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.
Rudyard Girls Soar to Historic Height, Claiming 1st Team Title Since 1977
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
May 31, 2026
KINGSFORD — Jimmy Carter was president the last time a Rudyard girls track & field team was crowned Upper Peninsula Finals champion.
The year was 1977 when the Bulldogs were competing in Class C, and gasoline was selling for less than one dollar a gallon.
But there were signs Rudyard’s history was about to change May 15 when the Bulldogs won the Division 2 Regional at Bark River-Harris.
That indeed did change Saturday as the Bulldogs were crowned Finals champions with 87 points. They were followed by BR-H with 78 and Ewen-Trout Creek with 71.
“We were dealing with a lot of little things, but the girls kept battling,” coach Mike Kirschner said. “They love to compete, and the warm weather helped. We knew what to expect from Pickford and Bark River-Harris, but we didn’t see (E-TC) coming because West Iron County won that (Gwinn) Regional. They’re young, but (E-TC has) some good athletes. No doubt, they’re tough.”
Bulldogs freshman Melissa Kirschner soared a personal-best 9 feet, 1 inch in pole vault, enough to match the UPD2 Finals record she now shares with Kali Jo Marshall of St. Ignace from 2010.
Rudyard sophomore Amelia Fountain won the 100-meter dash in 13.22 seconds and 400 (1:02.27) and was runner-up in the 200 (27.4).
“This is a great way to go into the summer, that’s for sure,” Coach Kirschner said. “We’re still young. I’m hoping we’ll continue to get more girls to come out. We had a solid year, which always means a lot more when you’re coaching your own kids.”
BR-H swept the sprint relays and junior Emma Zawada, who was a part of each relay, added a first in long jump at 14-11½.
E-TC crossed the finish first in the 3,200 relay and senior Irelynd McGeshick took discus (101-1).
Sophomore Bristol Shamion was West Iron’s leader with victories in the 100 hurdles (16.81) and 300 (48.49), both personal bests, and a third-place finish in the 200 at a season-best 27.82.
Zawada was second in the 300 hurdles (49.42), and Munising sophomore Addie Bowerman placed third (50.34), also both personal bests.
Hancock sophomore Alena Pietila, who anchored the winning 1,600 relay, placed second in the 800 (2:32.01) and 1,600 with a personal-best 5:41.12.
“It’s pretty fun,” she said about the 1,600 relay. “It’s exciting to run it. I like running when it’s warm, and I’m happy with how the day went. This is definitely a confidence builder going forward. I’m not sure about doing cross country, but I’m considering it. I didn’t do it (last fall) because I didn’t want to double with volleyball.”
Pickford senior Talya Schreiber, who will continue her running career at Bowling Green (Ohio) University, captured the 800 (2:29.58), 1,600 (5:08.2) and 3,200 (11:14.28). She won a combined eight individual championships over her final three seasons.
Also among individual champions were Norway’s Lauren Adams in the 200 and Hancock’s Tatum Sporalski in the shot put.
PHOTOS (Top) Rudyard's Amelia Fountain celebrates taking first place in the 100 dash Saturday. (Middle) Ewen Trout Creek's Leona Schutz hands off the baton to Alyssa DeCremer during the 3,200 relay. E-TC won the race with team members also including Emma Besonen and Bree Besonen. (Click for more from Cara Kamps/RunMichigan.com.)