Get Prepped for a Fantastic Finale
May 24, 2013
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
We love this time of year. And not just because school is nearly out for summer.
There’s little argument that the week ahead is the most exciting of each MHSAA school year. And you’ll want to set your bookmarks for MHSAA.com and Second Half for updated results and coverage not just next week – but through the rest of this spring season.
The MHSAA.com Score Center is our home for scores from all District softball, baseball and soccer games, which begin Tuesday. You also can view real-time brackets for every District by going to the “Sports” page for each, and updated brackets for lacrosse by visiting our girls and boys pages for that sport as well.
In the Lower Peninsula, we’ll have same day or next morning results as golf Districts are played, and first-day results from next weekend’s Girls Tennis Finals on May 31 – followed by final results at the conclusion of play June 1. We’ll post Finals results for Upper Peninsula golf and tennis as we receive them Wednesday and Thursday, and then results for all seven Lower and Upper Peninsula Track and Field Finals as they come in June 1.
But results are only the start. As we have during the fall and winter, Second Half will provide coverage including photos from every MHSAA Final – beginning with Wednesday’s Upper Peninsula Girls and Boys Golf and Boys Tennis Finals. Keep an eye on Second Half throughout the week, or follow the Second Half feed on the cover page of MHSAA.com.
Transfer rule clarification
We released Monday the actions our Representative Council took earlier this month at its Spring Meeting, including an addition to the athletics-related portion of our transfer rule. Based on some questions we’ve received and read, here’s some further explanation of what will be installed for 2014-15:
The longer period of ineligibility for athletes who transfer because of athletics is not new. This has previously existed for cases in which a school could prove that it lost a student to another school purely for sports-related reasons.
What’s new is what must be proven and by whom for the longer ineligibility period to take effect. Now, a school that lost a student does not have to file a report with the MHSAA for the case to be considered. As long as one of a set of offending activities can be verified – including practicing, competing or training with a member of the new school’s coaching staff during summer or non-school sports activities or seasons – that student will have to sit 180 days instead of the usual period of roughly a semester. The 15 exemptions that allow a student to be eligible immediately – like making a full move to a new district or a student’s school closing – may still apply.
So, to conclude: The longer athletics-related ineligibility period is not new, just how athletics-related transfers are considered and reported. Click to read the full release.
Kickoff is coming
And that means we’re collecting varsity football schedules.
In fact, we have most of them thanks to our athletic directors, their secretaries, coaches and many others who chip in to help us keep complete and accurate information throughout the season.
But there are still plenty of steps in getting ready for August – and a huge one is locking down correct leagues for our teams this season, especially as schools continue to switch things up.
Check out your school’s schedule page by click on the “Schools” button in the menu bar at the top of MHSAA.com and searching for your school. Once on the school page, click the blue “Boys” button next to football. The schedule will appear in the middle of the page, with standings to the left.
See an error in a schedule or the standings? Email me at [email protected]. I thank you in advance.
Kramer’s words of wisdom
Long before Roy Kramer served as athletic director at Vanderbilt University, commissioner of the Southeastern Conference and creator of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) for Division I college football, he coached multiple sports at East Lansing High School.
He recently was named winner of this year’s Duffy Daugherty Award, given in honor of the former Michigan State University coach to a valued coach or contributor to college football. The award, presented in East Lansing, is among those recognized by the College Football Hall of Fame.
Kramer finished his acceptance speech with a stirring endorsement of the sport that brought the crowd of more than 300 to its feet. If you’re a fan, former or current player or coach, see below.
PHOTO: Athletes race toward the finish of a relay during this spring's Alma College Invitational. (Click to see more at HighSchoolsSportsScene.com.)
Injuries Add to Challenge, But Dundee Answering with Breakthrough Success
By
Doug Donnelly
Special for MHSAA.com
January 20, 2026
Ava Johnson hasn’t played in a game in two seasons, but she doesn’t want to miss any time with her Dundee girls basketball teammates.
“I still go to every single thing I can,” Johnson said. “All of the open gyms, all of the practices. I love the excitement and being part of the basketball family in any way I can.”
Johnson has torn her ACL twice – once in a Dundee game and once during a 3-on-3 basketball tournament. She may not be able to see action on the court, but her dedication to being with the team is part of the culture shift at Dundee. The Vikings started the season 6-0 for the first time since the 1990s and are 8-3 after a nonconference win at Napoleon on Monday.
“It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do,” Johnson said about missing her senior season. “It’s taken a lot of mental toughness, but I want to be there for my teammates. I’m always there to help, especially the younger girls. I’ll pick up the white board or answer questions when I can. You can always coach the attitudes.”
Attitudes are definitely shifting in Dundee.
“We haven’t experienced a lot of success in, really, a couple of decades,” said third-year coach Jay Briggs. “I use that as motivation. It’s a challenge. We’re seeing the difference on and off the court.”
Other than going 7-5 during the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season, Dundee hasn’t finished above .500 since 2011-12. The Vikings haven't had back-to-back winning seasons since a stretch from 1983-1990. The last – and only – league title for Dundee was won in 1984.
Starting out 6-0 this season turned a few heads around the Lenawee County Athletic Association and Monroe County.
“While we have not won anything important yet, we are building with a youth movement,” Briggs said.
After winning six games last year, Briggs was counting on five seniors this season. Unfortunately, three of them are out with knee injuries and may not see action the entire season.
“The unique thing about those three is how supportive they have been,” Briggs said. “All three come to all practices and games to still support their teammates. The team bond is the best I have been around.”
The lack of seniors led Briggs to turn to some underclassmen, and they have responded. Two freshmen, two sophomores, a junior and two seniors make up the roster. The JV has 10 players after some offseason recruiting by classmates got some new faces interested in basketball.
“The girls did a lot of recruiting in the hallways,” Briggs said. “Some of them have never played basketball, but they are playing and having fun.”
Senior Maddie Salenbien is one of the seniors and leads the team in scoring at 11 points a game.
“Our culture has definitely changed,” Salenbien said. “We were always known kind of as a losing team. We have focused a lot about being a team and being a family. We’ve improved so much, and it’s great to see the hard work paying off.”
After starting 6-0, Dundee lost three straight games but have rebounded for two straight wins to get to five games above .500.
Freshman Aisley Cousino had a breakout game earlier this season, setting a school record with seven 3-pointers in one contest. Sophomore McKenzie Heath is second on the team in scoring after Salenbien. Junior Ella Rath is second on the team in 3-pointers with 11.
Briggs is a Dundee graduate who played basketball in high school. He was an assistant coach at Tecumseh for one season while doing his student teaching and served as an assistant coach for boys and girls basketball in Dundee before accepting the head coaching job.
He’s committed to seeing the Vikings sustain success in girls basketball.
“We have high hopes for continued success in future years,” Briggs said.
Salenbien, one of the captains, has played for a couple of coaches during her high school years but said this is the closest team she’s been on.
“I think he has really focused on changing the culture,” she said. “He told us we were going to have to work really hard. He always tells us to be friends on and off the court, and I think we are.”
Salenbien said she almost wishes she was an underclassman with more time remaining to play as a Viking.
“I think they will only keep getting better,” she said. “I’m excited to see the program keep improving even after we’re gone.”
Doug Donnelly has served as a news and sports reporter at the Adrian Daily Telegram and the Monroe News for 30 years, including 10 years as city editor in Monroe. He's written a book on high school basketball in Monroe County and compiles record books for various schools in southeast Michigan. He is now publisher and editor of The Blissfield Advance, a weekly newspaper. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for Jackson, Washtenaw, Hillsdale, Lenawee and Monroe counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Dundee players are upbeat as they run toward their cheering teammates and coach Jay Briggs during a break in a game this season. (Middle) Maddie Salenbien (14) considers her next move during her team’s 46-41 loss to Onsted on Jan. 13. (Below) Aisley Cousino (5) works to get into the lane as teammate Lacey Evans (15) moves to open space. (Photos provided by the Dundee girls basketball program.)