MHSAA Historian Picks 10 to Remember
August 9, 2016
By Rob Kaminski
MHSAA benchmarks editor
It sounded simple and fun, the theme for the MHSAA's spring issue of benchmarks: a history of MHSAA tournaments.
It certainly was the latter, but simple? Not so much.
There’s no way to do justice to nearly a century’s worth of history in some sports. Complicating matters was the abundance of information and photographs for some, and the scant amount of detailed data and images for others.
MHSAA historian Ron Pesch was given an equally challenging task: recount a “Top 10” list from his days covering various MHSAA Finals. He shares them here and, he adds, they are in no order of favorites.
The Shot: 1986 Class B Boys Basketball Final at Crisler Arena – Saginaw Buena Vista’s Chris Coles’ desperation shot, launched at the buzzer from well beyond half court, dropped through the hoop to give the Knights a 33-32 win over defending champion Flint Beecher in a rematch of the 1985 Class B title game. The shot was Coles’ first of the second half and his only points in the contest.
The Smurfs: 1986 Class A Football Final at the Pontiac Silverdome – The "Smurfs" – Muskegon Coach Dave Taylor's nickname for his small, quick swarming defensive linemen – limited heavily favored Sterling Heights Stevenson to four yards rushing and 73 yards of total offense in a 10-0 win. As a 1979 graduate of Muskegon High School, I was elated.
The Drive: 1989 Class B Football Final at the Pontiac Silverdome – I slid down from the press box into the stands at the Silverdome for the end of this one. With 2:20 remaining, the atmosphere was simply electric, as Farmington Hills Harrison’s lauded quarterback Mill Coleman took the reins with his team down 27-21 to DeWitt. The senior executed a flawless two-minute drill, guiding his team to the DeWitt 9 before scampering into the end zone for the tying points. Steve Hill added his fourth PAT for the lead, then secured the victory with an interception on the next series.
King Kool: 2005 Class B Boys Basketball Final, Breslin Center, East Lansing – David Kool was a flawless 20 for 20 from the free-throw line and scored 43 points as Grand Rapids South Christian downed Muskegon Heights 67-60.
The Parade: 2004 Individual Wrestling Finals, The Palace of Auburn Hills – In 2004, I traveled to Auburn Hills to watch the MHSAA Individual Wrestling Finals for the first time. The pageantry of the Grand March, the skills on display, the roar of the massive crowd, and the ensuing beauty and chaos of a wrestling extravaganza of this scale is truly a sight to see.
A Marathon: 2007 Division 3 Football Final, Ford Field, Detroit – East Grand Rapids and Orchard Lake St. Mary’s ended regulation tied 14-14, and this would turn into a five overtime battle that required an extra hour of play. No previous football playoff game, from Districts up, had ever gone beyond four overtimes. After exchanging field goals, touchdowns, extra points and two-point conversions, East Grand Rapids emerged with a 46-39 victory.
Tawana Towers: 1994 Class A Girls Basketball Final at Kellogg Arena, Battle Creek – Flint Northern, coached by Leteia Hughley and led by 6-4 freshman Tawana McDonald, defeated 1993 runner-up Detroit Martin Luther King, 46-32, for the Class A championship. McDonald batted down an MHSAA-record 10 shots, pulled down 13 rebounds and added five points and seven assists in a stellar performance.
Never Quit: 2008 Division 2 Football Semifinal, Spartan Stadium, East Lansing – Unbeaten, No. 1-ranked and heavily favored Muskegon trailed Davison by 22 late in the third quarter and 16 with less than five minutes to play. In perhaps the greatest comeback in playoff history, Muskegon recovered two onside kicks and scored 19 points in the final 4:31 to escape with a 38-35 victory and its third trip in five years to an MHSAA Final.
MHSAA Legends: 1998-2008 – For 10 years, the MHSAA showcased great teams from the past with their Legends of the Game series. From a historian’s perspective it was a chance to meet and learn more about folks I had often known only from the pages of microfilm. It was quite the treat to see years fall away as coaches, team managers and players reunited, in many cases for the first time after decades apart.
The MHSAA Record Books: Online, 1994 – One of my first efforts as state historian was to expand the record books beyond their primary focus on football, basketball, track & field and swimming & diving. With the arrival of the internet, an enhanced version of the record books was brought online. Coaches and fans were quick to respond with letters and e-mails, happily listing entries that had been “missed.” Soon, five category headings in a sport grew to 20, then to 50 and beyond.
Kids: 2004 Football Finals, Pontiac Silverdome – (OK, this is No. 11 ... consider it an extra point). For the first time, my sons joined me for my annual excursion to Metro Detroit for a Thanksgiving Day football weekend. They got to see the Silverdome before the move of the MHSAA Football Finals to beautiful Ford Field. Future Big Reds, they also got to see their future alma mater win another title.
PHOTOS: (Top) An MHSAA boys basketball tournament game is played at Olympia Stadium in Detroit. (Middle) Flint Northern's Tawana McDonald blocks a shot during the 1994 Class A Final.
McCarey Caps Niles Career Among School's All-Time Track Greats
By
Scott Hassinger
Special for MHSAA.com
June 3, 2025
NILES – For such a decorated athlete, Niles track & field star Ayden McCarey is as humble as they come.
That one trait is what makes him such a joy to coach, says Tony Todd, the Vikings' longtime leader of the boys program.
Todd, a Flint Kearsley graduate and former participant himself in the oval sport, has seen many great performers during his 27 years directing Niles' program. But he contends that McCarey is one of the best he's ever coached.
McCarey, who has signed to run track at the Division II level at Grand Valley State University, capped off a glorious high school career during Saturday's Lower Peninsula Division 2 Finals in Hamilton.
McCarey returned home with all-state honors in two events, finishing second in the 110-meter high hurdles (14.43) and third-place in the 400-meter dash (49.27). His time in the 110s broke the school record. He has the second-fastest time at the school in the 400 dash, less than a second behind 2018 Niles grad Jordan Brown, currently the Vikings' sprint coach, who owns the record at 48.50.
McCarey also qualified in the 300 intermediate hurdles and ran anchor leg for the Vikings' 1,600 relay on Saturday.
"Ayden relishes the competition. The bigger the meet, the more he seems to rise to the occasion and perform well. When someone has a faster time, he can't wait to race against them. He gets excited over the chance to compete against someone faster," Todd said.
Also a standout defender for the Niles boys soccer team, McCarey finished runners-up in both the 110 highs and 400 his junior year. As a sophomore he placed sixth in the 110 and 10th in the 300. He began competing in the 400 midway through his sophomore season.
"It's just nice to know that all your hard work you put in got you to state. There's a lot of competition there. I am just happy to represent my school for a third time," McCarey said.
He credits an increase in distance workouts and his increased focus on the 400 as big reasons for his improvement in that event this season.
"I try and focus on all my events, but it just so happened I spent the most time focusing on the 400 this season,” McCarey said. “You need a lot of stamina to run that event, and it also helps me in the longer hurdle race as well. I've been successful in the 110 highs because I concentrate on attacking it whereas most people sometimes hop over them and that slows them down and hurts their time. I get a good start, and I'm able to maintain my speed throughout the race."
McCarey owned the fastest time in the 400 among Lower Peninsula Division 2 competitors after the Regional meet. He was ranked second in the 110 highs and fourth in the 300 entering the Finals.
"Ayden goes non-stop and never complains. He's one of those kids that will run through a wall for you,” Todd said. “Sometimes I take advantage of that to get that extra effort out of him. He is very humble, and if you try and compliment him he just smiles and puts his head down and keeps going. I worry more than he does if he doesn't get the accolades that he should. He is a quiet kid who leads by example. His form in the hurdles has improved all four years."
McCarey went through his entire high school track career without an injury.
"That's a big thing. Coaches have to learn when to pull back. He's never had a serious injury that left him having to sit out a practice. You can attribute that to his extraordinary work ethic because if you slack off, that's one of the easiest ways to get hurt,” Todd said. “He stays in shape year round with his participation in soccer and track. He is very versatile and can compete at the state level in any event from the 100 up to the 400, along with the hurdles and relays.
"His conditioning and running that he does during his soccer practice builds his endurance for track. In turn, the speed he's developed in track helps him out on the soccer field."
McCarey is looking forward to competing in college.
"I decided to go to Grand Valley because they have a solid track program, and it’s not that far from home. I liked their business program there too," McCarey said.
Todd is looking forward to seeing what McCarey can do at the next level.
"The biggest thing that will make Ayden a valuable competitor in college is that he is a natural athlete. There is only so much you can coach,” Todd said. “It takes a good coach and a good athlete to make a champion. But 90 percent of that is the athlete. If they listen and do the workouts, they will succeed.
"I couldn't be more proud of his four-year high school career. He had the most outstanding track career ever at Niles High School, and he's a great human being and student. This young man is going to do great things at Grand Valley and in life. I'm proud to have been his coach for his entire high school career."
Scott Hassinger is a contributing sportswriter for Leader Publications and previously served as the sports editor for the Three Rivers Commercial-News from 1994-2022. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Berrien, Cass, St. Joseph and Branch counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Niles senior Ayden McCarey leaves the starting block during the 1600-meter relay at his team’s Regional. (Middle) Niles coach Tony Todd, left, takes a photo with McCarey before the start of a practice last week. (Photos by Scott Hassinger.)