Today In The MHSAA: 11/12/21

November 12, 2021

1. VOLLEYBALL No. 2 Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central needed to come back from a 2-1 deficit to get past honorable mention Brooklyn Columbia Central in a Division 3 Regional Final – Monroe News

2. VOLLEYBALL No. 3 Battle Creek St. Philip came back from a 2-1 deficit to get past No. 2 Athens in five and win a Division 4 Regional title – Battle Creek Enquirer

3. VOLLEYBALL No. 4 Rockford advanced to next week’s Division 1 Quarterfinals with a sweep of No. 6 Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central – FOX 17

4. VOLLEYBALL After defeating No. 4 Bronson in the Regional Semifinal, Watervliet finished a Regional title run with a win over honorable mention Kalamazoo Christian – WWMT

5. VOLLEYBALL No. 9 Reese came back after losing the first set to defeat No. 8 Cass City 3-2 in Division 3 – Saginaw News

6. VOLLEYBALL Indian River Inland Lakes claimed its first Regional title since 1995 with a 3-1 win over Rudyard in Division 4 – Cheboygan Daily Tribune

7. VOLLEYBALL Davison won its first Regional title since 1995, sweeping Traverse City West in a matchup of Division 1 honorable mentions – Flint Journal

8. VOLLEYBALL Allen Park Inter-City Baptist avenged its pair of regular-season losses to No. 8 Plymouth Christian Academy with a four-set Division 4 Regional Final win – Southgate News-Herald

9. VOLLEYBALL No. 7 Northville advanced in Division 1 with a sweep of honorable mention Saline – Ann Arbor News

10. VOLLEYBALL Honorable mention McBain avenged last season’s Division 3 Regional Final loss to Beaverton with a sweep – Cadillac News

Performance of the Week: Anchor Bay's Thomas Westphal

November 3, 2022

Thomas WestphalThomas Westphal ♦ New Baltimore Anchor Bay
Cross Country ♦ Junior

Westphal continued his stunning rise this season, winning his team’s Lower Peninsula Division 1 Regional at Croswell-Lexington by 27 seconds with a time of 15:12.2 – the eighth-fastest time in the Lower Peninsula this fall. Westphal has won four of his last five races and finished first or second in eight of his nice races this season. The Regional win followed up another victory at the Macomb Area Conference all-divisions championship race Oct. 22.

As a sophomore last fall, Westphal’s best finish was a seventh place, and he didn’t advance to the MHSAA Cross Country Finals either of his first two seasons. His personal record heading into this fall was 17:26.7, and he bested it by more than a minute in his 2022 season debut. He’s broken 16 minutes in six races this season, with his Regional-winning time his newest all-time best. Westphal’s elite abilities actually began to emerge on the statewide scene in the spring, when he finished eighth in the 1,600 meters and 10th in the 800 at the Lower Peninsula Division 1 Track & Field Finals.

@mhsaasports 🏃‍♂️POW: Thomas Westphal #performanceoftheweek #crosscountry #running #record #pr #fast #finalsbound #goodluck #anchorbay #MHSAA #highschoolsports #tiktalk #interview #TikTok⁣ #mistudentaid #fyp @thomas_westphal ♬ original sound - MHSAA

Follow the MHSAA on TikTok.

MI Student Aid

MHSAA.com's "Performance of the Week" features are powered by MI Student Aid, a part of the Office of Postsecondary Financial Planning located within the Michigan Department of Treasury. MI Student Aid encourages students to pursue postsecondary education by providing access to student financial resources and information. MI Student Aid administers the state’s 529 college savings programs (MET/MESP), as well as scholarship and grant programs that help make college Accessible, Affordable and Attainable for you. Connect with MI Student Aid at www.michigan.gov/mistudentaid and find more information on Facebook and Twitter @mistudentaid.

2022-23 Honorees

Oct. 27: Justin Wickey, Colon football - Report
Oct. 20:
Owen DeMuth, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood tennis - Report
Oct. 13:
Mia Melendez, Ann Arbor Greenhills golf - Report
Oct. 6:
Shawn Foster, Grand Ledge football - Report
Sept. 30:
Hannah Smith, Temperance Bedford swimming - Report
Sept. 22:
Helen Sachs, Holland West Ottawa cross country - Report
Sept. 15:
Nina Horning, Lake Orion volleyball - Report
Sept 8:
Arturo Romero, Muskegon Oakridge soccer - Report
Sept. 1:
Austin King, Midland Dow tennis - Report
Aug. 25:
Olivia Hemmila, Troy Athens golf - Report

(Photos courtesy of Rick Leslie [action] and Anchor Bay High School [head shot].)