6 Schools Win First Titles in 2012-13

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

June 24, 2013

A total of 101 schools won one or more of the 127 team Finals championships awarded by the Michigan High School Athletic Association during the 2012-13 school year – with six programs winning the first MHSAA team titles in any sport for their respective schools.

The Manchester girls basketball, Jackson Northwest girls bowling, Portland football, Harbor Beach football, Deckerville football and Hamtramck Frontier International boys soccer teams brought home the first MHSAA team championships in their schools’ histories.

A total of 33 teams won their first MHSAA titles. A total of 46 champions were repeat winners from 2011-12 – and 23 of those won for at least the third straight season. The Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice boys lacrosse team has the longest title streak of nine seasons, while the Battle Creek St. Philip volleyball team has won six straight titles for the second-longest streak overall and longest among girls programs. 

Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood claimed the most championships, four, winning in Division 2 boys lacrosse, Lower Peninsula Division 3 girls swimming and diving, Lower Peninsula Division 3 girls tennis and Division 3 ice hockey. Four schools won three titles apiece: Grand Rapids Christian, Grand Rapids South Christian, Marquette and St. Ignace LaSalle.

Sixteen of the MHSAA's 28 championship tournaments are unified, involving teams from the Upper and Lower Peninsulas, while separate competition to determine titlists in both Peninsulas is conducted in remaining sports.

For a sport-by-sport listing of MHSAA champions for 2012-13 - Click Here (PDF)

The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation of voluntary membership by more than 1,500 public and private senior high schools and junior high/middle schools which exists to develop common rules for athletic eligibility and competition. No government funds or tax dollars support the MHSAA, which was the first such association nationally to not accept membership dues or tournament entry fees from schools. Member schools which enforce these rules are permitted to participate in MHSAA tournaments, which attract approximately 1.6 million spectators each year.

PHOTO: Manchester's girls basketball team celebrates the school's first MHSAA team championship in any sport this March at the Breslin Center. (Click to see more at HighSchoolsSportsScene.com.)

Nearly 100,000 Student-Athletes Set to Start MHSAA Fall Practices

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

August 9, 2024

Nearly 100,000 Michigan high school student-athletes are anticipated to begin Fall 2024 practices on Monday, Aug. 12, across nine sports for which the Michigan High School Athletic Association sponsors postseason tournaments.  

The fall season includes the most played sports for both boys and girls; 35,174 football players and 19,119 girls volleyball players competed during the Fall 2023 season. Teams in those sports will be joined by competitors in girls and boys cross country, Lower Peninsula girls golf, boys soccer, Lower Peninsula girls swimming & diving, Upper Peninsula girls tennis and Lower Peninsula boys tennis in beginning practice next week.  

Competition begins Aug. 16 for cross country, golf, soccer and tennis, Aug. 21 for swimming & diving and volleyball, and Aug. 29 for varsity football. Football teams at all levels must have 12 days of preseason practice – over a period of 16 calendar days – before their first game. 

In girls volleyball this season, for the first time, the top two teams in each District bracket will be seeded based on Michigan Power Ratings (MPR) that take into account a team’s regular-season success and strength of schedule. Those two seeded teams will be determined the Sunday prior to the final week of the regular season and placed on opposite sides of their District brackets.  

Boys soccer also will see a slight change to its seeding this fall, as the entire bracket will be seeded based on MPR, not just the top two teams as in previous seasons.  

The 11-Player Football Finals schedule at Ford Field also will have a slightly different lineup and earlier start times. On both Friday, Nov. 29, and Saturday, Nov. 30, the first games of the day will begin at 9:30 a.m., with the final games of both days slated to start at 7 p.m. On Nov. 29, Division 8 at 9:30 a.m. will be followed by Division 4 at 12:30 p.m., Division 6 at 4 p.m. and Division 2 at 7 p.m. to conclude the day. On Nov. 30, Division 7 kicks off at 9:30 a.m., followed by Division 3 at 12:30 p.m., Division 5 at 4 p.m. and Division 1 at 7 p.m. to finish the weekend.  

A few more game-action rules changes will be quickly noticeable to participants and spectators.  

  • In football, uniforms now must have clear contrast between the colors of the jersey and body of the numbers (excluding the border); for example, white numbers with blue outline on a white jersey are no longer allowed. The visiting teams must wear white uniforms, and home teams must wear dark jerseys that clearly contrast with white. 
  • In soccer, the eight-goal differential rule remains but with the addition of a running clock during the first half if the differential reaches eight.  
  • In volleyball, line judges beginning this fall will switch sides of the court between sets. 

The 2024 Fall campaign culminates with postseason tournaments beginning with the Upper Peninsula Girls Tennis Finals during the week of Sept. 30 and wrapping up with the 11-Player Football Finals on Nov. 29 and 30. Here is a complete list of fall tournament dates: 

Cross Country 
U.P. Finals – Oct. 19
 
L.P. Regionals – Oct. 25 or 26
 
L.P. Finals – Nov. 2
 

11-Player Football 
Selection Sunday – Oct. 27
 
Pre-Districts – Nov. 1 or 2
 
District Finals – Nov. 8 or 9
 
Regional Finals – Nov. 15 or 16
 
Semifinals – Nov. 23
 
Finals – Nov. 29-30
 

8-Player Football 
Selection Sunday – Oct. 27
 
Regional Semifinals – Nov. 1 or 2
 
Regional Finals – Nov. 8 or 9
 
Semifinals – Nov. 16
 
Finals – Nov. 23
 

L.P. Girls Golf 
Regionals – Oct. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 or 12
 
Finals – Oct. 18-19
 

Boys Soccer 
Districts – Oct. 9-19
 
Regionals – Oct. 22-26
 
Semifinals – Oct. 30
 
Finals – Nov. 2
 

L.P. Girls Swimming & Diving 
Diving Regionals – Nov. 14
 
Swimming/Diving Finals – Nov. 22-23
 

Tennis 
U.P. Girls Finals – Oct. 2, 3, 4 or 5
 
L.P. Boys Regionals – Oct. 9, 10, 11 or 12
 
L.P. Boys Finals – Oct. 17-19 or 21-22
 

Girls Volleyball 
Districts – Nov. 4-9
 
Regionals – Nov. 12 & 14
 
Quarterfinals – Nov. 19
 
Semifinals – Nov. 21-22
 
Finals – Nov. 23
 

The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation of voluntary membership by more than 1,500 public and private senior high schools and junior high/middle schools which exists to develop common rules for athletic eligibility and competition. No government funds or tax dollars support the MHSAA, which was the first such association nationally to not accept membership dues or tournament entry fees from schools. Member schools which enforce these rules are permitted to participate in MHSAA tournaments, which attract more than 1.4 million spectators each year.