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.
Lumen Christi Rises to Historic Occasion, Marks it with Milestone Victory
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
March 21, 2026
EAST LANSING – Jackson Lumen Christi girls basketball coach Scott Stine thought the moment got to his team early Saturday during the Division 3 Final at Breslin Center.
But he knew eventually the Titans would rise to meet it, and as the moment became even bigger, they did just that.
Lumen Christi pulled away from Pewamo-Westphalia in the fourth quarter, winning 52-36 in a game that was tied after the third.
“We went in at halftime, regrouped, and did what we needed to do,” Stine said. “They’ve been challenged all year, so being tied up going into the fourth quarter, it wasn’t anything new for us. As I told them coming into the game, when we get into that moment I have complete confidence in them, because they’ve been there and done that.”
While the Titans have been there and done that this season, they had never been here or done what they did Saturday, as the title was the first in program history. Prior to this season, Lumen Christi had never been to Breslin, or anywhere else, for a Semifinal.
“I think it means a lot to all of us. We’ve dreamed of this ever since we were freshmen,” Titans senior forward Paige Lefere said. “We haven’t had the best teams our freshman and sophomore year. Last year, we got pretty close (Quarterfinals), so being able to do it this year means a lot to us. We knew if we worked together, we could get here.”
While the final weekend of the season was new for the Titans, it wasn’t new for Stine, who coached Ypsilanti Arbor Prep to three Division 3 titles over the past four years.
When he arrived at Lumen, he said the team did not shy away from big goals, as making history as the first girls basketball team to win a title was the aim.
“I think from the beginning we knew this was going to be special,” Lumen Christi senior wing Lily Ganton said. “That’s credit to Coach Stine, Coach Jibri (Taylor), Coach (Don) Ward, Coach (Andy) Hawley, Coach Brenna (Wrozek). They’re special. They’re a special group of coaches, and they really push us to be our best. You don’t get that from a lot of teams. As a senior and a three-sport athlete, I’ve been on a lot of teams and this is something special. They really came in and it was all gas, no brakes.”
Sophomores Kenna Hunt and Lucy Wrozek led the way for Lumen Christi on Saturday, playing all but the final seconds when all five starters were pulled for a curtain call. Hunt had 21 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, while Wrozek had 14 points.
They combined for 12 of the Titans’ 16 points during the fourth quarter, starting with a Hunt 3-pointer 18 seconds in that gave them a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
“I thought it was pretty big, it really was just a momentum shift,” Hunt said. “We got momentum right off the start of the fourth quarter, which was awesome. I gotta give credit to my teammates (for) making me available for that type of shot.”
Pewamo-Westphalia coach Steve Eklund said he knew Hunt would find her points Saturday, but his Pirates were focused on not letting someone else join her. Unfortunately for them, Wrozek did.
“We knew one player wasn’t going to beat us,” Eklund said. “At halftime we went in incredibly happy; I think Wrozek had two or three points. None of their other players had really gotten involved offensively. I thought we were getting a little shaky offensively turning the ball over, but I thought, ‘We’re in a good spot.’ So, fourth quarter, Wrozek got it going a little bit. She’s a real nice complementary player to Hunt.”
The fourth quarter explosion went well beyond the sophomores for the Titans (25-3), who didn’t miss a shot (4-of-4) from the field in the final frame, and were 9-of-12 from the free-throw line, while the Pirates were 0-of-9 from the field.
Lumen Christi also had three steals and forced five Pirates turnovers.
“I think they stopped thinking so much and started playing like pitbulls,” Stine said. “The effort on the glass in the second half was much better. We just settled down a little bit. It’s hard to stop these two guards (Hunt and Wrozek) in man-to-man, so we were able to create some matchups even in the third quarter. We just stuck with it, and the kids made great plays.”
Senior Elly Bengel scored 12 points to lead Pewamo-Westphalia (26-3), which was trying to pull off the same double it did in 2019, when both the boys and girls won Finals titles in the sport. The PW boys won the Division 3 title a week ago.
“It’s been so amazing,” Bengel said. “This team is so special to me, and I’ll never take this for granted.”
PHOTOS (Top) Lumen Christi players meet on the floor in celebration of their Division 3 championship Saturday. (Middle) The Titans’ Lucy Wrozek (14) makes a move around a P-W defender. (Photos by Keionna Banks and Lilanie Karunanayake/Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)