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All Saints Celebrates on Big Screen

July 31, 2014

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Forty years ago, Bay City All Saints brought its hometown the first of two straight MHSAA boys basketball championships – which continue to stand as the only ones won by a Bay City school.

As part of the Class of 1974’s 40-year reunion this weekend, organizers will show the broadcast of that 71-59 victory over Detroit Servite in the Class C Final, on Friday at the downtown State Theater.

The team was coached by Russell “Lefty” Franz, who sits 14th in MHSAA boys basketball coaching history with 545 wins (545-215) at All Saints, Bay City St. Stanislaus and Pinconning achieved from 1953-1991. All Saints repeated as Class C champion under Franz in 1975 with a 79-69 win over Cassopolis.

The Bay City Times caught up today with three starters from that team who are expected to return for the showing of the game. Click to read more.

Rooting for Haske

Northern Michigan basketball fans and supporters from all over are cheering on Traverse City St. Francis  boys basketball coach Keith Haske, who is battling throat cancer and seeking treatment in Houston, according to a report by the Petoskey News.

Haske has coached three boys teams to MHSAA Class C runner-up finishes – St. Francis in 2012 and Charlevoix in 2004 and 2001, and also coached at St. Johns prior to taking the Rayders job in 1998. He also coached the Charlevoix girls team to a Class C runner-up finish in 2004.

Click to read more about Haske and how to donate to his treatment.

Thanks, Gary Hice

The MHSAA welcomed 43 new athletic directors to East Lansing today for training as they take over their schools’ athletic departments.

An athletic director we’ll certainly miss is Petoskey’s Gary Hice.

Hice – an MHSAA Allen W. Bush Award winner in 2002 for his contributions to high school athletics – has retired after 30 years as his school’s athletic director.

Click to read more, again from the Petoskey News, about Hice’s service to his school and community.

PHOTO: The Bay City All Saints Class of 1974 reunion this weekend will include a showing of the boys basketball team’s Class C championship game win over Detroit Servite.

SAC Sound-off: Cheers to Remember

January 31, 2012

The Izzone. Cameron Crazies. Maize Rage. All of these student section names are synonymous with energy and enthusiasm. Every school, no matter how big or small, has fans just like these who want to support their schools’ student athletes.

For the MHSAA Student Advisory Council's “Battle of the Fans,” we set out to find high school student sections that not only supported their schools, but did so in a creative manner. Fifteen council members and I judged the submitted videos on organization, leadership, creativity and noise.

As I watched, some cheers really stuck out. Saginaw Valley Lutheran High had a cheer that praised Jesus not only for its team, but also the opponent. Rockford took the “I Believe” cheer to another level, using roughly 50 bottles of baby powder to create a minute-long haze over the field while screaming "I believe that we will win!"

Not only has this competition been a huge success so far with nearly 20 entries, but it really hit home for me.

As a senior at Grand Blanc High School, I have waited four years to stand in the front row and lead our student section – with two of my best friends – for football and basketball games. For us, Friday nights at “The Frank,” our home football stadium, are some of the most fun times of the year.

As a student section, we valiantly attempted to create a fun atmosphere and support our fellow students. We did things like costume night over Halloween weekend to get our section going. Although things like this were way past fun, we were at these games to support our classmates and friends.

Throughout my senior year, the times I have had in the student section have created a bond with my fellow students unlike anything I have done before. These moments will last me a lifetime, and the camaraderie has helped me form friendships that will last forever.

After I was done judging all of the videos, it was so difficult for me to pick just five. I knew every single person, in every student section, was having a great time and creating wonderful memories. For that reason, I encourage every student to go out and cheer on your classmates. You will have more fun than you could ever imagine. As one of my favorite quotes exclaims, "It isn't how many breaths you take, but how many moments take your breath away."

It could be the raucous atmosphere created after a triple-overtime playoff win, or a bond forged in the tension of a nail-biter against a cross-town rival. These moments and friendships in a student cheering section will be everlasting.

Bailey Truesdell, Grand Blanc senior

  • Sport: Golf
  • Non-sports activities: National Honor Society, DECA leadership program, Tutoring
  • Favorite class: Student Store
  • Must-see TV: "Entourage"
  • One shining moment: My best sports moment was winning my first-ever high school golf tournament as a freshman.
  • What’s next: After high school, I will be attending Miami University, in Oxford, Ohio, to play golf and study business finance.
  • My favorite part of game day is: … the thoughts that run through my mind all day prior to when I take to the course, mostly speculating as to how I will do, and visualizing my plan to succeed.

PHOTO courtesy of Bailey Truesdell (middle, in flannel shirt, with Grand Blanc's cheering section during a football game this fall).