In Memoriam: Ryan Fischer (1996-2014)
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
March 7, 2014
Grandville senior Ryan Fischer, a three-sport athlete, straight-A student and member of the MHSAA’s Student Advisory Council, died in his sleep overnight Thursday.
Fisher was co-captain of Grandville’s ice hockey team and set to join his teammates at Compuware Arena for tonight’s Division 1 Semifinal against Detroit Catholic Central. Fischer also was to receive an MHSAA Class A Scholar-Athlete Award later this month and recently had gained acceptance to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where he planned to study aerospace engineering.
“Our staff enjoyed knowing Ryan as an engaging member of the MHSAA Student Advisory Council for two years, and we grieve his loss with the entire Grandville community,” MHSAA Executive Director Jack Roberts said.
Fischer was to turn 18 on April 10.
He also served as captain of his football team this fall and had lettered in baseball. A three-year member of the hockey team, he was named to its leadership council and earned all-league honors as a junior.
Fisher held roles in a number of additional leadership initiatives. He served four years on Grandville's student government executive board and also on the school's Leadership Team and his church’s youth leadership council. Fischer was selected to attend both the U.S. Military Academy Summer Leadership Experience and the U.S. Naval Academy Summer Seminar after his junior year.
A decision to play tonight’s hockey game as scheduled was made after conversations between Fischer’s family and Grandville’s administration.
Performance of the Week: Sault Ste. Marie's Gabe Litzner
September 6, 2024
Gabe Litzner ♦ Sault Ste. Marie
Junior ♦ Cross Country
Litzner entered this season as the back-to-back Upper Peninsula Division 1 champion, and he's extending his dominance to the Lower Peninsula as well. He's run, and won, two races downstate already this fall including the Aug. 28 East Jordan Invitational, when he finished first among Division 1, 2 and 3 competitors with a time of 15:26.7 – only 1.3 seconds off his winning Finals time from a year ago.
That time also was nearly 53 seconds faster than the field at East Jordan as Sault Ste. Marie finished second in the D1-3 race to Traverse City St. Francis. A week earlier, Litzner won the Birch Run Invitational by nearly 34 seconds against a field that included teams from all four Lower Peninsula divisions. He'll be running later this fall to become the ninth three-time UP Finals champion. He's also the reigning UPD1 track & field champion in the 3,200, where he set the meet record of 9:35.63, and was on the winning 3,200 relay as a freshman.
@mhsaasports 🏃♂️➡️POW: Gabe Litzner #crosscountry #SaultSteMarie #invitational #winner #part1 #highschoolsports #tiktalk #interview #performanceoftheweek #mistudentaid #fyp #MHSAA ♬ original sound - MHSAA
@mhsaasports 🏃♂️➡️POW: Gabe Litzner #tiktalk #questiontime #part2 #greenbaypackers #jordan #cornhole #butterfinger #emoji #performanceoftheweek #mistudentaid #fyp #MHSAA ♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys - Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey
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Previous 2024-25 honorees
Aug. 30: Grace Slocum, Traverse City St. Francis golf - Report
PHOTOS courtesy of the Sault Ste. Marie athletic department.