'Prepapalooza' Kicks Off 3-Week Celebration
May 31, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Nearly 30,000 athletes will take part over the next six days in what will again be the busiest week of the MHSAA calendar, with teams in all nine spring sports competing for District, Regional or Finals championships at sites across both peninsulas.
The first Finals champions of this spring will be awarded Wednesday in Upper Peninsula boys tennis (UPDATE: both U.P. tennis Finals have been moved to Thursday due to rainy weather concerns), followed by six more in Upper Peninsula boys and girls golf Thursday. Four divisions of Lower Peninsula girls tennis start their two-day tournament Friday, and on Saturday, more than 7,000 athletes will join them competing in four Lower and three Upper Peninsula Track & Field Finals.
In addition, baseball, softball and girls soccer teams begin District action tonight, with most of those tournaments wrapping Saturday. Girls and boys lacrosse teams continue Regional play this week, and Lower Peninsula boys golf teams will play Regionals on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
Second Half again will serve as your home for all MHSAA Finals coverage, with correspondents providing stories and photos, along with full results, from all of the Upper Peninsula Finals this week and then all 18 LP and UP Finals this weekend, Lacrosse and LP Golf Finals on June 14, and Baseball, Softball and Soccer Finals being played June 19-21.
Check back as well for video highlights from most competitions and sign up to watch all broadcast tournament action over the next three weeks for only $9.95 on MHSAA.tv. All schedules, lists of competitors and tournament brackets updated with scores real-time can be found on MHSAA.com. Keep connected as well with the MHSAA’s social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
PHOTO: The Unionville-Sebewaing softball team celebrates last season's Division 4 championship.
Edwardsburg 'O' Piles Up Yards, Points & Record Book Entries
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
May 7, 2021
Edwardsburg’s excellence over the last decade, especially on offense, has led to 56 additions to the MHSAA football team record book.
Most notably, the 2017 team has records for rushing attempts (678) and yards (5,490), both over 14 games, and the Eddies set the single-game rushing touchdown record with 10 against South Haven in 2018.
The 2018 team – which won the Division 4 championship – ranks second with 82 rushing touchdowns, over 14 games, and third with 5,232 rushing yards. The 2018 team also ranks second for total touchdowns with 97 and fifth for total yardage with 5,886, and finished with the sixth-most points scored, 705.
Read on for more recent football record book additions:
Football
On Sept. 6, 2019, Watervliet’s Don Smith became the sixth player in MHSAA 11-player history to return a fumble the length of the field for a touchdown. Smith, then a junior, picked up the fumble in the end zone on a Saugatuck running play and raced down the sideline for the score. Watervliet as a team also was added to the record lists for some of the state’s most productive offenses over the last half-decade – the 2015 team scored 590 points and averaged 53.6 per game, the 2016 team scored 524 and averaged 52.4 and the 2017 team scored 588 and averaged 49. The 2015 team’s scoring average ranks eighth all-time and came on 5,504 total yards. The 2017 team’s 5,935 total yards ranks fifth all-time.
Royal Oak Shrine Catholic kicker Charles Mulcahy closed a successful career in 2019 on the career extra point list with 123 made in 133 attempts over his four seasons. He also was added for his 46 in 48 tries as a freshman in 2016.
Oscoda scored a school-record 70 points in a 2019 game against Coleman, and quarterback Brayden Mallak played a big part. The senior quarterback threw five touchdowns passes, all during the first half, to make the list for most touchdown tosses over a half.
Clevelyn Jefferson played a big part in carrying Fulton to the 2007 Division 8 Final, rushing 269 times for 2,463 yards. The Pirates’ then-senior made the single-season rushing list as his team finished Division 8 runner-up.
Although his team fell 59-35 in its 2019 matchup against East Grand Rapids, Chase Bradman showed off his passing abilities completing 31 of 52 passes for 470 yards. The Grand Rapids South Christian senior made the record book with all three totals and also for his 194 completions, 333 attempts and 2,510 passing yards over 11 games that season. He is continuing at Indiana Wesleyan University.
Although Elk Rapids fell 49-33 to Harbor Springs in 2019, the Elks kept pace with the passing game as a pair of standouts reached the record book. Junior quarterback Gordie LaFontaine made the single-game completions list with 25, on 41 attempts, while senior Marlin Starkey made the single-game receptions list catching 13 passes.
Bloomfield Hills quarterback Tanner Slazinski capped his junior season in 2019 throwing five first-half touchdown passes in a 35-14 win over Rochester to make the list for most touchdown tosses in a half. Teammate Dominic Curti was added to the records for his nine extra points the week before in a 63-31 win over Troy. Slazinski will continue at Saginaw Valley State.
Jacob Jodway became the first Quincy individual to be included in the MHSAA football record book, added for his 229 yards receiving on six receptions in a 2014 loss to Jonesville. Jodway went on to play at Olivet College.
Holland Christian’s Jonathan Keizer joined the list of kickers who have connected on field goals of at least 52 yards, connecting from that distance during a 42-39 loss to Zeeland East in 2019. The senior also had a 36-yard field goal and three extra points in the game.
PHOTO: Edwardsburg’s 2018 championship team was among those that have earned entries for the Eddies in the MHSAA football record book.