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.
Vicksburg's Butler Adds to Legacy as School's 1st Bowling Finals Champ
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
March 1, 2025
WATERFORD — Vicksburg junior Jordon Butler walked into Century Bowl for the Division 2 Singles Finals on Saturday having already made history.
He later departed after making quite a bit more.
Already the first bowler from Vicksburg to qualify for the MHSAA Finals, Butler now is the first bowler from Vicksburg to win one as well, earning a 400-387 win over DeWitt junior Griffin Lindemann in the championship match.
“I came here and my goal was top 16,” said Butler, who qualified seventh out of the qualifying block. “I got top 16 and I was like, ‘All right, let’s keep working.’”
Butler worked his way all the way to the top, first earning a 427-363 win over Tecumseh senior Palmer Ziemer in the round of 16. He then bowled a first game of 279 en route to a 486-358 win over St. Clair Shores Lake Shore junior Gregg Winters in the quarterfinals.
Butler then earned a 420-359 win over Iron Mountain senior Blake Flaminio in the semifinals.
In the final, Butler started off hot, bowling a 246 to take a 37-pin lead over Lindemann going into the second game.
Butler started off hot again, but he admittedly started feeling some pressure in the middle of the game, which turned into a couple of open frames due to splits.
“I started bowling a little shaky there,” Butler said. “I was getting nervous.”
Lindemann gave himself a chance, getting into a position where if he would have struck out in the 10th frame, he would have won.
However, on the first shot of the 10th, Lindemann bowled a nine, with the 4-pin wobbling a bit, but not falling, to end his hopes.
“Today he was probably 10-15 pins higher than his average,” Vicksburg co-coach Chris Adams said of his champion. “He has got the best mental attitude. Level-headed and always has a smile on his face. That’s who Jordon is.”
As was the case with Butler, Lindemann was making his first appearance at an MHSAA Finals, and was thrilled with how his day went despite falling just short at the end.
Lindemann, who was the No. 12 seed out of qualifying, defeated Carleton Airport sophomore Brayden Siders in the semifinals, 406-323. He also didn’t have a series below 400 until the final.
“I came into this thinking to just bowl my best and if I made the cut, I made the cut,” Lindemann said. “I didn’t expect to get all the way to the finals. I’m proud of myself that I did it.”
While Butler and Lindemann advanced the furthest in the tournament, the game of the day belonged to New Boston Huron senior Nicholas Suemnick, who bowled a 300 in the first game of qualifying.
Last year’s individual champion, Flint Kearsley junior Jameson Vanier, finished 18th in qualifying and missed the cut by 17 pins.