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.
Emeott Closes Prep Career Helping Vault East Kentwood to Team Title #9
By
Steve Vedder
Special for MHSAA.com
May 30, 2026
ROCKFORD – Reece Emeott went from not knowing state history to making it.
The East Kentwood senior said he wasn't aware he could become the first pole vaulter in state history to win three-straight MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 1 Finals titles until he was informed that was indeed what he accomplished following Saturday's meet at Rockford.
Emeott shook off some unexpected setbacks to win this time with a vault of 16 feet, 6 inches. After becoming the first sophomore ever to win the Division 1 pole vault two years ago, then repeating the feat last spring, Emeott said he prefers not to live in the past.
"I try to focus on the now," said Emeott, whose finish sparked the Falcons to their Finals team title since 2019. "I don't think about the past or winning other state titles. I just take it day-by-day, but that is crazy, to win three state titles."
East Kentwood narrowly won the team prize, finishing with 63 points to 62 for runner-up Detroit Catholic Central.
Emeott's title featured a couple of strange turns, including a pass at the15-feet, 9-inch mark, then a miss at 16 feet. At one point late in the event, he ranked just fifth.
"It wasn't how I planned it at all," said Emeott, who will compete at Michigan next season. "I had a sprained foot, and I was kind of nervous about it. I couldn't do everything I wanted. There's pressure, but only because I need to score points to help the team. It would have been bad luck not to win."
Falcons coach Dave Emeott, whose teams have now won nine Finals titles, said the latest championship comes on the heels of a book he wrote last December, "Beyond The Finish Line." The book stresses the importance of relationships, positive parental involvement, the role of winning and being process oriented. Emeott admits the program may have drifted from those factors since winning three straight Division 1 titles from 2017-19.
"We had kind of a drought, and I looked at myself and the team and tried to figure out what we were doing," he said. "I thought, 'Hey, maybe we should be doing those things again. It was a magical year. I thought we could be in the conversation (for a title), but then again, there were days I would have said I don't know."
East Kentwood's other first place came from the 800 relay (1:26.76).
Among the other championships were a pair by Detroit Catholic Central's Zacchaeus Brocks, who captured the 300 hurdles (36.33) and 110 hurdles (13.40). The 300 time is the fourth-best in the country. He was seeded first in both events.
"I got out hard and set the tone," said Brocks, whose 2025 season was prematurely ended by a stress fracture in his toe. "I knew it was in me. I was anxious, but never defeated. I knew I had the confidence and grit to go out and get it. It's a great legacy to leave."
Rodney Endsley of Walled Lake Western was also a double winner, taking the 200 (21.14) and 400 (47.11), with the 16th and 17th-best times, respectively, in state history in those two events.
"I'm not a cocky guy, but when I feel I can win, I do," he said.
Wendell Childs Jr. of Clarkston successfully defended his 2025 title by winning the 800 (1:50.81), less than two seconds ahead of runner-up Greg Myers of Ypsilanti Lincoln. Childs Jr. won last year's title with a 1:51.49.
"Greg is a tough competitor, and I worked and worked to get to the point where I didn't think anybody could beat me," he said. "Last year was big for me, but I knew this was going to be tough."
Luka Hammond of Grand Haven also repeated by winning the 1,600 (4:09.53). Hammond said he learned a valuable lesson about health after what he called "limping" through last fall's cross country season.
"My body got beat up, and I learned my lesson," he said. "I learned that missing a couple days doesn't need to affect you. The most important thing is to be healthy, and I didn't have any problems this spring.
"There was definitely more pressure because I wasn't even supposed to be here last year. I'd be lying if I said I could be here. But you can't let that get the best of you."
Vernall Lee of Detroit Martin Luther King won the 100 (10.76), barely inching past runner-up Peyton Trammer of Belleville (10.77).
"It's a good feeling," said Lee, who was slowed by a pulled hamstring and broken ankle suffered six months ago. "It's mental. I knew it was going to be a tough challenge when I couldn't even walk. I'm still not completely healthy (with the hamstring), maybe 75-80 percent. But the ankle is completely healed."
Among the other champs were Detroit Catholic Central’s Paxton Heitsch in the shot (58-6) and Malachi Clayton in the long jump (24-5). Jase Behmlander of Saginaw Heritage won the high jump (6-10), Cameron Gramzow of New Baltimore Anchor Bay won the discus (172-1) and Brandon Cloud of Northville won the 3,200 (9:02.40).
Detroit Renaissance won the 1,600 relay (3:17.14), Detroit Catholic Central the 400 (41.50) and Ann Arbor Pioneer the 3,200 (7:40.02).
Macomb L’Anse Creuse North’s Cooper Shain (100, 200, 400) and South Lyon’s Owen Moerdyke (shot put) finished first in adaptive events.
PHOTOS (Top) East Kentwood's Reece Emeott clears the bar during a pole vault Saturday. (Middle) Detroit Catholic Central's Zacchaeus Brocks, center, sprints toward the finish in the 110 hurdles. (Click for more from John Brabbs, Carter Sherline and Jamie McNinch/RunMichigan.com.)