Did you see that?
June 11, 2012
Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The second weekend of this spring's MHSAA Finals is behind us, with four more champions awarded in girls and boys lacrosse.
Below is our sampling of what struck us most from last week's many highlights as we kick off the final week of the 2011-12 school year.
Girls lacrosse
Birmingham wins thriller: Birmingham United scored the last three goals in Saturday’s MHSAA Division 1 Final to edge Hartland 12-11 in overtime. (Grand Rapids Press)
East Grand Rapids ends perfectly: The Pioneers won their first girls lacrosse championship –17-6 over Okemos in Division 2 – and finished this spring 28-0. (Grand Rapids Press)
Boys lacrosse
Again, it’s Brother Rice: The Warriors continued their hold on the MHSAA Division 1 championship and handed Ann Arbor Pioneer its only loss this season with a 14-8 win Saturday. (Detroit Free Press)
Rangers come back for more: Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central scored the final four goals of the Division 2 Final to edge reigning champion Detroit Country Day 7-6. (Second Half)
Soccer
14 goals, 2 wins: Grandville Calvin Christian eliminated two other top-10 teams in Division 4 during last week’s Regional. The No. 4 Squires first defeated No. 8 St. Joseph Lake Michigan Catholic 7-0, then No. 2 Kalamazoo Christian 7-2 in the final. (Grand Rapids Press)
DeWitt returns: The No. 4 Panthers earned a Division 2 Semifinal matchup with Plainwell by beating No. 5 Grand Rapids Christian 1-0 in their Regional Final. DeWitt fell to Plainwell in a 2011 Semifinal, but returns a number of players from that team. (Lansing State Journal)
Softball
Decade of dominance: The Gladstone softball team earned its 10th-straight Regional championship with 7-0 and 6-2 wins over Tawas and Traverse City St. Francis, respectively. Gladstone won MHSAA championships in 2009 and 2004, and was ranked No. 7 heading into this postseason. (Escanaba Daily Press)
Fantastic first: Swartz Creek won its first Regional by downing Alpena 2-1 in a Division 1 Final at Saginaw Valley State University. The Dragons are 34-6 and also have set a school record this spring for wins. (Bay City Times)
Baseball
Brighton beat Brother Rice: The unranked Bulldogs downed the top-ranked Warriors 4-1 in the Regional Final at Novi. Brighton rode the arm of pitcher Colin Nash, who moved to 8-0 this season. (Detroit News)
Bears also take out No. 1: The top-ranked team in Division 2 also fell, thanks to No. 10 St. Joseph. The Bears downed Richland Gull Lake 6-5 in eight innings before beating Coldwater for the championship. (St. Joseph Herald-Palladium)
Golf
No 300 here: No. 2-ranked Plymouth and unranked Saline and Canton all broke 300 at the Division 1 Regional at West Shore Golf and Country Club in Grosse Ile. Plymouth won the title with a 296, but Saline was only two behind and Canton came in at 299. Canton’s Donnie Trosper, a freshman, won the individual championship with a 67. Saline had beaten those two teams in the District. (MHSAA)
Boss Sets Pace as Charlevoix Golf Delivers Memorable 1st-Time Championship
By
Tim Robinson
Special for MHSAA.com
June 6, 2026
EAST LANSING – Bryce Boss admits he wasn’t sure which he wanted more heading into Saturday’s second round of the Lower Peninsula Division 4 Boys Golf Final at Forest Akers West.
"Winning the state title,” Boss said after Charlevoix clinched its first team championship in the sport. “A hundred times out of a hundred. It’s way more fun to win as a team than as an individual.’
The Rayders – who will move to Division 3 next season – rolled with a two-day score of 645 strokes, besting second-place Muskegon Western Michigan Christian by 17.
The championship capped an emotional season for the Rayders, whose season was cut short last year by a vehicle crash that seriously injured several team members and coach Doug Drenth.
“I’m really grateful,” Drenth said, blinking back tears. “Four guys who scored today were in the accident, and how they played today meant a lot. These are fine young men, with fine parents. I’m proud of all of them.”
Drenth achieved a rare double Saturday. While continuing to recover from his injuries this past fall, he coached the Charlevoix boys cross country team to the Division 3 team title.
“I’ve had a lot of help,” Drenth said. “My (golf) assistant, Bruce Beaudion, deserved a lot of credit, too.”
Boss had a chance at that individual championship as well, when Alcona’s Giovanni Paluch three-putted on the final hole of regulation, forcing a playoff.
Both posted scores of 149 heading into the tiebreaker.
But after they tied on the first playoff hole, Paluch prevailed on the second
“I was hitting everything to the left,” Boss said. “Kinda hard to win that way.”
PHOTOS (Top) Charlevoix’s Bryce Boss punches out of a sand trap during his second round Saturday at Forest Akers West. (Middle) Alcona’s Giovanni Paluch putts Saturday; he won the individual championship in a playoff. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)