Paying Tribute with Diamond Donation
May 14, 2014
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Rochester Adams and Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood baseball players and coaches both had loved ones on their minds when they took the field at Comerica Park earlier this month.
And they paid tribute to those loved ones over their hearts and across the backs of their jerseys.
Together, the teams raised more than $3,500 for the Coaches vs. Cancer research initiative.
Instead of its usual brown and yellow, Adams wore jerseys of light blue with a green ribbon as the middle “A” in its name across the front in honor of those suffering with lymphoma, including 2011 graduate and former standout Matt Williams.
Cranbrook-Kingswood wore dark blue jerseys with a pink ribbon as the “A” in Cranbrook and with lime green writing on the back as the Cranes remembered longtime coach Jack Sanders, who died in 2012 after also battling lymphoma.
Sanders’ was among names adorning the backs of jerseys, along with other cancer victims the players and coaches knew.
Adams won the May 1 game, 18-3. Click to read more from the Oakland Press’ Keith Dunlap, who leading up to the game detailed both Williams’ fight and Sanders’ longtime contributions.
Net finder
Lake Fenton’s Jordan Newman will finish her high school soccer career later this spring as the top goal-scorer in MHSAA girls soccer history.
The Blue Devils’ senior forward broke the career record on April 28, scoring her 169th goal against Perry to pass the mark set by Newaygo’s Jaleen Dingledine from 2004-07. Newman also is a four-year varsity player.
Click to read more on her record run from the Flint Journal's Eric Woodyard.
5 K, 1 IP
The MHSAA doesn't keep a record for most strikeouts in an inning. But if it did, there’s a great chance Brighton’s Garrett Russell would top the list.
Against Ann Arbor Pioneer on April 5, Russell struck out five batters in an inning.
Yes, five.
Here’s how:
Russell struck out the first two batters of the inning swinging, leaving one out to get. He then struck out that third batter as well, but that batter reached first base because the third strike turned into a wild pitch.
The fourth batter of the inning was the only one to not strike out – he walked, putting runners on first and second base with two outs. Those runners advanced to second and third base, respectively, on a wild pitch thrown to the fifth batter of the inning.
That fifth batter then struck out swinging (which made it four strikeouts in the inning), but that third strike turned into a passed ball – and that batter ended up on first base, loading them for the sixth hitter of the inning.
But Russell found enough for one more K, striking out that sixth hitter swinging on a 2-2 pitch.
His line for the inning: 0 hits, 0 runs, 1 bases on balls, 5 strikeouts.
Brighton went on to sweep the doubleheader 12-4 and 11-1.
Family ties
Basketball clearly runs in a pair of families who have come through Corunna High School.
This winter, brothers M.J. and Mikhail Myles both scored their 1,000th career points – M.J., a senior, on Jan. 3 and Mikhail, a junior, in the team’s District Semifinal on March 5.
On Feb. 18, senior Payton Birchmeier became the fifth player in girls program history to score her 1,000th point – despite scoring only four points as a freshman before suffering a season-ending knee injury in her first high school game. She became the first Corunna girl to score 1,000 since her sister Megan finished accomplishing the feat in 2010.
Payton Birchmeier went on to play her final three seasons also on varsity, and M.J. Myles also was a four-year varsity player. Mykhail Myles has played three on varsity with next season still to play. The Myles' stepsister Klarissa Bell this winter finished an outstanding career at Michigan State University and won the Miss Basketball Award as a senior at East Lansing High School in 2010, and stepbrother Devlin Bell also was a Trojans standout.
PHOTOS: (Top) Rochester Adams players congratulate each other during their May 1 game at Comerica Park. (Middle) The Adams' first baseman and a Cranbrook-Kingswood base runner await the next pitch. (Photos courtesy of Rochester Adams baseball.)
Undefeated Brandywine Eager to Earn Return Trip to Breslin Center
By
Scott Hassinger
Special for MHSAA.com
March 5, 2025
NILES – Josh Hood recalls receiving multiple texts the Monday following spring break last year.
Those messages came from various players on his Niles Brandywine girls basketball team inquiring about when they could get back into the gym and begin preparing for the 2024-25 season.
After losing a 33-30 heartbreaker to powerhouse Ypsilanti Arbor Prep in the 2024 MHSAA Division 3 Final, the top-ranked and undefeated Bobcats, 26-2 a year ago, are hungry for a return trip to the championship game at Michigan State University's Breslin Center later this month. They open up District play at 5:30 p.m. today against Bridgman on the Bees’ home floor, and will host next week’s Regional.
"Once you get a taste of the type of success we had last year, you can respond to it in one of two ways. You can either take the summer off, have fun and ride out your senior year and be content with what you've done or you can get to back to work right away,” Hood said. “We took a week off and after spring break, there were those texts from our girls asking, ‘Coach, when can we get back into the gym?’ We didn't have to ask who was going to show up each night either when we played our 14 dates and 25-game schedule in the summer. All of the girls were there ready to work.”
Hood graduated his top two players in Ellie Knapp, last year's starting point guard, and post player Kadence Brumitt. The two all-staters led a squad that earned the school's second Semifinals appearance and first Finals berth.
"Last year we had Ellie and Kaydence, who were our top two scorers for four years. The biggest difference this season is that we have eight girls averaging between four and 12 points,” Hood said. “Nobody we play can say they must focus on one certain player. Any one of our girls is capable of scoring. Our ability to spread the ball around and be unselfish have been two of our biggest strengths.”
Despite those two key graduation losses, the Bobcats (22-0) haven't missed a beat even while playing a difficult schedule that's included several games against Division 1 or Division 2 schools.
Brandywine, the two-time repeat Lakeland Conference champ at 8-0, has gotten good performances all season out of its seven seniors, along with a solid group of underclassmen. The Bobcats have taken advantage of their athleticism and quickness to outwork their opponents.
"The great thing about this group is that they aren't just basketball players. The success that we've had here at Brandywine in the last 16 years isn't because they focus just on basketball. Every one of these girls in our program are multi-sport athletes," Hood said.
The experience of playing on the big stage last March has been a big motivator to senior leaders Miley Young and Adeline Gill, along with classmates Adelyn Drotoz, Ireland Prenkert. Lexi Troup, Paige Krisher and Niyah Mason.
Gill, Brandywine's tallest player at 5-foot-9, is the only player averaging double-digit scoring at 12.5 points per game, followed by Young (9.0 ppg.) and Drotoz (8.5 points).
"Adeline is our leading scorer and a four-year starter like most of our seniors. She is a quiet leader who just goes about her business on the court. Her consistency in scoring and rebounding are big assets. Just like Miley, she is a tireless worker," Hood said.
"Miley was another player who received all-state honors last year not for her scoring, but simply because she was the best defender that everyone saw play at Michigan State in the Finals. She brings great tenacity and is fearless on the floor. Her energy on defense keys our man-to-man pressure, and she is the catalyst at the point position. Her work ethic has been exemplary all four years. Every day she is the first one at practice and the last one to leave."
Gill also averages 4.7 rebounds and two steals per contest.
"The experience of playing at Breslin last season was amazing and taught our team a great deal. We know what it takes to get there and how hard we have to work in practice and play in games” said Gill, who next plans to major in biology at Kalamazoo College with her career goal to become a physician's assistant. “We are quick and get lots of steals on defense. This group is hardworking, and we are always getting after it. We study a lot of film on other teams and ourselves, and it really helps us prepare for games. Our team is just really motivated to get back to state,"
Young sports averages of four rebounds, 4.4 assists and 3.1 steals per game.
"Getting to Breslin last year was something we really wanted to do since we were younger. Our team has supported each other very well. We lost two key players from last year, but we have some young talent and returners that have really stepped it up this season," Young said. "Last season we were bigger in the post, but this year we just try to use our quickness to wear other teams out. We might be smaller, but we're going to get the job done with our defense. Most teams don't have the depth that we do, and that allows us to wear our opponents out. We are held to a high standard, and our coaching staff help us to be the best we can be. I've never seen anyone like Coach Hood who watches as much film as he does."
Young said that playing in Knapp's shadow last year was a good learning experience.
"In my opinion Ellie was the best point guard in the state. Going against her in practice really helped me,” Young said. “I had to switch my role up this year knowing I'm not going to get the ball on fastbreaks. I'm comfortable in my new role and getting my teammates the shots."
Drotoz, who will end her Brandywine career as the school's top 3-point shooter, has made 52-of-132 (39 percent) attempts from behind the arc this season.
The Bobcats are a dangerous team with their ability to either drive or swing it back outside for a 3-pointer. Brandywine is 157-of-535 (29.3 percent) on 3-point attempts.
Sophomore guard Mackenna Price (5.5 ppg.) is a big contributor off the bench for the Bobcats. Other standouts seeing heavy minutes are Prenkert, Troup, Krisher, Mason, sophomore Lily Gill and junior post player Karleigh Byrd.
Lily Gill averages seven points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.8 steals, while Byrd is averaging 5.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.1 steals.
Brandywine, which is averaging 58.9 points as a team and giving up just 26.2 per game, owns impressive wins over last year's Division 2 quarterfinalist Vicksburg (45-28), along with Stevensville Lakeshore (45-37), Richland Gull Lake (70-38), Kalamazoo Central (50-34), Kalamazoo Loy Norrix (59-27), Battle Creek Central (56-41) and St. Joseph (51-36).
"When you average what we do offensively and give up only 26 points per game, it says a great deal about our commitment to defense,” Hood said. “With our team it’s always been about defense translating to offense. That's become the culture of our program, and we're going to work real hard at it.”
Brandywine's last three games of the regular season were all against Division 1 schools in Battle Creek Central, Loy Norrix and St. Joseph.
"There's intent behind our schedule. Much of the credit goes to our athletic director (Dave Sidenbender) because we ask him to give us the best schedule that we can possibly have. When you play seven conference champions and 17 of your 22 games against Division 1 or Division 2 opponents, it makes our girls fearless,” Hood said. “Our schedule prepares us well. Losses happen, and you don't lose anything with a little adversity and playing tough competition. If you have a little hiccup, those film sessions are better than if you win by 40 points because you learn from that adversity. Our girls embrace that and they know that iron sharpens iron, and that's why we play the schedule we do. We play the seventh-toughest schedule out of 683 schools in the MPR (Michigan Power Ratings) rankings. When the ball goes up in the air, these girls are ready to play and it’s an honor to coach them."
In outlining the keys for another strong tournament run, Hood identified Brandywine's pressure defense as a key ingredient.
"We've never had a player taller than 5-10 at Brandywine since I've been here,” he said. “We have girls who are only 5-8 or 5-9, so that forces you to make it a 90-foot game and we've done a good job of that all season. Our rotations have been stellar. We feel like we are in charge of what we do on the court with the defensive pressure we apply. We are a very effective team when we can push the ball up the floor and not let our opponents get comfortable in the half-court.”
Young has committed to play college basketball at Lake Michigan College, while Adeline Gill made a recent verbal commitment to play at Kalamazoo College. Troup will play women’s soccer at Trine University and Drotoz plans to continue her softball career at Alma College.
Scott Hassinger is a contributing sportswriter for Leader Publications and previously served as the sports editor for the Three Rivers Commercial-News from 1994-2022. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Berrien, Cass, St. Joseph and Branch counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Brandywine senior Miley Young (22) takes her turn cutting down the nets after last week's final regular-season home win over Kalamazoo Loy Norrix. (Middle) Bobcats Adelyn Drotoz (3) and Adeline Gill (0) apply defensive pressure. (Below) Drotoz, middle, is escorted by her parents Chad and Heather Drotoz on Senior Night. (Photos by Scott Hassinger.)