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High 5s: 11/7/12

November 7, 2012

This past Saturday saw eight teams and eight individuals crowned MHSAA champions, and this week we feature a few who will be listed among the best for all time. 

Erin Finn
West Bloomfield senior
Cross country

Finn won her second straight MHSAA individual Lower Peninsula Division 1 championship, this time in 17:07.9. Her finish was the fastest from any of the four divisions that raced Saturday at Michigan International Speedway, and gave her the victory in hers by 27 seconds. Finn’s time was the fourth-best ever at an MHSAA Final. She has three of the top 15 times ever run at MIS, more than any other runner.

On track for more: Finn also won an MHSAA Track and Field championship last season, setting an all-division/class record in the 1,600 with a time of 10:17.86. That time was nearly five seconds better than the previous best.

Maize and Blue: Finn will run next season at the University of Michigan. The Wolverines cross country team is ranked No. 7 nationally heading into Friday's NCAA Great Lakes Regional. 

Scientifically speaking: Finn intends to study biomechanical engineering at U-M. "My junior year, I found out I love physics, and I already knew I loved bio and chemistry. So, what's better than to combine those?"

Runners to chase: “I looked up to Megan Goethals (of Rochester), number one, and Shannon Osika (of Waterford Mott). They’re people I competed with. I know that one day I can be like that. It’s more real to me.”

Click to read more.

Nick Raymond
Erie Mason senior
Cross country

After dashing to the lead last season and finishing fourth, Nick Raymond dominated the Lower Peninsula Division 3 Final at MIS with a time of 15:05.1 – the second-fastest time for a Division 3/Class C MHSAA Final to only Maverick Darling's 14:52.8 for Ovid-Elsie in 2007. Raymond is the first individual cross country champion from Erie Mason (not counting another who finished first among individuals before team and individual placers were combined for one race beginning in 1997) and also placed in both the 1,600 and 3,200 at the spring's Lower Peninsula Division 3 Track and Field Final. 

A long drive: "I've been working hard, since the first time (I ran) in sixth grade. Working hard and training hard over the summer and during mandatory practices too." 

Brotherly influence: Raymond began running cross country in the footsteps of his older brother Andrew Raymond, a 2010 graduate. "He told me, 'If you just keep working hard, just look forward at your dream, your goal, you will achieve it.'"

Now the pool, then the track: Raymond swims during the winter, specializing in butterfly and breaststroke. Then it's on to track. Raymond finished fourth in the 1,600 (4:21.84) and seventh in the 3,200 (9:44.91) at last season's Lower Peninsula Division 3 Final. 

Looking up to Pre: Like many in the running community, Raymond considers former Oregon and international star Steve Prefontaine a major influence. "I liked how he had a lot of faith in himself."

Click to read more. 

East Kentwood soccer

The top-ranked Falcons edged Grand Blanc 1-0 at Troy Athens to claim their fourth Division 1 championship in six seasons. They finished 22-1-4, their seventh with at least 20 wins in the last eight years. 

Click to read more. 

Previous 2012-13 honorees:

Mio's Jay Smith (45) puts up a shot in multiple games during his high school career.

Flashback 100: Despite Launching Before 3-Point Line, Smith Still Tops Scoring List

January 10, 2025

The list of NBA players who starred for MHSAA member schools is impressive, featuring names like Magic Johnson (Lansing Everett 1977), Dan Majerle (Traverse City 1983), Glen Rice (Flint Northwestern 1985), Rudy Tomjanovich (Hamtramck 1967) and Jason Richardson (Saginaw Arthur Hill 1999).

However, one name stands above the rest in terms of scoring: Jay Smith of Mio.

Remarkably, Smith achieved his legendary point total a decade before the 3-point line was introduced.

During his four years at Mio (1975-76 to 1978-79), Smith scored an astounding 2,841 points. His senior-year total of 952 points ranks fourth all-time, while his junior-year total of 912 points sits in seventh place.

Smith also put up memorable performances, scoring 48 points in a 1978 District game and following up with a 47-point effort the next year — both of which remain in the top 20 for most points scored in a single MHSAA Tournament game. Simply put, no one scored as prolifically as Smith. His extraordinary career earned him the title of “Retro Mr. Basketball 1979,” awarded by the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan (BCAM). (Note: The Mr. Basketball Award was first presented in 1981, with BCAM later recognizing past players with Retro honors).

After high school, Smith played one season at Bowling Green University and three at Saginaw Valley State College. Upon graduating, he transitioned to coaching college basketball, serving as an assistant at Kent State and Michigan before becoming the head coach at Grand Valley State. Smith later guided Central Michigan to the second round of the 2003 NCAA Tournament, before losing to Duke. Currently, Smith is in his 39th season in college basketball, serving as the director of player development at Eastern Michigan.

And the next time you are in Mio, you can drive on Jay Smith Drive, located on the north side of town, off West 8th Street.

The MHSAA added a 3-point line in 1987-88.

MHSAA Career Scoring Leaders

2,841 – Jay Smith, Mio (1976-79)
2,789 – Mark Brown, Hastings (1982-85)
2,782 – Dylan Jergens, Marcellus Howardsville Christian (2016-19)
2,522 – Christopher Haas, Pellston (2009-12)
2,518 – Tory Jackson, Saginaw Buena Vista (2003-06)
2,490 – Mark Macon, Saginaw Buena Vista (1984-87)
2,462 – Drew Neitzel, Wyoming Park (2001-04)
2,449 – Matt Stuck, Manton (1989-92)
2,448 – Marcus Taylor, Lansing Waverly (1997-00)
2,421 – Marcus Matelski, Boyne Falls (2013-16)

Previous "Flashback 100" Features

Jan. 3: Edison's Jackson Earns Place Among State's All-Time Elite - Read
Dec. 20: Future Olympian Piper Leads Grosse Pointe North to Historic Heights - Read
Dec. 13: The Other Mr. Forsythe in Michigan School Sports - Read
Dec. 6: Coleman's Legendary Heroics Carry Harrison Through Repeat - Read
Nov. 29: Harbaugh Brothers' Football Roots Planted in Part at Pioneer - Read
Nov. 22: 8-Player Football Finals Right at Home at Superior Dome - Read
Nov. 15: Leland Career Helps Set Stage for Glass' International Stardom - Read
Nov. 8: Future Baseball Pro Led Escanaba's Legendary Football Title Run - Read
Nov. 1: Michigan High School Baseball Trio Provide World Series Voices - Read
Oct. 25: Before Leading Free World, Ford Starred for Champion GR South - Read
Oct. 18: Mercy Links Legend Becomes World Golf Hall of Famer - Read
Oct. 11: Fisher Races to Finals Stardom on Way to U.S. Olympic First - Read
Oct. 4: Lalas Leaves High School Legacies on Ice & Pitch - Read
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 

(MHSAA archive photos.)