Did You See That? (April 22-28)
April 30, 2013
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The clouds finally began to break last week. And as expected, teams in every spring sport quickly got started catching up on what they'd had to put off most of this month.
Read on for some of the top headlines from all over the state, plus our favorite story – which highlights a pair of officials who will be recognized this weekend for their dedication to high school athletics.
Good Read of the Week
Father/Daughter rule the diamond: Ralph Burr will be among those celebrated by the MHSAA this weekend for 50 years of service as an official. But the past 20 have been his favorite – his daughter and umpiring partner Jackie will be recognized this weekend for her two decades of service. (Muskegon Chronicle).
Softball
McClure strikes again: Manchester pitcher Katie McClure moved into ninth in MHSAA history with 511 career strikeouts after totaling 27 more at Saturday’s Concord Invitational. Her team won the event by beating the host 3-1 in the final. (Jackson Citizen-Patriot)
One vs. One: In what has become arguably the best softball rivalry in the state, Stevensville Lakeshore swept Mattawan 4-2 and 9-4 on Thursday in a matchup of top-ranked teams. Lakeshore is ranked No. 2 in Division 2, while Mattawan holds the top spot in Division 1. (St. Joseph Herald-Palladium)
Another Clinton ace: That’s Cami Prater, who has taken over for graduated standout Tierney Nelson and no-hit the No. 5-ranked host at Saturday’s Springport Invitational. Prater hit a home run as Clinton won last season’s Division 3 championship game. (Adrian Daily Telegram)
Snowbirds down No. 1: Gaylord St. Mary scored in the bottom of the seventh inning to upset Division 4 No. 1 Onaway 2-1 a week ago before settling for a hard-earned split. (Gaylord Herald-Times)
Girls Lacrosse
“Play Day” perfection: Rockford hosted its fourth “Play Day” on Saturday, and the Division 1 top-ranked Rams finished it with wins over No. 2 Hartland and No. 3 Brighton. Grand Rapids Catholic Central, No. 2 in Division 2, also beat Hartland, along with Troy Athens and Division 2 No. 3 Ann Arbor Pioneer. (Grand Rapids Press)
Boys Golf
Upper hand, DCC: Detroit Catholic Central won what is one of the most competitive regular-season events every spring, claiming the Division 1 portion of the Traverse City Central Invitational by edging reigning champion Muskegon Mona Shores. Mona Shores finished third and DCC sixth at last season’s MHSAA Division 1 Final. (Traverse City Record-Eagle)
Baseball
Long time coming: Gladstone earned its first wins 4-3 and 5-0 over Negaunee on Friday, and those also happen to be the program’s first victories in more than a half century. The Escanaba Daily Press reports this as Gladstone’s first baseball team in 54 years. (Escanaba Daily Press)
East Lansing rises at Dow: East Lansing needed just about every one of its 16 runs over the final two games of Saturday’s Midland Dow Invitational, but came away with the championship after beating Division 3 No. 4 Saginaw Nouvel 8-7 in the final. East Lansing advanced with an 8-6 win over Dow. (Saginaw News)
Weisenberger throws no-no again: Sanford Meridian had three wins after Thursday, and two were no-hitters by pitcher Jonah Weisenberger. He threw his second in that night’s opener against Beaverton. (Midland Daily News)
Portage Northern rallies: The Huskies look like they could be an emerging force again from the Kalamazoo area, and moved to 5-2 by winning their home invitational Saturday. Portage Northern defeated Division 4 No. 2 Gobles in the championship game. (Kalamazoo Gazette)
Track and Field
Hornets buzz: Williamston’s boys, who tied for ninth at last season MHSAA Division 2 Final, won the Spartan Classic at Michigan State University, finishing eight points ahead of Division 1 power Rockford. Reigning Division 1 girls champion Grosse Pointe South won its side of the meet by a much more significant 51 points. (Playmakers.com (full results), Lansing State Journal)
All-Battle Creek is all Lakeview: Battle Creek Lakeview continues to dominate its city’s track and field scene, and again won its all-city meets Friday. The girls won despite not running standout Sarita Dotson, who was out with an injury. (Battle Creek Enquirer).
Football
Stoney Creek celebrates Fisher: A Rochester Hills Stoney Creek football coach remembered Thursday how Eric Fisher was 6-foot-1 and 150 pounds as a high school freshman. That night, Fisher was selected first in the NFL draft out of Central Michigan University by the Kansas City Chiefs. (Detroit News)
Century of School Sports: 2025 Finals Begin Next Half-Century of Girls Hoops Championships
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
March 18, 2025
This weekend the MHSAA will conclude its second of three seasons during this “Century of School Sports” 100th-anniverary celebration with the last of its winter championships – the Girls Basketball Semifinals & Finals at Michigan State University’s Breslin Center.
While boys basketball was the first sport to see its champions crowned by the newly-formed Michigan High School Athletic Association in 1925 – and girls have been playing basketball for their schools in Michigan for more than 130 years – girls basketball was actually the sixth girls sport to gain MHSAA postseason championships, with its first Finals played during the Fall 1973.
This weekend’s MHSAA Girls Basketball Finals actually will be the 51st – the tournament was not completed in 2020 due to COVID-19 – and leads us to our first trivia question:
Q: There have been 200 MHSAA Finals championships won in girls basketball. How many schools have won at least one?
A: 105 schools have won at least one beginning when Detroit Dominican, Hudsonville Unity Christian, Hamtramck St. Ladislaus and Ewen-Trout Creek earned the first.
Detroit Country Day remains atop the lists for most championship game appearances (17) and Finals titles won (13). Detroit Martin Luther King and Portland St. Patrick rank second in appearances with 12 apiece. Bloomfield Hills Marian, St. Patrick and now-closed Flint Northern rank second on the championships list with six apiece. Northern won the most consecutively – four straight in Class A from 1978-81.
Here's another potential stumper:
Q: In what sport was the MHSAA’s first statewide girls championship awarded?
A: Gymnastics, with its first Final on March 11, 1972, three months before Title IX was signed into law.
The first MHSAA Girls Gymnastics Final was followed during the 1972-73 school year by the additions of girls Finals in golf, swimming & diving, tennis and track & field. Then came basketball in 1973-74, skiing and softball in 1974-75 (although there were Girls Skiing Regionals beginning in 1952), volleyball in 1975-76 and cross country in 1978-79.
The 1980s saw girls soccer added in 1982-83, with competitive cheer joining the lineup in 1993-94. Bowling was added in 2003-04, lacrosse in 2004-05, and the first MHSAA Girls Wrestling Individual Finals were competed in 2021-22. Field hockey will be the next addition among girls championship sports, this upcoming fall.
Similar to this “Century of School Sports” series, MHSAA.com published a 57-part celebration of “Title IX at 50” during the 2021-22 school year building up to the 25th MHSAA Women In Sports Leadership Conference that following fall. Click to read up on now nearly 53 years of MHSAA girls sports.
Previous "Century of School Sports" Spotlights
March 11: Boys Basketball's Best 1st to Earn MHSAA Finals Titles - Read
March 5: Everything We Do Begins with Participation - Read
Feb. 25: Slogans & Logos Remain Unforgettable Parts of MHSAA History - Read
Feb. 19: MHSAA Tickets Continue to Provide Fan-Friendly Value - Read
Feb. 11: We Recognize Those Who Make Our Games Go - Read
Feb. 4: WISL Conference Continues to Inspire Aspiring Leaders - Read
Jan. 28: Michigan's National Impact Begins at NFHS' Start - Read
Jan. 21: Awards Celebrate Well-Rounded Educational Experience - Read
Jan. 14: Predecessors Laid Foundation for MHSAA's Formation - Read
Jan. 9: MHSAA Blazes Trail Into Cyberspace - Read
Dec. 31: State's Storytellers Share Winter Memories - Read
Dec. 17: MHSAA Over Time - Read
Dec. 10: On This Day, December 13, We Will Celebrate - Read
Dec. 3: MHSAA Work Guided by Representative Council - Read
Nov. 26: Finals Provide Future Pros Early Ford Field Glory - Read
Nov. 19: Connection at Heart of Coaches Advancement Program - Read
Nov. 12: Good Sports are Winners Then, Now & Always - Read
Nov. 5: MHSAA's Home Sweet Home - Read
Oct. 29: MHSAA Summits Draw Thousands to Promote Sportsmanship - Read
Oct. 23: Cross Country Finals Among MHSAA's Longest Running - Read
Oct. 15: State's Storytellers Share Fall Memories - Read
Oct. 8: Guided by 4 S's of Educational Athletics - Read
Oct. 1: Michigan Sends 10 to National Hall of Fame - Read
Sept. 25: MHSAA Record Books Filled with 1000s of Achievements - Read
Sept. 18: Why Does the MHSAA Have These Rules? - Read
Sept. 10: Special Medals, Patches to Commemorate Special Year - Read
Sept. 4: Fall to Finish with 50th Football Championships - Read
Aug. 28: Let the Celebration Begin - Read
PHOTO Bloomfield Hills Marian's Trina Govan (42) and teammates celebrate during the closing moments of their 71-49 win over Flint Powers Catholic in the 1988 Class A championship game. (MHSAA file photo)