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: Historic Possibilities Await at Lower Peninsula Girls Track & Field Finals
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
May 30, 2025
While every championship result from Saturday’s MHSAA Lower Peninsula Girls Track & Field Finals will be considered historic for that athlete, her school and perhaps on a larger regional or statewide level, a few possibilities this weekend are especially notable.
From a team standpoint, Hart in Division 3 is seeking to become the fifth Lower Peninsula program to win a fourth-straight Finals championship in this sport. Individually, Onsted’s Emmry Ross could become only the second Lower Peninsula girl to win four individual events twice – joining Sami Michell from Reed City (2012 and 2013) – and Ross is seeded first in all four of her events. So is Addison’s Molly Brown as she seeks to follow Ross’ performance from a year ago and become the fourth Lower Peninsula girl to win four individual Finals titles.
All four LP Finals will begin with pole vault and long jump beginning at 9 a.m., followed by race semifinals and the 3,200 relay at 10 a.m. and the rest of the running finals starting at noon. Tickets cost $11 and are available digitally only via GoFan.
MHSAA.tv will live-stream all four meets beginning at 10 a.m., viewable with subscription. Check out the Girls Track & Field page for meet information for all four sites and lists of all qualifiers. Those described as "seeded" below have received those seeds based on Regional performances or meeting early qualification standards.
Below is a glance at team contenders and individuals to watch in all four divisions:
Division 1 at East Kentwood
Team forecast: Oak Park has won the last two Division 1 titles and eight of the last 10, and the Knights potentially could win all four relays Saturday plus open hurdles and sprint races. Detroit Renaissance has been a strong contender the last several seasons, winning in 2022, and could make another nice push. Holland West Ottawa is another team to watch.
Valerie Beeck, Grand Haven senior: After running relays and the 800 at last year’s Finals, she’s headed into this weekend as the top seed in the 800 (2:10.95) and 1,600 (4:48.03) and will run on both distance relays.
Nevaeh Burns, Oak Park sophomore: She debuted at the Finals last year with championships in the 400 and as part of the 800 and 1,600 relays with a sixth place as well in the 200. She’s seeded this time first in the 400 (54.91), third in the 200 (24.36) and will run on the top-seeded 800 (1:40.02) and 1,600 (3:48.42) relays.
Kamryn Tatum, West Bloomfield junior: The top seed in the 100 (11.78) and 200 (24.13) also is likely to run on two relays as she looks to add to her wins in the 200 the last two seasons and in the 400 as a freshman. She also ran on the runner-up 400 relay last season.
Lorelai Zielinski, Traverse City Central sophomore: After finishing runner-up in both the discus and shot put last season, she’s seeded first in both at 151-8 and 47-10¼, respectively.
Division 2 at Hamilton
Team forecast: Dearborn Divine Child broke East Grand Rapids’ two-year hold on the title last season as the top four teams finished within 13 points of each other at a low-scoring meet. Something similar Saturday wouldn’t be shocking, with individual stars potentially putting up big points to carry their teams into contention. To that end, keep an eye on Sturgis – back from finishing 14th in Division 1 last season – and Saginaw Swan Valley, which placed fifth in Division 2 a year ago.
Sadie Dykstra, Yale junior: She’s returning after winning the long jump and 300 hurdles and finishing second in the 100 hurdles last season, and enters this weekend seeded fourth in long jump and qualified to run both hurdles races, compete in both jumps and run on the 1,600 relay.
Bella Friddle, Hastings sophomore: She won the high jump and finished eighth in the long jump as a freshman, and is expected to compete in both again while entering tied for the second seed in the high jump (5-6).
Emma Hoffman, Otsego junior: After finishing ninth in the 1,600 and sixth in the 3,200 last season, she’s top-seeded in both at 4:54.21 and 10:19.98, respectively.
Layla Jordan, Goodrich senior: The reigning champion in the 800 is seeded second in that race (2:16.27) and also set to run the 400, 1,600 and potentially on the top-seeded 3,200 relay (9:20.19).
Sydney Kuhn, Saginaw Swan Valley senior: She’s capping a standout career seeking to repeat in the 200 and 400, seeded first this time in the 400 (53.90) and 300 hurdles (43.33), second in the 200 (24.55) and running on the top-seeded 1,600 relay (3:56.32).
Kaila Monroe, Eastpointe senior: The reigning champion in the shot put and seventh-place finisher in the discus will throw both again and is seeded second in the shot (43-2).
Keyanna O’Tey, Sturgis senior: She won the 100 in Division 1 last season and the 100 and 200 in Division 2 as a sophomore, and could carry Sturgis into team title contention seeded third in the 100 (12.02), fourth in the 200 (24.80) and running on top-seeded 400 (48.35) and 800 (1:42.28) relay teams.
Ava Schafer, St. Johns sophomore: She claimed the 3,200 title as a freshman and is seeded third in that race (10:43.80) and second in the 1,600 (4:57.61).
Aubrey Wilson, Dearborn Divine Child sophomore: She debuted with a championship in the 100, runner-up finish in the 200 and running on second and fifth-place relays in helping Divine Child to last year’s team title. She could pile up points again as the top seed in the 100 (11.82) and 200 (24.08) and running on the fourth-seeded 800 and second-seeded 1,600 (3:56.56) relays.
Division 3 at Kent City
Team forecast: Hart will pursue history with competitors in all four relays and five individual events. Onsted finished second last season, 13 points back, thanks to 40 points from Emmry Ross – and this time might add some relay points as well. Olivet (third last year) and Erie Mason (tied for sixth) also look like strong contenders.
Sohanny Gonzalez-Castillo, Wyoming Potter’s House Christian senior: Last season’s long jump champion also finished 13th in the high jump and will compete in both – tied for the third seed in the long jump (17-2½) – and run on two relays.
Addison Hovey, Hart senior: She claimed the 100, 200 and high jump titles last season and also ran on the third-place 400 relay. She enters her last Finals set to compete in the 100, high jump and run on the third-seeded 400 (50.63) and fourth-seeded 800 relays.
Giuliana Nastale, Erie Mason junior: She’s expected to score big after finishing fourth in the 200 and also running the 100 last season, as she enters this meet seeded first in the 100 (12.32) and 200 (25.23) and likely to run on two relays.
Emily Peters, Olivet junior: The reigning 300 hurdles champion also ran on the winning 800, second-place 1,600 and fourth-place 400 relays last season. She’s slated to run both hurdles races, seeded second in the 300 (45.99), and on two relays including the top-seeded 1,600 (4:06.05).
Emmry Ross, Onsted senior: She became the third Lower Peninsula athlete to win four individual events at a Finals last season, finishing first in the 400, 800, 1,600 and 3,200, and total she’s won the 400 three times, the 800 twice and also earned a 1,600 relay title as a freshman. She’s seeded first in her four races again, with a 54.48 in the 400, 2:03.84 in the 800, 4:46.11 in the 1,600 and 10:44.44 in the 3,200.
Addyson Stiverson, Montrose sophomore: She won the shot put and placed second in the discus at her first Finals and is seeded first this weekend by solid margins in both at 52-10¾ and 153-5, respectively.
Elli VanDusen, Kalamazoo Christian sophomore: She also impressed as a freshman winning the 100 hurdles and taking second in high jump, and this weekend she’s tied for the top seed in high jump (5-6) and set to run both hurdles races and a relay.
Emma Wildt, Homer senior: The reigning pole vault champion is tied for the top seed (10-6) and also will run a relay.
Division 4 at Hudsonville Baldwin Middle School
Team forecast: Fowler regained the championship last season for the first time since 2019, and with league rival Portland St. Patrick finishing second for the second-straight year. The Eagles have competitors in every event but one Saturday and could especially thrive in relays. Hillsdale Academy has some intriguing points possibilities, as do Gobles and Frankfort.
Layla Bolzman, Unionville-Sebewaing junior: The reigning champion in the 100 and 200 is seeded second in the 100 (12.42), third in the 200 (25.98) and fifth in the 400, and will run a relay as well.
Molly Brown, Addison senior: She’s won the 100 hurdles the last two seasons and added the 300 hurdles title and a seventh in the 100 dash last season. She will attempt to join the exclusive four-event champions list seeded first in the 100 dash (12.10), 100 hurdles (14.05), 300 hurdles (44.83) and long jump (17-4).
Payton Haynes, Mason County Eastern senior: The reigning pole vault champion is top-seeded in that event (11-0) and fifth-seeded in the 100 hurdles.
Eliza Keith, Auburn Hills Oakland Christian senior: She finished fourth in the 800 and ran on two relays last season, and this time is seeded second in the 400 (59.06) and first both in the 800 (2:15.48) and 1,600 (4:58.51)
Allie Nowak, Johannesburg-Lewiston senior: Last season’s champion in the 800 is seeded third in that race (2:22.11) and will run a relay as well.
Kaylie Livingston, Whitmore Lake sophomore: She opened her Finals career in this sport with 3,200 open and relay championships and a runner-up finish in the 1,600 run, and Saturday she’ll be seeded first in the 3,200 (10:58.93), third in the 1,600 (5:01.26) and will run on the top-seeded 3,200 relay (9:57.18).
PHOTO Onsted's Emmry Ross runs to one of her four championships during last season's Lower Peninsula Division 3 Finals. (Photo by Jamie McNinch/RunMichigan.com.)