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:
Block Party: 2025 Girls Volleyball Week 8 Report
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
October 15, 2025
We easily could devote the majority of this week’s “Block Party” to the one that took place at Schoolcraft College on Saturday as several of the state’s top teams across Divisions 1, 2 and 3 met to play more than 50 matches, including several which may have nudged this week’s state rankings.
The Region 15 Showcase also had some notables – including wins by Clarkston and Lake Orion over Division 1 contender Bloomfield Hills before both fell to South Lyon. And those were only two of several events of note.
But the biggest matches of the season are still on the way, and we continue to advance into our final three weeks before the start of the MHSAA Tournament.
Records, results and schedules below are those posted for teams on MHSAA.com, and rankings reflect the latest polls posted by the Michigan Interscholastic Volleyball Coaches Association.
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. Rockford d. Bloomfield Hills Marian (25-16, 25-22) What a week for the Division 1 top-ranked Rams (31-1-0) – over the last six days they defeated No. 8 Grand Haven and No. 9 Hudsonville in league play and went 6-0 at the Beast of the East Tournament topped by this win over No. 3 Marian (34-4-0).
2. Grand Rapids Christian d. Grand Rapids Catholic Central (25-19, 25-15, 19-25, 27-25) Fresh off moving up a spot to No. 1 in Division 2, the Eagles (19-7-0) held on for a key win over the No. 5 Cougars (26-9-1).
3. Farmington Hills Mercy d. Bloomfield Hills Marian (20-25, 18-25, 25-18, 25-15, 15-10) The Division 1 No. 2-ranked Marlins came back from two sets down to claim the Catholic High School League Bishop Tournament championship after previously losing the first set but defeating Marian in four during league play.
4. Orchard Lake St. Mary’s d. Detroit Country Day (25-18, 25-19, 25-20) The Eaglets are unranked but might get some attention soon with a 26-6-3 record, CHSL Cardinal championship won last week and now this win over the formerly Division 2 top-ranked Yellowjackets (12-7-0), who also lost to Romeo over the weekend.
5. Hudsonville d. South Lyon East (20-25, 26-24, 15-8) The Eagles’ last two matches have been losses to Rockford, but Hudsonville (25-8-1) otherwise has continued to rise – moving up a spot to No. 9 in Division 1 this week after going 4-1 at Beast of the East topped by this win over the formerly No. 6 Cougars (26-7-1) and another over Grand Rapids Christian.
Watch List
With an eye toward November, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern (26-8-1) The Huskies are coming off a solid run at Beast of the East, falling to Marian but defeating Mattawan and then-No. 5 Utica Eisenhower. That saw them move up from No. 8 to No. 6 in this week’s poll, and they also have wins over No. 9 Hudsonville, No. 8 Grand Haven, honorable mentions Jenison, East Grand Rapids and Byron Center and three current top-10 teams in Division 2 – No. 5 Grand Rapids Catholic Central, No. 6 Holland Christian and No. 10 Edwardsburg.
Lowell (24-7-2) The Red Arrows have been especially sharp the last three weeks, with a run of 9-1-1 that has seen them move up to No. 5 in the Division 1 poll. Over those 11 matches they’ve defeated No. 8 Grand Haven, No. 6 Forest Hills Northern and Division 2 top-ranked Grand Rapids Christian among others. Lowell finished undefeated in River Cities Alliance matches with the league tournament this weekend, and the Red Arrows can take another step when they host several of the state’s best Oct. 25 for the East vs. West Challenge.
DIVISION 2
Essexville Garber (32-9-2) The Dukes are on the move again after last season’s run to the Division 2 Semifinals, with 16 wins over their last seven matches including a 6-0 march through the New Lothrop Tournament this past weekend during which they gave up just one set. Garber tested itself right away this fall, with a pair of early losses to Marian and one apiece to Kingsley and Flat Rock especially sticking out over the first few weeks. They’ll get the chance Oct. 30 to avenge a midseason loss to Division 3 No. 9 Saginaw Valley Lutheran.
Marshall (25-8-1) A win over Division 3 honorable mention Bronson last week was the latest highest for the Redhawks, who sit at No. 9 in Division 2 with 10 wins over their last 11 matches. They are undefeated in Interstate 8 Athletic Conference play with Battle Creek Harper Creek and Hastings left before the league tournament Oct. 25. Much like a win over Division 3 No. 7 Kalamazoo Christian earlier this month, upcoming matches against No. 10 Edwardsburg and Division 3 No. 6 Pewamo-Westphalia also will be solid tune-ups for the postseason.
DIVISION 3
Beal City (23-5-0) All five of the Aggies’ losses this season have come against either Division 2 teams or ranked Division 3 opponents – the latter a pair against No. 4 Kingsley and their most recent, to No. 10 Manton a week ago. That loss to the Rangers was Beal City’s only one over its last eight matches, and big opportunities remain including a regular-season finale Oct. 28 against top-ranked Roscommon. On Thursday, the Aggies will travel to face honorable mention McBain – which won both of their matchups last season including in the Regional Semifinals.
Traverse City St. Francis (18-13-0) The Gladiators’ No. 8 ranking in Division 3 tells the story more than the team’s record. All but St. Francis’ first loss this season (to Manton) came against Division 1 or 2 opponents, including four that are ranked on their respective top-10 lists this week. All of that experience could pay off with another long tournament run after the Gladiators finished Division 3 runners-up a year ago. They are one of only two teams this fall with a win over top-ranked Roscommon and began this season with Cadillac Invitational victories over honorable mention Cass City and Division 4 No. 2 Ubly.
DIVISION 4
Atlanta (26-0-1) The Huskies are closing in on a third-straight 30-win season and after reaching the Quarterfinals a year ago. A tie with Traverse City Christian at the Sept. 27 Onaway Invitational – which Atlanta then bettered with a three-set championship win over the Sabres – was the only trip-up during an otherwise flawless run so far. The Huskies have lost only five sets to a combined three opponents and have multiple wins over Oscoda and Onaway – two of the five teams that defeated Atlanta a year ago.
Buckley (22-5-1) The Bears have won 11 straight matches, but more importantly have clinched a share of the Northwest Conference championship – their first league title in this sport. That came with wins this month over Frankfort and honorable mention Onekama, and Buckley also went 4-0 at the Brethren Tournament this past weekend. The Bears will get an opportunity Monday to avenge one of their losses when they host Manton, and on Oct. 30 they face Traverse City Christian – which ended Buckley’s 2024 season in a Regional Final.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these matches and tournaments coming up:
Thursday – Jenison (27-3-1) at Byron Center (22-4-0) – A pair of Division 1 honorable mentions face off in nonleague play.
Saturday – Motor City Power Series at UWM Sports Complex in Pontiac – This will be the final Power Series weekend this season, and arguably the most intriguing pool includes Division 1 No. 10 South Lyon East (26-7-1), Division 2 No. 4 North Branch (25-7), New Baltimore Anchor Bay (12-15-1), Lake Fenton (13-10-0) and Detroit Cass Tech (8-11-1).
Saturday – McBain Invitational – Included in this field are Division 3 No. 8 Traverse City St. Francis (18-13), No. 4 Kingsley (39-4-1), honorable mentions Beal City (23-5-0) and host McBain (14-9-0), Division 4 No. 6 Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart (18-6-3), Traverse City Christian (21-7-2) and Midland (23-7-2).
Saturday – Clash of the Divisions at Kingsford – A handful of the Upper Peninsula’s best will compete including Calumet (15-9-1), Division 4 No. 7 Crystal Falls Forest Park (30-1), Marquette (9-9-1) and the host and Division 2 honorable mention Flivvers (16-0-0).
Tuesday – Lake Linden-Hubbell (20-4-2) at Hancock (21-3-2) – Division 4 No. 8 Hancock begins this closing stretch with Ishpeming on Thursday before facing the Lakes, a very possible District Final opponent.
PHOTOS (Top) Lake Orion’s Lilah Eliassen (9) powers a kill attempt toward a block by Bloomfield Hills on Saturday. (Middle) Farmington Hills Mercy’s Cydnee Speights (39) elevates above the net as Bloomfield Hills Marian’s Cecilia Murray goes for the block during the CHSL Cardinal championship match. (Photos by Kristina Sikora/KMS Photography.)