Thank You from Second Half
January 25, 2013
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Next week will mark the one-year birthday of Second Half, our place to tell your high school sports stories.
And I thank you for helping us to such a great start.
We knew what we hoped to accomplish starting this site a year ago, but we've learned quite a bit during a relatively short time. Although we continue to pursue the mission of being home of the state’s best high school stories and a daily stop for fans, we’ll continue to experiment to figure out what you'd most like to see and how best we can continue to pass along the great things happening in MHSAA athletics.
A few things to call to your attention as we move ahead:
- First and foremost, we strive to tell your stories – hoping to hit every sport and all regions of our state – and have some intriguing ones coming up as we get into the second half of the winter season. Stay tuned.
- Second Half is the home for the “Battle of the Fans II.” We have visits to Buchanan and Vandercook Lake next week, followed by Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard and Zeeland East the week after. We’ll announce the winner Feb. 22. All will be found here first.
- We've revamped our video page (see menu across the top of this screen) and will be adding more videos more regularly in the year to come.
- After a brief hiatus, we’ll next week bring back “High 5s” featuring two athletes and a team that have done great things this season.
- What you’re reading now is the first of a weekly “First Pitch” blog that will allow us to post more of the quick hits we run across in our regular travels. Make sure to continue checking out the twice-weekly blog by Executive Director Jack Roberts, as well as the Viewpoints and SAC Sound-Offs supplied regularly by our friends from the Michigan State University Institute for the Study of Youth Sports and the members of our Student Advisory Council, respectively.
- We began providing in-depth statewide coverage – both previewing and then postgame reporting – of our Finals in every sport this fall, and hope to become your first and fastest source for the stories behind our championships.
We’re always looking for ideas both for stories or any other features you’d like to see – and feel free to send them directly to me at [email protected].
And again, thank you again for coming to our site today. We look forward to seeing you more in the year to come.
Performance of the Week: Grosse Pointe South's Caroline Bryan
November 14, 2024
Caroline Bryan ♦ Grosse Pointe South
Freshman ♦ Swimming
The standout freshman won two individual races and swam as part of two first-place relays as Grosse Pointe South won the Macomb Area Conference Red championship meet for the 24th consecutive season. The Blue Devils are ranked No. 4 in Lower Peninsula Division 2, and Bryan will be in contention later this month to become South’s first individual Finals champion in this sport since 2018.
Bryan won the 100-yard backstroke at the MAC Red meet in 57.29 seconds, the seventh-fastest among swimmers’ top times in the state this season for that race, and second-fastest top time among Division 2 swimmers. Her 55.47 to win the 100 butterfly was the third-fastest top time overall for that race this fall and fastest in Division 2. She also teamed with Mischa Eng, Nicole McEnroe and Lorelei Carr on the winning 200 medley relay, and Eng, Whitney Handwork and Hannah DiDio on the first-place 400 freestyle relay. The 400 relay’s time of 3:35.50 was the second-fastest top time in Division 2 this fall. Bryan's older brother Ben also swam for South, and older sister Heidi is a standout junior on the team.
@mhsaasports 🏊♀️POW: Caroline Bryan #swimming #grossepointesouth #MACRed #champion #part1 #highschoolsports #tiktalk #interview #performanceoftheweek #mistudentaid #fyp #MHSAA ♬ original sound - MHSAA
@mhsaasports 🏊♀️POW: Caroline Bryan #tiktalk #questiontime #tangled #laughing #emoji #bbqchicken #invisibility #gretchenwalsh #part2 #performanceoftheweek #mistudentaid #fyp #MHSAA @carolinebbryan ♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys - Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey
Follow the MHSAA on TikTok.
MHSAA.com's "Performance of the Week" features are powered by MI Student Aid, a division within the Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP). MI Student Aid encourages students to pursue postsecondary education by providing access to student financial resources and information. MI Student Aid administers the state’s 529 college savings programs (MET/MESP), as well as scholarship and grant programs that help make college Accessible, Affordable and Attainable for you. Connect with MI Student Aid at www.michigan.gov/mistudentaid and find more information on Facebook and Twitter @mistudentaid.
Previous 2024-25 honorees
Nov. 8: Kaylie Livingston, Whitmore Lake cross country - Report
Oct. 25: Oliver Caldwell, Grand Rapids West Catholic tennis - Report
Oct. 18: Alex Graham, Detroit Cass Tech football - Report
Oct. 11: Victoria Garces, Midland Dow cross country - Report
Oct. 4: Asher Clark, Bay City John Glenn soccer - Report
Sept. 26: Campbell Flynn, Farmington Hills Mercy volleyball - Report
Sept. 19: TJ Hansen, Freeland cross country - Report
Sept. 12: Jordan Peters, Grayling soccer - Report
Sept. 6: Gabe Litzner, Sault Ste. Marie cross country - Report
Aug. 30: Grace Slocum, Traverse City St. Francis golf - Report
(Photos courtesy of the Bryan family.)