High 5s: 11/21/12
November 21, 2012
With the Thanksgiving holiday mid-week and nearly every fall sport done, we'll give out just one High 5 today. But it goes to a team that's been among the elite for half a decade and could be just getting started.
Holland swimming and diving
The Dutch scored 311.5 points to defeat runner-up Ann Arbor Skyline by 56 at the Lower Peninsula Division 2 Final at Oakland University. Holland totaled seven first-place finishes, including winning all three relays. It was the second-straight championship for the Dutch, who finished LP Division 2 runners-up from 2008-10.
Previous 2012-13 honorees:
- Julia Bos, Grand Rapids Christian cross country - Click for more
- Morgan Bullock, Zeeland swimming - Click for more
- Nathan Burnand, Waterford Mott cross country - Click for more
- Aaron Chatfield, Burt Lake Northern Michigan Christian soccer - Click for more
- Erin Finn, West Bloomfield cross country - Click for more
- Alex Grace, Saginaw Swan Valley football - Click for more
- Billy Heckman, Portage Central tennis - Click for more
- Codi Jenshak, Escanaba tennis - Click for more
- Amanda McKinzie, Battle Creek St. Philip cross country - Click for more
- Connor Mora, Cedar Springs cross country - Click for more
- Kelsey Murphy, Plymouth golf - Click for more
- Dewey Lewis, Rockford soccer - Click for more
- Nick Raymond, Erie Mason cross country - Click for more
- Jacqueline Setas, Lansing Catholic golf - Click for more
- Michael Sienko, Williamston tennis - Click for more
- Carli Snyder, Macomb Dakota volleyball - Click for more
- Beal City volleyball - Click for more
- East Kentwood soccer - Click for more
- Flint Beecher football - Click for more
- Grand Blanc boys soccer - Click for more
- Ithaca football - Click for more
- Lansing Everett football - Click for more
- Ludington boys tennis - Click for more
- Muskegon Mona Shores girls golf - Click for more
Flashback 100: Lalas Leaves High School Legacies on Ice & Pitch
October 4, 2024
Alexi Lalas was named the Mr. Soccer Award winner by the Michigan High School Soccer Coaches Association in 1987 after his senior season at Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood. He went on to have a storied career in the sport, playing for the U.S. men’s national team in the 1992 Olympics and the 1994 World Cup and professionally for a decade.
In high school, Lalas also was a part of two ice hockey MHSAA Finals-winning teams. He played on the 1987 and 1988 Cranbrook teams that won Class B-C-D championships as part of a run of four consecutive titles that began in 1985.
Lalas captained the 1988 team, which defeated Riverview Gabriel Richard 11-0 in the first round and Grand Rapids Catholic Central 8-0 in the Semifinals before winning the Final 5-2 over Sault Ste. Marie at Michigan Tech. In 1987, Cranbrook triumphed over Riverview Gabriel Richard 12-0 in round one, Forest Hills Central 8-0 in the Semifinals, and Hancock 6-3 in the Final at the I.M.A. Sports Arena in Flint.
On the pitch, Lalas also was the first American to play in Serie A, Italy’s top soccer division. He spent two seasons with Padova, scoring three goals in 44 appearances. Afterward, he transitioned to Major League Soccer (MLS), playing for the New England Revolution, New York/New Jersey MetroStars, Kansas City Wizards, and Los Angeles Galaxy before retiring after the 2003 season.
Today, Lalas is a soccer commentator for Fox Sports, having previously spent six years with ESPN in a similar role. He also hosts a soccer podcast called State of the Union.
Follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, and TikTok for more weekly "Flashback 100" photo features and additional content celebrating our 100th anniversary.
Previous "Flashback 100" Features
Sept. 27: Tamer's History-Making Run Starts in Dexter, Continues to Paris - Read
Sept. 20: Todd Martin’s Road to Greatness Starts at East Lansing - Read
Sept. 13: James Earl Jones, Dickson High Hoops to Hollywood Legend - Read
Sept. 6: Pioneers' Unstoppable Streak Stretches 9 Seasons - Read
Aug. 30: Detroit dePorres Rushes to 1995 Class CC Football Championship - Read
PHOTOS At left, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood's Alexi Lalas poses for a photo in his soccer uniform; at right, Lalas plays for Cranbrook during his high school hockey career. (Middle) Lalas stands fifth from left with his 1987 Cranbrook soccer team. (Soccer photos courtesy of Alexi Lalas and Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood; hockey photo courtesy of Stouffer Photo/Observer & Eccentric Newspapers.)