Michel Finishes with Story to Tell
June 11, 2013
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Andrew Michel received the heart-breaking news only moments before leaving his golf team’s Regional on Friday to get ready for that night’s Brownstown-Woodhaven prom.
But missing making the MHSAA Finals by a stroke was not the first thing he shared with those who asked about his day at West Shore Golf and Country Club in Grosse Ile.
Instead, the graduating senior told of the 132-yard shot he dropped for a hole-in-one on the par-3 12th hole, his second ace but first in competition.
Michel finished with a season-best 76, missing the cut for this weekend’s Lower Peninsula Division 1 Final by a stroke despite firing another eagle during the final holes of his round.
“At the start of the day, I told myself don’t leave anything on the table. Go for it on every hole, make every shot and just have fun at your last tournament,” Michel said Tuesday afternoon as he readied for that night’s graduation ceremony. “Being a senior, I went for everything.”
The best part might’ve been how he came back from a disappointing previous hole.
Michel had just finished off a triple bogey on No. 11, and admitted he was down on himself. He stepped to the next tee with his pitching wedge, and “I didn’t really care what happened. I chose the club I like to hit on that hole, and in the air I was thinking it was really good,” he said.
The ball touched down on the green and spun back into the hole.
Michel also played golf and soccer at Brownstown-Woodhaven. He’ll attend Grand Valley State University in the fall, study engineering, and will try to walk-on the Lakers’ golf team.
“Deep down inside,” he said he’s disappointed he won’t be playing at Michigan State’s Forest Akers West on Friday. But he’s got a quite a highlight to take with him from his final high school round.
“It was very bittersweet. I really wanted to go to state,” Michel said. “But the hole-in-one balanced it out a bit.”
Eye on the official
Hopefully you caught our MHSAA benchmarks piece (also published on Second Half) on longtime official Lamont Simpson, who has worked not only MHSAA Finals but NCAA tournaments and is one of 32 officials in the WNBA. (Here’s the link in case you missed it.)
He also became that league’s first to wear the referee cam, debuting the new gear during a recent game between the Phoenix Mercury and Indiana Fever.
The camera provides plenty of ref’s-eye views. Click the video below to check it out.
Wheels of Steele
We’ve been watching the inspiring progress of Frankenmuth runner Bobby Steele especially over the last few years as his story became known across the Lower Peninsula.
Steele, who is visually impaired, has run cross country and track for the Eagles, thanks to the help of guides who ran with him to help him stay on course.
If you haven’t heard Steele’s awesome story, check out this 8-minute video. Not only did Steele run, but he cut roughly 12 minutes off his first cross country times over the course of his career.
1st & Goal: 2024 8-Player Finals Preview
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
November 22, 2024
For the first time since 8-player football was split into two divisions in 2017, all four teams playing in this season’s MHSAA Finals are past champions.
Deckerville and Pickford in Division 1, and Crystal Falls Forest Park and Morrice in Division 2 have all won one title during the first 13 years of 8-player playoffs. All four also are making their first championship appearances this decade.
Deckerville and Pickford kick off at 11 a.m. Saturday at Northern Michigan University’s Superior Dome, and Morrice and Crystal Falls Forest Park follow at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $10 and are good for both games, and may be purchased online through NMU or at the door – click for details. Both games will be broadcast live on MHSAA.tv, and audio of both games will be streamed live on MHSAANetwork.com.
Below is a look at all four finalists:
Division 1
DECKERVILLE
Record/Rank: 12-0, No. 1
Coach: Bill Brown, 32nd season (258-90)
League finish: First in Big Thumb Conference Blue
Championship history: 8-player (single division) champion 2012, two runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 49-32 over No. 7 Mendon in Semifinal, 40-6 (Regional Final) and 44-0 over No. 8 Kingston, 54-34 (Regional Semifinal) and 50-16 over Bay City All Saints, 50-42 over No. 2 Alcona, 30-28 over Brown City.
Players to watch: QB Hunter Garza, 6-1 sr. (1,488 yards/26 TDs rushing, 804 yards/10 TDs passing); SE/DB Ian Flanagan, 6-1 jr. (230 yards/3 TDs receiving); RB/DB Parker Merriman, 5-10 sr. (1,003 yards/14 TDs rushing); RG/DE Preston Holman, 6-1 sr. (Weights not provided. Statistics through Regional Final.)
Outlook: Deckerville will be playing in its first championship game since finishing runner-up in both 2016 (single division) and 2017 (Division 1), and after reaching the Semifinals a year ago. Alcona and Brown City were the only opponents to get within 17 points of the Eagles this fall. There are only seven seniors, but they combine to fill seven of the 16 starting spots. Holman made the all-state second team last season, and Garza earned an honorable mention.
PICKFORD
Record/Rank: 12-0, No. 3
Coach: Josh Rader, 21st season (153-66)
League finish: First in Great Lakes Eight Conference East
Championship history: Division 2 champion 2019, Division 1 runner-up 2018.
Best wins: 34-18 over No. 5 Indian River Inland Lakes in Semifinal, 44-6 (Regional Final) and 65-14 over No. 10 Ishpeming, 51-6 over Norway, 40-12 over Division 2 No. 6 Powers North Central.
Players to watch: QB/DE Tommy Storey, 5-9/175 sr. (1,656 yards/28 TDs passing, 954 yards/16 TDs rushing); RB/DB Gunner Bennin, 6-0/165 jr. (828 yards/19 TDs rushing, 386 yards/8 TDs receiving); TE/DE Ian Browne, 6-3/175 sr. (206 yards/4 TDs receiving); OG/DT Haydn Rader, 6-1/210 sr.
Outlook: Storey is a returning all-state first-teamer who also quarterbacked the team to the Semifinals a year ago. He leads an attack that’s rushed for 3,768 yards – at more than 10 a carry – but can keep defenses honest with a passing game as well. In addition to being the team’s second-leading rusher and leading receiver, Bennin has a team-high four interceptions and has also scored on defense and as a kick and punt returner. Haydn Rader made the all-state second team last season and with Storey, Browne and Bennin is among eight players who start on both sides of the ball.
Division 2
CRYSTAL FALLS FOREST PARK
Record/Rank: 11-1, No. 3
Coach: Brian Fabbri, fifth season (35-11)
League finish: Second in Great Lakes Eight Conference West
Championship history: Division 2 champion 2017, three MHSAA titles and 10 runner-up finishes in 11-player.
Best wins: 34-12 over No. 6 Powers North Central in Regional Final, 49-24 over No. 8 Onekama in Semifinal, 42-20 over Norway.
Players to watch: RB/DB Dax Huuki, 6-0/175 soph. (1,424 yards/20 TDs rushing); QB/DB Vic Giuliani, 6-2/165 soph. (908 yards/14 TDs passing, 7 TDs rushing); RB/DE Grayson Sundell, 6-1/190 sr. (899 yards/17 TDs rushing); TE/DT Kevin Giuliani, 6-5/270 sr. (277 yards/6 TDs receiving).
Outlook: Forest Park will play in its first championship game since its title-winning season in 2017 and picked up major steam with its Regional Final win over rival North Central, which avenged a 45-34 league title-deciding loss from Week 9. No other opponent got within 20 points of the Trojans this season. Kevin Giuliani made the all-state second team last season and is one of seven two-way starters. Junior Trent Kannich is another and has 406 yards and seven touchdowns rushing and a team-high 364 yards receiving from his fullback spot. Senior linebacker Brody Starr has five interceptions and has returned two for touchdowns, and senior linebacker Nik Stephens has four picks and one for a score.
MORRICE
Record/Rank: 11-1, No. 5
Coach: Kendall Crockett, 11th season (96-25)
League finish: Tied for first in Mid-State Activities Conference Red
Championship history: Division 1 champion 2018.
Best wins: 36-0 over No. 4 Britton Deerfield in Semifinal, 46-14 (Regional Final) and 38-6 over Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart, 28-22 over No. 7 Portland St. Patrick in Regional Semifinal, 22-0 over Fulton.
Players to watch: RB/DB Joel Fisher, 5-7/139 sr. (1,687 yards, 19 TDs rushing); WR/DB Wyatt Valentine, 5-10/163 soph. (50 tackles, 10 interceptions); RB/OLB Wyatt Cartier, 5-7/150 sr. (1,468 yards, 27 TDs rushing), OG/DE Travis Smith, 6-0/215 sr.
Outlook: Morrice also avenged its lone regular-season loss to advance this postseason, having lost to St. Patrick 29-12 in Week 4 before opening the playoffs with a win over the Shamrocks. Fisher and Cartier are a dynamite 1-2 punch in the backfield, and Fisher made the all-state second team last season. Smith earned an honorable mention in 2023 and is joined on both lines by 6-foot-3, 215-pound junior Oliver Long, who has 12 sacks. Junior linebacker Austin Gutting is the leading tackler for a defense giving up only 10 points per game.
MHSAA.com's weekly “1st & Goal” previews and reviews are powered by MI Student Aid, a division within the Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP). MI Student Aid encourages students to pursue postsecondary education by providing access to student financial resources and information. MI Student Aid administers the state’s scholarship and grant programs that help make college Accessible, Affordable and Attainable for you. Click to connect with MI Student Aid and find more information on Facebook and Twitter @mistudentaid.