10 to Remember: Winter 2014-15
April 2, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
As one might imagine, six straight weekends of MHSAA Finals produce enough highlights to distract us from our seemingly endless Michigan winters.
As explained to preface “10 to Remember” many times before, all championships are lifetime memories for those who achieved them. Those listed below are just one person’s thoughts on which moments from this season will continue to be discussed most in the seasons to come.
10. Brother Rice Rides Team Effort to Repeat
Birmingham Brother Rice repeated as Lower Peninsula Division 1 swimming and diving champion, and did so by winning by more than 100 points for the second consecutive season. But what made this Warriors finish so impressive was that it didn’t include a single individual championship – they won the opening and closing relays of the meet and took seven second-place individual finishes along the way.
9. Kearsley Sweeps Bowling Championships … Again
Flint Kearsley varsity bowlers are guaranteed one other title this season – MHSAA champions. Both the girls and boys teams won team titles in Division 2, just as they had in 2014. The Kearsley girls again defeated Bay City Western in the championship match, this time by a mere 30 pins, 1,242-1,212. The Kearsley boys also earned their title by defeating Bay City Western, and by only seven pins – 1,351-1,344.
8. Rockford/Sparta Owns the Weekend
Rockford hosted the MHSAA Gymnastics Finals, making the cliché “bringing home the title” a short trip – twice. The Rams, a co-op with Sparta, won the team competition by 1.750 points over reigning champion Canton; Rockford’s only other MHSAA gymnastics championship also was the first in any sport in school history, in the Lower Peninsula in 1989. Juniors Madi Myers and Morgan Korf led the effort with the third and fourth-highest all-around scores of the Team Final – and Korf came back the next day with a stunning move to take the Division 1 individual championship. She had finished 18th in Division 1 as a sophomore.
7. Breckenridge Returns to Cheer Elite
In its second season back as a competitive program, Breckenridge added to its stature as one of the most powerful competitive cheer programs in MHSAA history by claiming the Division 4 championship by nearly 24 points over runner-up Pewamo-Westphalia. Breckenridge has won eight MHSAA titles in cheer, but didn’t have a team for six seasons because of low participation until bringing back the program for 2013-14.
6. Cowboys Lasso First Basketball Title
First Detroit Western International won its first Detroit Public School League championship since 1922. Then it made its first MHSAA Semifinals since 1974. The Cowboys capped this season with its first MHSAA Final victory, a nail-biter 62-59 over Saginaw Arthur Hill in Class A. Western also defeated Detroit Catholic League A-B champion Detroit U-D Jesuit in the Semifinal, and finished the season 26-0.
No team traveled farther to the MHSAA Basketball Finals than the Calumet girls – and it can be argued that no team came from farther away in expectation to become an MHSAA champion. The unranked Copper Kings traveled more than 500 miles to arrive at the Breslin Center, then defeated top-ranked Laingsburg in a Class C Semifinal and perennial power Flint Hamady in the championship game to claim its first MHSAA title in the sport.
4. Skatzka, Olson Become Latest of the Greatest
Richmond’s Devin Skatzka and Davison’s Lincoln Olson pushed the list of MHSAA four-time individual champions to 21 by finishing their careers with big victories. Olson actually was the 20th, winning his match at 135 pounds by technical fall in Division 1. Skatzka then became No. 21 with four MHSAA titles, with a technical fall in the 160-pound match in Division 3.
3. Brighton Claims First Title in Final Match
Few Finals in any sport this winter carried the drama of Brighton’s 31-25 win over Hartland in Division 1 wrestling. Bulldogs 112-pounder Lee Grabowski entered the final match carrying his team’s three-point lead but facing the scenario that if he lost even by decision, and the team score went to 28-28, Brighton would lose the tie-breaker. Oh, and Grabowski was facing an opponent he’d lost to twice in league competition earlier in the winter. Grabowski won a 4-2 decision this time, and Brighton won its first team title.
2. Godwin Heights, Powers North Central Cap 3-Season Surges
Wyoming Godwin Heights and Powers North Central made the MHSAA record book by adding to a pair of the most successful three-season runs in boys basketball history – and capping them with championships. Godwin Heights won its first MHSAA title, downing Detroit Henry Ford 85-68 in the Class B Final, to finish the last three seasons a combined 74-5. North Central, meanwhile, downed Morenci 67-47 in Class D to win its first title since 1984 and cap a three-season 75-5 run.
1. Record Comeback Sends Saints Home as Champs
St. Ignace trailed undefeated Pittsford by 20 points two minutes into the Class D Final when it launched a comeback equaled by only one other team in MHSAA girls basketball history. The Saints tied the score with 35 seconds to play in regulation and continued the rally in the extra period to claim a 64-60 title-clinching victory. Detroit Cass Tech, in the 1987 Class A Final, also had come back from 20 down in the third quarter to win. The championship was St. Ignace’s fifth in girls basketball.
PHOTO: St. Ignace basketball players celebrate after the Saints tied the largest comeback in MHSAA Finals history on the way to claiming the Class D title. (Click to see more at HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
'One Last Time' Becomes Best of All as Notre Dame Prep Scores Season High in Repeat
By
Tom Kendra
Special for MHSAA.com
March 7, 2026
MOUNT PLEASANT – In the moment before Pontiac Notre Dame Prep started its final routine of the season, as thousands of fans waited in hushed anticipation, coach Jocelyn Welsh said three words from the coaching podium through tears:
“One last time.”
It was the final performance of Round 3 on Saturday at Central Michigan University’s McGuirk Arena, and the Fighting Irish delivered another powerhouse routine to clinch their second-consecutive Division 3 title and seventh in school history.
Welsh’s emotional words certainly registered with her team on the mat.
“When she said that and got choked up, it brought all of our emotions together,” said NDP senior Maddie Rennwald. “At that moment, I just knew that we were going to be state champs.”
Notre Dame Prep, which won five consecutive Division 3 titles from 2014 to 2018, delivered the best score of the eight competing schools in all three rounds.
Despite posting a season-best total score of 787.84 (more than eight full points better than any other team), the Irish were not the most excited team on Saturday – not by a long shot.
That was definitely Armada, which used an incredible Round 3 performance to rise from fourth place to second, earning the Tigers their first “mitten” – the nickname given to the MHSAA team trophy for champions and runners-up, which is a wooden cutout in the shape of Michigan.
Armada, which is located in the Thumb and placed third at both Districts and Regionals behind perennial powers Notre Dame Prep and Richmond, had never placed higher than fourth at the Finals.
“We told our girls that they had to step up and force a change, because in our meets it’s always the same two teams at the top,” said 10th-year Armada coach Deanna Misiak. “I’m just so happy because we tell our girls that their hard work will pay off and, today, it happened.”
Armada finished second with 779.04 points, followed by Grosse Ile (777.50) and Richmond (769.48).
The huddled Tigers broke into hysterics when Grosse Ile was announced as third place, meaning their impressive final round had moved them up to the best Finals finish in school history.
“When we realized we got second, we were all like: ‘Is this real life? Is this actually happening right now?’” said Armada’s Abby Groen, one of just five seniors on a 25-member team which features 18 sophomores or freshmen. “This is a huge stepping stone for Armada cheer, for sure.”
Notre Dame Prep senior flyer Jenna Robin said her team was extremely motivated to repeat as champion, especially after the Irish had finished second in four of the previous six seasons.
“Our goal was to prove to everybody that we really are the best team in the state, and we couldn’t do that by dropping back to second,” said Robin. “Even though we had the lead today, we wanted to do our best each round and make that gap even bigger.”
Robin and junior Eva Thomas were both returning first team all-staters for NDP, while Rennwald, junior Sadie Shook and sophomore Holly Haras were all honorable mention selections.
Welsh, who is in her third season as head coach after serving as an assistant at Division 1 power Rochester Adams, noted that this championship was especially satisfying for her, as the Irish had to rebuild after losing a standout group of seniors from last year’s team.
The Irish, who do not compete in a conference, finished second to Richmond at Districts, but then won their Regional by more than six points and the Finals by almost nine.
“It was more of a gradual climb for us this season,” said Welsh, who is assisted by Alivia Tate and Shelley McGuire. “We had to replace about half of the girls in every round, so it took a little time, but they were ready and confident today.”