Jackson Area Efforts Net New Officials
February 16, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Recruitment of new high school officials to eventually take the reins from those currently conducting MHSAA events is a challenge faced all over Michigan.
The Jackson Area Officials Association is working to restock its ranks by recruiting directly from local schools and developing them with help from veteran mentors.
Eight new officials – ages 15 to 24 – who worked a series of youth and middle school games together earlier this month, are among those who have been introduced through a program that begins with a meeting at the end of the high school basketball season between JAOA official Bill Walker and local athletic directors, coaches, fellow officials and other young adults he’s made contact with over the course of a season. From that meeting, Walker builds a list of potential candidates to become officials and then invites them to the annual JAOA Legacy Camp in June.
The camp includes two days of scrimmages between local teams, plus classroom and mechanics teaching. Similar to the MHSAA Legacy program, new officials are paired with veterans, and clinicians evaluate their work during scrimmage play. Walker then keeps in touch with the new officials during the rest of the summer, plugging them in for local youth tournaments and scrimmages, and uses as many as possible while assigning officials for youth tournaments over the winter.
All eight officials who worked the event this month are part of the JAOA legacy partnering, and some of the group already are working games at the junior varsity level – with one, a 19-year-old, recently completing his first varsity game. They come from a variety of Jackson-area schools – Parma Western, Napoleon, Jackson Christian, Michigan Center, Concord and East Jackson. Walker said the recruiting effort has a 60 percent success rate so far. (This June’s legacy camp will be the third.)
“By next season, all (eight) will be official MHSAA registered officials,” he said, noting most currently are registered. “It’s great to have these schools support this program. We all benefit from added, good officiating.”
Passing it forward
Our Battle of the Fans trip to Charlotte on Friday included a conversation about a Feb. 2 game between the Orioles and Mason, which has a pair of athletes fighting cancer. The Charlotte student section dressed in blue that night in support of junior Storm Miller, and during halftime passed buckets to raise money for Miller’s GoFundMe account set up to help pay for his care.
Mason, in turn, provided support Friday to an Owosso alum, 2012 graduate Cody Greger, who remains hospitalized at University of Michigan’s hospital with injuries sustained during a house fire in November. Fans and students collected donations to assist Greger’s family with his care.
“This event was yet another example of the values that school sports teach young people,” Owosso athletic director Dallas Lintner wrote on the school’s website. “And it stands as a testament of the integrity of the young adults that represent our schools and the (Capital Area Activities Conference.)."
100 years of hoops
A decade before the formation of the Michigan High School Athletic Association, Eastern Michigan University – then known as Michigan State Normal College – hosted what is believed to be the first organized high school basketball tournament in state history.
EMU will celebrate this anniversary Saturday in conjunction with the Eagles men’s basketball game against Toledo. Game time is noon at EMU’s Convocation Center, and during a break in play the athletic department will recognize the 12 schools that took part in that 1916 tournament – Marine City, Dundee, Milan, Mancelona, Farmington, Elkton, Royal Oak, Middleville, Lansing, Mount Clemens, Wayne and Saline.
More history, courtesy of EMU:
The game of basketball was developed by James Naismith in 1891 at Springfield College in Massachusetts. As a means of promoting the game throughout the country, physical education professor and EMU's first athletic director Wilber Bowen asked his good friend Naismith to bring the game to the Michigan State Normal College (now known as Eastern Michigan University).
The first basketball game west of the Allegheny Mountains was played at Michigan Normal in 1894 to recognize the new physical education program and to dedicate the new gymnasium on campus.
Then in 1916, Bowen, along with instructors Elmer Mitchell and Lloyd Olds (who was also credited with the introduction of the striped referee jersey), organized the first high school basketball tournament in Michigan. A total of 300 invitations were sent out to all Class B schools in the state. Twelve schools responded, and the first high school boys tournament was held on the Ypsilanti-based campus on March 23-25, 1916.
Entrance to the tournament was free and (the event was) played at the Michigan State Normal School Gymnasium. However, expenses related to transportation, room, and board had to be provided by the participating schools. The MSNC's Physical Education Department made it easier for schools to participate by making arrangements with local residents to provide food at 20 to 25 cents a meal and lodging at 25 cents a night for each player.
That first tournament saw Marine City defeat Dundee in the championship game, 23-22.
The winning team was awarded a silver shield mounted on an oak base. Second prize was a silver cup, and the third place team received a banner. Individual participation awards to all players were also provided. The Ypsilanti Press at the time felt the Normal School "went first class with the awards."
For tickets to Saturday’s game and event, which will be followed by the EMU women’s team taking on Northern Illinois, call the EMU Ticket Office at (734) 487-2282 or visit EMUEagles.com/tickets.
Following up
• Second Half’s Chip Mundy this fall wrote a story on the emergence of Ida’s football team on the way to making the Division 5 Semifinals and finishing its best season ever. A theme of that story was Ida’s philosophy of building “brick by brick,” coined by defensive line coach Gary Deland, who himself was building back after emergency triple-bypass heart surgery.
“From that very first practice in the summer to the last game as a senior, everything is built brick by brick,” Deland said for that story. “I can draw a correlation between that and my recovery, what I’ve gone through. It’s the same thing. It’s brick by brick.”
Kim Farver sent along this photo of Deland holding up a brick after the team’s 43-20 Regional Final win over Buchanan.
• We released the last batch of this year’s MHSAA-Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete Award winners today, and one of the highlights during the 27 years of the contest came two years ago when we caught up with some of our winners from the first 25 years – including Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood’s Abby Cohen, who has gone on to co-found a company and help develop a smartphone application, Wing, to help asthma patients monitor their lung function.
Here’s a look at a video describing the technology she’s helped create:
Rockford's Miss Basketball Caps Career Among State's Top Shooters, All-Time Winners
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
December 19, 2025
Rockford’s Anna Wypych finished her high school career in March with four record book listings earned during her four-year varsity career and Miss Basketball Award-winning senior season.
She made 94 3-pointers last winter, good for fifth all-time, and finished her career with 203. She also made the career games played list with 107 and career wins list helping the Rams to a 99-8 record. Rockford won the Division 1 championship in 2023, finished runner-up last winter and also made the Semifinals when Wypych was a freshman and junior.
She’s continuing her career this season at Butler.
See below for several recently-added listings to the girls basketball record book, and click the heading to see the record book in full. Several more applications have been received and are in the process of being confirmed.
Girls Basketball
Mia McGregor is up to 26 listings in the record book after her first two seasons at Mio. Her 58 points in a game against St. Helen Charlton Heston as a freshman is tied for ninth and one of her 12 games scoring 45 or more points. Her 866 points (41.2 ppg average) that debut season rank second all-time, and she’s already on the career 3-pointers (160) and free throw (345) lists. She also made the single-game assists list with 14 against Atlanta last season.
Jaxi Long’s heroics at the end of a 61-54 win over Muskegon Western Michigan Christian on Jan. 4, 2022, have her second on a record book list. She scored 29 points, including 22 in the fourth quarter, as Newaygo came back from an 11-point deficit that period. She’s playing at Cornerstone.
Baraga senior Kara Roberts made the single-season 3-pointers list as both a sophomore (74) and junior (70). Baraga as a team also made multiple 3-pointer lists over the last few seasons, including with 13 in a game last winter. Roberts has committed to continue at Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
Morrice’s Aubrey Rogers totaled 20 steals during a Feb. 2, 2024, win over Burton Bendle, tying for second-most in one game. She was a senior and has continued at Spring Arbor.
Ishpeming’s march to the Division 4 championship in 2024 includes several record-book accomplishments as a team and individually. As a team, Ishpeming tied the single-season record of 28 wins in finishing 28-1, and made lists with 195 3-pointers and 710 attempts from beyond the arc. Then-junior Jenessa Eagle made the record book with 72 of those 3-pointers. She has signed with Michigan Tech.
Evart junior Kyrah Gray made the single-season steals list with 15 in a Dec. 6, 2024, game against Beal City, and finished the season with 188 over 25 games – the season total ranking fifth all-time.
Averie Zinn has entered her senior season at Genesee with 20 record book listings – and a chance to add several more. Zinn’s best from her first three seasons included 851 points scored (32.7 per game) last winter, which rank third all-time; 186 free throws last season, which rank 10th; and 218 steals also from last season that rank third on that list. She has committed to Wayne State.
Charlotte senior Peyton Howarth cemented her name in the record book with nine 3-pointers in a Dec. 7, 2024, game against Quincy. She finished with 29 points.
Vivian Idziak earned Grand Rapids Union’s first record book entry in this sport with 15 blocked shots against Muskegon Reeths-Puffer on Jan. 16, 2024, and added a second with 27 rebounds against Wyoming Kelloggsville this past Feb. 25. She graduated this spring and will continue at Grand Rapids Community College, where she will run cross country.
Braxcynn Baker finished her Lowell career in 2024 with several record book listings, including for 183 free throws (in 223 attempts) as a senior and 479 free throws (ranking eighth) in 587 attempts with an .816 percentage for her career. She also made the career 3-pointers list with 180 over 91 games. Her senior-season free throws contributed significantly to Lowell’s MHSAA-record 319 over 25 games that season. She’s continuing her career at Murray State.
Orchard Lake St. Mary’s earned its first girls basketball record book listings during the 2023-24 season. As a team, the Eaglets made 171 3-pointers in 487 attempts – both totals making lists – and Allie Crighton made the single-season free-throw shooting list by connecting on 87 percent of her attempts. She’s a junior and has committed to Northwood.
Fallon Behrick launched a quick start on her 32-point night for Otisville-LakeVille Memorial against Mt. Morris on Jan. 23. The senior scored 21 first-quarter points to make the single-quarter scoring list.
Milan’s Emily Bladen scored 39 points on Dec. 10, 2024, against Britton Deerfield, with 27 coming on nine 3-pointers as she made that single-game list. She’s currently a junior.
Parc Liggins also earned a spot on the single-game 3-pointers list with 10 in 14 attempts for Grand Blanc against Lapeer on Jan. 24. She’s a senior this winter.
Parchment’s 61-30 win over Delton Kellogg on Jan. 28 saw the winning team tie for the sixth-most 3-pointers made in one game – 17 – while also making the single-game attempts list with 47.
Adelyn Moore finished her career at Caro in 2023 by making single-season lists with 150 steals and 336 rebounds – and also career lists with 442 steals and 1,047 rebounds over four seasons and 80 games. She played a season at University of Chicago and is now at Denison in Ohio.
Kent City added to its growing list of top 3-point performances when it connected on 16 – on only 37 attempts – in a Feb. 11 game against Howard City Tri County.
White Cloud’s Alexis Strait tied for the fourth-most 3-pointers in a game when she made 11 on the way to scoring 37 points total on Feb. 7, 2020, against Hesperia. She was a junior that season.
Tamerah Peterson capped her Sterling Heights Parkway Christian career last winter with 633 steals – good for second on the career list – over four seasons and 86 games. Her 213 steals as a sophomore rank fourth for a single season. She was joined in the records by now-junior Angelina Marchesi, who made the single-season rebounds list with 312 over 24 games. Peterson is running track at Spring Arbor.
Merrill’s Maddy Desmyter entered her senior season with a record book entry after grabbing 316 rebounds over 23 games last winter. She has committed to Adrian College.
Twice over five days in February, Analeis Ming made the single-season assists list with two of the highest-ranking performances in state history. She had 15 assists in Au Gres-Sims’ game Feb. 13 against Atlanta and 17 steals on Feb. 17 against Fairview. She is a senior and has committed to play soccer at Knox College in Illinois.
Jayna Schwartz capped her Battle Creek Calhoun Christian career last winter with 73 3-pointers over 21 games, making that single-season list. She just missed the single-season list as a junior with 64.
Madeline Pier tied for 13th all-time on the single-game rebounds list when she grabbed 30 in Swartz Creek’s win over Flint Kearsley on Jan. 31. She’s a junior.
Saline’s Keira Roehm drained 100 3-pointers last winter – third-most in MHSAA history – and had 238 entering her senior year to already rank 12th on the career list after 73 games. She contributed significantly to Saline’s team total of 174 over 24 games. She’s committed to Wayne State.
Hanna Vaughn added 46 more 3-pointers as a senior last season to finish her four-year Ironwood career with 201 over 92 games. She’s playing volleyball and basketball at Gogebic Community College.
Nearly 50 years later, the longest overtime game in MHSAA girls basketball history has been uncovered. Michigan Center defeated Grass Lake 57-50 in six overtimes on Oct. 11, 1978. Coincidentally, Michigan Center also played in a five-overtime game that was tied for the record before this result was added to the top of the list.
Niles Brandywine added to its several listings for 3-pointers attempted and made, connecting on 198 of 689 attempts over 28 games last season. Both rank among the top 15 in their respective categories.
Victoria Hauffe has entered her senior season at Hemlock already on the career 3-pointers list with 159 over her first three seasons and after connecting on 69 last winter. Hemlock as a team was added to the records for making 13 3-pointers against Essexville Garber last December and attempting 529 over 25 games.
Dena Droste played four varsity seasons for DeWitt through graduation in 2011, and finished on the career 3-pointers list with 152 in 415 attempts. She went on to play at Kent State and Ferris State.
PHOTO Rockford's Anna Wypych (2) makes a move toward the lane during last season's Division 1 championship game.