Every year, compelling headlines draw in our readers and hook them. Here are 25 headlines that people will likely remember about the 2014-15 school year. If last year was any indication of what to expect this year, then we will be on the brink of another stellar campaign in September. Let us know your thoughts and concerns at randy@highschoolsportsscene.com
1. Ithaca’s streak snapped at 69 games
By far, the biggest story of last year was the Ithaca football team seeing its consecutive winning streak snapped at 69 games after losing to St. Mary Catholic Central, 22-12, in the Division 6 final held at Ford Field.
Ithaca’s winning streak was the second longest in state history, three shy of Hudson’s 72-game streak from 1968 through 1975, and the eighth-longest in US history.
Ithaca returns nearly everyone from last year’s team, so opponents better be ready, because another streak might just be on the way.
2. New Lothrop wins second straight Division 4 wrestling championship
Gabe Bennett’s one-point decision win at 130 pounds got the Hornets a 38-24 victory and another state championship title.
The Hornets entered the championship weekend as the top seed, which was different from 2014, when the Hornets came back over the final three weights to upset top-seeded Hudson. Hudson had won a record five straight MHSAA team titles.
3. Davis vs. Davis…Mr. Basketball lived up to the hype
Deyonta Davis became the 35th winner of the Hal Schram Mr. Basketball award, which is given annually by the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan in conjunction with the Detroit Free Press.
Only BCAM members are permitted to vote, and votes are tabulated on a 5-3-1 basis. Davis received 854 of the 1,313 first-place votes and totaled 5,223 points. Eric Davis of Saginaw Arthur Hill was second with 3,757 points, and Trevor Manuel of Lansing Everett was third with 2,837 points.
Deyonta Davis will play his college basketball at Michigan State University.
4. Ithaca’s freshman sensation Kayla Belles has arrived
Kayla Belles, a 6’3″ freshman, led the Ithaca girls basketball team to the Tri-Valley Conference West Division title and a district championship. Ithaca reached the regional semifinal, where it lost to Nouvel Catholic Central, 69-66, in overtime. Belles scored 17 points for Ithaca, which ended the year with a 21-3 record.
During the season, Belles averaged 14.5 points, 13.2 rebounds, and four blocked shots a game. She had just 14 turnovers in 18 regular-season games.
5. Detroit Western ends Arthur Hill’s bid for a Class A basketball championship
Even in their own city, even after all they’d accomplished during the season, Detroit Western International’s basketball players were something of a curiosity when they showed up at Calihan Hall to play in the MHSAA Class A quarterfinal.
Western had been that far only twice in its long history, neither one of which was recent. The Cowboys reached the quarterfinal in 1922 and the semifinal in 1974, long before any of the current players were born.
Western completed a perfect season by beating sixth-ranked Saginaw Arthur Hill, 62-59, in the MHSAA Class A championship game.
The Cowboys finished the season with a 26-0 record.
With sophomore Brian Bowen scoring 10 of his game-high 21 points in the second quarter, Arthur Hill (24-4) grabbed a 25-21 lead heading into halftime.
6. Ithaca’s Anderson makes MHSAA coaching history
On a Thursday evening at Ithaca High School last winter, Bob Anderson coached his 1,120th career varsity basketball game and set the state record for most games coached. He surpassed Paul Cook, who coached at Lansing Eastern and Lansing Catholic Central, for the top spot in state history. A large and enthusiastic crowd was there to thank him for his 36 years of service
7. Brighton wins first Division 1 wrestling championship
Lee Grabowski must have felt the weight of the world on his shoulders. With his team leading, 28-25, heading into the final match at 112 pounds, the Brighton sophomore posted a 4-2 victory over a rival who had defeated him twice during the season.
Not only was the victory significant for Grabowski, but it also resulted in the final points in Brighton’s 31-25 victory over Hartland in the MHSAA Division 1 final at Kellogg Arena.
The team title was the first for Brighton, which was making its first-ever appearance in the championship match.
Brighton, ranked No. 1 in the state the whole season, had taken down Hartland in previous meetings during the season, defeating the third-ranked Eagles (31-4) by a 38-18 count in mid-January and in the KLAA Championships.
8. Haslett’s dream season comes to close in Class B title game
Detroit Country Day’s Kaela Webb stepped into a leadership role on the biggest stage in the sport and scored a game-high 20 points to lead Country Day to a 49-41 victory over Haslett in the MHSAA Class B girls’ basketball championship game.
It was the 11th MHSAA title for Country Day (22-4), but its first since 2009. The Yellowjackets hadn’t gone six years between titles since a drought between 1989 and 1995.
Country Day’s all-stater is a sophomore, Destiny Pitts. She finished with 12 points but was held to four in the second half. Webb came through with 11 points after halftime, going 6 for 6 from the line during the final 1:28 to put the game away.
Haslett (22-6), which lost 57-43 to Country Day late in the regular season, was able to limit Pitts but couldn’t find an answer for Webb.
9. DeWitt’s bubble bursts in Class A final
DeWitt, playing in its first MHSAA girls’ basketball final since 1977 and only a 10-minute drive from home, was led by five seniors who all had spent at least three seasons on varsity.
Top-ranked Marian ran its Breslin winning streak to four and its championship streak to two with a 51-37 win over No. 4 DeWitt.
In total, the Mustangs have now won six girls’ basketball championships, tied with two other schools for second-most in MHSAA history. Their seven appearances in MHSAA finals ties them for fifth-most among girls’ basketball programs.
10. Breckenridge cheer back in familiar territory after winning Division 4 championship
One of the most storied competitive cheer programs in the state of Michigan returned to prominence in March, when Breckenridge dominated the eight-team field to win the Division 4 state championship at the DeltaPlex in Grand Rapids.
Breckenridge had been a powerhouse through 2007, winning seven state titles in eight years, before disbanding the program for five years because of a lack of participation.
The Huskies returned to the varsity level during the 2013-14 school year under the direction of long-time coach Deb Gaines and her daughter Jenna Graham, and finished fifth at the state finals with a roster entirely comprised of freshmen and sophomores.
That set the table for the 2014-15 campaign, and Breckenridge lived up to the hype, winning its eighth state title in school history with a team score of 754.26. Pewamo-Westphalia was second (730.40), while Michigan Center placed third (726.02).
11. Ithaca cross country wins first Division 3 title
Ithaca loved having a target on its back entering the 2014 , and it lived up to the challenge.
Coach Gene LeBron and company won every single meet in which they competed.
They won the Tri-Valley West Conference title.
They won the All-TVC All-Division title.
They won a Division 3 regional crown.
Then, on Nov. 1, the Yellowjackets won the Division 3 state cross country title at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, finishing with 147 points on the day, 11 better than runner-up Shepherd.
12. Davison’s Lincoln Olson joins MHSAA elite
Lincoln Olson became the 20th wrestler in MHSAA history to win four Individual Finals championships when he beat Walled Lake Central’s Daniel Shear by technical fall, 24-9, at 135 pounds.
Olson finished his high school career with eight straight technical fall wins at the MHSAA Finals.
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Miles has arrived
Former Flint Southwestern standout and the 5th-ranked basketball player in the class of 2016, Miles Bridges has narrowed his college choices to five. Those five include the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, the University of Kentucky, Indiana University, and the University of North Carolina. It should be interesting to see where he ends up next year.
14. Lansing Catholic comes up short in Division 5 title game.
Lansing Catholic lost its second Division 5 football title game in five seasons, this one to Grand Rapids West Catholic, 24-20.
Lansing Catholic (13-1) completed a pass to its 32-yard line to begin its last-ditch possession to retake the lead, but senior Brett Wildman came down with an interception on the next play to effectively end the game.
Lansing Catholic hadn’t scored fewer than 21 points since opening night 2013 and hadn’t given up more than 22 since West Catholic put up 38 on the Cougars in last season’s district final. Coach Jim Ahern believed that the teams were similar – similar offensive styles with standout quarterbacks who could run and pass. But Lansing Catholic just couldn’t stop what it knew was coming in crunch time.
15. Lansing Sexton stunned in Division 4 title game
Jon Wassink, Grand Rapids South Christian senior quarterback, threw for 179 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 122 yards and another touchdown, as South Christian edged Sexton, 28-27, for its second Division 4 football title in three seasons.
Wassink also had four tackles and an interception from his defensive back spot and averaged 39.8 yards on six punts.
The Big Reds (13-1), undefeated on the way to their first MHSAA Final appearance, scored on the game’s opening drive, 2 minutes and 22 seconds into the first quarter. They came close to sending Wassink to Western Michigan University with another runner-up finish instead of the championship.
16. Brother Rice’s Alex Malzone wins Mr. Football
University of Michigan quarterback commitment Alex Malzone was named Mr. Football in the state of Michigan for the 2015 class. He beat out former Michigan commitment Michael Weber and others for the award.
Malzone, a three-time state champion, threw for 2,998 yards and 38 touchdowns this season for a Brother Rice team that ended the season 11-1. Malzone was an early enrollee at the University of Michigan.
17. Goodrich’s Tania Davis walks away with Miss Basketball
Goodrich’s Tania Davis was the 34th recipient of the Miss Basketball award, presented each year to the state’s top senior by the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan in conjunction with the Detroit Free Press.
A four-year starter for Goodrich who has signed with the University of Iowa, Davis accumulated 2,591 points in the voting. Presley Hudson of Wayland was second with 2,194 points, and Cierra Rice of Grosse Pointe South was third with 2,119 points.
Only BCAM members are permitted to vote, and points are awarded on a 5-3-1 basis.
At 5’3″, Davis often is the shortest player on the court, but that has not limited her — except maybe in trying to lift the massive Miss Basketball trophy.
18. St. Charles’ Kyle Tuttle repeats in Division 4 bowling
Kyle Tuttle became only the second bowler in MHSAA competition to win back-to-back singles championships, when he edged Bad Axe junior Ethan Sobczak by one pin, 379-378, in the Division 4 title match.
Tuttle trailed by 15 pins (175-160) after an well-below-average first game and then compounded matters by committing a line violation in the opening frame of game two.
Trailing by eight pins heading into the eighth frame, Tuttle reeled off four straight strikes (he left three pins standing on his last ball) to finish with a 219. He then had to sit and watch Sobczak take aim at the title.
Tuttle, who carried a 210 average into the final weekend, defeated Oscoda freshman Grant Huebel in the semifinal, 433-402, and Dryden senior Patrick Kaliszewski in the quarterfinal, 418-329.
Tuttle was seeded second to Bailey Budnick of Rogers City, the 2013 champion, after the morning qualifiers.
19. Brother Rice’s Nick Plummer gets drafted by St. Louis Cardinals
Brother Rice outfielder Nick Plummer was the 23rd player taken in the 2015 MLB draft. The Cardinals selected Plummer immediately after the Tigers selected Texas high school right-handed pitcher Beau Burrows with the 22nd overall pick.
Plummer was ranked No.11 overall by Baseball America.
20. St. Johns girls’ track wins Division 2 championship
St. Johns surprised everyone when it walked away from the Division 2 track finals with a state title.
Just two years ago, St. Johns wasn’t even a factor in its own league, taking fifth place out of six teams. The Redwings won their conference the last two years, but had never before had a top-10 finish at the finals.In 2015, led by senior Karrigan Smith, a standout for four years, the Redwings were able to score in three of the four relays.
Smith repeated as the 1,600-meter champion in a rout, posting a time of 4:59.08 to win by 9.35 seconds. She had set the lower peninsula Division 2 final record of 4:51.53 last year when she was locked in a duel with Megan O’Neil of Chippewa Hills.
21. Saginaw Heritage girls’ basketball ousted in semifinal
Heritage finished 24-4 on the season after its longest tournament run since winning Class A in 2002. The Hawks made it all the way to the Class A final before losing to DeWitt, 44-36, in the semifinal round.
The Hawks played two freshmen, two sophomores, and a junior with their senior guards, and they should bring back a number of players with valuable experience for another run next winter, after making one that coach Vonnie DeLong admitted most in Michigan probably didn’t expect.
22. Pewamo-Westphalia girls hold off Frankemuth to win Division 3 track title
Pewamo-Westphalia girls’ track coach Scott Werner has a saying that he believes applies to his track program: Tradition doesn’t graduate.
This spring, a team mixed with youth and experience won the lower peninsula Division 3 track and field championship for the second time in three years, but the crown was not clinched until the final event of the meet.
The Pirates totaled 63 points, while runner-up Manistee had 57 and defending champion Frankenmuth was third with 51.5.
23. Beal City Cross Country sweeps
They knew they were going to be good, but the question was how good.
Coming into the fall of 2014 the Beal City High School girls cross country team was the defending Division 4 state champion, as it had bested runner-up Breckenridge by 14 points for the title in 2013. The girls wound up repeating as champions.
The boys were equally impressive and won the first Division 4 cross country state title in program history, finishing atop the 27-team field with 105 points, four better than runner-up Saugatuck.
For the boys, three Aggies earned all-state honors via top-30 finishes. Senior Nick Pung (16:19) earned all-state honors for a fourth-straight season by finishing third. Junior Ethan Schafer (16:34) garnered all-state honors for a second-straight season by finishing seventh. David Reihl (17:29) was 25th.
Also contributing were James Kolb (17:37) in 32nd and Brendan Carrick (17:45) in 39th.
For the girls, senior Emily Steffke (19:15) was fifth, earning all-state honors for a fourth straight season. Junior Hannah Steffke (19:26) was sixth to lock down all-state honors for a third straight season, while Hayley Neyer (20:17) was 27th.
Madeline Steffke (20:40.6) finished 41st with Ariel Salter (20:55) 55th.
24. St. Louis girls’ bowling surprises; wins state championship
Of the 18 teams competing in the qualifying block, only eight got out and St. Louis was seventh, with a team score of 2,915.
From there, the Sharks drew second-seeded Sandusky in the quarterfinal round and won by 11 pins.
After beating the second seed, St. Louis got a chance to renew its rivalry with Ithaca, which had gone 23-1 overall and 9-1 in conference action.
The Sharks, who went 14-2 overall and 8-2 in conference action, pulled off another upset, beating the Yellowackets 1,143 to 1,122 to advance to the final where they faced eighth-seeded Clinton.
In the final, St. Louis claimed its first-ever bowling state title by besting Clinton by 125 pins.
Riley Smith led the way with a 190 in the final, while Kodi O’Boyle rolled a 177, Kaitlyn Howd a 176, Jasmine Lowe a 148, and Kaycee Paksi a 133.
25. Hartland baseball wins a stunner to capture Division 1 baseball title
John Baker did it all day long. He struck out 11 and walked three in going the distance, as Hartland won its first Michigan High School Athletic Association baseball championship with an epic 2-1, 10-inning win over Portage Northern in the Division 1 title game at Michigan State University’s McLane Baseball Stadium.
The Eagles (28-16-1) knocked on the door all game long against Portage Northern, stranding 16 runners and outhitting the Huskies, 10-5. Hartland went down in order just once in the game.
Hartland used a walk, a bunt, and a Baker double to seize a 1-0 lead in the first inning, but didn’t score again until the 10th.
Richard Bortle and Thomas Rivet hit back-to-back singles to open the frame, then Brett Oliver, the No. 9 hitter, drilled a fly ball over the head of the right fielder to easily score Bortle from third with the winning run.