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2019 Scholar-Athlete Finalists Announced

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

January 22, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The 120 finalists for the Michigan High School Athletic Association's Scholar-Athlete Awards for the 2018-19 school year, presented by Farm Bureau Insurance, have been announced.

The program, in its 30th year, has recognized student-athletes since the 1989-90 school year and again this winter will honor 32 individuals from MHSAA member schools who participate in at least one sport in which the Association sponsors a postseason tournament.

Farm Bureau Insurance underwrites the Scholar-Athlete Awards and will present a $1,000 scholarship to each recipient. Since the beginning of the program, 768 scholarships have been awarded.

Scholarships will be presented proportionately by school classification, with 12 scholarships to be awarded to Class A student-athletes, six female and six male; eight scholarships will be awarded to Class B student-athletes, four female and four male; six scholarships will be awarded to Class C student-athletes, three female and three male; and four scholarships will be awarded to Class D student-athletes, two female and two male. In addition, two scholarships will be awarded at-large to minority recipients, regardless of school size.

Every MHSAA member high school could submit as many applications as there are scholarships available in its classification, and could have more than one finalist. Detroit Catholic Central has four finalists this year while Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood, Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart, Northville and St. Joseph each have three. Twelve schools each have two finalists: Ann Arbor Pioneer, Big Rapids, Davison, Fenton, Grand Rapids West Catholic, Grosse Pointe South, Marlette, Novi, Okemos, Saranac, Traverse City Central and White Lake Lakeland.

Multiple-sport participation remains the norm among applicants. The average sport participation rate of the finalists is 2.4. There are 77 three-plus sport participants in the finalists field, and all but two of the 28 sports in which the MHSAA sponsors postseason tournaments are represented.

Of 418 schools which submitted applicants, 30 submitted the maximum allowed. This year, 1,645 applications were received. All applicants will be presented with certificates commemorating their achievement. Additional Scholar-Athlete information, including a complete list of scholarship nominees, can be found on the MHSAA Website.

The applications were judged by a 65-member committee of school coaches, counselors, faculty members, administrators and board members from MHSAA member schools. Selection of the 32 scholarship recipients will take place in early February. Class C and D scholarship recipients will be announced Feb. 5, Class B scholarship recipients will be announced Feb. 12 and Class A scholarship recipients will be announced Feb. 19. All announcements will be made on the MHSAA Website.

To honor the 32 Scholar-Athlete Award recipients, a ceremony will take place during halftime of the Class C Boys Basketball Final, March 16, at the Breslin Student Events Center in East Lansing.

To be eligible for the award, students must have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.50 (on a 4.0 scale) and previously have won a varsity letter in at least one sport in which the MHSAA sponsors a postseason tournament. Students also were asked to respond to a series of short essay questions, submit two letters of recommendation and a 500-word essay on the importance of sportsmanship in educational athletics.

Farm Bureau Insurance of Michigan was founded in 1949 by Michigan farmers who wanted an insurance company that worked as hard as they did. Those values still guide the company today and are a big reason why it is known as Michigan’s Insurance Company, dedicated to protecting the farms, families, and businesses of this great state. Farm Bureau Insurance agents across Michigan provide a full range of insurance services—life, home, auto, farm, business, retirement, Lake Estate®, and more—protecting nearly 500,000 Michigan policyholders.

The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation of voluntary membership by more than 1,500 public and private senior high schools and junior high/middle schools which exists to develop common rules for athletic eligibility and competition. No government funds or tax dollars support the MHSAA, which was the first such association nationally to not accept membership dues or tournament entry fees from schools. Member schools which enforce these rules are permitted to participate in MHSAA tournaments, which attract more than 1.4 million spectators each year. 

2018-19 Scholar-Athlete Award Finalists

BOYS CLASS A
Colin Czajkowski, Brownstown Woodhaven
David DeBacker, Detroit Catholic Central
Joseph Hardenbergh, Detroit Catholic Central
Keegan Koehler, Detroit Catholic Central
Ryan Marra, Detroit Catholic Central
Jack Killian, Fenton
Noah Stout, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central
Ryan Downey, Grosse Pointe South
Michael Willard, Grosse Pointe South
Samuel Martens, Holland
Carson Currie, Lapeer
Noah Kinnucan, Muskegon Mona Shores
Daniel McLaughlin, Northville
Matthew George, Novi
Trey Mullins, Novi
Carson Krumm, Okemos
Harrison Poeszat, Orchard Lake St. Mary's
Parker Raymond, Rochester Adams
Nolan Rich, St. Joseph
Edward Roe, Traverse City Central
Michael Song, Troy
John Tisch, Utica
Trent Farquhar, White Lake Lakeland
Avery Robinson, Wyoming 

GIRLS CLASS A
Anna Scott, Ann Arbor Huron
Alexa Easter, Ann Arbor Pioneer
EmJ Rennich, Ann Arbor Pioneer
McKenna Evans, Battle Creek Lakeview
Ariella Cuellar, Bay City Central
Emily Moriartey, Davison
Ellie Timmons, Davison
Audrey Whiteside, East Grand Rapids
Chloe Idoni, Fenton
Lexi Loehfelm, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern
Adele Kemp, Greenville
Addison Irish, Hudsonville
Maya Albright, Midland
Mariella Simoncini, Northville
Claire Wan, Northville
Alma Cooper, Okemos
Yveloute Rea, Petoskey
Elizabeth Bulat, Rochester
Megan Corbe, St. Joseph
Cailey Rooker, St. Joseph
Jade Turner, Traverse City Central
Madeline Purvis, Troy Athens
Madeline Rehm, White Lake Lakeland
Megan Morehouse, Zeeland East 

BOYS CLASS B
Sam Bussler, Battle Creek Harper Creek
Pierce Morrissey, Big Rapids
Clark Doman, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood
Justin Luo, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood
Alex Netzley, Cadillac
Noah Doederlein, Carleton Airport
Adam Bruce, Gladstone
Jack Perry, Michigan Center
Connor Swinehart, Newaygo
Michael Gormley, North Branch
Isaac Waffle, Olivet
Tommee Smith, Sparta
Cooper Clark, Stevensville Lakeshore
Dillon Mochty, Tawas
Dylan Day, Tecumseh
Ethan McKenzie, Whitehall 

GIRLS CLASS B
Kamryn Cushway, Big Rapids
Salena Prakah-Asante, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood
Eleri Giem, Boyne City
Lauren Anderson, Charlotte
Olivia Haring, Clare
Daisy Ansel, Comstock
Sarah Bidgood, Comstock Park
Chloe Bartz, Edwardsburg
Zoe Neirink, Frankenmuth
Bridget Kohane, Grand Rapids West Catholic
Dana Wila, Grand Rapids West Catholic
Lindsey Jurecki, Grosse Ile
Robin LeFevere, Imlay City
Sophie Moccio, Milan
Emily Unger, Montague
Mallory Kean, Yale 

BOYS CLASS C
Trey Feldeisen, Ann Arbor Greenhills
Brian Goetz, Blissfield
Timothy Marvin, Byron
Noah Waldron, Concord
Jared Swiontek, East Jackson
Alexander VanDeWeghe, Ithaca
Jack Sumners, Marcellus
Logan Marshall, Marlette
Logan Solgat, Marlette
Dane Smitz, Roscommon
Drew Ward, Saranac
Nathan Huizar, Vassar

GIRLS CLASS C
Sarah Barnes, Houghton Lake
Precious Delos Santos, Indian River Inland Lakes
Riley Poupore, Iron Mountain
Lauren Freeland, Kent City
Megan Dopheide, Lawton
Elizabeth O'Hotzke, Manchester
Joslyn Muth, Manistique
Rachel Allen, Mason County Central
Jordan Cooper, Saranac
Thea Johnson, Saugatuck
Lillian Bambacht, Union City
Jordan Craven, Whitmore Lake 

BOYS CLASS D
Jake Lane, Climax-Scotts
Brendan LeClaire, Dollar Bay
William Newbold, Frankfort
John Slivka, Manistee Catholic Central
Ryan Yahner, McBain Northern Michigan Christian
Noah Krepostman, Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart
Brendan Zeien, Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart
Brandon Scheurer, Portland St. Patrick 

GIRLS CLASS D
Keagan Fischer, Bellaire
Lyndsi Wolfe, Fulton
Natalie Woodland, Lansing Christian
Samantha Somers, Mackinaw City
Scout Nelson, Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart
Abbey Bullis, Peck
Jessie Rieth, Three Oaks River Valley
Julia Diskin, West Bloomfield Frankel Jewish Academy

5 Ways Boyne City’s Ramblers Get Rowdy

January 18, 2017

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

BOYNE CITY – There’s a party going on in the student section at Boyne City, and everyone’s invited.

The streets were mostly empty as we rolled into town for Friday’s Battle of the Fans VI visit – freezing temperatures probably had something to do with that, even in the heartiest of ski country. But we found a full parking lot and plenty of bustle as fans poured in for the basketball doubleheader against Kalkaska – and the Rambler Rowdies “Fright Night,” our first stop on this year’s BOTF tour.

The breakdown: The section formerly known as “Bleacher Creatures” had a pretty good tradition of cheering on Boyne City teams over the years, but interest ramped up during the 2014-15 school year when both the football and boys basketball teams advanced to MHSAA Semifinals. Last winter, with the boys basketball team set to face rival East Jordan in a Class C District Final for the third season in a row, the Rambler Rowdies were born to take support to another level. After losing to East Jordan twice during the regular season, Boyne City won 62-33 – and the section’s name, along with its newfound passion, stuck. 

On this trip, we met with seniors Tristan Stackus, Emma Vondra and Camella Zipp, and juniors Jake Kelts and Ethan Hewitt. Check out the video, followed by more of what we saw from the Rowdies. 

1. They’ve gotten everyone on board

The Rowdies claim to be a true cross-section of the school and its nearly 400 students. In a building that size, students often take part in a wide range of activities, and all are represented. In addition to athletes from other sports, the band is a regular and lined the top rows of bleachers on Friday. And while Stackus, Vondra, Kelts and Hewitt all play at least one sport – Hewitt actually plays on the basketball team – Zipp spends her time in the arts, but is just as "rowdy." The togetherness is personified when the student section enters games as one, instead of trickling into gym as individuals show up. “We’re including more people in it. Our band’s getting more involved. We have kids coming from drama that will get involved because they really like acting everything out. … (and) I feel like especially when we enter as one, it makes us more united,” Zipp said. “We’re all the same. I don’t think of myself as a drama person, or even as the basketball jock.” The section this season began choosing themes for the first time, and all have a voice; Stackus, who administers the @Rambler_Rowdy Twitter feed, gets ideas from classmates on Mondays, posts a Twitter poll so all may vote and then announces via Twitter the winner.

And here’s a spin on seniority we hadn’t heard before: The Rowdies don’t do the “seniors in front and everyone else in back thing,” which in itself isn’t that rare among our annual BOTF finalists. But the Rowdies differ in that they put freshmen near the front so they can’t hide and not cheer, filling behind them with upperclassmen to make for a stronger section front to back. In fact, Kelts led the section two years ago as a freshman – which does qualify as a rarity and no doubt has helped develop this attitude toward mixing up the classes.

2. They’re teaching marketers a thing or two

The Rowdies are selling the Boyne City brand in the hallways, and clearly it’s taken hold. The business plan started in the high school’s marketing class, taught by Tony Cutler, who has served as the architect helping student leaders get the section rolling. The buy-in has been wide-ranging, with plenty of helpers chipping in – keep an eye out in the video for all of the Rambler Rowdy/MHSAA co-branded banners advertising “Friday Night,” plus the other staging created for the event like the cemetery fence and the “R.I.P. Bad Sportsmanship” gravestones put together by additional students who put in outside time to be a part. The message also is taking root in the community – with Cutler’s help, section leaders have made connections that have resulted in local donations of everything from cowbells to head bands to spirit towels.

3. They own the airwaves

This goes with the marketing and branding discussion above, but carries enough clout to have its own point here. The Rowdies make full use of an in-school television station – the Rambler Sports Network – that rivals any in our state, regardless of size of school, with production done by students in the Visual Imaging class (known in the halls as BCVI). TVs all over campus showed eye-catching promos for Friday’s BOTF visit and gave it extra oomph. Students filmed and produced Friday’s game, and their work is now included on broadcasts by local MI News 26.

4. They’re doing it right

Kelts was quick to note the school has won 10 sportsmanship awards over the years, and doing the right thing in the stands is not just talk. In fact, we didn’t hear a negative word coming from the Rowdies the entire night. They focused on cheering their team and having fun. It was that simple, but from our point of view the 100-percent positivity certainly was noticeable.

5. They’re filling the night with fun

The Rowdies packed a lot into “Fright Night” starting with all of the themed decorations and Kelts’ take on Jason Voorhees (from the “Friday the 13th” movies) leading a section full of classmates in black from head to toe. They entered the “Wheelhouse” – their gym – together in something out of a horror movie, sprinting in from multiple directions in advance of Kelts and his chain saw (only a toy, of course). We’ve heard most chants over five years and 25 BOTF visits, but the Rowdies had a few we hadn’t heard before. And the halftime surfing by Kelts – propelled by classmates on the floor on a surfboard covered in what had to be a case of duct tape – traveled half the court and was a highlight of the night.

In their words

Focus on the game: “We didn’t really even think about Battle of the Fans,” Stackus said. “It started out as us for (the team), and now it’s come to where we’re still doing it for them but we need to get bigger. We need more people to make us better, but we’re still doing it for them.”

Players love it: “That Grayling game (a 49-44 win Dec. 13), we were down, and I hit a 3 to go ahead and the student section just erupted,” Hewitt said. “After that, not only are you playing for yourself, but you’re playing for everyone else. … The environment in the gym is totally different.”

An Up North thing: “We’re all small towns and we’re all really close together, and we are rivals with a lot of these close towns,” Vondra said. “But since we’re so small, everybody knows about everything that’s going on. So whenever you get news about something that’s happening in the school or the community, everybody automatically knows, and then they’re just that much more into it.”

Next stop on BOTF: Next up is reigning champion Traverse City West for its boys basketball game Friday, followed by visits to Charlotte (Jan. 28), Petoskey (Feb. 1) and Frankenmuth (Feb. 3).

The Battle of the Fans is sponsored in part by the United Dairy Industry of Michigan.

PHOTOS: (Top) Junior Jake Kelts, in red, leads the student section's roller coaster Friday. (Middle) Fans, some in Jason Voorhees-inspired hockey masks, chant during the win over Kalkaska. (Photos by Boyne City Visual Imaging.)