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Did you see that?

April 30, 2012

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

It's only the end of April. But a number of Michigan's contenders already are in championship form.

Check out our best of results, news and notes from the week that was April 23-28.

Boys Track

What a toss: Walled Lake Central junior Cullen Prena tossed the discus an incredible 187 feet, seven inches, to win the event at the Oxford Invitational by nearly 36 feet. In fact, the toss would've won every MHSAA Final dating back to 2003. Earlier in the week he broke the Oakland County record as well. He also won the shot put at Oxford. (Oakland Press)

Girls Track

South still on top: Reigning MHSAA Division 1 champion Grosse Pointe South earned a strong early win at the Michigan State Spartan Invitational ahead of a field that included annual powers Rockford and Williamston and a strong DeWitt team. Bay City Western won the boys meet. (Playmakers.com)

Baseball

Flint Final set: Goodrich’s Bob Foreback and Davison’s Timm Rye will bring more than 1,000 victories worth of experience into this season’s Greater Flint Area Baseball Tournament championship game when their teams face off on Memorial Day. The two will meet after emerging from the field this weekend. (Flint Journal)

How do you score that: Most telling lines from the Kalamazoo Gazette’s story about Comstock turning a triple play and three double plays in one game came from Comstock coach Rich Bailey: “We have not played particularly good defense. In fact, our defense has been a problem. The skill is there; the execution hasn’t been.” (Kalamazoo Gazette)

Girls Soccer

Poll position: Rochester Adams continued to affect the Division 1 rankings while moving up itself. Adams likely helped to knock rival Rochester out of this week’s honorable mentions with a 2-0 win Thursday. The Friday before, Adams downed then top-ranked Troy 4-1. The Highlanders have opened 7-0 and are ranked No. 3 in Division 1. (Oakland Press)

Boys Basketball

Flint Powers coach moves on: Tim Herman led the Flint Powers Catholic boys basketball program only seven seasons, but they were seven of the Chargers’ most memorable. Herman resigned his post last week after more than 100 wins and the team’s only MHSAA championship, in Class B in 2009. (Flint Journal)

Football

Michigan's finest take next step: At least nine former MHSAA athletes were drafted by NFL teams (by my count) over seven rounds Thursday through Saturday. They were:

  • DE Nick Perry (Detroit Martin Luther King/University of Southern California) Green Bay, first round
  • DT Mike Martin (Detroit Catholic Central/University of Michigan) Tennessee, third round
  • QB Kirk Cousins (Holland Christian/Michigan State University) Washington, fourth round
  • WR Keshawn Martin (Westland John Glenn/Michigan State University) Houston, fourth round
  • CB Chris Greenwood (Detroit Martin Luther King/Albion College) Detroit, fifth round
  • S Trenton Robinson (Bay City Central/Michigan State) San Francisco, sixth round
  • LB Audie Cole (Monroe/North Carolina State University) Minnesota, seventh round
  • RB Edwin Baker (Oak Park/Michigan State University) San Diego, seventh round
  • K John Potter (Grand Haven/Western Michigan University) New York Jets, seventh round

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].

What's My Why: Official Mike Pereira

August 13, 2026

Mike Pereira, Sacramento (Calif.)

Pereira is a former college and NFL football official who later became vice president of officiating for the National Football League. He is currently the head of officiating for the United Football League, and since 2010 has served as a rules analyst for Fox Sports and become one of the leading voices for officials, offering insight to TV audiences which had never been provided before his work.

He also is the founder of Battlefields to Ballfields, a national foundation that provides military veterans with scholarships, training, and mentorship to become sports officials, helping them reintegrate into their communities through the camaraderie of officiating. Pereira was the opening speaker at Officiate Michigan Day in July.

I didn’t want to officiate when they first came to me.

I said, “No.”

I said, “My dad had officiated. I don’t have any desire to.”

And they said, “Well why?”

And I said, “Because I don’t.”

“Because your dad officiated.”

“Maybe that’s it.”

I used to go to games and watch him get yelled at. And then they said, “It’s $10 a game. Three games. Thirty dollars, cash.”

I was a college student with no money. I said, “Yeah, I always thought I wanted to officiate.” And out I went. And it was kind of interesting, that first quarter of the first game, that first Pop Warner game, the parents are yelling at me, I didn’t know what I was doing, little kids running around.

And it was like somebody injected me with adrenaline. I found my passion in life.

As stupid as that maybe sounds, I found my passion in life. Thirty dollars is what I started to work for.

“What’s My Why” is a weekly feature telling the stories of MHSAA-registered officials in their own words. If you’re an MHSAA official and would like to share your reason why, please submit a 15 to 45-second video, taken horizontally, to director of officials Sam Davis at [email protected].

What's My Why

Aug. 5: Dino Paganelli, Wyoming - Watch
Aug. 3: Stacy Smith, Caledonia - Watch
July 22: Jason Nickleby, Lake Elmo, Minn. - Watch
July 15: Sam Davis, Lansing - Watch
July 9: Candace Cox, Quincy - Watch
July 1: Robert Williams, Redford - Watch
June 24: Will Godfrey, Jackson - Watch
June 19: Jarrett Skorup, Midland - Watch
June 12: Brady Driver, Sturgis - Watch
June 8: Cindy Tyzo, West Bloomfield - Watch
June 3: Jeff Spedoske, DeWitt - Watch
June 1: Mike Carrier, Commerce Township - Watch
May 27: Stan Wright, Warren - Watch
May 26: Murray Rose, Zeeland - Watch
May 22: Mike VanLaan, Alto - Watch
May 18: Clint Abbott, Newaygo - Watch