10 to Remember: Fall 2014
December 12, 2014
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
This fall saw the start of numerous championship legacies all over the Michigan, the continuation of a few more and the end of one that likely will be recalled for decades to come.
All championship runs are memorable for those fortunate enough to achieve them. But because of historical reference, dramatic impact or in rare cases national significance, some stay in our discussions a little bit longer.
Below is one person’s thoughts on the most memorable finishes from this fall’s MHSAA Finals.
10. Novi, East Kentwood Rise to the Top
Among a number of first-time champions this fall, the Novi boys tennis team and East Kentwood girls golf team celebrated taking final steps after some recent close misses. Novi had finished second at the 2013 Lower Peninsula Division 1 Final, by a point, as Ann Arbor Huron won its third straight title. The Wildcats clinched their first ever this season, by eight points, while the East Kentwood golfers finished 22 strokes better than their LP Division 1 field after finishing 10th and sixth the last two seasons, respectively. Senior Emily White capped her high school career with a 51-foot putt to win the individual title.
9. Saline Clinches on Final Swim
The Saline girls swimming and diving team trailed reigning champion Farmington Hills Mercy by a half-point entering the final event of the LP Division 1 Final. But the Hornets outpaced Mercy by three seconds in the 400-yard freestyle relay to move ahead and claim the team championship by 5.5 points. Saline had finished runner-up to Mercy by 20 points in 2013.
8. St. Mary’s Football Keeps Promise
From an incredible story point of view, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 7-0 win over Muskegon in the Division 3 Football Final was easily the most memorable of the fall. Showing immense courage, Eaglets running back Brandon Adams took the field only two days after his mother died after fighting cancer. He scored the game’s lone points midway through the first quarter.
7. Kestrels Give Coach Best Retirement Gift
Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central’s Diane Tuller coached teams to 595 wins over 17 seasons – and in her final match took the Kestrels to their fifth MHSAA championship. St. Mary downed Schoolcraft in four sets despite dropping the first to claim its third Class C title in five seasons. The Kestrels became the eighth team to win at least five MHSAA titles, claiming all five under Tuller’s guidance.
6. Concord’s Hersha Joins Elite Company
Only 14 runners in MHSAA boys cross country history have won at least three individual championships. Concord’s Jason Hersha became the latest, claiming the LP Division 4 title in 15:23.0, the second-fastest time in LP Division 4 Finals history. He became only the third to win three boys titles since team and individual qualifiers began running the same race in 1996; he also finished first as a sophomore and junior.
5. Canton Never Loses on Division 1 March
Just one on-target kick can change a soccer game. That makes Canton’s undefeated run to this season’s Division 1 boys championship even more impressive. Finishing without a loss in any sport is something – but the Chiefs defeated Rochester Adams 1-0 in the Final to end 24-0-3 and as the 13th undefeated champion in MHSAA boys soccer history. Canton posted 16 shutouts this fall.
4. Spring Lake Surges to First Championship
Despite trailing annual power Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood by six strokes after the first round, Spring Lake rolled through the second at the LP Division 3 Girls Golf Final to best the field by a final margin of 18 strokes and claim the school’s first MHSAA golf championship. The achievement was a crowning one for the program started by George Bitner, who has coached at the school since 1968 and fielded his first girls team in 1980.
3. Fisher Finishes Among Fastest in MHSAA History
Grand Blanc senior Grant Fisher finished his high school career with a second straight Lower Peninsula Division 1 championship – and the third-fastest time since the Finals moved to Michigan International Speedway 19 seasons ago. Fisher finished in 14:52.5, 1.5 seconds off the second-fastest time in MHSAA Finals history since 5K (3.1 miles) became the distance in 1980. The only runners who have come in faster than Fisher went on to the Olympics (Dathan Ritzenhein) and top American finishes (twice) at the Boston Marathon (Jason Hartmann).
2. St. Philip Stands Alone with 9 Straight Titles
Battle Creek St. Philip continued its near-decade dominance of Class D, but this time with another historical twist. The Tigers downed Leland in four sets in this season’s Final to win their ninth straight MHSAA championship – setting a record for consecutive titles after formerly being tied with the Marysville teams from 1997-2004. St. Philip entered the postseason ranked No. 3 in D but defeated both No. 2 Mendon and the top-ranked Comets during the final week.
1. Monroe St. Mary Ends Ithaca’s Record Run
Much of the credit for this topping the list goes to Ithaca, which brought a 69-game winning streak into the Division 6 Football Final. The streak was the longest active streak nationally among 11-player football teams, and a win would've allowed the Yellowjackets next fall an opportunity to break the MHSAA winning streak record of 72. But St. Mary controlled the clock with a workmanlike running game and held an Ithaca offense averaging 43 points to nearly a quarter of that in winning 22-12.
PHOTO: The East Kentwood girls golf team raised its first MHSAA Finals championship trophy this October. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Pair of Flight Championships Anchor Norway's 1st Finals Team Title Triumph
By
Jason Juno
Special for MHSAA.com
October 2, 2026
ISHPEMING — Norway keeps adding new types of hardware to its trophy case.
Two years ago, the baseball team went to its first MHSAA Finals championship game and took home the runner-up award. On Thursday, the Knights’ girls tennis team won the first U.P. championship in school history, claiming the Division 2 title.
“It’s the first one our school’s ever won, so it’s really special and I’m proud of all the work our team put in this year,” said Norway senior Jessa Rossler, who won a third-straight individual U.P. Finals title for herself as well. “I think we all did a good job and I’m really happy. I think we deserved it.”
Norway had someone playing in all eight finals matches to beat the likes of West Iron County, last year’s champion, and Ishpeming, which had won it the two years prior.
“It’s really exciting for this senior class,” Norway coach Taylor Huotari said. “We had seven seniors this year, and they had been in the program for a couple years. It’s just really exciting for them to go out on such a high note.”
This was Huotari’s first year coaching. He knew the Knights were coming off their first runner-up finish at U.P. Finals, and he asked where the team could improve.
“They were very transparent and open with me,” he said. “I just tried to build on their strengths and develop their weaknesses. They answered every single call. I am very proud of them, and they should be very proud of themselves.”
Rossler was the only singles winner for Norway. She took first at No. 2 after winning No. 4 singles the last two years.
“It feels really good, especially because I’m a senior,” she said. “I really wanted to go out on a win, and I’m really happy the way it turned out.”
Rossler won a marathon finals match over Iron Mountain and was the last off the court. She definitely had to earn her three-peat.
“The second set (which she lost), it felt like my nerves were getting to me a little bit,” Rossler said. “And I felt like I was starting to overthink my shots, trying to place them too much. But the third set, I just tried to reset everything and just play loose, and it worked really well.”
She handled the move up to the second singles spot well and Huotari said it reflected well on her work ethic. It’s also like her to be able to handle a tough match like she faced in the finals Thursday.
“She is a warrior,” he said. “She’s very mentally tough. And if she loses a set, I never doubt her because she never gets down on herself – she’s very confident in her belief that she’s going to do well. It’s just a testament to her character. She’s a fighter.”
Norway’s No. 2 doubles team, Lilly and Lyla Tomlanovich, also won a U.P. title with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 win in the final match.
“They’re sisters, a junior and then a sophomore,” Huotari said. “We made a little bit of a switch halfway through the year and fortunately it worked out for the best for them. They just complemented each other really well.”
West Iron County junior Grace Smith defended her title in No. 1 singles with a two-set win in the final match over Norway.
“I am proud of myself, for all the hard work I put in,” she said. “This was my main goal. … I feel like my ground strokes were pretty good. My serve wasn’t the best, but I still won.”
Wykons coach Jen Schive was confident she’d win.
“Phenomenal season, phenomenal all-around athlete, academically, on and off the court, the whole shooting match,” Schive said. “She’s a strong player. She is a focused, determined player. She’s a great leader on the team.”
Ishpeming won two U.P. flight titles, at No. 1 doubles and No. 3 singles.
Juniors Stella Nerlfi and Charlee Fredy won the doubles crown. They were 6-4, 6-0 winners in the final.
“We worked really hard for this all season,” Nerlfi said. “I think we were doing really good in hitting the alley shots, and our net was really good. We just stayed confident through the entire thing.”
“They came in as the 1 seed, so I thought they did pretty well,” Ishpeming coach Libbie Doney said. “They deserved to be the 1 seed from the start, and they played through and they did great.”
Sophomore Camryn Miller won the No. 3 singles title, also as the 1 seed, with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 win in the final match.
“She deserved that as well. She played great all year,” Doney said. “She went into three sets – she bounced back, won the first set, lost the second and then came back and won the third. She played really well.”
The finals were supposed to be at Ishpeming’s courts, but their new ones won’t be done until next week.
“I’m pretty proud of my girls,” Doney said. “We haven’t had tennis courts all year, so we’ve been bouncing around with practicing at different locations. So for a few of us to come out as U.P. champs is pretty big and shows that the girls can come through adversity.”
Iron Mountain junior Rhiannon Johnson won the No. 4 singles title, claiming her final matchup 6-3, 6-2.
“I think it’s great. I feel amazing,” she said. “(The key was) staying mentally strong and never getting stressed out and staying calm and composed.”
Iron Mountain coach Keith Huotari said her championship win was a bit unexpected. He did think she had a chance when she got a second seed for the finals.
“But she’s a bulldog,” he said. “That kid, she just works hard. She wanted it, and she got it.”
Johnson wanted to make the move from doubles to singles and proved she belonged. She also battled illness this year, as she was throwing up while playing in the heat. She played with a wet towel around her neck and was determined to stay on the court regardless.
“She said point blank, ‘I’m playing,’” Huotari said. “That’s what it takes to win a U.P. title – it takes a lot of intestinal fortitude. You have to just gut it out sometimes, and she did.
“Just seeing her happy after all she’s gone through, good for her.”
West Iron County’s Reese Ahola and Vivian Holm took the No. 3 championship. They were 7-6, 6-7, 6-3 winners in the final.
“I tell them, you’re a bunch of maniacs, you get out there and make things work for yourself and that’s the fun of it,” Schive said.
The Wykons’ Tessa Stapleton and Zoe Donati took the No. 4 doubles win. They won 6-2, 6-4 in the final.
“I have to say I was a little bit shocked, but I could not be any prouder of them for coming together like they did,” Schive said. “At the beginning of the season, I wondered if we were going to be able to develop a swing, and in the end here, they proved that they did and a little more. So very, very proud of them, very proud of them.”
PHOTOS (Top) Norway’s Jessa Rossler returns a volley during a No. 2 singles match Thursday. (Middle) West Iron County’s Grace Smith reaches to get to a shot at No. 1 singles. (Below) Stella Nerlfi sends a shot back over the net for Ishpeming at No. 1 doubles. (Photos by Jason Juno.)