Irish Celebrate Homecoming Sky High
October 4, 2013
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
You’ve got to see this – from high in the sky – to believe it.
The disappointing news for Pontiac Notre Dame Prep from its Homecoming game last Friday was that the Fighting Irish fell to Detroit Catholic League AA leader Detroit Loyola by seven points.
But the Irish will remember fondly (and probably click on frequently) the video of this sky high view of the game including the team’s entrance to the field.
Thanks to a camera attached to a helicopter-like apparatus flown by local Aerial Imagery Works, Notre Dame was able to capture a rarely-seen view. See more by watching the brief video embedded at the bottom of this post.
SLC-TV Rolls 300
It's fair to assume few television stations in Michigan have been as dedicated to the local football team as South Lyon's SLC-TV, which will celebrate a milestone broadcast Oct. 11 when South Lyon faces South Lyon East.
SLC-TV has followed South Lyon football home and away games for 31 years and will broadcast its 300th game that night. SLC-TV’s games appear on WOW network channel 19 and Comcast Southfield channel 90, which reaches 33 communities in metro Detroit.
Sports director Tedd Wallace will have done play-by-play for 298 of those games, and said he believes no station in America has done TV broadcasts of a team’s home and away games as consistently. Check out more about the network’s weekly work on its Facebook page.
Friendly gesture to opponent in need
One of the most heart-warming parts of following high school sports is experiencing the camaraderie among athletes from opposing teams they likely know nothing about except for what they learn during competition.
Concord’s volleyball team shined especially brightly in this way last week.
Amazingly, Union City junior Marissa Mead played in her team’s match against Concord on Sept. 24 despite her home being destroyed by a fire that morning. As told by the Jackson Citizen-Patriot’s Leanne Smith, Concord’s players had heard about the tragic event and were surprised to then see Mead take her place as defensive specialist that night.
On the bus ride home, the Concord players decided they needed to do something to help Mead and her family. As a team, the players collected $80 – and then pushed the total to $300 with the help of teachers, parents and administrators. They delivered the funds in a card to Mead at Union City’s home match two days later.
It’s a gesture that might seem small, but speaks loudly to the awesome way our athletes relate to each other not just on, but off the court as well. Click to read the entire report.
Official of the Year
Marcy Weston, Central Michigan University’s Executive Associate Director of Athletics/Sports Administration and a longtime contributor to MHSAA officiating initiatives, has been named the Naismith Women’s College Official of the Year.
Weston spoke at the 2001 MHSAA Officials Banquet and has served as part of the association's officials committee and with the National Federation of State High School Associations as a liaison to its Basketball Rules Committee.
She also served as NCAA national coordinator of women’s basketball officiating from 1991-2005 after working as a women’s college basketball official from 1964-84. Click to read more from CMUChippewas.com.
Century of School Sports: 2025 Finals Begin Next Half-Century of Girls Hoops Championships
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
March 18, 2025
This weekend the MHSAA will conclude its second of three seasons during this “Century of School Sports” 100th-anniverary celebration with the last of its winter championships – the Girls Basketball Semifinals & Finals at Michigan State University’s Breslin Center.
While boys basketball was the first sport to see its champions crowned by the newly-formed Michigan High School Athletic Association in 1925 – and girls have been playing basketball for their schools in Michigan for more than 130 years – girls basketball was actually the sixth girls sport to gain MHSAA postseason championships, with its first Finals played during the Fall 1973.
This weekend’s MHSAA Girls Basketball Finals actually will be the 51st – the tournament was not completed in 2020 due to COVID-19 – and leads us to our first trivia question:
Q: There have been 200 MHSAA Finals championships won in girls basketball. How many schools have won at least one?
A: 105 schools have won at least one beginning when Detroit Dominican, Hudsonville Unity Christian, Hamtramck St. Ladislaus and Ewen-Trout Creek earned the first.
Detroit Country Day remains atop the lists for most championship game appearances (17) and Finals titles won (13). Detroit Martin Luther King and Portland St. Patrick rank second in appearances with 12 apiece. Bloomfield Hills Marian, St. Patrick and now-closed Flint Northern rank second on the championships list with six apiece. Northern won the most consecutively – four straight in Class A from 1978-81.
Here's another potential stumper:
Q: In what sport was the MHSAA’s first statewide girls championship awarded?
A: Gymnastics, with its first Final on March 11, 1972, three months before Title IX was signed into law.
The first MHSAA Girls Gymnastics Final was followed during the 1972-73 school year by the additions of girls Finals in golf, swimming & diving, tennis and track & field. Then came basketball in 1973-74, skiing and softball in 1974-75 (although there were Girls Skiing Regionals beginning in 1952), volleyball in 1975-76 and cross country in 1978-79.
The 1980s saw girls soccer added in 1982-83, with competitive cheer joining the lineup in 1993-94. Bowling was added in 2003-04, lacrosse in 2004-05, and the first MHSAA Girls Wrestling Individual Finals were competed in 2021-22. Field hockey will be the next addition among girls championship sports, this upcoming fall.
Similar to this “Century of School Sports” series, MHSAA.com published a 57-part celebration of “Title IX at 50” during the 2021-22 school year building up to the 25th MHSAA Women In Sports Leadership Conference that following fall. Click to read up on now nearly 53 years of MHSAA girls sports.
Previous "Century of School Sports" Spotlights
March 11: Boys Basketball's Best 1st to Earn MHSAA Finals Titles - Read
March 5: Everything We Do Begins with Participation - Read
Feb. 25: Slogans & Logos Remain Unforgettable Parts of MHSAA History - Read
Feb. 19: MHSAA Tickets Continue to Provide Fan-Friendly Value - Read
Feb. 11: We Recognize Those Who Make Our Games Go - Read
Feb. 4: WISL Conference Continues to Inspire Aspiring Leaders - Read
Jan. 28: Michigan's National Impact Begins at NFHS' Start - Read
Jan. 21: Awards Celebrate Well-Rounded Educational Experience - Read
Jan. 14: Predecessors Laid Foundation for MHSAA's Formation - Read
Jan. 9: MHSAA Blazes Trail Into Cyberspace - Read
Dec. 31: State's Storytellers Share Winter Memories - Read
Dec. 17: MHSAA Over Time - Read
Dec. 10: On This Day, December 13, We Will Celebrate - Read
Dec. 3: MHSAA Work Guided by Representative Council - Read
Nov. 26: Finals Provide Future Pros Early Ford Field Glory - Read
Nov. 19: Connection at Heart of Coaches Advancement Program - Read
Nov. 12: Good Sports are Winners Then, Now & Always - Read
Nov. 5: MHSAA's Home Sweet Home - Read
Oct. 29: MHSAA Summits Draw Thousands to Promote Sportsmanship - Read
Oct. 23: Cross Country Finals Among MHSAA's Longest Running - Read
Oct. 15: State's Storytellers Share Fall Memories - Read
Oct. 8: Guided by 4 S's of Educational Athletics - Read
Oct. 1: Michigan Sends 10 to National Hall of Fame - Read
Sept. 25: MHSAA Record Books Filled with 1000s of Achievements - Read
Sept. 18: Why Does the MHSAA Have These Rules? - Read
Sept. 10: Special Medals, Patches to Commemorate Special Year - Read
Sept. 4: Fall to Finish with 50th Football Championships - Read
Aug. 28: Let the Celebration Begin - Read
PHOTO Bloomfield Hills Marian's Trina Govan (42) and teammates celebrate during the closing moments of their 71-49 win over Flint Powers Catholic in the 1988 Class A championship game. (MHSAA file photo)