Special Year Thanks to No Specialization
August 7, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
As we embark on another sports-filled school year Monday, we can look to a recent Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central grad for the value of a school year filled with sports.
As specialization at the highs school level continues to be debated, Bryce Windham will start his college baseball career this fall at Division I Old Dominion University – after playing baseball but also football and basketball for the Falcons.
The MHSAA has long advocated athletes taking on as many sports as they have interest instead of focusing on just one in pursuit of a college scholarship – a position that’s received plenty of public backing of late, be it from stars of the U.S. women’s soccer team after their World Cup championship run or former Lansing Waverly multi-sport athlete John Smoltz during his enshrinement in the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.
Enter Windham – who easily could’ve been excused for focusing on baseball, or even basketball as his dad is the St. Mary’s varsity boys coach. Instead, Bryce quarterbacked the football team to last season’s Division 6 championship – breaking Ithaca’s national-best 69-game winning streak in the Final – before being named Class C Player of the Year by The Associated Press in basketball and earning a Most Valuable Player honor at the baseball state coaches association all-star game at Comerica Park this spring.
All three of Windham's teams reached at least the MHSAA Quarterfinals.
“His participation in football and basketball helped land a Division 1 baseball scholarship to Old Dominion. They were able to see his athleticism in basketball and toughness in football, and ODU’s coach loved it,” dad and hoops coach Randy Windham said.
“He probably would’ve given up football, and that ended up his greatest memory by winning a state championship.”
Click to read about Windham’s multitude of accomplishments as reported last month by the Monroe Evening News.
Honors Abound
National coaching honors were bestowed on a trio of Michigan coaches over the summer:
- Retired Trenton ice hockey coach Mike Turner – the winningest hockey coach in MHSAA history with a record of 629-126-52 from 1974-81 and then 1995-2014 – was named National Coach of the Year in Special Sports by the National High School Athletic Coaches Association. His teams won 11 MHSAA titles and finished runner-up four times. “I was there when the MHSAA added hockey as one of their sanctioned sports and crowned their first MHSAA state championships in 1975. At that time there were 60-70 high school teams participating, and now there are 170,” Turner said. “It has been great to be a part of the advancements made in the sport of high school hockey, with more teams participating, more player development, and more opportunities that exist for players after high school.”
- Traverse City Central boys track and field and cross country coach John Lober won his second national coaching honor of the 2014-15 school year, named the NHSACA Coach of the Year for track and field to go with a previous honor earned in January from the National Federation of State High School Associations. He has coached the Traverse City Central boys track and field team since 1977 and also the boys cross country team since 1989. His 1992 track team won the Class A championship, and he has coached 17 individual MHSAA Finals champions. He was inducted into the Michigan Interscholastic Track Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2006.
- Ann Arbor Pioneer assistant girls swimming and diving coach Liz Hill was named the Assistant Coach of the Year for all girls sports by the NHSACA. Hill, a former All-American at the University of Michigan and standout sprinter at Pioneer, began assisting her husband Denny Hill in 1983 before becoming his fulltime assistant a few seasons later. Together they’ve led the Pioneers girls to 15 MHSAA team titles, the last two as co-head coaches.
Michigan Mourns
Fremont and the high school athletic community statewide mourned the death July 21 of longtime coach Rich Tompkins, who led Fremont’s boys cross country teams to six MHSAA cross country championships including three and a runner-up finish during his last decade of coaching before retiring in 1997.
The Muskegon Chronicle reported that his boys and girls cross country teams and boys track and field team combined for 45 league championships, with his boys cross country team winning 116 straight duals from 1977-88. Tompkins was executive director of the Michigan High School Coaches Association for more than a decade and served on its board for more than two decades.
Click to read more from the Chronicle on Tompkins’ legacy.
Officials in the News
The Monroe County Officials Association took to the county fair to encourage passers-by to “Be the Referee” – and received 47 sign-ups from people interested in the avocation. Visitors to an MCOA booth at the fair were told in some detail what is involved with being an MHSAA official, and those who then signed up to find out more about officiating football, basketball, baseball or softball (sports the MCOA trains for and schedules) will be invited to an orientation session where they will become eligible for one of 20 complimentary registration fees for this school year.
The West Michigan Officials Association marked a decade of support at the start of this summer for the Visually Impaired Sports and Activity Day, sponsored by the Helen DeVos Children’s Foundation. The WMOA has contributed nearly $18,000 to the event over the last 10 years as well as taking part in the event, which includes a number of sports and other activities.
The Saginaw Athletic Officials Association sent along this photo of five members who worked 2013-14 MHSAA Finals, from left: Mark Jarlock (baseball), Tom Behmlander (softball), Scott Helmka (football), Dale Brown (softball and football) and Mark Schoenow (football). The Baseball Final was Jarlock’s first; the other officials had worked Finals in the past.
PHOTO: (Top) Monroe St. Mary quarterback Bryce Windham unloads a pass during last season's Division 6 Final win over Ithaca at Ford Field.
Breslin Bound: 2025-26 Boys Regional Preview
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
March 3, 2026
Burt Lake Northern Michigan Christian Academy won its first District championship in boys basketball last week. Fruitport won its first since 1938.
Yale defeated Croswell-Lexington and Marshall defeated Battle Creek Pennfield in District Final matchups of teams that shared league titles. Ann Arbor Pioneer, Grand Rapids Catholic Central, Colon and Detroit Cass Tech all finished second in their leagues this season but won their Districts as well, defeating their respective league champions to advance to this week’s Regionals.
Districts offer every team new life and second chances – and after a week full of those, 128 hopefuls are only three more wins from booking a trip to Michigan State.
Find everything you need to know this week about tickets, brackets and more as the tournament continues on the Boys Basketball page. To watch any of several games online, visit the NFHS Network, and see below for several of the intriguing matchups. Host sites are in bold.
“Breslin Bound” is powered by MI Student Aid and based on results and schedules posted for each school at MHSAA.com.
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. Detroit Cass Tech 66, Detroit Martin Luther King 23 The Technicians (18-6) avenged a pair of regular-season losses to rival King (18-6) in a big way in this Division 1 District final after previously falling by seven points Jan. 21 and then 68-63 in the Detroit Public School League Tournament championship game on Feb. 15.
2. Rockford 83, Muskegon 70 The Rams (20-3) won this Division 1 District Final matchup for the second-straight season, ending Ottawa-Kent Conference Green champion Muskegon’s run at 20-3.
3. Hudsonville Unity Christian 60, Grand Rapids South Christian 39 This Division 2 District Final pitted the champs from the O-K Black and Gold, with Unity (21-3) adding to its 17-point win over the Sailors (20-4) from Dec. 12.
4. Colon 54, Mendon 47 The Magi (20-4) had finished second to Mendon in the Southern Central Athletic Association West after losing in overtime both times they faced the Hornets (22-2) during the regular season, but got past them in regulation in this Division 4 District Final.
5. Grand Rapids Catholic Central 44, Grand Rapids Christian 41 The Cougars (18-6) had fallen to Grand Rapids Christian (17-6) by nine points just 10 days earlier to lose the O-K White title to the Eagles, but rebounded to win a Division 2 District title for the third-straight season.
Regionals at a Glance
These could be among our most competitive brackets. Host sites are in bold:
DIVISION 1
Caledonia
Grand Rapids Northview (20-4) vs. Grandville (14-10)
Holland West Ottawa (13-11) vs. East Kentwood (21-2)
Grandville and West Ottawa deserve nods for reaching this week, the Bulldogs for avenging two regular-season losses to Hudsonville with a 49-37 District Final win and the Panthers as they added to a nice streak of four wins in five games by joining Grandville, East Kentwood and Rockford as one of four District champs from the Ottawa-Kent Conference Red. But the most anticipated matchup this week would see O-K Gold co-champion Northview take on the Falcons, who won that O-K Red that also will see all six teams finish with winning records this season.
Detroit Renaissance
Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice (19-5) vs. Detroit Cass Tech (18-6)
Farmington (12-12) vs. Warren Fitzgerald (18-6)
Brother Rice and Cass Tech have been in the statewide favorites conversation most of this decade, and although neither won its league this season it wouldn’t be shocking to see either playing at Breslin with an opportunity to win it all in two weeks. Only three of Rice’s losses were to in-state opponents – East Lansing (23-1), Rockford (20-3) and Detroit Catholic Central (17-6) – and Cass Tech’s six defeats came by a combined 21 points. Farmington has emerged after finishing fifth in the Oakland Activities Association Red and defeated Redford Thurston (20-3) to advance, and Fitzgerald has won 12 of its last 15 and claimed the Macomb Area Conference White title.
Kalamazoo Loy Norrix
Jackson (18-6) vs. Kalamazoo Central (20-2)
Kalamazoo Loy Norrix (16-7) vs. East Lansing (23-1)
Reigning Division 1 champion East Lansing has been stopped only once this season, by Grand Rapids Northview on Feb. 7. The Trojans also defeated Loy Norrix 78-50 two weeks ago, and last year downed Kalamazoo Central by 35 points in the Regional Final. The Maroon Giants are among the state’s elite again this season and perhaps even a step up from a year ago, with losses to only Detroit Martin Luther King (18-6) and Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice (19-5). The focus is on those two, but Jackson has won 11 of its last 12 games, and Loy Norrix has its most wins since 2011-12.
DIVISION 2
Fowlerville
Chelsea (18-5) vs. Marshall (19-4)
Lansing Sexton (22-2) vs. Michigan Center (20-3)
All of these teams are league champions, Sexton in the Capital Area Activities Conference White, Michigan Center in the Cascades Conference East, Chelsea sharing with two others in the Southeastern Conference White and Marshall as co-champion in the Interstate 8 Athletic Conference. Marshall downed the other I8AC co-champ Battle Creek Pennfield to advance and also defeated Michigan Center 64-50 on Dec. 13. Sexton defeated Chelsea by two points last season in their Regional Final and has been even better this winter with its only losses to Division 1 East Lansing and Lansing Waverly. Michigan Center bounced back from two losses to end the regular season, and Chelsea has three defeats by one or two points and shared the SEC White title with Division 1 teams Ypsilanti Lincoln and Jackson.
Manistique
Kingsford (16-6) vs. Cheboygan (18-6)
Ludington (22-2) vs. Gladwin (23-1)
Gladwin won the Jack Pine Conference overall championship and is riding a 23-game winning streak since falling to Sanford Meridian (17-7) in its season opener. The Flying Gs take on another league champion in Ludington, which won the West Michigan Conference Lakes and has lost to only Division 1 Traverse City West (16-5) and North Muskegon (22-2). Those two will play one of the most intriguing Regional Semifinals in any division, but Kingsford or Cheboygan also will be formidable Thursday. The Flivvers made the Division 2 Semifinals a year ago, defeating Ludington by 40 in the Regional Final along the way. Cheboygan has doubled its win total this season from two years ago and got through close games with Grayling and Ogemaw Heights last week to advance.
Owosso
Flint Hamady (16-6) vs. Frankenmuth (23-1)
Freeland (21-3) vs. Portland (18-5)
This group is a complete repeat of last year’s Regional that saw Freeland advance to the Quarterfinals by defeating Portland. Heading into this year’s bracket, Frankenmuth finished first and Freeland second in the Tri-Valley Conference Red, and Freeland handed the Eagles their only loss, 54-48 on Feb. 13, after Frankenmuth had won their first meeting 47-43. Hamady won the Genesee Area Conference Blue and advanced to this week with a 17-point win over Flint Powers Catholic (16-7). Portland finished second in the CAAC White behind Lansing Sexton (22-2) and has won nine of its last 10 games.
DIVISION 3
Cass City
Reese (15-10) vs. International Academy of Flint (18-4)
Sandusky (16-7) vs. Harbor Beach (21-3)
Harbor Beach has totaled at least 20 wins the last three seasons and reached the Regional Final a year ago, but must defeat a familiar opponent for a third time to take that step again. The Pirates won the Big Thumb Conference Black and Sandusky finished third – and Sandusky also had a win over Reese just two weeks ago. The Rockets emerged by upsetting Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary (19-5) in their District Final and now must take on another league champion in IAF, which won the Genesee Area Conference Red. The Phoenix bounced back from a pair of losses to end the regular season to earn their second District title over the last three years, and all of IAF’s defeats came to opponents with at least 18 wins.
Clinton
Ottawa Lake Whiteford (21-3) vs. Onsted (22-2)
Jonesville (18-6) vs. Ecorse (18-5)
Whiteford/Onsted should be another Regional Semifinal with notable statewide interest as both are league champions – in the Tri-County Conference and Lenawee County Athletic Association, respectively – with only a handful of losses between them. Whiteford actually shared the TCC title but has won 11 straight games and lost only twice to in-state opponents. Both Onsted defeats came to Division 2 teams. Ecorse also is a league champion, in the Charter School Conference Silver, and only three years removed from a run to the Division 3 Semifinals. Jonesville was the runner-up in the Cascades Conference West and reached this week with two five-point wins in its District including a triple-overtime victory over Hudson.
Kingsford
Ishpeming Westwood (23-1) vs. Menominee (20-4)
East Jordan (22-2) vs. Elk Rapids (20-3)
This is another field of four league champs, starting with Western Peninsula Athletic Conference winner Westwood, which made the Division 3 Semifinals a year ago and defeated Great Northern Conference champ Menominee 55-52 on Feb. 6. That was one of three Maroons defeats against teams still playing this week, and Menominee is only two years removed from winning a Regional title. East Jordan won the Ski Valley Conference and defeated Mancelona (21-3) for the third time this season to win their District Final. Elk Rapids won the Northern Shores Conference and has lost to only Division 1 and 2 opponents. The Elks got past Northwest Conference champion Maple City Glen Lake by three points last week to advance.
DIVISION 4
Detroit Douglass
Detroit Douglass (17-7) vs. Allen Park Inter-City Baptist (21-3)
Whitmore Lake (17-7) vs. Southfield Christian (19-5)
Inter-City Baptist defeated Douglass in a Regional Semifinal a year ago during its run to Breslin and has lost to only Division 1 and 2 teams this season that all have won at least 17 games. The host Hurricanes also have lost to only Division 1 and 2 teams, all with at least 14 wins – and Douglass nearly made the PSL championship game before falling to Cass Tech in overtime of their semifinal. Inter-City Baptist won the Michigan Independent Athletic Conference Blue and has two victories over both Whitmore Lake and Southfield Christian, which split their regular-season series with Whitmore Lake winning the first game and the Eagles taking the rematch.
Hillman
Rudyard (14-10) vs. Pickford (23-0)
Burt Lake Northern Michigan Christian (16-7) vs. Hillman (21-2)
As noted above, Northern Michigan Christian is coming off its first District championship in this sport. The Eagles also have a win over Rudyard this season and a 23-pointer over Posen – which shared the North Star League Little Dipper championship with Hillman. That adds another level of intrigue to this bracket as Hillman and Posen split and Hillman lost their second meeting – although the Tigers already avenged their other loss, to Rogers City, twice including last week. Pickford has 27 and 29-point wins over Rudyard this season and is pursuing a second-straight Regional title after missing a trip to Breslin last season with a two-point Quarterfinal loss. Rudyard has won 10 of its last 13 games and in its District Final avenged a 20-point loss to Brimley from 10 days earlier with a two-point win.
Merrill
Fowler (22-2) vs. Baldwin (20-4)
Wyoming Tri-unity Christian (22-1) vs. Saginaw Nouvel Catholic Central (16-7)
This power-packed Regional starts with Tri-unity, the reigning Division 4 champion with its only loss this season to Division 2 Fruitport (21-3) on Dec. 20. The Defenders must first take on a Nouvel team that finished second in the TVC Blue and has won eight of its last nine games including 55-50 over Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart (18-5) in their District Final. And whichever team comes out of Fowler/Baldwin will provide a major challenge as well. The Eagles also ran into Tri-unity last year – in the Division 4 championship game, won by the Defenders 49-32 – and Fowler’s only losses this winter were to Division 3 Pewamo-Westphalia (22-2). Baldwin will do its best to prevent that rematch and is plenty capable after avenging an earlier defeat to clinch the outright West Michigan D League title while riding a run of nine wins over its last 10 games.
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PHOTOS (Top) Detroit Cass Tech’s Amari Wash (11) makes a move toward the lane during his team’s Division 1 District Final win over Detroit Martin Luther King on Friday. (Middle) Marquette's Ford Richardson gets up a shot while surrounded by Traverse City West's Ashton Royle (15), Jacob Banish (1), Blake LaFaive (5), and Carter Grubb (3) during the Sentinels’ 69-52 Division 1 District Final win. (Below) Pontiac Notre Dame Prep and Ortonville Brandon face off in a Division 2 District opener. (Cass Tech/King photo by Olivia B. Photography. Marquette/TC West photo by Cara Kamps. Notre Dame Prep/Ortonville Brandon photo by Terry Lyons.)