Parade of Champions 2015-16
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
June 23, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Seven schools hoisted Michigan High School Athletic Association team championship trophies for the first time this school year, as 99 schools total won one or more of the 130 Finals championships awarded during 2015-16.
Teams earning the first MHSAA championship in any sport for their schools were Sterling Heights Parkway Christian in baseball, Detroit Henry Ford in boys basketball, Ypsilanti Arbor Prep in girls basketball, Tawas and Clarkston Everest Collegiate in boys golf, Burton Genesee Christian in boys soccer and Bloomfield Hills in boys tennis.
A total of 37 teams won their first MHSAA titles in their respective sports. A total of 50 champions were repeat winners from 2014-15 – and 25 of those won for at least the third straight season, up from 16 that accomplished the same feat a year ago. Still, championships were more spread out this school year; the 99 schools winning at least one title were nine more than in 2014-15.
The Birmingham Brother Rice boys lacrosse team has the longest title streak of 12 seasons, while the Ann Arbor Greenhills boys tennis team has won eight straight titles for the second-longest streak overall. The Gibraltar Carlson competitive cheer and Marquette girls track & field teams share the longest girls winning streaks with six straight championships apiece.
Marquette again claimed the most MHSAA team titles, six, winning in Division 1 boys skiing and Division 1 girls skiing, Upper Peninsula Division 1 girls cross country, Upper Peninsula boys swimming & diving, and Upper Peninsula Division 1 boys track & field and girls track & field. Ishpeming won five titles, and four more schools won at least three titles – Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central, Ithaca, Negaunee and Rockford (including the championship won by the combined Rockford/Sparta girls gymnastics team.)
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 2015-16 - Click Here (PDF)
PHOTO: Detroit Henry Ford boys basketball coach Kenneth Flowers hoists his team's Class B championship trophy this winter.
Officials Registration Open
June 19, 2014
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The Michigan High School Athletic Association is accepting registrations by mail and online for game officials for the 2014-15 school year and hopes to continue building on a program started in 2012 and aimed at recruiting new officials from high schools’ current graduating classes.
The MHSAA again has provided each member high school with two complimentary officials registrations to be awarded to graduating seniors designated by their athletic directors as having the skills and interest in continuing their involvement in MHSAA athletics through officiating. Over the last two years, 41 graduates took advantage of this opportunity to register free of charge.
High school seniors selected do not have to pay registration fees for the next school year and receive assistance from MHSAA staff in connecting with local officials’ associations and receiving training opportunities. Graduates who registered during the first two years of the program came from the following schools: Adrian Lenawee Christian, Brimley, Calumet, Carleton Airport, Coleman, Dearborn, Detroit International Academy, Detroit Aisha Shule-W.E.B. Du Bois Prep Academy, Detroit Southwestern, Engadine, Fenton, Grand Haven, Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett, Harrison Township L’Anse Creuse, Houghton Lake, Imlay City, Ishpeming Westwood, Jonesville, Kalamazoo Loy Norrix, Lowell, Mackinaw City, Madison Heights Lamphere, Marquette, Mayville, Michigan Center, Negaunee, New Boston Huron, New Haven Anchor Bay, Owendale-Gagetown, Owosso, Oxford, Rogers City, St. Ignace, Ubly, Waldron, Watervliet and West Branch Ogemaw Heights.
For other new and returning officials, those who register online again will receive a $5 discount off their processing fees. A $12 fee is charged for each sport in which an official wishes to register, and the online processing fee is $30. Officials submitting registration forms by mail or on a walk-up basis will incur a $35 processing fee. Officials registered in 2013-14 will be assessed a late fee of $30 for registration after July 31. The processing fee includes liability insurance coverage up to $1 million for officials while working contests involving MHSAA schools.
Online registration can be accessed by clicking “Officials” on the Home Page of the MHSAA Website. Forms also are available online that can be printed and submitted by traditional mail or hand delivery to the MHSAA Office. More information about officials registration may be obtained by contacting the MHSAA at 1661 Ramblewood Drive, East Lansing, MI, 48823, by phone at (517) 332-5046 or by e-mail at [email protected].
There is an officials' registration test for first-time officials and officials who were not registered during the past school year. The test consists of 45 questions derived from the MHSAA Officials Guidebook, which also is available on the Officials page of the MHSAA Website. Additional 50-question exams must be taken by those registering for football or basketball for the first time or those who were not registered for those sports during the previous school year. Manuals for both sports also are available on the Officials page.