Johnson Served as Storyteller, Guardian
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
January 5, 2021
Promoting the value – and values – of school-based sports.
No statement more completely, or succinctly, explains the mission of the Michigan High School Athletic Association.
Those words were sparked in the mind of John Johnson, and also might best describe his work for the MHSAA over more than three decades – which concluded with his retirement Dec. 18.
Johnson’s official title for most of his tenure was communications director, by which he designed and delivered the message of the MHSAA’s work. A more suitable title might have been “guardian” – Johnson in 1987 joined the then 62-year-old organization and became keeper and protector of all the MHSAA had been and was becoming under its recently-hired executive director, Jack Roberts.
More than 33 years later, “JJ” has stepped away as the pioneer in his field and having impacted multiple generations of Michigan high school and middle school athletes in ways that will continue. Whether as the coiner of memorable slogans, the voice explaining the nation’s first elaborate sportsmanship effort or detailing the MHSAA’s work for its schools during tougher times, or simply as the narrator passing on some of the good stories the bubble up from every season, Johnson daily worked to keep those who follow school sports in the know.
“Being the voice, and having to be the face a lot, is something that came with the territory – somebody had to be the storyteller. And while you can be prideful about that, the important thing is still the story,” Johnson said. “I’ve said it a lot: I was the lucky guy who got the job. Because the story was there to be told, the work was there to be done.”
Thousands upon thousands of times over the years, Johnson did that work with enthusiasm and grace. Most visibly, it came in front of a TV or radio microphone, or as quoted in your local newspaper and media nationwide. He has been the drive behind the MHSAA championship games watched annually on TV and online, and the messenger via various campaigns delivering the good news of why school sports are vital for kids and communities.
Serving as that storyteller, Johnson has never been one to tell much of his own. But there is no shortage of storytellers who have benefitted from Johnson’s wisdom and tutelage over the years – and we were enable to enlist a few to paint a more vivid picture as we recount at least a glance of what Johnson has meant to the MHSAA and its schools over these many years.
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“The measure of all of us is what we leave behind. Those with whom we’ve been in contact. Those we’ve lifted up along the way. And by that measure, we are witnessing the end of a spectacular career. I’ll take away from all the exchanges, the ready smile, the encyclopedic knowledge that JJ possessed and the sense of calm within the frenzy. It was invaluable to those who popped into his world only a few times a year. John Johnson has left very large shoes in East Lansing.”
– John Keating, longtime FOX Sports Detroit anchor and host for many MHSAA Football and Basketball Finals
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First and 1 of a Kind
Jack Roberts became the fourth full-time executive director of the MHSAA during the summer of 1986. He brought an emphasis on communication, and “communications director” became the first position he created in East Lansing.
Johnson in 1987 became that first communications specialist at the MHSAA, beginning a long last stop during a run in sports that Johnson began as a student at Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart, about an hour’s drive north of Lansing.
Johnson hadn’t played sports at Sacred Heart, but had taken part in just about every other way possible for a student. He was a team manager, statistician, student trainer, and picked up part-time sports writing work at the former Mt. Pleasant Daily Times. He wrote a series while still in high school on the creation of the MHSAA football playoffs, which were set to kick off in 1975, and that series was syndicated among the newspapers in the Daily Times’ chain. As a student, Johnson moved on to Michigan State University where he majored in journalism, and again he was published and syndicated by the Daily Times – this time for a series on how game officials were being trained by state associations, including the MHSAA.
That series foreshadowed the work he would take up a decade later – it closed with a piece on poor spectatorship toward officials. (Coincidentally, the collection of stories had been clipped and saved by the MHSAA executive director at the time, Vern Norris. The file found its way to Roberts, who eventually found out he had just hired the author.)
Also having served as a student assistant in the MSU sports information office, Johnson began his communications career at Albion College in 1978 as an assistant in the college relations office with responsibility for publicity for the college’s 17 athletic teams. (He didn’t graduate from MSU until 1979, but received two days off per week to get back to East Lansing for classes. He also served as a radio voice for Albion High games on the side.) Johnson moved on to brief stints in the news department with WITL Radio in Lansing and as an intern in the Office of Public Affairs at Ferris State University before landing with the Western Michigan University sports information department as an assistant director.
That led to a three-year stint as an assistant sports information director at Indiana University, where his responsibilities included serving as SID for coach Bobby Knight’s men’s basketball program. Johnson also assisted with press operations at the 1984 U.S. Olympic Basketball Trials hosted by IU. Johnson then left Indiana in January 1986 for a promotions position at Michigan Farm Bureau.
Six months later, his eventual journey to the MHSAA accelerated.
Roberts was hired during the summer of 1986, and not long after he asked MSU sports information director Nick Vista who had been his best student assistant of the past decade. The answer: John Johnson.
Johnson and Roberts met multiple times over the next many months, and Roberts made his choice.
“From the first moment I sat down with Jack Roberts, I knew I wanted to be here,” Johnson said. “The way he talked so passionately about high school sports, and the values of high school sports. … I saw the opportunity to take Jack’s vision and run with it.”
The day before the announcement of Johnson’s hire was to be made, Roberts asked Johnson to come with him to Grand Rapids to watch South Christian basketball star Matt Steigenga (later of MSU and the NBA) – but Johnson couldn’t go because his wife Suzie had gone into labor with their first of two children.
But a little more than a month later, Johnson started at the MHSAA on April 1 – and that came with plenty of jokes on its own.
Yet while Johnson had to miss that trip to Grand Rapids, he and the executive director would get plenty of car time together – to the benefit of the MHSAA’s member schools. To introduce themselves to statewide media, Roberts and Johnson did a driving tour to visit all of them, touring their offices, talking to them about MHSAA initiatives and asking how Association staff could better assist the media in its work. Those drives also allowed them to dream up together “the kinds of things that were unveiled over time,” Roberts recalled.
“We talked so much those first 15 years, we could intuit each other’s thinking the last 15 years,” added Roberts, who retired from the MHSAA in 2018. “We didn’t spend nearly as much time together, but we didn’t need to.”
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“John Johnson has positively influenced so many more people than he knows and more than anyone realizes. It starts with the thousands and thousands of people who have been able to watch high school sports on the web throughout Michigan. Live-streaming of games has really come to the forefront due to the pandemic, but he was on top of this innovation nearly a decade ago when it was just in the early idea stage. He has been the person who orchestrated and led the countless schools across the state who started streaming their games in the past several years.
“JJ has also impacted numerous student journalists who wanted to learn the craft by covering high school games. He has always been SO supportive of these aspiring broadcasters and writers and reporters, affording them the opportunities to cover high school championships on the biggest stages, and treating those students the same as their professional peers. The students got to be on the turf at Ford Field and in the postgame press rooms, even if their school's team wasn't involved in the game! All they had to do was ask for credentials, and he granted them time and time again.
“JJ's influence also touched those of us who work for the MHSAA in a freelance fashion at various championship events. He has helped so many of us become better communicators, announcers, statisticians, and more. He was always willing to provide feedback & opportunities to learn, and he served as our leader who was always accessible morning, noon, and night. He pushed us to be our best every game, just as the athletes were trying to be their best. It's been my pleasure to work for him as a PA announcer for several years now, and I tried to be perfect every single time because I knew he was listening and because I wanted to do well for him.”
– Roger Smith, advisor for Lake Orion High School’s nationally award-winning School Broadcast Program and public address announcer for MHSAA Finals
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Telling the Story
In Roberts’ eyes, a few campaigns from his and Johnson’s time together stand out most.
• Promoting the Value – and Values of High School Sports. “I came in with “School Sports – the other half of education” but that wasn’t as good,” Roberts said. … (His words) caught our brand much better.”
• Good Sports are Winners. The MHSAA launched a sportsmanship initiative a few years into their tenures that was “unparalleled” nationally, per Roberts’ description. “Before sportsmanship was an 'in thing' to talk about, John and I were talking about it.” Johnson created all of the print and broadcast materials designed to promote improving sportsmanship, and his work helped make Michigan not just the leader but a voice nationally on the topic.
• Safer Than Ever. The campaign, stretching over much of the last decade, explained that high school football – for a variety of reasons – is safer than it has ever been. Johnson worked with the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association to build the messages and promote them at a time when injury fears were regularly headlining media coverage.
“John made our ideas visible and practical. People would put them together at the league level and school district level,” Roberts said.
“To narrow (his work) down to three is unfair to him because he did a thousand things.”
And in a number of roles. Johnson started as communications director, picking up along the way responsibilities in information technology, marketing, merchandising and more. Everything from daily media questions to maintaining the MHSAA record book (and serving on the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) national record book committee) fell onto Johnson’s desk, and just about any message read at any game by a public address announcer was his work. His final years were as “all things broadcasting” as Johnson served as the MHSAA’s first director of broadcast properties – an all-encompassing title that included all-encompassing responsibilities.
The MHSAA provides video broadcasts of nearly all of its MHSAA Finals – including football and basketball with FOX Sports Detroit – and Johnson has navigated the growth of those opportunities. Same with the MHSAA Network’s audio offerings during championship events, and his voice has been heard weekly during “This Week in High School Sports” which is aired as part of programming by more than 100 radio stations statewide.
The most significant advance under his guidance over the last two decades has been the School Broadcast Program, begun for MHSAA schools during the 2008-09 school year. The MHSAA relied on that knowledge in playing a leading role last decade in the formation of the NFHS Network – the nationwide digital home for live and on-demand high school events – and it’s not unusual for Michigan SBP schools to broadcast upwards of 500 events per week via the network.
“What people don’t necessarily know is John is the pioneer in this field,” MHSAA Executive Director Mark Uyl said. “The way he shaped this job over the last 30 years has been extraordinary – and has become the model for the 49 other states.”
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“I’m sure that with me, JJ had to do things he never had done with anyone else – I was pregnant three straight schools years. The accommodations for me, even as just a female, it was kinda crazy especially in the 1980s. But when I was pregnant, I couldn’t walk up stairs, and he always would make special concessions for me, (like to) try to find bathrooms for me. There were so many media, and there always had to be exceptions, but he always had to take special care for me, and I’m so thankful for what he did. We laugh about that stuff all the time.
“I remember too, I had a tragedy in my family one year, and I know he was busy at the Finals, but he took me (aside), sat there and cried with me and talked with me. He took time out of his way. He treated me professionally, like everyone else. But as a person, he has such a gift to connect with people.”
– Jane Bos, longtime prep sports editor for the Grand Rapids Press and 2008 recipient of MHSAA Women In Sports Leadership Award
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More than Scratching the Surface
The work Johnson pioneered at the MHSAA goes on. Formerly a staff of one (with help from valuable volunteers including long-time postseason assistant Walter Dell) now includes a team of employees to handle the media relations, publications, broadcasting, marketing and other messaging needs.
While making the rules for school sports remains the top priority for the MHSAA, telling the story of their importance in students’ lives comes in a close second – and Johnson has written at least the first chapters of the book.
“It needed to be done; the Association had to take bigger steps into the communications world. And thanks to Jack Roberts, it did. I was the lucky guy who landed in the chair,” Johnson said.
But again, that is simply scratching the surface. We’ll end with longtime Detroit Free Press sportswriter Mick McCabe taking a last deep dive.
I first met John Johnson in the late fall of 1977.
He was a student at Michigan State and worked in the sports information office. I was a sports writer for the Detroit Free Press, covering MSU basketball, featuring JJ’s brother, Earvin.
Well, maybe Earvin and JJ weren’t exactly blood relatives, but they were both fun to be around and each had a profound effect on my life.
No, really.
When watching the Spartans back then you knew you were watching someone special, which is why they called him Magic.
No one ever used the word magic in describing JJ, but he was young and enthusiastic and sociable while he learned the tricks of the trade under the watchful eyes of Fred Stabley Sr. and Nick Vista, the absolute best sports information directors in the country.
That is why I knew JJ would be such a good fit at Albion College, which just so happened to be looking for an SID when JJ was graduating from MSU.
JJ was exactly what Albion needed and did an excellent job and soon JJ’s career was off and running.
Somewhere along the way JJ landed at Indiana University where Bob Knight learned to tolerate JJ. If you’ve ever met Knight and understand his relationship with other human beings, you know that is like saying JJ and Knight were besties.
That was reinforced in the spring of 1984 when I spent almost two weeks in Bloomington covering the U.S. men’s Olympic basketball trials and interacted with JJ on a daily basis.
In the spring of 1987 JJ accepted a job with the Michigan High School Athletic Association. It was a job that hadn’t existed before JJ came riding into town.
Jack Roberts was in his first year as the MHSAA’s executive director and JJ was one of his first hires. He was also one of his best.
JJ was hired as the MHSAA’s first communications director. Before JJ arrived the words “communication” and “MHSAA” had never been used together in the same sentence.
If a member of the media had a question for the MHSAA chances are good it would never be answered.
That changed the minute JJ was hired. If he didn’t know the answer, he got the answer for you. And if you needed to speak with someone about a particular question, JJ got you to that person.
It wasn’t JJ’s job to do our job for us, but the thing we didn’t want was for him or someone else from the MHSAA to get in the way of us doing our job.
Not only didn’t JJ get out of the way for us, he helped us and made our jobs easier with the way he ran communications for the MHSAA.
A few weeks ago, with JJ’s imminent retirement growing closer, someone asked me to describe the worst phone call I received from JJ, one in which he was irate with something negative I had written about the MHSAA.
Certainly, he assumed, over 34 years there had to be many such phone calls.
He was genuinely surprised to learn it never happened. Not even once.
JJ knew that the media has a job to do and his job didn’t require him to complain when something negative about the MHSAA was written. I’m certain it was a lesson he learned from Stabley and Vista, who operated the same way.
As far as I know, the only times JJ ever called a member of the media after a negative story was when the reporter had the facts wrong. His call just pointed out the errors and he left out the tongue lashing.
JJ was the consummate professional in doing his job and he did it better than anyone else.
There is no way I am going to describe JJ’s job performance at the MHSAA as magical, like Earvin’s, but it was pretty darn close.
PHOTOS: (Top) MHSAA Communications Director John Johnson kneels at midcourt at The Palace of Auburn Hills in 1990 having designed the floor for that year's Basketball Finals. (2) Johnson, middle, wears the headset during a playoff production. (3) Johnson, right, coordinated media, announcing and stat-keeping among other areas during MHSAA events at the Breslin Center. (4) Johnson, far left, stands with (from left) MHSAA public address announcers Roger Smith, Erik O. Furseth, Tony Coggins and Steve Miller during a Baseball/Softball Finals weekend. (5) Johnson walks the turf at Ford Field during a Football Finals. (Photos from MHSAA archives.)
2025 Scholar-Athlete Award Recipients Announced in Class A
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
February 18, 2025
The Michigan High School Athletic Association has selected 13 student-athletes from Class A member schools to receive scholarships through the MHSAA/Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete Award program.
Farm Bureau Insurance, in its 36th year of sponsoring the award, will give $2,000 college scholarships to 32 individuals who represent their member schools in at least one sport in which the Association sponsors a postseason tournament. The first 30 scholarships are awarded proportionately by school classification and the number of student-athletes involved in those classes; also, there are two at-large honorees who can come from any classification.
Students applying for the Scholar-Athlete Award must be carrying at least a 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale) grade-point average and have previously won a letter in a varsity sport in which the Michigan High School Athletic Association sponsors a postseason tournament. Other requirements for the applicants were to show active participation in other school and community activities and produce an essay on the importance of sportsmanship in educational athletics.
The 32 scholarship recipients will be recognized March 15 during the MHSAA Boys Basketball Finals at the Breslin Student Events Center in East Lansing.
The Class A Scholar-Athlete Award honorees are Madeline Day, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood; Nadine Fayad, Dearborn; Ella Gifford, Birmingham Seaholm; Grace Johnson-Sears, Birmingham Seaholm; Chikanma Okoisor, Midland Dow; Sophia Tang, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood; Noah Kaplan, Bloomfield Hills; Asher Langwell, Bloomfield Hills; Nick Leiter, Detroit Catholic Central; Nimai Patel, Midland Dow; Brady Scheidt, West Bloomfield; Sean Wesolek, Bay City John Glenn; and Gruhith Yerramalli, Grosse Pointe North.
Overviews of the scholarship recipients of the Class A Scholar-Athlete Award follow. A quote from each recipient's essay also is included:
Madeline Day, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood
Played two seasons of varsity volleyball, playing fourth of varsity basketball and will play third of varsity tennis this spring. Earned all-region in volleyball and all-league in basketball, and was part of Tennis Finals doubles flight champion as junior and team champion as sophomore. Served or will serve as captain of all three teams. Named National Merit Scholarship semifinalist and AP Scholar with Distinction. Serving as veteran leader of school’s Athletic Leadership Academy and second years as president of school’s Business and Gold Key clubs. Co-founded and serves as president of school’s Global Outreach Club and serving on senior advisory board in second year participating in Generation of Promise social justice youth program. Participated in service efforts locally and in Thailand. Will attend Harvard College and study computer science and sociology.
Essay Quote: “For me, basketball has become a reflection of life’s complexities. Success on the court does not always mean scoring the most points; it’s about adapting to challenges, communicating effectively, and responding to unfolding situations with resilience. … Good sportsmanship, rooted in respect, empathy, and compassion, has become a guiding principle for me – offering a model for navigating both the court and the world beyond.”
Nadine Fayad, Dearborn
Played four seasons of varsity golf and will play her third of varsity soccer this spring, and also played junior varsity basketball as a freshman. Earned all-academic recognition in soccer and helped team to District championship. Served as golf team captain the last two seasons. Serving fourth year in student government and second year on principal’s student advisory council, and participating in second year of National Honors Society. Raised funds as part of student government, Amity Foundation and UNICEF efforts and founded and served as president of school’s UNICEF club. Also serving second year as president of school’s social justice club and secretary for Lebanese Student Association. Participating in second year of Business Professionals of America and as treasurer. Will attend University of Michigan and study business administration and international studies.
Essay Quote: “Soccer has taught me countless lessons, but the one that resonates most is the importance of respect — for teammates, opponents, and the game itself. Respect ensures that the competitive environment remains positive, fostering growth rather than hostility. Whether it's helping an opponent up after a fall or applauding their skill during a tough match, small acts of sportsmanship highlight the values of humility and empathy, both on and off the field.”
Ella Gifford, Birmingham Seaholm
Competed four seasons on varsity swimming & diving team and playing her second season of varsity basketball. Also will play fourth season of water polo in the spring. Advanced to MHSAA Finals scoring heats in swimming her final two seasons and helped team to Lower Peninsula Division 2 championship as freshman. Helped basketball team to league title and earned all-state honorable mention last year in water polo. Earned academic all-state in water polo and served as captain of water polo and swim teams and junior varsity basketball team. Earned AP Scholar recognition and is participating in second year of National Honor Society and third year of Spanish Honor Society. Participating in second year of triathlon club and has served as president, and participating in second year of school’s Big Brothers Big Sisters program. Taught swim lessons throughout high school and served as assistant coach for junior high swim team three years. Participating as Wyld Life Youth Group leader as a senior. Will attend University of Michigan and study business administration.
Essay Quote: “Great teams prioritize collective goals over individual achievements. I’ve been fortunate to be on several championship-level teams, and I’ve seen first-hand how sportsmanship can shift the culture of a team, making the team simultaneously more successful and more enjoyable.”
Grace Johnson-Sears, Birmingham Seaholm
Ran three seasons of varsity cross country and will compete in fourth of track & field this spring. Earned league scholar-athlete awards three years for both sports and served as captain of both teams. Named AP Scholar with Honor. Participating in second years of National Honor Society and National Science Honor Society and as executive board member of latter, and also serving as president in third year in chemistry club. Participating in fourth years in Seaholm’s jazz, marching and pep bands and played three years in school symphony and four years as part of Detroit Metropolitan Youth Symphony. Serving as vice president of band council and founded and directed school flute choir. Earned district and state level superior ratings for solo and ensemble from Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association. Has not decided where she will attend college but intends to study chemistry or chemical engineering.
Essay Quote: “As soon as you leave practice and enter a race, cross country changes from physical to mental. Without constantly being pushed to my limits by those around me, I would have never found what I was capable of. I make it my priority to do the same for others in all aspects of my life, giving my all, not out of combativeness, but respect.”
Chikanma Okoisor, Midland Dow
Will compete in her third season of track & field this spring and competed two seasons on swimming & diving team. Earned league all-academic recognition multiple seasons. Founded and serving as executive director of Aspire United Education that has impacted children with mentorship and donations across four continents. Participating in third year of Key Club International and as trustee, and previously served as district lieutenant governor. Participating in third year as coach intern with Coderina Edtech Foundation and served as FIRST Robotics Challenge electrical subteam lead. Serving third year on Midland Area Youth Action Council, this year as vice president. Served as Black Student Alliance president and co-chairperson of Black Youth of Midland. Named AP Scholar, participating in second year of National Honor Society and received national award from National Center for Women in Information Technology (NCWIT). Will attend Rice University in Texas and study electrical and computer engineering.
Essay Quote: “As the dust settles on the track, I realize that sportsmanship is more than just fair play — it's the heartbeat of our shared human experience. In every stride, every cheer, and every outstretched hand, we write a story of unity that transcends the finish line. This spirit, born on the track, now races through every aspect of my life, propelling me forward with the knowledge that true victory lies not in gold medals but in lifting others as we run together.”
Sophia Tang, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood
Played four seasons of varsity volleyball, is playing her third of varsity basketball and also played junior varsity soccer as a freshman. Earned all-region and all-league in volleyball and served as captain of volleyball varsity and junior varsity basketball teams. Competing third year on robotics team and reached world championship division quarterfinals and state semifinals in 2024. Founded and serves as president of U2H medical supply shipping nonprofit. Served on school newspaper staff throughout high school and earned sports journalism award. Participated in Global Outreach Club throughout high school and served as president and volunteer coordinator. Developed physical therapy app as part of General Motors Safety Department internship. Is undecided where she will attend college but intends to study molecular biology and biomedical engineering.
Essay Quote: “For me, sportsmanship is clapping after a girl gets up from the floor following a hard fall because that injury just ended her season. Sportsmanship is crying tears of joy when your injured teammate gets 50 cycles on the exercise bike because you know how much every little milestone means. Sportsmanship is driving a teammate to her first therapy session because her knee injury has become the hardest opponent she’s ever been up against, and because you were her two years ago.”
Noah Kaplan, Bloomfield Hills
Played four seasons of varsity tennis and will play third of varsity lacrosse this spring. Advanced to MHSAA Tennis Finals flight semifinals and earned all-state recognition in doubles, and helped team to three straight Finals team titles. Earned league scholar-athlete awards multiple seasons in both sports. Served as tennis team captain. Participating in fourth year of DECA, earned state championship, and served as president of career development. Participating in National Honor Society and third year in community service club. Serving second year on school’s athletics booster student board and as events and fundraising chairperson, and serving as ClubLink communications director. Served as youth basketball coach throughout high school and also as football referee and tennis and lacrosse instructor. Is undecided where he will attend college but intends to study business with a focus on real estate.
Essay Quote: “Sportsmanship isn’t about rules or rankings; it’s about humanity. It’s recognizing that the person across the net is more than just an opponent — they’re human beings with struggles and emotions. It’s about standing up for what’s right, even when it costs you personally. … (E)ducational athletics isn’t just about competing; it’s about building character.”
Asher Langwell, Bloomfield Hills
Played four seasons of varsity tennis and will play third of varsity golf this spring. Earned all-state at No. 1 doubles this past fall after winning Finals flight championship, and also was part of No. 4 doubles flight winner as junior. Helped tennis team to three straight Finals team titles. Earned all-state honorable mention last spring after reaching MHSAA Golf Finals for second time and tying for 13th in Lower Peninsula Division 1. Served or will serve as captain of both teams. Participating in fourth year of DECA, won state championship and served as vice president of marketing. Serving third year on student booster board as athletes in action/community service chairperson, and participating in third year of National Honor Society. Also participating in third year of community service club and has volunteered with Friendship Circle throughout high school. Will attend University of Michigan but has not decided what he will study.
Essay Quote: “Your actions on the (golf) course reflect not just your own character but also the school you represent. Sportsmanship isn’t just about being a good sport, it’s about doing the right thing, even when no one else is watching. It’s about honesty, integrity and respect, which are all values I will take with me once I leave high school.”
Nick Leiter, Detroit Catholic Central
Playing third season of varsity ice hockey and has helped team to two straight Division 1 championships. Serving as captain this season. Named National Merit Scholarship Commended Student and participating in National Honor Society for second year and was chosen to speak during his chapter’s 2024 NHS induction ceremony. Participated in DECA throughout high school, earning state and national championships and serving on chapter’s board. Serving third year on student government and has participated with various community service organizations throughout high school, including this year the Oakland County Foster Closet clothing drive – leading as a project manager. Served as a tutor throughout high school. Will attend University of Michigan and study business and accounting.
Essay Quote: “Contrary to its name, sportsmanship isn’t confined to sports – it extends to every competitive aspect of life. It’s easy to think of sportsmanship as just a handshake after a game, but I believe it’s much more. Sportsmanship is a conscious, empathetic response to situations where people stand to gain or lose something. It’s not just about the winners or losers; it’s about how everyone involved conducts themselves.”
Nimai Patel, Midland Dow
Played four seasons of varsity tennis, helped team to two Lower Peninsula Division 2 Finals championships and won No. 4 singles flight titles as sophomore and junior. Earned all-state as a junior and honorable mention as a sophomore, and served as team co-captain as a senior. Named AP Scholar with Distinction and participating in second year of National Honor Society. Served on Midland Area Youth Action Council throughout high school and as senior serving as school district’s Engineering Board student representative. Serving as robotics team director in fourth year of competition. Also has participated in school’s Space Farmers program throughout high school, earning first place at NASA & Growing Beyond Earth student research symposium. Finished among 32 finalists for Buildspace Competition. Is undecided where he will attend college, but intends to study industrial engineering.
Essay Quote: “As I progressed through high school tennis, I began to adopt practices from my coaches, people who I truly look up to as role models. I saw every practice, match and interaction as a chance to foster new connections with other teams. … My perspective shifted – I no longer viewed my opponent as a rival, but as someone who shared the same love for the game, made the same sacrifices and had the same dreams.”
Brady Scheidt, West Bloomfield
Playing third season of varsity hockey, will play third season of varsity baseball this spring and also played junior varsity soccer as a freshman. Earned all-league recognition in hockey and baseball and serving second season as hockey team captain. Participated in DECA throughout high school and serving this year as chapter vice president. Earned DECA state championship and top-30 world recognition. Sang in choir throughout high school, contributing to Michigan School Vocal Music Association conference qualifier, and served as Voice Day committee chairperson as a junior. Participated in theater/drama three years and served as drama director for Vacation Bible School camp. Volunteered for service projects serving homeless and needy families throughout high school. Will attend New York University and study business economics.
Essay Quote: “High school sports are full of challenges, but it’s been the opportunity to face those challenges that has been the most valuable to me. If I hadn’t struggled with controlling my anger, I wouldn’t have had the same opportunities to learn how to respect the people around me and use my passion for something positive. To me, the value of sportsmanship in high school sports is learning the skills necessary to succeed in life.”
Sean Wesolek, Bay City John Glenn
Playing fourth season of varsity basketball and played varsity football as a freshman and sophomore. Earned all-state and academic all-state in basketball. Serving third year as basketball team captain and has coached and refereed for youth programs in that sport. Participating in third year of National Honor Society and dually-enrolled at Delta College. Earned region’s Dr. Martin Luther King Scholarship Award. Graduated from Youth Leadership Bay County program and served two years on school’s student senate. Volunteered in various service efforts throughout high school including through United Way, Boys & Girls Clubs of Bay County and local rescue mission, soup kitchen and hospice house. Will attend Hope College and study pre-health sciences.
Essay Quote: “True sportsmanship is about understanding that my rival is also a member of my community. That he is also a high school kid who is trying his best on a given night. That both teams will fight as hard as we can on the 94 feet of the basketball court, but when the final buzzer sounds we congratulate the winner and take away what went well and what can we do better next time.”
Gruhith Yerramalli, Grosse Pointe North
Played four seasons of varsity tennis, earning all-state recognition the last two and qualifying for MHSAA Finals three times. Served as team captain and earned scholar-athlete award. Also played club soccer throughout high school, helping team qualify for State Cup all four seasons. Named AP Scholar with Distinction and National Merit Scholarship Commended Student, and participating in second year of National Honor Society and as chapter president. Serving second year as part of Grosse Pointe North Student Association and as senator. Participating in third year of DECA and is a two-time state finalist, and has competed in FIRST robotics throughout high school and won Newton Division world final. Founded and owns Gru4Good tutoring service and also is serving as lead tutor in third year with 4TeenFinance. Is undecided where he will attend college, but will study aerospace engineering.
Essay Quote: “In sports, outcomes are unpredictable, and moments of success are often accompanied by setbacks. Good sportsmanship teaches athletes how to deal with wins and losses with grace and dignity. … By exhibiting good sportsmanship, athletes can cope with tough defeats and can choose a positive mindset, thinking about what they can learn from the experience rather than putting themselves down because of what they didn’t do.”
Other Class A girls finalists for the Scholar-Athlete Award were Clara Freeth, Ann Arbor Huron; Katherine Ma, Ann Arbor Huron; Avery Allen, Birmingham Seaholm; Selina Lin, Birmingham Seaholm; Sydney Law, Byron Center; Alaa Selman, Dearborn Heights Crestwood; Eleni Michos, Dexter; Grace Tykocki, Grand Blanc; Kylie Pung, Howell; Bomin Koo, Jenison; Kortney Osborn, Mason; Ayesha Middha, Midland Dow; Tara Creekmore, Plymouth; Katherine McLaughlin, Portage Central; Grace Roth, Saline; Madeline Bildeaux, Traverse City West; Carly Lyons, West Bloomfield; and Natalie Weissman, West Bloomfield.
Other Class A boys finalists for the Scholar-Athlete Award were Milan Patel, Birmingham Seaholm; Carson J. Wright, Birmingham Seaholm; Calvin J.C. Meeker, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood; Peter Sanin, Detroit Catholic Central; Lucas Groulx, Flint Kearsley; Elijah Lipke, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central; Jack Lupo, Grosse Pointe South; James Michelotti, Grosse Pointe South; Joseph Spada, Kalamazoo Central; Andrew Creedon, Livonia Churchill; Cameron McVittie, Northville; Nathan Beemer, Okemos; Drew Cady, Oxford; Hunter Easton, Saline; Auben Wesley, South Lyon; Owen Przybylski, Temperance Bedford; and Asher Paul, Traverse City Central.
The Class C and D scholarship award recipients were announced Feb. 4, and the Class B honorees were announced Feb. 11.
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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.