Former MHSAA Coach Lands in NHL
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
April 5, 2013
This week in the year 2000, Jon Cooper had just finished his first season coaching at any level, having guided the Lansing Catholic hockey team to its first Regional championship in 25 seasons.
It would be the only season Cooper – a local lawyer and former player at Hofstra – would coach the Cougars. But it also was the start of a nearly unimaginable rise that saw him hired to coach the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning two weeks ago.
As the saying goes, it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. Cooper always was friendly and helpful to this then just-starting local media member, and despite his lone season coaching the Cougars quickly built a local fan base that continues to cheer him on from afar.
An NHL.com piece last week led with the high school angle. Click here to check it out. He took over a team 16-18-2 and near the bottom of the Eastern Conference, but Cooper surely will have plenty rooting him on from the MHSAA hockey ranks as he works to bring the franchise back to the playoffs – and we’ll work to catch up with him this summer during his first NHL offseason.
Grand Haven athletics 'Exemplary'
The Grand Haven High School athletic department received this year’s Exemplary Athletic Program Award from the Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association during its annual conference last month in Traverse City.
The program was established in 1998 to recognize outstanding athletic programs and give high school administrators a vehicle by which to self-assess their practices and measure improvements.
Characteristics of “exemplary” programs include district-wide commitment, excellence in advancing the growth of well-rounded participants and serving the needs of all involved including parents and staff, and sustained success in teaching the values of high school athletics.
Click for more details on award criteria and a list of previous winners, and additional coverage by Grand Rapids’ WZZM.
Volleyball teams 'dug' deep
Michigan high school volleyball teams playing "Dig Pink" matches combined to raise more than $50,500 for cancer research last fall to rank sixth nationally, according to the Side-Out Foundation, a non-profit organization that heads up the “Dig Pink” initiative.
Class D Engadine raised the most among MHSAA schools – $5,200 – with Kent City, Bronson, Grand Ledge, Allendale, Stevensville Lakeshore, Monroe, Waterford Mott, Coldwater and Grand Blanc also contributing to the grand total. Also, Grand Ledge’s Katie Everts received a Side-Out Ambassador Program award, one of 10 handed out to individuals nationally.
Total, more than $1.1 million was raised nationwide.
Name that trophy
Few if any schools in Michigan have done more work in researching and identifying the trophies in its case than Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, which will celebrate its 100th season of boys basketball in 2013-14.
It's rare the Eaglets historians can’t determine what a trophy celebrated. In this case, hopefully you can help.
We believe it’s a basketball trophy from the 1930s – but haven’t been able to pin down a season or a level of the MHSAA tournament. A few things that make this one unique are the plaque presentation, as opposed to a standard trophy, and the large MHSAA seal in the center. Any ideas? Email me at [email protected].
Giving back to those who gave
Those from the U.S. 23/I-94 area surely remember the tornado that tore through Dexter a little more than a year ago, on March 15, 2012.
Dexter track coaches Bob and Katie Jazwinski are remembering those who helped them rebuild after their home was destroyed by the storm.
In a Second Half report last year, Bob Jazwinski said he’d seen athletes and coaches from Adrian, Ann Arbor Pioneer, Pinckney, Chelsea, Ann Arbor Skyline, Whitmore Lake and the USA junior hockey team among the many who flocked to the community to lend a hand in the cleanup.
The Jazwinskis began repaying the favor three weeks ago on the storm's one-year anniversary with the Dexter F 3.1 Tornado Run/Walk that benefited non-profit organizations that had donated for storm recovery the year before.
Click to read the March 30, 2012 story about Adrian athletes’ contributions to the clean-up.
Last call for basketball
We got off to a late start on entering basketball schedules for this winter – but thanks to some incredibly helpful school, official and fan inputters, we were able to catch up quickly and finish with a nearly-complete list of results and standings for this season.
Still, there are some schools with incomplete schedules or a few scores missing. And before everyone forgets completely about this season, we’re hoping for a little help in finishing this enormous task.
Please check out your team’s page on MHSAA.com and help us fill in missing scores and fix inaccuracies. The latter could include just about anything – an incorrect game date, incorrect opponent or score, team missing from league standings, etc. For corrections, please email me directly at [email protected]. (Note: If a game was cancelled, don’t just delete it – contact me and I’ll add “cancelled” to avoid confusion.)
Why is this important? Two big reasons. First, MHSAA.com publishes the most complete statewide scoreboard with results from every corner of Michigan. And we have the most complete archive of basketball seasons available, currently dating to 2009-10. Help us fill in the blanks, and they’ll be saved for everyone’s benefit for years to come.
I thank you in advance for any help you are able to provide.
PHOTOS: (Top) Jon Cooper's bio appeared in the Lansing Catholic hockey team's yearbook for the 1999-2000 season. (Middle) Grand Haven athletic director Robin Bye (second from right) poses with Gull Lake athletic director and MIAAA Exemplary Committee co-char Marc Troop, Grand Haven athletic secretary Rita Way and Ann Arbor Greenhills athletic director and MIAAA Exemplary Committee co-chair Meg Seng after the Buccaneers received this year's award. (Bottom) Orchard Lake St. Mary's is hoping to identify the championship recognized by this trophy, believed to be from the 1930s.
16 Seniors-Strong Rochester Adams Savors Another Unforgettable Finale
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
November 2, 2024
GRAND LEDGE – Anthony Page will never forget winning an MHSAA Boys Soccer Finals title as a sophomore.
But if there’s a chance for something to be more unforgettable, the Rochester Adams senior experienced it Saturday.
Page and the Highlanders defeated Byron Center 2-0 in the Division 1 championship match, claiming the program’s third title and second in three years.
“The first one, it felt great, but this one just feels a little bit better because it’s my senior year,” said Page, who was a starter on Adams’ previous title winner in 2022. “A lot of friends on the team, just a lot of emotions. It’s amazing.”
Page is one of 16 seniors on the Adams roster, and one of three who was part of the 2022 team, along with goalkeeper Reid Dennis and defender Brendan Duff.
It was already a strong group that got even stronger with the addition of five classmates who play club soccer at the highest level but made the choice to play for their school this fall.
“For me, it’s everything because I’m in the school with them, I’m a teacher at Adams,” Adams coach Josh Hickey said. “I see them in the halls all the time. These guys came and they committed to it, and they’re good teammates and good leaders. It’s not just about them; we had a great crew coming back and they were able to blend right with them. I’m just happy they got this stage. People needed to see those guys play.”
The Highlanders came out flying in the first half, hitting Byron Center with wave after wave of pressure. If not for some outstanding saves from Bulldogs senior goalkeeper Luke Philo, the game may have been out of touch early.
“He played amazing,” Page said. “Shoutout to him. I think it was just long balls over the top (that broke through), just breaking them down, and eventually we could just get past them and it worked out.”
Adams got to Philo just past the midpoint of the first half when senior Alex Rosin threaded a perfect ball through to Page, who held off a defender and went to the far post for the goal.
The Highlanders (18-2-4) struck again with 6:50 to play in the first half, when Salvatore Dinoto worked his way into some space and onto his right foot on the right side of the goal, and went far post beyond a fully stretched Philo. Logan Lilla was credited with the assist.
“Tactically, they sit back a little bit, and they’re looking to counter, so those holes are there for you,” Hickey said. “That’s what we were doing, we were looking for those and we were fortunate to get two goals in the beginning which really helped. They came out in a different shape in the second half, so we took advantage when we could.”
Adams had out-shot the Bulldogs 18-1 in the first half, forcing Philo to make six saves.
“That’s Luke Philo all year,” Byron Center coach Chad Bays said. “He should be getting some looks, and he should be all-state. That kid has kept us in games so many times, during PK, etc. He’s a class-act keeper.”
Byron Center (19-5-1) did come out more aggressive in the second half, was able to have more possession and had five shots to Adams’ two. That did not turn into a lot of pressure, however, and none of those shots forced Dennis into action, giving him a clean sheet without having to make a save.
Still, Bays was happy to see how his team responded.
“These guys have worked so hard this season,” he said. “They’ve put in all the time, all the work. They’re just a special group of kids, and I couldn’t be prouder of them. They left everything out on the field, they played a great second half. I thought they answered the call really well; they never gave up. We gave ourselves a chance, and that’s all you can ask for.”
PHOTOS (Top) Rochester Adams’ Alex Rosin (17) and Byron Center’s Brendan Walker (14) contend for a ball during Saturday’s Division 1 Final. (Middle) The Bulldogs’ Connor Jenks (16) tries to get a ball past Adams keeper Reid Dennis. (Below) The Highlanders celebrate during their eventual championship victory. (Photos by Adam Sheehan/Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)