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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:

ATAP's De'Vontae Grandison brings the ball upcourt during his team's Semifinal win.

ATAP Continues Extraordinary Climb By Advancing to 1st Title Game

By Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com

March 13, 2025

EAST LANSING – Meteors might only seem like they are limited to the sky, but don’t tell that to the Arts & Technology Academy of Pontiac boys basketball team. 

On Thursday, the Lions continued what can be put mildly as a meteoric rise toward the top of the state.

ATAP, which opened in 2001, advanced to its first state championship game with a convincing 76-40 win over Ishpeming Westwood in a Division 3 Semifinal on Thursday. 

The Lions went 3-12 two years ago and 8-7 last year, but are 21-1 entering Saturday’s 4:30 p.m. Final. 

Playing in a Semifinal for the first time, the Lions showcased to the state why they have climbed so quickly, overmatching Westwood with their speed, skill and athleticism. 

For ATAP head coach Orlando Lovejoy, everything was about focusing on his team and its strengths.

“We don’t watch film on nobody,” Lovejoy said. “Why would we even watch film on somebody when we don’t even know how they are going to play us? There’s no need to watch film. The most important thing is to play the way we are going to play and control what we can control, and that’s how we play defense. That’s the main thing we can stop anybody with, our defense.” 

The Lions' Khalif Stovall (2) works to maintain possession with multiple Westwood players closing in.ATAP (21-1) certainly displayed its defense, forcing 21 turnovers by Westwood. 

Offensively, freshman Lewis Lovejoy led the way with 19 points, while sophomore De’Vontae Grandison had 17 and nine rebounds.

The Lions held a 24-17 rebounding advantage and shot a blistering 70.5 percent from the field (31 of 44), making 29 of 34 shots from 2-point range. 

“It feels great because we have put in so much work,” said senior Teyshaun Hicks. “From the summertime to the start of the season, 6 in the morning to late at night. It’s paying off, and you see it now.”

Junior Ethan Marta scored 15 points and senior Tristan Miller added 13 to lead the way for the Patriots (22-6), who made their first Semifinal appearance since 2003. 

“We ultimately fell short tonight, but it doesn’t change anything we did all year,” Westwood head coach Luke Gray said. “We set the standard. Graduated seven seniors from last year. These kids embraced it the right way. We had a great summer and I will always cherish the way this team leads by example not only within this program, but in the community with how they treat others.”

The Lions were dominant from the start, scoring the first eight points and forcing the Patriots into two timeouts before the game was even four minutes old.

ATAP had an 18-8 lead after the first quarter before Ishpeming Westwood seemed to settle into the game.

The Patriots cut the lead to 20-14 with 5:05 to play until halftime on a jumper by Miller. But the Lions surged from there, using their pressure defense to create turnovers that led to easy baskets. ATAP finished the second quarter on a 16-1 run to grab a 36-15 lead by halftime. 

The Lions ensured there wasn’t a big run by the Patriots during the third quarter, taking a 56-33 lead into the fourth.

Click for the full box score.

PHOTOS (Top) ATAP's De'Vontae Grandison brings the ball upcourt during his team's Semifinal win. (Middle) The Lions' Khalif Stovall (2) works to maintain possession with multiple Westwood players closing in.