Rivaling for a Cause
January 25, 2013
It’s impossible to include all the perspective we gain from every “Battle of the Fans” visit.
But this anecdote, although it didn't make Tuesday’s story about our Frankenmuth trip, tells of another great example for what student cheering sections can accomplish.
Frankenmuth and Millington are heated rivals, to say the least, separated by 13 miles and made more competitive by plenty of championship-deciding matchups over the years.
But for their boys basketball game Jan. 10 at Frankenmuth, student section leaders from both schools almost completely on their own set up the game as a cancer awareness night, complete with Frankenmuth students in black shirts and Millington’s wearing pink.
The idea was the brainchild of a of Frankenmuth section leader, who then received help from a local bank and contacted Millington to get the ball rolling.
Battle of the Fans has shown us the obvious – these student sections need strong leaders – but also the special things they can accomplish with additional initiative.
“Never Forgotten”
Two more rivals, Fennville and Saugatuck, met late last month for their second “Never Forgotten” boys and girls basketball games with proceeds going to the Wes Leonard Heart Team for the purchase of AEDs.
Players wore jerseys with names on the backs of friends and family members who had died, and those jerseys were then given to family members after the games. Officials Ace Cover, Chris Dennie and Kyle Bowen also donated their game checks to the Heart Team, as did the winner of that night’s 50-50 raffle.
Leonard died from sudden cardiac arrest after making the game-winning shot in a basketball game March 3, 2011. The two schools played their first “Never Forgotten” games last season.
More support for less specialization
I’m asked once a year at least about sport specialization – that is, athletes focusing on just one sport, often from an early age, and if it pays off some way down the road.
Most of my evidence to support my belief in the well-rounded athlete has been anecdotal, based on conversations with people at the high school and college levels over the years. But a British study published this fall in the Journal of Sport Sciences by University of Birmingham researchers provides some interesting empirical findings.
The study of 1,006 people from the United Kingdom showed that those who participated in three sports at ages 11, 13 and 15 were “significantly more likely to compete at a national rather than club standard” between ages 16-18 than those who had practiced only one sport.
In other words, the study found that those who played more sports at earlier ages played at a higher level during their high school-age years, which seems to contradict the one-sport focus philosophy.
Click for more perspective on the study from Chris Kennedy, the Superintendent of Schools in West Vancouver, British Columbia.
PHOTO: The boys and girls teams for Fennville and Saugatuck pose together after their "Never Forgotten" games Dec. 21 at Fennville High. (Photo courtesy of Al LaShell.)
Preview: Finals Tough to Forecast as Past Rivals Set to Meet Again
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
June 9, 2023
While the matchups for Saturday’s MHSAA Boys Lacrosse Finals are familiar, the buildup to these championship games seems to have produced wide-open opportunities for all four to finish their seasons with victories.
Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice is the reigning Division 1 runner-up, but split during the regular season with Saturday opponent Detroit Catholic Central – and with the Shamrocks winners of their most recent meeting in the Catholic League Bishop Tournament final.
Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central defeated Detroit Country Day 11-8 in last year’s Division 2 Final. But the Yellowjackets won this season’s rematch.
Below is a glance at all four teams playing at East Grand Rapids High School. Rankings are based on the Michigan Power Rating formula used for postseason seeding. The Division 1 Final is set for 2 p.m., with Division 2 following at 5 p.m. Tickets cost $11 and are good for both games, and may be purchased online only at GoFan.
Both games will be broadcast and available with subscription from MHSAA.tv, with free audio broadcasts on the MHSAA Network.
Division 1
BLOOMFIELD HILLS BROTHER RICE
Record/rank: 19-2, No. 1
League finish: First in Detroit Catholic League Central
Coach: Ajay Chawla, 10th season (143-25)
Championship history: 15 Division 1 titles (most recent 2021), two runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 26-1 over No. 4 Clarkston in Semifinal, 20-10 over No. 10 Brighton in Regional Final, 12-9 over No. 3 Detroit Catholic Central, 21-6 over No. 2 Hartland, 15-12 over Division 2 No. 1 Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central.
Players to watch: Christian McNulty, sr. A (75 goals, 17 assists, 31 ground balls); Sam Klein, sr. M (25 goals, 16 assists, 36 ground balls); Ben Eck, sr. M (33 goals, 25 assists, 38 ground balls); Robert MacMichael, sr. D (1 goal, 1 assist, 37 ground balls).
Outlook: After finishing runner-up last season, Brother Rice will play for its 16th Division 1 title with just one in-state loss this spring, 9-8 to DCC on May 13 after defeating the Shamrocks two weeks earlier. The only other defeat came to Cincinnati St. Xavier, also 9-8, and the Warriors have outscored their five playoff opponents by a combined 126-17. McNulty, Eck, Klein and MacMichael all made the all-state first team last season. Senior Hunter and sophomore Hansen Polonkey are second and third, respectively, with 51 and 40 goals this spring, and senior Braden Zarek has 36 and 32 assists.
DETROIT CATHOLIC CENTRAL
Record/rank: 19-2, No. 3
League finish: Second in Detroit Catholic League Central
Coach: Dave Wilson, 17th season (249-96)
Championship history: Division 1 champion 2018, eight runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 10-9 over No. 2 Hartland in Semifinal, 16-6 over No. 9 Grand Ledge in Regional Final, 9-8 over No. 1 Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice, 8-7 over Division 2 No. 1 Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central, 13-6 over Division 2 No. 3 East Grand Rapids.
Players to watch: Jack Cyrek, sr. A; Cal Taulbee, sr. D; Sean Donahue, sr. A; Logan Yatooma, sr. M. (No statistics submitted.)
Outlook: The Shamrocks are returning to the Final for the first time since 2019, and after a win in the most recent matchup with rival Brother Rice after losing to the Warriors 12-9 in their first meeting this spring. That game was the only time DCC gave up double-digit goals this season, and its only other defeat was 8-4 to Carmel (Ind.) on March 25. Cyrek and Taulbee made the all-state first team last season and are two of 11 seniors on the roster.
Division 2
DETROIT COUNTRY DAY
Record/rank: 19-2, No. 2
League finish: Does not play in a league.
Coach: Chris Garland, fourth season (61-19)
Championship history: Three MHSAA titles (most recent 2014), two runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 12-7 (Semifinal) and 15-8 over No. 7 Grand Rapids Catholic Central, 20-5 (Regional Semifinal) and 19-6 over No. 6 Grosse Pointe South, 11-10 (OT) over No. 1 Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central, 7-5 over No. 3 East Grand Rapids, 13-9 over Division 1 No. 9 Grand Ledge.
Players to watch: Caden Daley, jr. A; Will Thompson, jr. A; Joseph Norton, soph. M; Simon Stoller, soph. M. (Statistics not submitted.)
Outlook: Country Day returned to the Final last season for the first time since 2014 and is back with its only losses this season to Division 1 No. 2 Hartland and No. 7 Rockford. Daley made the all-state second team last season and is considered among the state’s elite. Attack Ryan Ciacci is the only senior starter, but the expected lineup features several sophomores including goalie Kellen Curby.
GRAND RAPIDS FOREST HILLS CENTRAL
Record/rank: 17-4, No. 1
League finish: First in Ottawa-Kent Conference Rainbow Tier 1
Coach: Andy Shira, sixth season (95-11)
Championship history: Five MHSAA titles (most recent 2022), four runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 8-2 (Regional Semifinal) and 17-3 over No. 4 Ada Forest Hills Eastern, 11-9 over No. 3 East Grand Rapids, 14-6 over No. 7 Grand Rapids Catholic Central, 14-4 over Division 1 No. 7 Rockford, 10-8 over Division 1 No. 9 Grand Ledge.
Players to watch: Jonah McConnell, sr. A (57 goals, 34 assists); Nolan Hartl, jr. M (34 goals, 19 assists); Crandall Quinn, sr. G (7.5 goals-against average, 217 saves); Magnus Salmon, sr. M (53 goals, 33 assists). (Statistics through Regional Final.)
Outlook: The reigning champion will be playing in its sixth Final over the last seven seasons (not counting canceled 2020) and seeking its fourth championship during that span. After a March 28 loss to Country Day, 11-10 in overtime, Forest Hills Central’s defeats came to Division 1 top-ranked Brother Rice, No. 2 Hartland and No. 3 Detroit Catholic Central. Hartl and Quinn made the all-state first team last season, and McConnell made the second. Senior long stick midfielder Sam Sneider and junior face-off Luke Wedder also made the first team. Senior attacks Jake Koning and Graham Bennett both had added 33 goals through the Regional Final.
PHOTO Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice celebrates a goal during last season’s Division 1 Final.