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High 5s: 11/28/12

November 28, 2012

The final MHSAA championships of the Fall 2012 season give us our final High 5s before heading into winter. This week, we recognize both an individual and a team that achieved new heights. 

Drake Harris
Grand Rapids Christian junior
Football

A 6-foot-4, 180-pound receiver who has committed to play both football and basketball at Michigan State beginning in 2014, Harris posted one of the finest receiving season in MHSAA history capped by playing a huge role in his team's first MHSAA championship. The Eagles beat Orchard Lake St. Mary's 40-37 in overtime Saturday for the Division 3 title. His eight catches for a Finals-record 243 yards and a touchdown put his unofficial season totals at 91 catches for 2,015 yards and 25 scores. Once confirmed, the season yardage will rank as the most in MHSAA history and 12th nationally for one season (his yards per game rank fourth and yards per catch sixth on the NFHS lists). Harris also ranked fourth for catches and second for touchdown catches on the MHSAA single-season lists.

Just ducky: "I'm probably more energized now after he hit that kick," Harris said after teammate Joel Schipper's winning field goal Saturday. "I was probably more tired a little bit during the game. But we condition all practice. We play fast. We play like Oregon, move the ball, (at) a high tempo. We're all in condition, so we really weren't that tired." 

Bring on the new guy: Harris has caught more than 3,000 yards worth of passes from senior Alex VanDeVusse over the last two seasons, but will play with a new quarterback in 2013. "I've been with Alex since sophomore year. I guess I have to start over and work hard all next season and hope to get back here."  

Be like Calvin: "Calvin Johnson, I want to be just like him when I get older. I know I'm a little skinny right now, but when I get to college, I know they'll put weight on me. I watch film on him all the time, watch him running routes. So I take my game after him. He's the best wide receiver in the NFL right now, probably one of the best wide receivers to play the game, in my opinion." 

Click to read more. 

Portland football

The Raiders, unranked despite entering the postseason 8-1, finished with their first MHSAA title won in their first trip to the Finals. Portland defeated Grand Rapids West Catholic 12-9 in the Division 5 championship game after knocking out 2011 champion Flint Powers Catholic in the Regional Final. For the playoffs, Portland outscored its five opponents 169-66 while holding three to nine or fewer points. In finishing 13-1 and setting a school record for wins, the Raiders beat nine playoff teams total including eventual Division 3 Semifinalist DeWitt. 

Click to read more. 

Previous 2012-13 honorees:

Today In The MHSAA

Today In The MHSAA: 5/25/21

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

May 25, 2021

Girls Soccer: Division 1 No. 11 Salem clinched its first league title in this sport in 34 years with 3-0 win over No. 20 Livonia Stevenson in the Kensington Lakes Activities Association championship game – Observer & Eccentric

2. Softball: No. 3 Howell continued an awesome run to close the regular season with a 5-3 win over top-ranked Grand Blanc – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

3. Track & Field: The Negaunee girls and Gladstone boys clinched Mid-Peninsula Conference titles, the Miners for the 11th-straight season – Marquette Mining Journal

4. Boys Golf: Warren De La Salle Collegiate – No. 5 in Lower Peninsula Division 1 – ran its Macomb County championship streak to seven shooting a 309 at the county tournament – Macomb Daily

5. Girls Soccer: Traverse City West earned its third-straight Big North Conference title with a 2-0 win over second-place Petoskey – Traverse City Record-Eagle

6. Baseball: Goodrich downed Fenton 2-1 in nine innings to clinch the outright Flint Metro League championship – WJRT

7. Baseball: Division 2 No. 9 Grand Rapids Christian claimed the Ottawa-Kent Conference White title with a 4-3 win over East Grand Rapids – FOX 17

8. Softball: Division 2 No. 8 Chelsea swept Tecumseh to clinch the Southeastern Conference White title, setting a team home run record in the process – Ann Arbor News

9. Baseball: Dexter’s sweep of Pinckney and Chelsea’s win over Tecumseh landed the Dreadnaughts the outright SEC White title – Chelsea Sun Times News

10. Boys Golf: Niles shot a 349 to win the Berrien-Cass-St. Joseph Conference championship in its lone season playing in the league – Niles Daily Star

Also of note …

Softball: Division 1 No. 7 South Lyon East fell to No. 5 Allen Park 8-6 but did hit its 64th home run of the season to set an MHSAA record – Oakland Press

Baseball: Division 2 No. 2 New Boston Huron clinched the Huron League championship with a 6-4 win over Milan – Monroe News

Boys Golf: LPD2 No. 4 Chelsea shot a 319 at the SEC White Tournament to earn the overall league title – Chelsea Sun Times News

Boys Golf: Durand shot a 386 at the Mid-Michigan Activities Conference Tournament to finish first and lock up the overall league title – Owosso Argus-Press

Girls Lacrosse: Jeff Seidel tells a memorable story of why this season’s first-year Detroit Cass Tech team was unforgettable – Detroit Free Press