detroit Pistons in the 1962 NBA Draft.
Like Walker, he was named to the NBA’s All-Rookie Team. In just his third year with the Pistons, he was appointed player-coach, though he eventually returned to a full-time playing role before being traded to the New York Knicks. In New York, DeBusschere won two NBA titles playing alongside legends like Willis Reed, Bill Bradley, and Walt Frazier. Over his career, he averaged 16 points and 11 rebounds per game, earning Hall of Fame induction in 1983.
DeBusschere’s athletic prowess extended beyond basketball—he also played professional baseball, pitching for the Chicago White Sox for two seasons. He remains one of just 13 athletes to have played in both the NBA and Major League Baseball, a rare testament to his versatility and talent.
As part of the MHSAA’s "Legends of the Game" series, historian Ron Pesch wrote more about that 1958 Class A Final – you can read that here.
Previous "Flashback 100" Features
Jan. 17: First-Ever WNBA Draft Pick Rocked at Salem, Won Titles at Tennessee - Read
Jan. 10: Despite Launching Before 3-Point Line, Smith Still Tops Scoring List - Read
Jan. 3: Edison's Jackson Earns Place Among State's All-Time Elite - Read
Dec. 20: Future Olympian Piper Leads Grosse Pointe North to Historic Heights - Read
Dec. 13: The Other Mr. Forsythe in Michigan School Sports - Read
Dec. 6: Coleman's Legendary Heroics Carry Harrison Through Repeat - Read
Nov. 29: Harbaugh Brothers' Football Roots Planted in Part at Pioneer - Read
Nov. 22: 8-Player Football Finals Right at Home at Superior Dome - Read
Nov. 15: Leland Career Helps Set Stage for Glass' International Stardom - Read
Nov. 8: Future Baseball Pro Led Escanaba's Legendary Football Title Run - Read
Nov. 1: Michigan High School Baseball Trio Provide World Series Voices - Read
Oct. 25: Before Leading Free World, Ford Starred for Champion GR South - Read
Oct. 18: Mercy Links Legend Becomes World Golf Hall of Famer - Read
Oct. 11: Fisher Races to Finals Stardom on Way to U.S. Olympic First - Read
Oct. 4: Lalas Leaves High School Legacies on Ice & Pitch - Read
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 Benton Harbor's Chet Walker, left, and Austin Catholic's Dave DeBusschere led their teams in a 1958 Class A championship matchup. (MHSAA archives)