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.
Flashback 100: One Last Look Back as We Turn Focus Toward Future
July 10, 2025
We hope you’ve enjoyed this school year's retrospective on some of the most iconic athletes and personalities who began their journeys in MHSAA sports. While we’ve done our best to highlight a diverse range of individuals across various sports and professions, a single year simply isn’t enough to capture every standout story.
Michigan high schools have produced an incredible array of talent — and the following, in addition to those we've wrote about over the last 10 monrths, are just another glimpse of that legacy:
- Kirk Gibson (Waterford Kettering) – The 1988 National League MVP also played a pivotal role in the Detroit Tigers’ 1984 World Series championship and starred in football as well at Michigan State.
- Jake Long (Lapeer East) – Selected as the NFL’s No. 1 overall draft pick in 2008, he's among a distinguished list of Michigan high school alums to go early in the draft, including Braylon Edwards (Harper Woods Bishop Gallagher, No. 3 in 2005), Carl Banks (Flint Beecher, No. 3 in 1984), Jerome Bettis (Detroit Mackenzie, No. 10 in 1993), and Tyrone Wheatley (Dearborn Heights Robichaud, No. 17 in 1995).
- Jeff Daniels (Chelsea) – Before becoming a renowned actor with credits like The Newsroom, Escanaba in da Moonlight, and Dumb and Dumber, Daniels was a high school baseball player.
- Lisa Byington (Portage Northern) – A trailblazing broadcaster, she serves as the play-by-play voice for the Milwaukee Bucks and regularly appears on CBS during NCAA Basketball Tournaments.
- Kristin Haynie (Mason) – She was first athlete to play in both the NCAA Women’s Division I Basketball Championship and the WNBA Finals in the same calendar year.
- Jalen Rose, Voshon Lenard, and Howard Eisley – This trio of NBA professionals once shared the court at Detroit Southwestern, making it one of the most talent-rich high school teams in state history.
- Jim Abbott (Flint Central) – Born without a right hand, Abbott defied the odds to pitch for 10 seasons in Major League Baseball.
- Earl Morrall (Muskegon) – He was named NFL MVP in 1968 and enjoyed a long and successful pro football career.
- Charlie Gehringer (Fowlerville) and Hal Newhouser (Detroit Wilbur Wright) – Both legends of Major League Baseball, each captured MVP honors during their Hall of Fame careers.
- Kate Markgraf (Detroit Country Day) – A champion at every level of soccer, she earned titles in high school and college, an Olympic Gold Medal, and a FIFA World Cup victory.
- Allison Schmitt (Canton) – One of the most decorated American swimmers of all time, Schmitt has earned 10 Olympic medals.
- Jason Richardson (Saginaw Arthur Hill) and Charles Rogers (Saginaw) – Both were drafted among the top five in their respective college sports (Richardson to the NBA in 2001, Rogers to the NFL in 2003) and faced off against each other as part of one of the state's most historic basketball rivalries.
- Staying with the city of Saginaw, Draymond Green (Saginaw) won a basketball championship in high school (2007) and then four in the NBA (2015, 2017, 2018, 2022) after being drafted in the second round of the 2012 draft by the Golden State Warriors.
And the legacy continues. Olympic gold medal dreams are alive in track & field standouts like Taylor Manson (East Lansing), Hobbs Kessler (Ann Arbor Skyline), and Grant Fisher (Grand Blanc), who are already well-accomplished on the worldwide stage.
So, who’s next?
Who will be the next MHSAA athlete selected on draft night? Hoisting an MVP trophy? Standing atop the podium as a champion?
We don’t know yet — but as we close the book on the first 100 years of MHSAA history, we can’t wait to see what the next century will bring.
Previous "Flashback 100" Features
June 23: Hutchinson's Dominance Starts as Multi-Sport Divine Child Standout - Read
June 10: Wagner's Dream of Going on Tour Realized - with Greta Van Fleet - Read
May 23: Tarpley's Legendary Run Began as Portage Central's Miss Soccer - Read
May 16: Scane’s Record-Setting Lacrosse Run Began at Cranbrook Kingswood - Read
May 8: Duckett's High School Domination Extended to Shot Put Circle - Read
May 6: MHSAA Titles Just Start for NCAA Champion, Olympian Stark - Read
May 1: Legendary Actor Played Multiple Sports Roles at Country Day - Read
April 23: Legacy Program Provided Start for Pioneering NBA Official Schroeder - Read
April 11: Rice's Championship-Winning Ways Started at Flint Northwestern - Read
March 28: Youngquist's Times Still Among MHSAA's Fastest - Read
March 18: After 40 Years, Coles' Shot Remains Among Century's Most Famous - Read
March 7: Walled Lake Northern's Hellebuyck Reigns as NHL's Elite Netminder - Read
Feb. 27: Zeerip's Mat Stats Remain Rarely-Challenged Chart Toppers - Read
Feb. 21: Before TV Stardom, Kerwin Excelled as All-State Skier - Read
Feb. 14: Detroit Central Star Voted into Pro Football Hall of Fame - Read
Feb. 6: Multi-Sport Star Look Becomes Super Bowl Officiating Legend - Read
Jan. 31: Johnson Family Put Magical Stamp on Michigan High School Hoops - Read
Jan. 24: Future Hall of Famers Face Off First in MHSAA Class A Final - Read
Jan. 17: First-Ever WNBA Draft Pick Rocked at Salem, Won Titles at Tennessee - Read
Jan. 10: Despite Launching Before 3-Point Line, Smith Still Tops Scoring List - Read
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
PHOTOS Clockwise from left: Taylor Manson sprints for East Lansing, Hobbs Kessler wins a race for Ann Arbor Pioneer, Jason Richardson plays in a Class A Basketball Final for Saginaw Arthur Hill and Allison Schmitt swims a championship race for Canton. (Manson photo courtesy of the Lansing State Journal; Kessler photo by RunMichigan.com. Others are MHSAA file photos.)