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High 5s: 11/14/12

November 19, 2012

All three of this week's honorees have achieved some sort of first-time stardom this fall, either individually or as a team. And both Carli Snyder and Alex Grace will be back next fall to continue building on these accomplishments. 

Carli Snyder
Macomb Dakota junior
Volleyball

(UPDATED 11/19) Snyder, a 6-foot-1 outside hitter, was an all-stater her first two seasons of high school. But she will be remembered even more for leading Macomb Dakota this fall to its first MHSAA championship in any girls sport. The Cougars defeated Temperance Bedford in three games in Saturday's Class A Final at Kellogg Arena. Snyder unofficially finished this season with 913 kills, good for seventh in the MHSAA record book since the beginning of the rally scoring era in 2004-05. Her 31 kills against Bedford were third-most for a Final during that time. Snyder already has committed to sign with the University of Florida next year. She likely will be among frontrunners for next fall's Miss Volleyball award. 

Title talk: "We wanted this thing so bad. Every girl on this team wanted it so badly. Megan (Manierski) was setting the ball perfectly. She made it very easy to get kills. ... Just talking about this moment, this gym, it makes you just want to play harder than you ever have."

Winning recipe: "We've been a competitive team in practice and in games all year, so I think that helped us at that moment (in three close Finals games) when we just didn't want to lose. We refused to lose. ... We support each other no matter what. And we hustled so hard."

Shake it up: "We have some secret handshakes with other people, but mine are very complex. I don't know how we went about that. Megan and mine is from "Parent Trap," and then Megan Downey and mine, we just made it up at team dinner. We make it a bit more complex than it needs to be, but it's fun. And it's a great thing to calm us down for a game when we've played a bad one before."

Had to be a Gator: "I like warm weather. I love the coaches. I actually called Florida for my recruiting phone call because I was kinda bored one day at home and I was like, 'I got a letter from them.' I fell in love with the coaching staff, and I told my mom that I needed to go on a visit down there. It's incredible, and when I went down there I was even more in love. Even on the phone, I knew this is where I would end up. It's just that feeling. You know when you get that feeling, and it's incredible."

Click to read more.

Alex Grace
Saginaw Swan Valley sophomore
Football

The Vikings' leading rusher is also one of the leading rushers in the state this season heading into Saturday's Division 4 Semifinal against Detroit Country Day. Grace has gained 2,091 yards plus run for 27 touchdowns, and needs only 109 yards and three more scores to make the MHSAA record book in both categories. He ran for 182 yards and three scores in the Vikings' Regional Final win over Croswell-Lexington. Grace took over as Swan Valley's running back this season after the graduation of his brother Johnathan, who rushed for 1,790 yards last season and now plays at Michigan Tech. Both brothers ran on Swan Valley's 400-meter relay that finished runner-up at the Lower Peninsula Division 2 Track and Field Final in the spring. Alex is 6-0 and 185 pounds and runs the 40-yard dash in 4.5 seconds.

I'd like to run like: "Even my brother. I like to look at myself as close to him. Professionally, (Minnesota Vikings back) Adrian Peterson. He's a tough runner, fast. He's strong."

Underdogs again: "The last game against Croswell, they were the No. 2 team and we were predicted to lose. But we came back and beat them. I use that underdog feeling to work harder each day."

Best brotherly advice: "Work hard, and if there are doubters, don't let them get you down."

Science and math: (My favorite classes are) biology and economics. They just come easy to me. I enjoy it."

Click to read more. 

Flint Beecher football

The Buccaneers, coached by former Michigan State and NFL standout Courtney Hawkins, were one of the final teams selected for the playoffs, at 5-4 after a 3-4 start. But Beecher advanced to this week's Division 7 Semifinal against Detroit Loyola by eliminating reigning champion Saginaw Nouvel, 19-15, in last week's Regional championship game. Beecher, now 8-4, has made the playoffs six straight years. The first of that run came in Hawkins' second as coach and after 12 straight losing seasons. 

Click to read more. 

Previous 2012-13 honorees:

Romulus Summit Academy North’s Chance Houser dunks during his team’s Division 2 Semifinal win Friday.

Summit Leads from Start to Finish in Clinching 1st Trip to Championship Day

By Steve Vedder
Special for MHSAA.com

March 14, 2025

EAST LANSING – A simple strategy has left Romulus Summit Academy North playing for a Division 2 basketball championship.

It comes down to this: Jump on an opponent quickly, and don't let up.

Keep an opponent down, step on the gas and don't look back – which is exactly what the Dragons accomplished in Friday's methodical 52-40 Semifinal win over Kingsford at the Breslin Center.

Much like the team's previous five tournament wins by an average of nearly 40 points per game, Summit scored the first four points, led 16-6 after one quarter, 30-16 at the half and never let Kingsford climb within 12 points during the second half.

In other words, business as usual, said Dragons junior guard Marquan White.

"We don't anyone to get their first licks in," he said. "We want the advantage of keeping a lead and then going with it. We don't want to give other teams hope."

The win sends Summit (24-3) into Saturday's 6:45 p.m. championship game. Kingsford finished 22-4.

Dragons senior guard Amir Perryman said it's no accident the team starts games with a bang. It's a strategy stressed by coaches and taken to heart by players – and best of all, executed during games.

"They emphasize getting the first lead. We want to knock an opponent down and keep going the whole game," said Perryman, who finished with 10 points. 

The Dragons’ Rapheal White (2) drives while defended by Kingsford’s Jett Buckley. The quick start was a result of myriad strengths. Summit forced 17 turnovers while allowing the Flivvers to attempt 11 fewer shots (41-30). The Dragons also held a 24-13 rebounding edge.

Kingsford coach Ben Olsen said his team faced problems in falling behind by as much as 21-10 midway through the second quarter.

"We got down 10, and their pressure got to us," he said. "We weren't able to climb out of the hole. We talked about getting a quick lead and then play our style of game."

Dragons junior guard Chance Houser led his team with 21 points and seven rebounds. Gavin Grondin had 12 and Morgan Sleik 11 points for Kingsford.

Two years ago, Summit fell in the Semifinals to Grand Rapids South Christian.

"We've faced some adversity this year, but it means a lot to us – the players, coaches, assistant coaches and guys on the bench. We've all been part of it,” Houser said.

First-year Dragons coach Derek Clark said much of the credit goes to special depth at guard. He trusts at least four players to handle the ball, a strength which resulted in only 11 turnovers during the Semifinal.

"We've got a unique build to the roster. We've got a lot of good players who can handle the ball, and that gives us an advantage," he said.

As far as playing in the championship game, Clark said he refuses to underestimate any opponent.

"Anyone who makes it to this level can beat you," he said. "It's not like I'm some mad scientist and can concentrate on like 20 teams. We take it one step at a time. I haven't even been watching film of the other two (Semifinal) teams (Grand Rapids Catholic Central and Warren Lincoln). I've only been watching Kingsford."

Click for the full box score.

PHOTOS (Top) Romulus Summit Academy North’s Chance Houser dunks during his team’s Division 2 Semifinal win Friday. (Middle) The Dragons’ Rapheal White (2) drives while defended by Kingsford’s Jett Buckley. (Photos by Adam Sheehan/Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)