Powerful Voice for High School Sports
December 19, 2014
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Paul Carey was home from the U.S. Army only a few months and just shy of 25 years old when Beal City embarked on its first trip deep into the MHSAA boys basketball tournament.
On the call for local radio station WCEN from gyms at Saginaw Arthur Hill and Lansing Sexton, Carey served as the voice of the previously “laughable” Aggies as they reached the Class D Semifinals before falling just six points short of playing for the title.
“All of Beal City emptied out. They’d never had anything before,” Carey recalled during his annual Thanksgiving weekend visit to the MHSAA Football Finals at Ford Field. “When I got home, within the next two weeks I got a letter from every citizen of Beal City thanking me for broadcasting their games. That’s the kind of appreciation that meant so much.”
During 42 years on the airwaves, Carey was best known as a voice of the Detroit Tigers bounding out of transistor radios all over Michigan, thanks to WJR’s powerful signal.
But for the state’s high school sports community, his legacy is similarly memorable as the voice of the longtime football and basketball scoreboard show and a voter for various all-state teams and wire polls over the decades.
Now 86 and retired since 1991, Carey remains a regular during the first day of the Football Finals, taking in games he broadcast for the MHSAA during the late 1970s and that continue to hold his eye as they have for more than a half-century.
“It was a passion of mine. High school sports always has been,” Carey said. “I think because my dad was a high school coach, and teacher initially, and my brother was a high school coach and teacher, I just grew up in families that appreciated coaching and athletics. I was not a great athlete, but it kept my hand in following sports that way.”
Now, the scores
Carey partnered with Ernie Harwell for Tigers radio broadcasts from 1973-91, including during the march to the 1984 World Series championship. He was named Michigan Sportscaster of the Year six times and to the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 1992.
But Carey’s early career included sitting on top of a car, plugged into a phone pole, for a Sacred Heart football game at old Fancher Field just a few blocks from his family’s Mount Pleasant home. Among many more accolades are a Distinguished Service Award from the Michigan High School Coaches Association and a place in the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan Hall of Fame.
In fact, the start of his weekly announcing of statewide football and basketball scores preceded his baseball career by 16 years and ended two months after he announced his final professional out.
The Michigan High School Scoreboard show was a staple of WJR’s late Friday nights from 1957-91. Carey would read every score he could collect from a variety of sources, often organized by league and with state rankings and context mixed in.
His idea came from something similar read by Len Colby for Kalamazoo’s WKZO. Carey’s brother Terry was coaching at Niles during the second half of the 1950s, and he and other coaches would get together to listen to the Friday night scores from the southwestern part of the state.
Carey, who left WKNX in Saginaw for WJR in 1956, explained to then-sports director Bob Reynolds that the station’s strong signal could provide for a truly statewide scoreboard experience.
Carey then connected with Edgar Hayes of the former Detroit Times, who gave the OK for Carey to call the paper on Friday nights to get scores from the Detroit metro area. For the rest, Carey relied on wire services – there were three at the time – who relied on newspapers from all over Michigan to call in scores over the course of an evening.
Before every Friday during high school football season – and later Tuesdays and Fridays during boys basketball season – Carey typed up lists of games based on schedules in the newspaper, with spaces to add scores. More than a few times, Carey raced down a back ramp at Tiger Stadium after a Friday night game, back to the WJR studio, with 15 minutes to prep for the show’s 11:30 p.m. start.
“If the Flint Journal, the Grand Rapids Press, the Traverse City paper didn’t call in scores to the AP, then I was out of luck too. And that happened all the time,” Carey said. “I would call back occasionally, say, ‘Did you get anything more?’ It was a rat race.”
The show originally was set for 10 minutes and then extended to 15. American Airlines sponsored a record show that followed, and Carey’s scoreboard show had a sponsor only once in 35 years. Finishing up on time was expected, even with more than 200 scores to read.
But Carey said he always went 20 minutes, sometimes 25.
“Because I wasn’t done. I just kept right on going,” Carey said. “Jay Roberts did the all-night show most of the time, and he was patient with me. He didn’t say too much on the air about ‘that guy ahead of me took all of my time.’”
Carey continued the “rat race” until his final scoreboard show, Dec. 20, 1991. He retired from WJR at the end of that calendar year. And it's important to note: Carey was never paid a dime extra for doing the program. .
“I think Paul is really just a sports fan, and that came across to the listener on his broadcasts,” MHSAA historian Ron Pesch said. “Paul would gather as much as possible off the wire. He'd interject if scores were missing from sections of the state. Press polls from the Free Press, News, AP and UPI were big, so he could point out close calls and upsets.
“He provided immediacy, or the closest thing to it in the days before cable TV and the Internet, and because of his scoreboard show, you could get the results before the morning paper. For listeners, he brought life to something as simple as game scores.”
First team all the way
Carey, who resides in Rochester, also served as the engineer on Tigers broadcasts for 16 years, through 1990. He broadcast Pistons games on the radio for six seasons and did the first broadcast of a Central Michigan University football game, in 1949.
Harry Atkins, covering Detroit’s teams while with The Associated Press for 29 years including the last 21 as its sports editor for Detroit, took note of his colleague's hard work – and especially that Carey was one of few broadcasters who was a journalist in addition to a voice.
That made Carey's other major role in high school sports a natural fit.
Atkins split The Associated Press all-state selection panels for football and basketball into 11 regions, and Carey represented the Detroit area for a number of years. He also was a longtime voter in those sports' weekly polls.
“Paul is just that kind of guy. He thought it was important and he made time in his busy schedule to do it,” Atkins said “And it had an impact on the other 10 voters on the All-State panels, too.
“Some of them were from small out-state newspapers or radio or TV stations. Yet every one of them knew who Paul Carey was. And when he spoke, of course, with what often is called "The Voice of God," those voters paid attention.”
And he still does, as well.
At the end of each fall, Carey still puts together a compilation of the three high school all-state football teams – Associated Press, Detroit Free Press and Detroit News – and files them with years of research and results.
“It’s important to me. Nobody sees it but me, but I get a certain kick,” Carey said. “Once in a while I’ll see a kid playing at Central, Western or (Michigan) State or Michigan, and they’ll say he came from Clawson. I’ll go into my all-state collections, say that would’ve been 2009 he played, and I find a name.”
In addition to the Football Finals on WJR, Carey was part of the Baseball Finals broadcasts into the early 1990s, continuing to contribute even after his retirement from his fulltime gig.
He spent high school games over the years sitting next to legends like the Free Press’ Hal Schram and remembers when current Free Press longtime scribe Mick McCabe was just a rookie. One of Carey's final broadcasts was a 1992 Baseball Final with his nephew Mike Carey, who continues to broadcast MHSAA championship games to this day.
“I am eternally grateful to Paul Carey. His contribution to high school sports in Michigan has been great and significant,” Atkins said.
“We are lucky to have him.”
PHOTO: Paul Carey (left) and nephew Mike Carey broadcast the MHSAA 1992 Class D Baseball Final between Hillman and Athens for PASS.
1st & Goal: 2024 Week 5 Preview
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
September 27, 2024
As we reach the midpoint of the 2024 football regular season this weekend, 88 teams – or 15 percent of the state’s 601 varsities – have yet to taste a loss this fall.
That may change substantially over the next three days.
A first defeat is guaranteed for at least four teams, as four Week 5 matchups pit undefeated opponents – and we dig into two of those games below. A total of 24 more undefeated teams will face opponents who have suffered just one loss over the first month, and we highlight some of those matchups as well – plus a few unexpected picks as we take a bit of a long view on potential league title and playoff qualification outcomes while rolling into the second half.
All games listed below are tonight unless noted, with results posting as they are reported all weekend on the MHSAA Scores page. Updated standings also are available by clicking the schools on the score list, and every division’s playoff points summary updates as well as scores are received.
Bay & Thumb
Ovid-Elsie (4-0) at Montrose (3-1) WATCH
Three teams have started the Mid-Michigan Activities Conference schedule 2-0, and these are two of them. Both were original members of the league in 2018, but their only championship came with a three-team share of the title in 2021 – although Montrose has won four District titles and a Regional championship over the last six seasons, and Ovid-Elsie made the Division 6 Semifinals last fall. The Marauders’ 42 points in a 35-point win last week over Durand were their season low; conversely, Montrose downed Durand by only six points 20-14 in Week 3 but over the season is allowing just under 11 per game – and with that lone loss opening night to 2023 Division 8 semifinalist Riverview Gabriel Richard.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Almont (4-0) at Croswell-Lexington (3-1) WATCH, Lansing Everett (4-0) at Grand Blanc (3-1) WATCH, Traverse City West (3-1) at Midland (3-1) WATCH, Port Huron Northern (2-2) at Port Huron (3-1) WATCH.
Greater Detroit
Warren De La Salle Collegiate (3-1) at Detroit Catholic Central (4-0), Sunday WATCH
This season’s DCC “Boys Bowl” features two of the top three teams in the Catholic High School League Central. DCC leads the division thanks to a 21-7 Week 2 win over Toledo Central Catholic, and De La Salle is chasing after last week’s 41-6 loss to TCC. But a Pilots win in this Sunday afternoon matchup would reset things at the top of the standings, and De La Salle has claimed the last three meetings with the Shamrocks – including 14-7 a year ago.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Roseville (3-1) at Grosse Pointe South (4-0), Rochester Adams (4-0) at Lake Orion (3-1) WATCH, Detroit Henry Ford (4-0) at Detroit Martin Luther King (3-1), Riverview (4-0) at Flat Rock (4-0) WATCH.
Mid-Michigan
DeWitt (4-0) at East Lansing (3-1) WATCH
This has been the most anticipated matchup in the Lansing area going back to last year’s 40-34 East Lansing win that ended up deciding the Capital Area Activities Conference Blue championship. The lone loss between them this season was the Trojans’ 14-12 defeat against Hudsonville in Week 2, and that defeat keeps looking better as Hudsonville downed Division 1 contender Rockford last week. DeWitt has scored at least 55 points in all four of its games, but also given up 42 or more twice – and with the playmakers on both sides, this could be another high-scoring clash.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Ogemaw Heights (4-0) at Clare (4-0) WATCH, Lake Fenton (3-1) at Corunna (4-0) WATCH, Portland (4-0) at Lansing Catholic (3-1), Manchester (4-0) at Leslie (4-0) WATCH.
Northern Lower Peninsula
Kingsley (3-1) at Traverse City St. Francis (3-1) WATCH
Much-improved Cheboygan may play a role, and Benzie Central pushed Kingsley hard last week. But these two look like the favorites in the Northern Michigan Football League Legends, and this game looks like it could end up eventually deciding the title. Both have a loss to a good opponent this fall, the Stags to Reed City in their opener and St. Francis two weeks ago to a 2023 league champion in Berrien Springs. Kingsley won last season’s meeting with the Gladiators 44-21 on the way to finishing second in the league but claiming the Division 6 championship in November.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Maple City Glen Lake (3-1) at East Jordan (3-1) WATCH, Cheboygan (3-1) at Boyne City (2-2) WATCH, Benzie Central (2-2) at Charlevoix (2-2) WATCH, McBain (4-0) at Houghton Lake (2-2) WATCH.
Southeast & Border
Petersburg Summerfield (3-1) at Ottawa Lake Whiteford (2-2) WATCH
This will be the final season of 11-player football in the 41-year-old Tri-County Conference, and among the remaining three teams Whiteford and Summerfield are tied with the most league titles with seven apiece. Whiteford has dominated in four straight wins between these two, including a 2021 playoff victory and 43-0 a year ago in Week 9 to keep the Bulldogs out of the playoffs. But Summerfield is off to another solid start, with its lone defeat by three to improved Decatur, and will try to catch a Bobcats team coming off a 50-20 loss to undefeated Edon, Ohio.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Milan (2-2) at Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central (4-0), Onsted (2-2) at Ida (3-1) WATCH, Blissfield (2-2) at Hudson (3-1) WATCH, Grass Lake (3-1) at Napoleon (2-2).
Southwest Corridor
Galesburg-Augusta (2-2) at Lawton (3-1) WATCH
Galesburg-Augusta is off to its best start since 2016, when it finished 5-4 – its only winning season this century. A victory over Allegan in Week 3 was notable and gave the Rams as many this season (2) as all of last. Things get more difficult from here, however, as Schoolcraft started off the Southwestern Athletic Conference Valley schedule by handing G-A a 49-0 defeat. Lawton, meanwhile, opened its league slate with a 42-6 rumbling over Delton Kellogg and has won 12 straight Valley games and three straight championships.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY South Haven (2-2) at Parchment (3-1), Parma Western (3-1) at Coldwater (2-2), Allegan (2-2) at Constantine (4-0), Bronson (3-1) at Vermontville Maple Valley (2-2) WATCH.
Upper Peninsula
Bark River-Harris (2-2) at Manistique (2-2) WATCH
This might seem like another unexpected choice for special attention, but both teams enter this weekend with an opportunity to affect their season's eventual outcome significantly. The Emeralds are coming off a 4-5 finish a year ago, their best record since 2012, and a win over Bark River-Harris would not only be a first in five recent meetings but also a strong step toward reaching five or more wins this fall – especially with their final two games against currently undefeated Iron Mountain and Saginaw Nouvel. The Broncos, meanwhile, opened this season 0-2 but have begun to rebound as they pursue a sixth-straight winning regular season – and with Iron Mountain and Menominee coming up, this one would go a long way toward achieving that possibility.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Kingsford (4-0) at Calumet (2-2) WATCH, Houghton (2-2) at Menominee (4-0) WATCH, Ishpeming Westwood (1-3) at Gladstone (1-3) WATCH. SATURDAY Gwinn (2-2) at West Iron County (1-3) WATCH.
West Michigan
Zeeland West (4-0) at Hudsonville Unity Christian (4-0)
The realigned Ottawa-Kent Conference Gold took Zeeland West away from the Muskegon powerhouses but dropped it into a division with, among others, reigning Division 3 champion Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central from the O-K White and rebounding Unity from the O-K Blue. The Crusaders are only three years removed from a trip to Ford Field and defeated Forest Hills Central 43-20 last week in a league opener, while West opened with a 28-13 win over rival Zeeland East. Worth noting, Grand Rapids South Christian is the only holdover back from the previous O-K Gold alignment, and the Sailors also are 4-0 and see Unity and Zeeland West back-to-back in Weeks 7 and 8, respectively.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Hudsonville (3-1) at East Kentwood (3-1) WATCH, Newaygo (4-0) at Reed City (3-1) WATCH, Grand Rapids South Christian (4-0) at Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central (3-1) WATCH, Muskegon Mona Shores (4-0) at Muskegon (1-2).
8-Player
Brown City (3-1) at Kingston (4-0)
Brown City has an enrollment too large to allow the Green Devils to participate in the playoffs this season, so a repeat league championship has to be a main objective – and despite falling 30-28 to Deckerville last week, Brown City still has a chance to end up with at least a share of the Big Thumb Conference Blue title. Kingston and Deckerville now lead the league, and they face off in Week 7 – and Kingston also ended Brown City’s 2023 season with a Regional Final shutout. But a win tonight definitely would allow the Green Devils to root for the Cardinals in two weeks.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Waldron (4-0) at Burr Oak (3-1), Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian (3-1) at Gobles (4-0) WATCH, Alcona (4-0) at Mio (3-1) WATCH. SATURDAY Indian River Inland Lakes (4-0) at Ishpeming (3-1) WATCH.
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PHOTO Goodrich's Chase Burnett (25) follows teammate Gavin Sukup's block during a Week 3 win over Lake Fenton. (Photo by Terry Lyons.)