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.)
Preview: Jokela's Final Lap Leading Way, but Many More Stars Also Ready to Shine
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
May 29, 2025
Spectators and competitors will get one more opportunity to watch Lake Linden-Hubbell 10-time champion Emily Jokela at Saturday’s Upper Peninsula Girls track & Field Finals – but also should keep an eye on several more standouts at Kingsford High School, including a few just getting started on potentially magnificent careers.
Jokela will seek to add to her career collection and also lead her team to a third-straight championship in Division 3. But champions from a combined 19 individual events in 2024 will be back this weekend, plus a group of freshman sprinters who are sure to make noise as we head into the second half of this decade.
All three divisions will be hosted by Kingsford High School, with preliminaries leading off the day at 9 a.m. local (Central) time. Tickets cost $11 and are available digitally only via GoFan.
MHSAA.tv will live-stream the meets beginning at 9 a.m. (CDT)/10 a.m. (EDT), viewable with subscription. Check out the Girls Track & Field page for meet information and lists of all qualifiers. Those described as "seeded" below have received those seeds based on Regional performances or early qualification during the regular season.
Following is a glance at team contenders and individuals to watch in all three divisions:
Division 1
Team forecast: Sault Ste. Marie last spring became the third school in three seasons to win the Division 1 title, following Marquette in 2023 and Negaunee in 2022. Marquette and Negaunee won the two Division 1 Regionals earlier this month, but Gladstone – third last season – could make a push to become a fourth different champion in four seasons with favorites across several running events and potential field-event points especially in pole vault.
Ella Bracket, Gladstone freshman: Along with senior teammate Lauren Sundquist, Bracket gives Gladstone potential dominance in sprints with the top seed times in the 200 (26.89) and 400 (1:02.08) and running with Sundquist as part of the top-seeded 400 (52.56) and 800 (1:52.96) relays.
Ella Fure, Marquette junior: Last season’s champion in the 1,600 and runner-up in the 3,200 is top-seeded in the 3,200 (11:57.24), third in the 1,600 (5:33.35) and will again run the 800 after finishing seventh in that race last spring.
Maija Maki-Warne, Marquette senior: She could finish her career in a big way after running on two third-place relays at last year’s Finals. Maki-Warne is seeded first in the 1,600 (5:25.82) and 800 (2:27.69) and second in the 3,200 (11:59.25), and will run on the top-seeded 1,600 relay (4:18.06).
Tessa Rautiola, Houghton junior: The reigning 3,200 champion also finished second in the 1,600 and ran on the winning 3,200 relay last season. She’s seeded fourth in both the 3,200 (12:48.67) and 1,600 (5:35.47), seventh in the 800 and will run on the top-seeded 3,200 relay (10:52.72).
Sadie Rogers, Negaunee sophomore: She made her Finals debut last season with a championship in the 100 hurdles and runner-up finish in the 300, and she’s seeded first in both the 100 hurdles (16.62) and 300 hurdles (48.13), fourth in the 200 (27.68) and will run on the third-seeded 400 relay.
Keira Waterman, Negaunee sophomore: She’s also coming back off a championship debut after winning the 400, 800, finishing second in the 200 and fourth in the 100 in 2024. She’s seeded second in the 400 (1:02.52), sixth in the 800, will long jump and run on the 1,600 relay this weekend.
Division 2
Team forecast: Bark River-Harris has won the last three Division 2 championships, but the Broncos finished only third at their Regional behind champion Pickford and runner-up Munising. Pickford ranks third all-time with 14 U.P. Finals titles but is seeking its first since 2007. West Iron County won the Division 2 title in 2021 and finished runner-up in both 2022 and 2024, and should be in the mix again after edging Ironwood to win the other Regional in this division two weeks ago.
Lauren Adams, Norway junior: She’s seeded first in the 100 (13.97), 200 (29.02) and 400 (1:05.85) and will run on the third-seeded 400 relay. She finished fourth in the 100 and 200 and third in the 400 in Division 3 as a sophomore.
Mira Johnson, Bark River-Harris sophomore: She won the pole vault and ran on two championship relays to cap an impressive freshman season, and she’s back as the top seed in the pole vault (7-6) and running on the 1,600 relay.
Talya Schreiber, Pickford junior: The reigning champion in the 1,600 and 3,200 and runner-up in the 800 could double her career haul. She’s seeded first in the 1,600 (5:33.10) and 3,200 (11:48.82), third in then 800 (2:36.22) and will run on the top-seeded 3,200 relay (11:16.56).
Bristol Shamion, West Iron County freshman: The Shamion family has dominated U.P. track this decade, and Bristol will join junior sister Lacey Shamion among the team’s likely scorers Saturday. Bristol enters her first Finals seeded first in the high jump (5-0) and 300 hurdles (51.64) and second in the 100 hurdles (18.05) and 200 (29.12).
Emma Wardon, Ironwood junior: The reigning shot put champ and fifth-place finisher in discus is seeded first in shot put (33-11) and second in discus (89-3½) this time.
Division 3
Team forecast: Lake Linden-Hubbell has won the last two championships, sharing with Stephenson in 2023 and winning outright last season. Both were among Regional champions earlier this month, along with Rapid River and Newberry – with Newberry coming off last year’s runner-up Finals finish and potentially possessing the running firepower to pull away for a first Finals title since 2015.
Destiny Bleau, Big Bay de Noc freshman: She won the 200, finished second in the 100 and third in the high jump as an eighth grader, and returns as the top seed in the 200 (26.49), sixth in the 100 and seventh in the high jump.
Faith Cappaert, Stephenson junior: The reigning champion in the 800 also finished third in the 1,600, fifth in the 400 and ran on a runner-up relay last year. She’s back as the fifth seed in all three open races and running on the second-seeded 3,200 relay.
Ava Fischer, Crystal Falls Forest Park junior: She was another big scorer last season winning the 100 hurdles, finishing second in the 300 hurdles, fifth in the pole vault and running on a runner-up relay. She’s seeded second in the 100 hurdles (16.92) and also will compete in the pole vault, 300 and 1,600 relay.
Kiera Isaacson, Dollar Bay junior: Last season’s high jump champion is top-seeded (5-3) in that event and will again run two relays.
Emily Jokela, Lake Linden-Hubbell senior: She’s finishing up a legendary career as one of seven athletes to win four individual events at a Finals, which she did in 2023 before adding titles in the 100, 400 and 300 hurdles last season and a runner-up finish in the 200. She’s seeded first in the 100 hurdles (16.56), second in the 300 hurdles (49.22) and 100 dash (13.05), and fourth in the 400.
Mariska Laurila, Carney-Nadeau senior: She’s won the discus the last two seasons, added a shot put title last year and also finished third in the long jump. She’ll compete in all three again, with the top seed in the discus (105-11) and third seed in the shot put (31-10).
Samantha Taylor, Newberry junior: She’s the reigning champion in the 1,600 and as part of the 3,200 relay, and top-seeded this weekend in the 1,600 (5:14.06) and 3,200 (11:21.07) while potentially running on the top-seeded 1,600 (4:28.60) and 3,200 (10:51.53) relays.
PHOTO Negaunee's Sadie Rogers carries the baton across the finish line to give her team a win in the 800 relay at the Marquette County Meet earlier this month. (Photo by Cara Kamps.)