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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:

Walled Lake Northern welcomes Shaela Byrnes (9) as she crosses the plate after her go-ahead sixth-inning home run.

Turmell's Near No-Hitter, Byrnes' Blast Deliver Northern's 1st Finals Championship

By Tim Robinson
Special for MHSAA.com

June 13, 2026

EAST LANSING – Grand Haven softball coach John Hall had an idea how Saturday’s Division 1 Softball Final with Walled Lake Northern was going to go.

“I told our coaches last night at the hotel this is going to be a 2-1 game,” Hall noted. 

Indeed, it was a pitcher’s duel that saw the teams combine for just four hits in Northern’s 2-1 victory.

The Finals championship was the first for the Knights – and while the result may have been predictable given the talent in the circle, it also took a minute to believe for the winner of that individual duel.

“I didn’t believe it was real until my catcher (Anna Doyle) started running at me,” said Northern senior pitcher Lyla Turmell.

The Knights also made their first appearance in a Semifinal on Thursday, edging Northville by the same 2-1 score.

This game was decided on a home run by junior Shayla Byrnes in the bottom of the sixth inning. Her fly ball down the left field line banged off the foul pole to break a 1-1 tie.

Turmell then struck out the side in the top of the seventh inning.

Grand Haven’s Ryley Jeltema is stuck between third base and home as Northern catcher Anna Doyle runs her back.She had given Northern (39-3) a 1-0 lead on a homer in the first inning. 

“I threw her a wicked rise ball, and she got her hands up to it,” Grand Haven pitcher Lorelei Chcuik said. “There was nothing I could do about it.”

"(I was) getting a rally started, at least," Turmell said of her round-tripper. "I knew my bat could help me."

Chciuk scored Grand Haven’s run in the fourth inning, scoring on a fielder’s choice.

Both pitchers were outstanding.

Turnell allowed only one hit, a first-inning single by Ryley Jeltema. She walked three and struck out nine.

She worked out of trouble in the top of the sixth inning, handling a comebacker with the bases loaded to end a Grand Haven rally. 

Chciuk was equal to the task, striking out 12 while getting on base three times on two walks and being hit by a pitch.

Grand Haven (36-5-1) also was making its first appearance in a championship game.

“It was a game that could go either way,” Hall said. “It came down to two swings. Would I have liked to win? Sure.

“But I wouldn’t’ve traded this for nothing. Nothing.”

Click for the full box score.

PHOTOS (Top) Walled Lake Northern welcomes Shaela Byrnes (9) as she crosses the plate after her go-ahead sixth-inning home run. (Middle) Grand Haven’s Ryley Jeltema is stuck between third base and home as Northern catcher Anna Doyle runs her back.