Article - High School Sports Scene

From MHSAA

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Feb. 18 – The Michigan High School Athletic Association has selected 14 student-athletes from Class A member schools, including Grace Kao of Okemos, to receive scholarships through its Scholar-Athlete Award program.

Farm Bureau Insurance, in its 25th year of sponsoring the award, will give $1,000 college scholarships to 32 individuals who represent their member schools in at least one sport in which the Association sponsors a postseason tournament. The first 30 scholarships are awarded proportionately by school classification and number of student-athletes involved in those classes; also, there are two at-large honorees who can come from any classification.

Each of the scholarship recipients will be honored at halftime ceremonies of the Class C Boys Basketball Final game March 22 at the Breslin Student Events Center in East Lansing. Commemorative medallions will be given to the finalists in recognition of their accomplishments.

The Class A Scholar-Athlete Award honorees are: Paige Blakeslee, Gibraltar Carlson; Kirsten Avery Chambers, Riverview; Elizabeth Cowger, Fenton; Caroline Ann Hagan, East Lansing; Anna Haritos, Auburn Hills Avondale; Grace Kao, Okemos; Elianna Shwayder, Saline; Ryan S. Fischer, Grandville; Rami Kadouh, Dearborn; Cody James McKay, Utica Ford; Samuel A. Mousigian, Dearborn; Vikram Shanker, Midland Dow; Jalal Taleb, Dearborn Heights Crestwood; and Tanner Vincent, Novi.

Grace Kao, Okemos

Participated in her fourth season of varsity swimming and diving and holds one team, three league and four pool records. Helped team to four league meet championships and served as captain this fall. Earned all-state as part of two relays during career, and this fall also finished 10th in the 100-yard backstroke at the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 2 Finals. Earned academic all-state honors and a National AP Scholar award, also is a two-year member of the National Honor Society, serving as secretary. Participated on Science Olympiad team that qualified for the state tournament. Earned highest or superior performance ratings playing the viola and piano, respectively. Served as captain of ACTION Volunteer Club and started Chieftain Champs mentoring program to assist elementary students. Taught culture class for Lansing Chinese School and earned first place in Michigan Chinese Schools speech competition. Will attend Carnegie Mellon University and study computer science.

Essay Quote: “Sometimes we forget that everything is just a game. We get so buried in our thoughts of winning that we forget that at the end of the game, we are all just peers, and even friends. … Everyone is playing for the fun of the sport and the feeling of accomplishment after all of the time and work put in.”

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From the MHSAA

EAST LANSING – The Michigan High School Athletic Association has selected 14 student-athletes from Class A member schools, including Carline Ann Hagen of East Lansing to receive scholarships through its Scholar-Athlete Award program.

Caroline Ann Hagan, East Lansing

Ran four years of varsity cross country and will play her third season of varsity soccer this spring, also played varsity basketball as a junior and competes at a statewide level in figure skating. Qualified for the MHSAA Finals in cross country as both a freshman and sophomore and earned all-District recognition in soccer. Served as captain multiple seasons in soccer and basketball. Serving as student body president after two years as her class president as a sophomore and junior. Participating in National Honor Society for the third year and earned school’s Distinguished Scholar Award all four years. Participated in Young Life youth group four years and as a volunteer for the LINKS autism program, the Sparrow Foundation’s Women Working Wonders group and as a youth soccer coach. Will attend Michigan State University and study business and broadcast journalism.

Essay Quote: “Sportsmanship to me is not the amount of medals you win or state championships you bring home. It is about being with your teammates, knowing how to help them when they are down. Sportsmanship is about picking your friends up, giving hugs and high fives, so you both succeed.”

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High school hockey remains a competitive sport in Michigan. But it’s never been one of the least inexpensive sports for participants, and getting enough players to field a team has been challenging for some area teams.

“Generally, we have no more than 26 players that try out each year, and usually it’s less than that,” said Big Rapids coachTim Blashill. “We have not seen a tremendous increase or decrease.”

Big Rapids is currently not co-oping with other schools.

“Our numbers have continued to be good through the years,” said Big Rapids athletic director Nick Scheible. “There has been a given year or two where we have gone with a smaller team, but that was more of a coach’s decision than interest.

“I think there are a group of people that think travel hockey is the way to go, but that isn’t a new problem. People have been making that choice for years.”

Jeff Bell, athletic director at Freeland, said his school had an increase in numbers due to a new co-op agreement between Freeland, Nouvel Catholic Central, and Valley Lutheran. “I would hope [numbers] increase as the program grows,” he said. “I would say that the youth programs in the area will be the feeders for our team.”

Tim Beurer is the hockey coach at Lowell High School, which co-ops with Caledonia and South Christian. “We have seen the number of players on our team hold steady over the past couple of seasons, give or take a player or two,” he said. “However, our tryouts are not producing a large selection of potential players to select our team from.

“Ideally, I would like to get 20 players on the roster [18 skaters and two goalies] each season. This past season, we started the season with 18 players and will finish with just 16. We had just over 20 players at the tryouts back in early November for the team.”

Beurer said the economy has more than likely caused a downturn in numbers at the youth level. “Although we have seen somewhat of a rebound in the economy, the kids just have not come back like some may have expected. All of the costs to play this sport are continuing to rise, which makes it more difficult for families to make the financial commitment. We have even experienced families unable to pay their bill and had to take their son off of the ice in order to get them to pay.”

The numbers have been looking good at Midland Dow. The program doesn’t have a co-op arrangement, but the numbers have been higher than average.

“We have a very strong team, and boys wanted to be part of it,” said head coach Dick Blasy. He added that the numbers “should be normal in the near future but may go down in the distant future.”

Travel and house hockey programs in the Midland area are healthy. “But the enrollment in elementary schools in Midland is down,” Blasy said.

Mike Willett is the coach at Mount Pleasant, and he said numbers have been staying around 18 to 20 the past couple of years.

It’s Willett’s first season coaching. The school is not in a co-op, and he is concerned with numbers. “Next season, we will drop to around 15 because of a mix of players staying with travel teams and a lack of incoming ninth graders. Mount Pleasant does have a local house program and travel programs that are between 30 to 60 minutes away.”

JJ Bamberger, coach at Saginaw Heritage, has had some challenges with his program. “We had 39 kids try out this year, which is slightly down,” he said. “I like our future. We have a lot of kids that are going to try out for our team.” he said.

Heritage draws from a number of travel teams, he added.

Peter Ryan is Heritage’s athletic director. He indicated that the number of players who tried out for the hockey team is consistent with past seasons.

For the future, some coaches and athletic directors are optimistic. Youth programs from Saginaw, Bay City, and Midland continue to feed his high school program, Ryan indicated.

“The numbers look good, a tribute to the USA ADM program,” Blashill said. “It looks like it will produce more sustained numbers for our area. Our local youth association [has had] a steady increase in number over the past three years.”

Scheible agreed with his coach. “I believe that the numbers in Big Rapids will continue to stay healthy into the future,” he said. “Hockey is a big sport in our community, and I think that will continue, although numbers have decreased slightly at the youth level.”

“I suspect the next couple of seasons to be around the same or slightly down from this season. There are quite of a few players playing hockey, but many are either leaving the game or choosing to play youth hockey versus high school,” Beurer said.

“According to the information we have been able to gather from local area associations, there are a lot of young kids playing hockey from Caledonia.

“Our primary feeder program for the varsity team is our JV club team, which provides kids an opportunity to continue to work on their skills before making the jump to varsity hockey. There are also several youth hockey associations in the Grand Rapids area where in-district youth players are playing. For example, there are approximately 40-plus kids playing hockey in the Kentwood hockey association this season. However, it will be several years before they are age eligible to play at the varsity level.”

Beurer is cautiously optimistic about the future. “I would really like to see the numbers go back up to where they were like 5-10 years ago,” he said. “However, I just do not think that will ever happen.”

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Brianna Zimmer doesn’t mind the heavy snowfall that has blanketed the area this winter.

It’s no wonder. Zimmer is a talented junior skiing for the Mount Pleasant athletic program. She has been skiing overall for four seasons and in high school for three.

Zimmer went to the state meet as a sophomore. In her first two seasons, she’s had strong performances at various meets.

“This year, I think I’ve taken another giant step in becoming an all-around skier,” she said, adding that her conference meet was a strong performance, while she struggled somewhat in the regional.

This season, she won the slalom event at the Cadillac Invitational. She also took the slalom at the conference championship meet, which qualified her for the Division state finals in that event. In meet at Harbor Springs, Zimmer took 17th place in the giant slalom.

“She’s had a stellar season,” said coach Charlie Zeiter. “She’s one of the best female ski racers I’ve ever had, and this is my 47th year of doing this. She’s the complete package. She knows how to get ready for race day, she knows how to train. She’s always working hard.

“She’s a scholar-athlete in the truest sense of the word,” Zeiter said. “I got a hold of her in about eighth grade and she got hooked on ski racing. She’s the kind of athlete that is the coach’s dream. She’s so coachable. You tell her how to take a certain part of the course, or a combination or whatever, and it’s a done deal.”

“Coach always tells me I usually have a pretty good line in GS,” Zimmer said. “I’ve always been good at that. The slalom, it’s my competitiveness, I guess.”

Two teammates from the boys’ team qualified for the slalom event at state finals.

“Skiing isn’t really a big sport at my school,” Zimmer said. “We don’t have a big amount of girls for the team This year’s team had five girls. You usually want six on a team. Our guys’ team had a fair amount of boys. It’s growing.”

Zimmer got interested in the ski team through her brother. “He is three years older than me,” she said. “In his junior year, he was on the ski team. The coach asked me to be a manager. So I would go up to Snow Snake with the team. Then I started doing it from then on.”

Snow Snake Ski and Golf in Harrison is the team’s home course.

Zimmer, like other skiers, benefitted from the onslaught of snow that started falling in late November and continued all season.

“Usually we never get to go to the hill before Christmas break,” Zimmer said. “Usually Christmas is the first time we get to go. This year we got to go to Snow Snake a few days before Christmas break. It gave us a better chance to start training.”

Zimmer also takes advantage of her chances to ski when the high school season is done. “I’ve been to Utah a couple of times, and I’ve been to Canada,” she said.

At Mount Pleasant, Zimmer also plays volleyball and soccer. Her favorite sport is a tossup between volleyball and skiing.

“The atmosphere in skiing is laid back, and it’s a lot of fun,” Zimmer said.

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Wally Schneider has coached a boys’ bowling team this season at Ithaca that has pulled off some impressive accomplishments. The top one occurred at the Division 4 state finals on Feb. 28 at M-66 Lanes in Battle Creek.

Ithaca advanced to the finals against Jonesville and fell 1,153-1094. But the Jackets stll brought home a runner-up trophy. Contributing for Ithaca in the finals were Blake Gulick at 151, Jared Baublit at 156, Kaeden Greer at 167, donal Carl at 137 and Joe Whittaker at 172.

February was quite a month for Ithac.

On Saturday, Feb. 1, at Riverwood Lanes in Mount Pleasant, the Yellowjackets had an outstanding performance. “In our first Peterson game against Alma, the boys shot a 1,292 game, which is the highest game ever shot by a Division 4 school and the third highest game ever shot in MHSAA history,” Schneider said. “Joe Whitaker shot 300 during the game, and Kaeden Greer carried a possible 300 into the 10th frame before settling for a 277. Donald Carl shot 247 and Jared Baublitz 236 and Blake Gulick 232.

“Everything went right. All five guys were hitting so well. They were all throwing a lot of strikes. It was a great day, a really fun day. It was an amazing thing to be a part of.”

Carl, Greer, and Whitaker are seniors, while Baublitz and Gulick are sophomores. Baublitz started out with the junior varsity and was moved up to the varsity during the season.

The Yellowjackets finished second in the Tri-Valley West with an 8-2 record. Both losses came to St. Louis. Overall, Ithaca was 15-2.

“The boys are bowling really well,” Schneider said. “It’s not always the same person. It’s important that our big guys are hitting. But we’ve had times when those guys aren’t necessarily right on. Someone else comes up to fill that void. It’s been an amazing season.”

The intensive rivalry between Ithaca and St. Louis has continued onto the bowling lanes.

“It’s always been a great rivalry,” Schneider said. “I’ve been doing this for 11 years. St. Louis coach’ has been Al Post or his brother basically that period of time. It’s always been tough between the two of us. We’ve always battled, it seems like every year.

“We get along well with each other. It’s been a lot of fun. It’s always back and forth between those two teams. We and St. Louis have always been tight. I’m sure there’s been a year or two where one of the teams has been up or down. It’s not very often. We’re both usually there.”

Ithaca has been in the top six of the final Division 4 state standings a couple of times. In February, Ithaca competed in the entire Tri-Valley Conference meet and took second in that tournament behind Caro. Several Class B schools participated.

“It’s pretty competitive,” said nine-year bowling coach Al Post of St. Louis, referring to the rivalry with Ithaca. “Ithaca and us always seem to butt heads.”

St. Louis advanced to the state quarterfinals but lost to Sandusky 1,209-1,208.

The previous week at regiojnals, Ithaca was first, Hemlock second and St. Louis third.

It’s the type of rivalry that seems to bring out the best between the two teams.

“Their only loss was to us,” Post said. “They wanted to win. We had a good match, and we happened to win it.”

Geographically, the two schools are close, and they are competitive in the conference and in the postseason.

“The kids all know each other pretty well,” Post said. “It’s a very respected rivalry, I will say that. It might not have been a few years back. But now, it’s a very respectable rivalry. Both programs are so strong now. We both want to beat each other bad. Wally has a great program, so do we.”

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Boyd Hubbard comes from an avid wrestling family in Alma, and it’s not surprising that he had a strong season on the mat for the Panthers.

Hubbard is a junior who has been wrestling for 13 years, three years in high school. He went to the state finals in 2013 and lost in the blood round.

He won the Sparta and Leslie tournaments this season as well as a District Title beating eventual state champ, Tristin Zienkiewicz and qualified for state after placing second in the regional , losing Zienkiewic. He entered the state tournament with a record of 44-6.

At The Palace of Auburn Hills for the state finals, Hubbard was eighth at 160 pounds in Division 3. He lost his first match, won his next two and fell to Brandon Dyke of Allendale in the match for seventh place.

“This is my best season so far,” Hubbard said. “It’s probably from a lot of mat time, like wrestling over the summer.”

On the mat, Hubbard considers himself quick on his feet. “I get in on a lot of shots,” he said. “I normally escape from everyone I wrestle.”

He’s wrestling at 160 pounds this year after being at 145 and 152 his previous seasons. “It was kind of a struggle at first,” Hubbard said. “Now, it’s just as easy as it was last year, I just need to continue to work harder this summer and come back stronger and quicker than ever!”

Hubbard has three older brothers who wrestled at Alma, Bruce, Brett, and William. Bruce placed eighth at one state final. Brett and William were both state qualifiers.

“I’m a lot like them,” Boyd said. “The reason I’m wrestling is because of them. I had them to wrestle with me. Bruce and Brett were lighter weights. Will was a heavier weight.”

Their dad, William, wrestled in a high school briefly, also, Boyd noted.

Boyd has also lettered in football and has run track and played baseball in the spring.

Teammate Damian Castillo, who has also had a strong season, is a junior at 130 pounds. He has wrestled since he was four years old and is in his third high school season. As a freshman at 103, he qualified for state. As a sophomore at 125, he was TVC champ. He didn’t qualify for state last season but did this year as a district and regional champ. At the state finals, he won his first match but lost his next two and didn’t place.

“I’ve been pretty satisfied with my season,” he said. “There have been a couple of matches here and there that i should not have lost, It happens.”

It was Damian’s best high school season.

“I’ve improved a lot,” he said. “I’ve been working on moving my feet more and getting off from bottom. That’s the main thing, keeping my feet moving.”

Working on his feet and getting takedowns have been major strengths for Castillo.

Standing as high as he can on the podium at the state finals is a major goal for Castillo.

“A state championship is very reasonable for me, I am ready to continue to work for that and see what happens?” I will continue to get better, “I need to wrestle my best.”

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It’s the inaugural Ohio-Michigan Border Classic, and it will feature Michigan’s best vs. Ohio’s best on Saturday, June 14, at Donnell Stadium at the University of Findlay in Findlay, Ohio.

The Michigan High School Football Coaches Association announced its first Border Classic team that will be playing an Ohio all-star squad. All players will be members of the Class of 2014.

Local players who have been selected to the team team include quarterback Travis Smith of Ithaca, wide receiver Amari Cleman of New Lothrop, offensive guard Curtis Doyle of Alma, and wide receiver Malik Taylor of Montrose.

“We’re pretty excited,” said Larry Merx, executive director of the MHSFCA. “We’ll have a chance to build a lot of bridges between the two states.”

Head coach is Mike Zdebski and offensive line coach is Mike Weiskoph, both from Walled Lake Western. Zdebski is also coaching quarterbacks, tailbacks, and kickers. Other coaches are Ed Greeman of Harper Creek with the wide receivers, Tim Szegda and Brian Lemons of Father Gabriel Richard with the defensive line and linebackers, and Scott Merchant of Chippewa Valley with the defensive backs.

The game will replace the annual Michigan East-West all-star game, a summer fixture since 1981.

“This will take the place of our East-West game, because there are only two weekends in June you can have an all-star game and get players to come,” Merx said. “More and more of them report to their college [teams] in late June or early July. The only two weekends this year would be June 14, which we’re doing, and June 21. We can’t man two back-to-back all-star games. There’s not enough people and enough time to do two games back-to-back.

“Ohio has the ability because of their [governing] body, the Ohio High School Athletic Association. They can do their North and South game in the spring. But we can’t do that, because we can’t have an all-star game during the school year or kids would lose their eligibility for other sports. That’s an MHSAA rule.”

Merx said the MHSFCA was approached by the Ohio association in October 2012 to see if there was an interest in having an all-star game.

“We’re committed one year at a time,” Merx said. “We anticipate that we’ll host it in Michigan next year and it will be continuing.”

At one time, MHSFCA all-star games were staged at Division I sites such as Michigan State University, University of Michigan, and Central Michigan University. Recent years have seen the game at Division II Grand Valley State University and Division III Alma College.

“The NCAA has a rule that prohibits Division I schools from hosting any high school-related event that’s not associated with a specific high school, non-scholastic,” Merx said. “So we have to go to DII. We’re trying to get that rule changed.”

Profits from the game will go to the scholarship funds of the respective organizations.

The Michigan East-West all-star game format involved twice as many players and coaches, and Merx said there was plenty of discussion about the change.

“We hope to be able to get back to that,” he explained. “But there’s also a lot more regional games. There’s a Muskegon area all-star game. There’s an Upper Peninsula all-star game. There’s one in Monroe County. Kids still get that all-star experience. We’d like to have that statewide experience. At this time, we can’t do both.”

This will mark the first time Michigan football all-stars have played all-stars from another state. “Ohio is the first to approach us,” Merx said.

The MHSFCA selected the six all-star coaches, who then recruited the players, he noted. “There was a lot of research done to do it,” Merx said.

Smith, who led Ithaca to its fourth straight 14-0 season and state title, will have one last high school game prior to going to Wake Forest University. The thought of playing in the game excites him.

“It’s a great feeling,” he said. “It’s top competition in the Midwest. It’ a good feeling to know they picked me to compete in one of the most competitive football games you could compete in in the Midwest. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

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By BUTCH HARMON

The story lines will be wide-ranging this March as the boys’ basketball state tournament tips off. Familiar names dot the list of favorites in Classes A and B along with some new names. Classes C and D also have some old standbys and some squads that have not been heard from in a while. High School Sports Scene takes a look at this year’s state tournament and predicts who will make it to the Breslin Center.

CLASS A

Statewide outlook: Detroit Pershing, with talented senior Justin Tillman, is the team to beat and is one of the favorites to claim the title. It has a deep and talented team that will be a tough out. Pershing may face a difficult regional hurdle, though, in University of Detroit Jesuit and its sensational sophomore guards Cassius Winston and Billy Thomas. The Saline regional may prove to be the toughest in the state. Among the teams that could come out of Saline are fourth-ranked Taylor Truman, fifth-ranked Romulus, and seventh-ranked Ypsilanti. Muskegon is the No. 1-ranked team in the state, and the Big Reds appear poised for a long tournament run led by junior sensation Deyonta Davis, who has already committed to Michigan State University.

Area outlook: Saginaw High started the tournament with a bang by defeating rival Arthur Hill. Mt. Pleasant has enjoyed a successful season, and the Oilers are poised for a deep tournament run. They will have to navigate the Bay City Western district that includes Midland Dow. If the Oilers get through the district, they could run into a tough Marquette team in the regional semifinals before a potential regional showdown with Arthur Hill in the Lake Orion regional. A pair of competitive districts take place in the Lansing area. At the East Lansing district, DeWitt, Lansing Eastern, Waverly, and host East Lansing will be battling. In Mason, Holt and Grand Ledge both have squads that are ranked honorable mention in the state.

HSSS projected FINAL FOUR: Saginaw vs. Muskegon, Detroit Pershing vs. De La Salle Collegiate

HSSS projected STATE CHAMPION: Detroit Pershing over Muskegon

CLASS B

Statewide outlook: West Michigan has a trio of teams ranked in the top five in the state that will be battling it out for a berth in the final four. Godwin Heights, ranked second in the state, and Grand Rapids South Christian, ranked fourth in the state, will collide in the district at Kelloggsville. The winner of that district will have to get past Comstock Park in the regional before a potential showdown with Otsego in the quarterfinals. Otsego has one of the premier young teams in Class B, led by 7’0″ junior center Seth Dugan and some talented junior wings. In southeast Michigan, Detroit Country Day and Detroit Douglass Academy have solid squads capable of bringing home a state title. Lumen Christi Catholic enters the tournament as the top-ranked team in the state, and with junior point guard Khari Willis, it’s poised for a deep tournament run.

Area outlook: Corunna has turned in a solid season playing against some rugged competition that has prepared it for a postseason run. The Cavaliers host a district where they open with Flint Southwestern and may have to get past Goodrich in the final if they advance. Millington is ranked third in the state and will be the favorite at the Powers Catholic district. If Millington makes it to the regional at North Branch, it could face sixth-ranked Yale or seventh-ranked Imlay City in the semifinals, with a potential final involving the Corunna district winner. At the Pinconning regional, anything can happen. Big Rapids, Clare, and Reed City have solid teams that will battle it out at the Reed City district before moving on to Pinconning. John Glenn is a potential favorite at Pinconning. Alma, Central Montcalm, and Ovid-Elsie will be competing for the Ovid-Elsie district title, with the winner to face the Bridgeport district winner, possibly Carrollton or Swan Valley, in a semifinal at Pinconning.

HSSS projected FINAL FOUR: Otsego vs. Big Rapids, Detroit Douglass Academy vs. Milan

HSSS projected STATE CHAMPION: Detroit Douglass Academy over Otsego

CLASS C

Statewide outlook: Southeast Michigan is home to two of the premier teams in the state in Mt. Clemens and Detroit Consortium. Consortium features arguably the best sophomore in the nation in 6’6″ Josh Jackson. Mt. Clemens has plenty of size and athleticism along the front line and has one of the top freshman guards in the state in Jermaine Jackson. The two superpowers could collide in the quarterfinal round, with the winner favored to take the state title. Boyne City is the premier team from northern Michigan. It is led by 6’5″ junior Corey Redman, who has already committed to Central Michigan University. In west Michigan, Muskegon Heights and Shelby have solid squads capable of making it to the final four. In southern Michigan, keep an eye on Addison and its 6’10” senior center Luke Meyer, another future Central Michigan Chippewa.

Area outlook: Plenty of district options exist for area basketball fans. Valley Lutheran turned in a big season and hosts a district where Hemlock will be the major challenger. The Montrose district features a trio of standout teams. Host Montrose will be tough to beat on its own floor, while New Lothrop and Michigan Lutheran Seminary have teams capable of winning the district. Ithaca has been tough to beat at the district level, and that will be the case again when the Yellowjackets, led by Logan Hessbrook and Josh Hafner, travel to the Lakeview district. The Laingsburg district will be one to watch. The Laingsburg/Pewamo-Westphalia rivalry is one of the best in mid Michigan, with Pewamo-Westphalia getting the best of Laingsburg twice during the regular season. Carson City-Crystal is also in the mix at the Laingsburg district. Meridian has been ranked in the top ten in the state for much of the season and heads north to Pine River for district play along with a strong Beal City squad. Pine River is also a top-ten team, so this district will be very tough.

HSSS projected FINAL FOUR: Shelby vs. Muskegon Heights, Detroit Consortium vs. Boyne City

HSSS projected STATE CHAMPION: Detroit Consortium over Shelby

Class D

Statewide outlook: Defending state champion Southfield Christian enters the tournament ranked No. 1 in the state and is the team to beat for the title. With senior guard Lindsay Hunter IV and 6’6″ big man DeMarco White, Southfield Christian is tough to defend. North Central is the prime contender from the Upper Peninsula, but it will have to get past Cedarville at the regional level. In southern Michigan, St. Philip Catholic is a team to watch.

Area outlook: Fulton has been one of the premier teams in mid Michigan this season. The Pirates have a deep and well-balanced team led by Nathan Davis, Gregg Jones, Dalton Trefil, and Colton Antes, and they are poised for a long tournament run. If the Pirates win a district title, they will journey to the Big Rapids regional, where they could be joined by a solid Sacred Heart Academy team. Morrice has enjoyed a big year, and the Orioles have the talent to not only win a district title but to also contend for a regional title at Morenci.

HSSS projected FINAL FOUR: Fulton vs. Southfield Christian, North Central vs. St. Philip Catholic

HSSS projected STATE CHAMPION: North Central over Southfield Christian

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Randy Lark has had a long and illustrious career as a high school educator and as a football coach. That career has given him plenty of memories that he can relish as he settles into retirement from both positions at Alma. The fall season closed the door on 30 years of coaching for Lark. He later retire as a physical education instructor.

Lark was born in Gaylord and raised in Wyoming, Michigan. He played football at Michigan State University and was a free agent for the Washington Redskins for a period of time. He was hired as offensive line coach at Ferris State University, a position that he held for three seasons in the 1980s. He later went to Fulton, and then finished his career at Alma. He was assistant coach at Alma the last four years after being head coach there for 15 seasons.

There were plenty of highlights during Lark’s coaching tenure. “Taking both programs over, they were kind of both down in the dumps,” he recalled. “When I came to Fulton, they were 2-7 and 1-8 before I got there. We got to the playoffs three times in the 1990s when I was here. We were Class C back then, and you had to be 8-1 or 9-0 to get into the playoffs back then.”

At Alma, Lark inherited a program with only 16 players and built it to a playoff contender. Alma made the playoffs nine times during his tenure. In 2007, Lark led Alma to the state semifinals.

Lark recalls what it took to get the programs turned around. “A lot of it was just showing a lot of interest and putting your time into it and stressing a weight program,” he said. “The kids bought into it.”

Lark recalls having been a disciplinarian as a coach while using enthusiasm at the same time.

A hereditary muscular disease in his leg was among the motivating issues in Lark’s decision to retire. “It’s not like a wheelchair-bound thing, but I have braces on, and it was kind of hard to stand when I was coaching,” he said. “I put in for disability.”

Lark will miss coaching, “especially the relationship with the kids, having them come back and tell me their days of football were some of the best days of their life,” he said. “And then the coaches. I’ve had a lot of them around for a long time. They were a big part of my life. It’s time to do a few other things like hunting and fishing, which I didn’t have the time to do in the fall.”

Lark’s son, Kyle, finished the 2013 football season playing linebacker at Western Michigan University. Lark coached both his sons, including Brett, who was a running back at Hillsdale College. His daughter, Sarah, played volleyball at Ferris State.

“It was a neat thing to be able to coach the kids all the way through, watch them, and see them mature as athletes,” he said. “I look back and it was a great time.”

He will be inducted into the Michigan High School Football Coaches Hall of Fame later this year.

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By BUTCH HARMON

A thrilling girls’ basketball season comes to an end in March with the state tournament. High School Sports Scene takes a look at this year’s tournament and predicts who will make it to the Breslin Center.

CLASS A

Statewide outlook: Detroit King enters the tournament as the top team in Class A. It will be tested at the regional level, though, where King, second-ranked Grosse Pointe South, and fourth-ranked Mercy could all be present for what will be the toughest regional in the state. Whoever survives that regional could face third-ranked Marian in the state semifinals.

Area outlook: Haslett made it three in a row over rival DeWitt to earn the district title at Haslett. Grand Ledge has enjoyed a successful season with only two losses – to DeWitt and to Detroit King. The Comets survived the Gull Lake district and face a potential showdown at the regional at Ann Arbor Huron against Haslett. Jessica Walter and Midland are poised for a deep tournament run also. Midland’s lone loss this season came against Class B Powers Catholic. Greenville, led by senior Leah Somerfield, enjoyed a good season and got past a dangerous Forest Hills Central team in the district. The Yellow Jackets must get past Muskegon and possibly Grand Rapids Christian at the regional.

HSSS projected FINAL FOUR: Grand Ledge vs. Midland, Grosse Pointe South vs. Marian

HSSS projected STATE CHAMPION: Grosse Pointe South over Grand Ledge

CLASS B

Statewide outlook: Grand Rapids South Christian is the top-ranked team in the state. The Sailors are deep, with plenty of size and athletic ability, and they have been tested in a rugged conference. Detroit County Day has been the premier team in southeast Michigan. However, it faces a huge potential roadblock in the regional, where it has to get past Powers Catholic or Goodrich.

Area outlook: Powers Catholic and Goodrich are ranked no. 2 and no. 3 in class B and are on a collision course in the Goodrich regional. The winner of that regional could very well be the eventual state champion. Ionia survived one of the toughest area districts at Wayland where it defeated sixth-ranked Portland and host Wayland. Eaton Rapids came out of the rugged Olivet district where it got past Jackson Northwest. The Carrollton regional will be very interesting. Clare, led by senior standout Lindsay Winter, is ranked seventh in the state in Class B. Bullock Creek may be the team to beat at Carrollton after getting past John Glenn at the Garber district. Alma came on strong down the stretch behind standout senior standout Maddy Seeley as they won the Ovid-Elsie district.

HSSS projected FINAL FOUR: Grand Rapids South Christian vs. Bullock Creek, Goodrich vs. Ionia

HSSS projected STATE CHAMPION: Goodrich over Grand Rapids South Christian

CLASS C

Statewide outlook: Class C is wide open this year and may have the most exciting tournament. Blissfield, in southeast Michigan, is undefeated and top-ranked in the state entering the tournament but may not have faced the schedule that some other teams have. Sandusky is ranked second in the state in Class C and hosts what could be the toughest regional in the state. In southwest Michigan, Brandywine has an outstanding team, while St. Ignace, last year’s Class D state champion, also has a talented squad.

Area outlook: Nouvel Catholic Central, which advanced to the Class C state title game last year, came out of the rugged Breckenridge district and is part of the loaded Sandusky regional. This year’s Nouvel team is capable of another deep tournament run. Reese entered the tournament ranked fourth in the state and captured the tough New Lothrop district. The Rockets have defeated both St. Ignace and Sandusky this season, their lone loss coming against Nouvel. The regional at Sandusky will be a battle royale that included second-ranked Sandusky, fourth-ranked Reese, fifth-ranked Hamady, and either No. 8 Nouvel. Carson City-Crystal is ranked seventh in the state and defeated a solid Pewamo-Westphalia team at its own district.

HSSS projected FINAL FOUR: Nouvel Catholic Central vs. Gobles, St. Ignace vs. Manchester

HSSS projected STATE CHAMPION: Nouvel Catholic Central over St. Ignace

Class D

Statewide outlook: Forest Park is the top-ranked team in the state and is the one to beat for the title. It has one of the top players in the entire state and the top player in Class D in Michigan State University pledge Lexi Gussert, who is capable of dominating games.

Area outlook: Led by standout guard Sara Hansen, who became the school’s all-time leading scorer late in the season, Sacred Heart Academy has had a memorable season. It has a deep and talented team that can score in a variety of ways. The Irish had impressive wins over Gaylord St. Mary Cathedral and Carson City-Crystal this season, while their losses came against the likes of Class B Clare, Class C Nouvel Catholic Central, and Class C Beal City. Fowler came up big with a upset of Portland St. Patrick Catholic at the Fulton district. A regional showdown between Sacred Heart and Fowler is very possible.

HSSS projected FINAL FOUR: Sacred Heart Academy vs. Cardinal Mooney Catholic, Forest Park vs. Lake Michigan Catholic

HSSS projected STATE CHAMPION: Forest Park over Sacred Heart Academy

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