10 to Remember: 2012-13 Finals
June 27, 2013
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Championships are culminations of season-long journeys, concluding with the most exciting competitions of the year but steeped in back stories that make those crowning achievements mean so much more.
The Michigan High School Athletic Association awards 127 team championships each school year. Anyone picking 10 favorites could come up with at least 13 different lists.
So the list that follows likely won’t agree with many others. But here’s one person’s take on the 10 most incredible MHSAA Finals performances – focusing mostly on the final competition but with some back story built in – from the 2012-13 school year. (Click on headings for full stories.)
10. Special teams lead to special accomplishment for Brother Rice
Birmingham Brother Rice and Muskegon had combined for 12 MHSAA football championships entering the Finals. But in winning their eighth, the Warriors also accomplished a first in 44 seasons under coach Al Fracassa – their first back-to-back titles. They went ahead in the eventual 35-28 win on a cross-field lateral that turned into a 91-yard kickoff return with 2:13 to play.
9. Lakewood volleyball ends championship wait ...
Lake Odessa Lakewood coach Kellie Rowland has won 787 matches during her 15 seasons over two tenures leading the program, and frequently had brought the Vikings to the cusp of their first MHSAA title. They finally got it by defeating perennial power North Branch in three games in the Class B championship match.
8. ... and so does Bay City Western baseball
The Warriors earned coach Tim McDonald his first MHSAA championship game victory to go with 562 more wins over 21 seasons. Bay City Western won 1-0 in both the Semifinal and then Final over Brother Rice to secure its first baseball title and a 42-2 finish.
7. “Core 4” leave Mona Shores with four more
Seniors Hailey Hrynewich, Morgan Smith, Britni Gielow and Kelsey McKinley finished their high school careers as starters on four MHSAA championship teams, including the one that won the Lower Peninsula Division 2 Final this school year by 41 strokes. Hrynewich and Smith both posted top-five individual finishes as Mona Shores shot a two-day 666 at their final championship tournament.
6. Grand Ledge gymnastics sets the bar
Number six on this list makes sense for the Comets, who won their sixth straight MHSAA team championship to set the all-time longest title streak in the sport. They did so with the fifth-highest score in MHSAA Finals history – 149.350 – and despite graduating the Division 1 all-around champion the spring before.
5. Seniors say good-bye at LP Division 1 Final
Grosse Pointe South’s Hannah Meier and West Bloomfield’s Erin Finn brought national acclaim to the Detroit suburbs over the last two years with dominating performances in track and cross country. They finished their careers at the LP Division 1 Track & Field Final, where Meier set all-MHSAA Finals records in the 800 and 1,600 and Finn set an all-Finals record in the 3,200. In the fall, Finn and Meier finished first and second, respectively, at the LP Division 1 Cross Country Final.
4. Fowlerville standout reaches the stars
Gladiators senior Adam Coon, once an aspiring astronaut now turned aspiring aerospace engineer, became the 17th wrestler in MHSAA history to win four individual Finals championships. And he became the first to do so at the two heaviest weights, earning his titles at 215 and 285 pounds. He graduated with a career record of 211-3 and a 194-match winning streak.
3. Swimming with speed in Saline
Saline also won its fourth straight MHSAA title, in Lower Peninsula Division 1, anchored by seniors David Boland, Josh Ehrman, Michael Bundas and Adam Whitener. Combined, they hold four Finals individual and two relay records, and Ehrman graduated with all-Finals records in the 200-yard individual medley and 100 breaststroke. Those four also leave with the 200 medley relay all-Finals record – with their time of 1:30.01 good for third-best in the national record book.
2. Michell sits atop MHSAA medal count
Reed City’s Sami Michell is one of two girls in MHSAA history to win four events at a Track & Field Final – a feat she accomplished both this season and last. And she finished her career this month with 12 individual titles overall, two more than the previous Lower Peninsula record. She graduated with LP Division 3 Finals records in both hurdles races and the long jump, and her 300 hurdles time of 42.23 is an all-Finals record.
1. Football Finals end in overtime classic
The most exciting MHSAA Football Final likely was the last of Thanksgiving weekend – a 40-37 overtime win by Grand Rapids Christian over Orchard Lake St. Mary’s that gave the Eagles the Division 3 title. And at least on this list, it counts as the most exciting of all the buzzer-beating, one-point, by one millimeter endings to the MHSAA’s 127 Finals this school year.
The Saturday night crowd at Ford Field was treated to an incredible performance by Eagles receiver Drake Harris, who had eight catches for a record 243 yards and touchdown and was nearly unstoppable as Grand Rapids Christian drove down the stretch. Quarterback Alex VanDeVusse threw for 307 yards, fourth-most in MHSAA Finals history, as the frazzled nerves of fans, players and coaches alike hung on every play. St. Mary’s ran for 459 of the single-team Finals record 579 yards of total offense; the teams combined for another record of 1,033 total yards between them. And at the end, the game was decided on a 27-yard field goal by Joel Schipper, who had connected on a 28-yarder with four seconds left in regulation to send the game to overtime.
PHOTO:Saline swimmers take a celebratory dip after claiming their fourth straight Lower Peninsula Division 1 championship.
Detroit Catholic Central Starts Fast, Holds Off Hudsonville Rally to Reign Again
By
Drew Ellis
Special for MHSAA.com
June 6, 2026
HOWELL – Playing in its first boys lacrosse state championship game, Hudsonville looked a bit overwhelmed to start Saturday’s Division 1 Final against Detroit Catholic Central.
The Shamrocks jumped out to a 6-0 lead, and eventually led by eight goals during the second quarter.
However, the Eagles would fight back and eventually get the Shamrocks’ lead down to two goals before Catholic Central put the game away with a pair of late scores to prevail 14-10 and claim the program’s third Finals championship.
“Coach (Gunnar) Elder, they did a great job. They were very resilient. They hung in there and could have folded, but they did not,” Catholic Central coach Dave Wilson said of Hudsonville. “Things got real sticky, and I’m just proud of our guys for hanging in there and battling a tough team.”
The start to the game at Howell Parker ultimately became the deciding factor in the outcome. The Shamrocks (17-5) scored the first six goals over the opening seven minutes of play. That included a pair of goals from senior Ryan Dye scored over nine seconds.
“We knew one of the advantages we had was that we had a lot of players who have played in a state championship game before,” Dye said. “We wanted to use that to our advantage. We felt like we could jump out quick and early on them.”
The Shamrocks built that lead to 10-2 midway through the second quarter before Hudsonville (21-2) started to build momentum. The Eagles would score four of the final six goals in the half to give themselves a fighting chance during the second, down 12-6.
“It’s one of those things where you hop on the field, sometimes you need to get hit,” Elder said of the slow start. “Unfortunately, we spotted them too many and it kind of hit us like a ton of bricks.”
Hudsonville turned up the defensive pressure, keeping the Shamrocks scoreless in the third quarter while Dom Moliterno, Will Zuiderveen, and Andrew McAleece each found the net to make the score 12-9 entering the final quarter.
“The defense played out of their minds today. They did a great job. Catholic Central’s got a lot of firepower and we stuck with them, gave them a lot of fits, and created a lot of turnovers to give our offense a chance,” Elder said. “To be able to lean on those guys, it’s just a testament to all of their character.”
Early in the fourth quarter, Hudsonville’s Zaidan Dykstra scored to get the lead down to two goals at 12-10. Catholic Central used a time out to try and regroup, which it managed to do.
“This group was tough. They had a tough stretch and played some really good teams, but that’s why we do that. You always hope that stuff kind of pays off so they can endure moments like this,” Wilson said. “Anybody can draw anything on a whiteboard for a perfect scenario, but it’s what are we going to do when the wheels fall (off) and everything catches on fire? They’re teenagers, so it’s going to happen, but we found a way to straighten it out and hang on.”
Junior Peyton Sofran came through with his fourth goal of the game with eight minutes to play to end the Hudsonville run. Dye then put home his third goal with 2:46 to play, on an assist from Nick Edwards, to put the game out of reach.
“It was crunch time,” Dye said of his insurance goal. “It felt really good (to score). It was a great cut and a wonderful pass by Luke Kramer. It was just a really special play. It was the last shot of my high school career and my last goal, and it came from one of my closest friends.”
Dye added two assists to go with his three goals, while Kramer put home four goals for the Shamrocks.
Zuiderveen and Carson Campbell each had three goals to lead Hudsonville.
Elder had a message for each of his players after accepting the runner-up trophy, and that was to be proud of their historic season.
“There’s nothing to hang their heads about. Hudsonville has never made it this far in boys lacrosse,” Elder said. “We have had a lot of firsts this year. Winning the first Regional championship and our first Semifinal, and our first appearance in a state championship. My message this whole time was to just enjoy all this, no matter what happened. There’s absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. I have a whole community that is just so proud of these guys and what they’ve done all season. I can’t say enough good things about them.”
PHOTOS (Top) Detroit Catholic Central’s Luke Kramer (22) and Peyton Sofran (3) celebrate during their team’s Division 1 championship game Saturday. (Middle) Kramer (22) follows through on a shot. (Below) Hudsonville’s Mason Weber looks to pass. (Photos by Adam Sheehan/Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)