10 to Remember: Winter 2012-13
April 4, 2013
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
This winter in Michigan will be remembered by some as lasting seemingly forever. But at least we had plenty to enjoy over the five weeks from the end of February through March.
Below are 10 stories from this winter's Finals that we're likely to recall for years to come. They aren't necessarily the 10 most exciting moments, but rather 10 stories of particular significance covering every sport the MHSAA sponsors during this mostly-indoor season.
A few that just missed the list: Livonia Stevenson winning that hockey town's first hockey title, St. Ignace's first perfect girls basketball finish, Flint Beecher's last-second success in the Class C Boys Basketball Final, East Grand Rapids' four-point win in Division 3 swimming and diving and the emergence of Troy's Christina Shabet as the MHSAA's top gymnast.
There are plenty of others we could mention as well. Feel free to post about them after checking out our 10.
Saline Seniors Leave Mark
One of the most impressive swimming and diving classes in MHSAA history finished its high school career March 9 in Holland the same way it began four seasons ago. Saline won its fourth-straight Lower Peninsula Division 1 championship anchored by seniors David Boland, Josh Ehrman, Michael Bundas and Adam Whitener, who combined hold four Division 1 Finals individual and two relay records. Ehrman finished his prep career with the all-class/division records in the 200-yard individual medley and 100 breaststroke, and those four hold the all-class/division record in the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:30.01 – good also for third in the national record book. Click to read more.
Fowlerville’s Coon Finishes with 4
Only 16 others had accomplished what Fowlerville’s Adam Coon achieved to finish his MHSAA wrestling career. And none had done so wrestling at the heaviest weights. On March 2 at The Palace of Auburn Hills, Coon became the 17th athlete to win four MHSAA wrestling individual titles by picking up his second at 285 pounds after also winning two at 215. He finished his career with a record of 211-3 and won 194 straight matches dating to his freshman season. Click to read more.
Comets Shine for 6th Consecutive Gymnastics Win
Despite graduating the Division 1 all-around champion (again) and facing a talented Canton team (again), Grand Ledge won the team title again – for the sixth-straight time, the longest streak in MHSAA gymnastics history. On March 8 at Canton High School, the Comets scored 149.350 points – fifth-most in MHSAA Finals history. What are the chances for seven in a row? They’ll have a strong start: junior Presley Allison won the Division 2 all-around title the next day, and freshman Rachel Hogan won the Division 1 floor competition. Click to read more.
Hudson Completes Drive for 5
The Tigers won three of the final four matches to edge Hesperia 32-24 in the Division 4 Team Wrestling Final on Feb. 23 at Kellogg Arena and earn their fifth-straight MHSAA title – tying the 2002-06 Davison teams for the longest such streak since the Team Finals began in 1988. Hudson was loaded with 11 Individual Finals qualifiers, including three who went on to win their weights the following weekend. Click to read more.
This Time, It’s Romulus’ Turn
Romulus advanced to Boys Basketball Finals weekend at Breslin Center for the fourth time in six seasons, and on March 23 left with its first MHSAA championship since 1986. The Eagles had just fallen short a number of times during the recent run, but controlled from the tip in downing Detroit Southeastern 61-49 to claim the Class A title. Romulus finished this season 27-1. Click to read more.
Grand Haven Wins Repeat Class A Final
Only a few things about Grand Haven were the same this season as in 2011-12, including one significant advantage – 6-foot-5 center Abby Cole. After putting up 23 points, 19 rebounds and 12 blocks in a Semifinal win over Westland John Glenn, she tallied 11 points, seven rebounds and eight blocks in a 60-54 overtime win over Grosse Pointe South on March 16 at the Breslin Center to give the Buccaneers two straight Class A title wins – both over the Blue Devils. Click to read more.
Puck Stops Here as Brighton Marches On
The Bulldogs claimed their second-straight Division 1 hockey championship March 9 at Compuware Arena with what has become a characteristic defensive stand, this time in a 2-1 win over 10-time champ Detroit Catholic Central. Brighton goalie James Milletics stopped 37 of 38 shots against him, and his team finished a 12-game winning streak during which it gave up only 12 goals total. Click to read more.
No Stopping Carlson’s Cheer Dynasty
All four MHSAA cheer champions March 2-3 at the Grand Rapids DeltaPlex were repeat winners from 2012, but Carlson faced an intriguing set of circumstances. Although coach Danielle Jokela basically had served as a co-coach with Christine Wilson through four titles over the previous five seasons, this was her first time leading the team solo with Wilson now coaching Brighton. And the Marauders pulled out a third-straight title despite losing all-stater Annie Hajec to an injury during the Regional the weekend before. Click to read more.
Trojans Skiers Second No Longer
Traverse City Central’s girls skiing team had finished MHSAA runner-up five straight seasons before hoisting its first championship trophy since 2005 on Feb. 25 at Boyne Mountain. The Trojans finished with 81 points, 11 better than runner-up Walled Lake Central. Shannon Weaver was the individual runner-up in both the slalom and giant slalom to lead the effort. Click to read more.
Vandercook Lake Wins Battle of Bowling Powers
After facing each other and splitting the last two Division 4 titles, it seemed fate that Vandercook Lake and Sandusky should meet again in the 10th year of the MHSAA tournament on March 1 at Sunnybrook Golf and Bowl. The teams were separated by only six pins with three frames to roll before Vandercook Lake pulled away for a 1,322-1,166 win. The Jayhawks' Malloree Ambs won the individual title the next day. Click to read more.
Hudson Makes Another Memory, Pulling Away for 4th-Straight Finals Victory
By
Jeff Chaney
Special for MHSAA.com
February 22, 2025
KALAMAZOO – As the Hudson wrestling team turned away from the post-dual handshake, the Tigers pivoted and raced back to their fans at Wings Event Center on Saturday with four fingers extended in the air.
On many of those wrestlers' fingers, three rings proudly took their spots, leaving one finger without.
Not anymore, as Hudson won its fourth-straight Division 4 championship with a 45-25 victory over Climax-Scotts/Martin in the title match.
"This is an unreal feeling,” 138-pound senior Julien Kimling said. "I remember my first one with that great group of seniors. We just strived to be like that group. They were great leaders, they started us off with number one, and now we are here with number four. It's an unreal feeling.”
Longtime Hudson coach Scott Marry, who has won more championship rings than fingers during his tenure leading the Tigers, said it's a joy every year to watch his wrestlers enjoy their successes after a long season.
"It is so fun to coach the spirit that these boys have," said Marry, who now has led Hudson to 12 team titles. "They have a farmer's mentality. They get up with the chickens and don't go to bed until the crickets are out. They don't stop."
And like he says year after year, Hudson wrestling is community and generational.
"It's hard to describe the community we have back at Hudson," Marry said. “It's like a little slice of paradise. God takes good care of us."
Whatever they are doing in Hudson as far as wrestling, it's working.
Led by Kimling, the Tigers won nine of the 14 matches against a very game CSM team.
Kimling had one of eight wins that ended with bonus team points for the Tigers. He won by major decision over a talented Seth Toris 10-2.
Bonus points is how Hudson made its way to the Finals, scoring wins over Roscommon in the Quarterfinals 75-3 and Clinton in the Semifinals 47-18.
"There is just a family feeling here, the love for each other," Kimling said. "We talked about this all weekend, the love for each other, the love for the sport and the love for God and everything all above us."
Climax-Scotts/Martin coach Mike Reitz saw the camaraderie of Hudson up close, and was impressed. But he was still happy that his team hung so tough with the premier program in Division 4.
"Who would have thought with two matches left to go we were still in it,” said Reitz, whose team ended its year with a 26-2 record. "We came in ranked number three, battled in the Semifinals, and then the boys showed up and battled in the Finals. I couldn't ask for any more. A couple of matches didn't go our way, but credit to them."
CSM defeated second-seeded St. Louis in the Semifinals 30-25 and Union City in the Quarterfinals 47-28.
With the three wins his team picked up this weekend in Kalamazoo, Marry now sits at 946 over his 37 years leading the Tigers.
But he doesn't want to hear that.
"We don't care about wins,” Marry said. “We care about kids."
Click for this weekend’s Division 4 meet summaries.
PHOTOS (Top) Hudson’s Julian Kimling, left, has his arm raised in victory Saturday afternoon at Wings Event Center. (Middle) CSM’s Logan Gilbert, right, faces off against Hudson’s Chase Clark at 120 pounds. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)