Mount Pleasant basketball feature

By BUTCH HARMON

Thanks to a strong core of seniors, the Mt. Pleasant boys basketball team is off to a good start this season and has its sights set on some big goals.

Anchored by senior post player Jaleel Hogan, the Oilers have won seven of their first nine games this season. Among the wins was a 69-60 win against Saginaw Arthur Hill. Mt. Pleasant’s only losses have come against top-ten ranked team Saginaw (44-38) and against Holland (66-41).

“We’ve had our ups and downs this year,” coach Dan Schell said. “We’ve had some good wins, and we lost a tough one to Saginaw that we should’ve won, but overall I think we are doing all right.”

Leading the way for Mt. Pleasant has been Hogan, a University of Detroit Mercy recruit, who is putting up impressive numbers in points and rebounds.

“Jaleel has done a nice job, and he’s just getting better and better,” Schell said. “He’s a lot stronger this year. He struggled with a knee injury early in the season, but he’s starting to get in a lot better shape now. He is averaging 18 or 19 points per game and 16 or 17 rebounds per game. Once he gets one hundred percent, he is a 20/20 kid.”

With his size and strength, Hogan can dominate games. “Jaleel is obviously a great player,” Schell continued. “He is very gifted at 6’6″ and 250 pounds, and you don’t see that very often in high school, especially when you put that together with his tremendous leaping ability. He also has really soft hands and good instincts. You can’t teach that ability. He’s great on the boards, and he has a good, soft touch to 16-17-18 feet. He has a lot of room for growth in his game, and in college is when you will really see him begin to reach his full potential.”

While Hogan can dominate games, the Oilers are far from a one-man team. “We are seven, eight players deep, and we can run pretty well,” Schell said. “We are also pretty athletic. Obviously, we have some outstanding players like Jaleel, but we have some other kids, as well, who are good players.”

Senior point guard Anton Cotton gives the Oilers a potent scoring option in the backcourt. “Anton is a pretty exciting guard,” Schell said. “He is averaging 13-14 points per game. He shoots the ball very well.”

The Oilers have also received strong contributions from senior guard/forward T.J. Johnson, senior guard Tim Wilson, senior Aaron Leasher, and sophomore Kalebb Perry.

“Aaron is one of our best players,” Schell said. “He has really been coming on the last two or three games. T.J. is another kid that I can’t say enough about. He has improved so much since the off-season. Tim is a senior guard who is our best on-ball defender. Kalebb is only a sophomore, and he is really more of a defensive player right now, but he has really stepped up for us.”

Mt. Pleasant’s improvement this year can be traced to hard work put in by the players over the summer.

“The guys never stopped working from the end of last season,” Schell said. “They were either in the weight room or putting up shots or playing in the off-season.”

Off-season AAU basketball provided other benefits, as well. Last year Hogan, Cotton, and Johnson all transferred into the district from Buena Vista. The transfers came about as a result of the trio playing with Mt. Pleasant players during the spring and summer AAU season.

“Last year, it was a little more difficult because Jaleel, Anton, and T.J. became eligible at midseason,” Schell said. “This year, they’ve been with us all through the off-season, so things have went very, very smooth. The kids knew each other from AAU ball, and they spent a lot of time with Aaron Leasher at his place. The kids actually knew each other way before I did, so it was a smooth transition.”

With one month of the regular season and the tournament remaining, the Oilers are looking for a successful ending.

“I don’t think we’ve played as well as we can play by any stretch,” Schell said. “We won’t know how good they can be until they show it, and maybe that will not happen. We have a very, very tough district with Midland and Dow. If we make it out of that, we will host regionals with Saginaw or Arthur Hill. That is going to be a real tough regional.”      

         

 

 

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Area girls are Class C scholar-athlete finalists

EAST LANSING – The 120 finalists for the Michigan High School Athletic Association’s Scholar-Athlete Awards for the 2013-14 school year have been announced. The program, celebrating its 25th anniversary, 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, 608 scholarships have been awarded.

In Class C girls, the finalists include Kirsten Olling of Breckenridge and Allie Kendall of Saginaw Nouvel.

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, the final 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. Dearborn Heights Crestwood, Hastings and Marlette each have five finalists this year.  Fourteen schools each had two finalists: Bay City Central, Bloomfield Hills Marian, Dearborn, Grand Haven, Grand Rapids West Catholic, Manistee Catholic Central, Marquette, Middleville Thornapple Kellogg, Midland Dow, Saginaw Swan Valley, Sturgis, Traverse City Central, Walled Lake Western and Yale.

Multiple-sport participation remains the norm among applicants. The average sport participation rate of the finalists is 2.70, while the average of the application pool was 2.16. There are 75 three-plus sport participants in the finalist field, and all but two of the 28 sports in which the MHSAA sponsors postseason tournaments are represented.

Of 407 schools which submitted applicants, 55 submitted the maximum allowed. This year, 1,701 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 at the following address: http://www.mhsaa.com/Schools/Students/MHSAAScholarAthleteAwardApplicants.aspx.

 The applications were judged by a 63-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. 4; Class B scholarship recipients will be announced Feb. 11, and Class A scholarship recipients will be announced Feb. 18. 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 22, 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, one of Michigan’s major insurers, has a statewide force of more than 400 agents serving more than 380,000 Michigan policyholders. Besides providing life, home, auto, farm, business and retirement insurance, the company also sponsors life-saving, real-time Doppler weather tracking systems in several Michigan communities.             

 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.

Back

Area boys are Class C scholar-athlete finalists

EAST LANSING – The 120 finalists for the Michigan High School Athletic Association’s Scholar-Athlete Awards for the 2013-14 school year have been announced. The program, celebrating its 25th anniversary, 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, 608 scholarships have been awarded.

In Class C boys, the finalists Ty Rollin of Beal City, James Barber of St. Charles and Nicholas DeSimpelare of Unionville-Sebewaing.

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, the final 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. Dearborn Heights Crestwood, Hastings and Marlette each have five finalists this year.  Fourteen schools each had two finalists: Bay City Central, Bloomfield Hills Marian, Dearborn, Grand Haven, Grand Rapids West Catholic, Manistee Catholic Central, Marquette, Middleville Thornapple Kellogg, Midland Dow, Saginaw Swan Valley, Sturgis, Traverse City Central, Walled Lake Western and Yale.

Multiple-sport participation remains the norm among applicants. The average sport participation rate of the finalists is 2.70, while the average of the application pool was 2.16. There are 75 three-plus sport participants in the finalist field, and all but two of the 28 sports in which the MHSAA sponsors postseason tournaments are represented.

Of 407 schools which submitted applicants, 55 submitted the maximum allowed. This year, 1,701 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 at the following address: http://www.mhsaa.com/Schools/Students/MHSAAScholarAthleteAwardApplicants.aspx.

 The applications were judged by a 63-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. 4; Class B scholarship recipients will be announced Feb. 11, and Class A scholarship recipients will be announced Feb. 18. 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 22, 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, one of Michigan’s major insurers, has a statewide force of more than 400 agents serving more than 380,000 Michigan policyholders. Besides providing life, home, auto, farm, business and retirement insurance, the company also sponsors life-saving, real-time Doppler weather tracking systems in several Michigan communities.             

 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.

Back

Area Class B girls are scholar-athlete finalists

EAST LANSING – The 120 finalists for the Michigan High School Athletic Association’s Scholar-Athlete Awards for the 2013-14 school year have been announced. The program, celebrating its 25th anniversary, 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, 608 scholarships have been awarded.

In Class B girls, the finalists include Abigail Brown of Caro, Bailey Baker of Eaton Rapids, Alexandra J. Grys of Portland, Kiersten Mead and Courtney T. Reinhold of Saginaw Swan Valley and Angela Maurer of Williamston.

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, the final 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. Dearborn Heights Crestwood, Hastings and Marlette each have five finalists this year.  Fourteen schools each had two finalists: Bay City Central, Bloomfield Hills Marian, Dearborn, Grand Haven, Grand Rapids West Catholic, Manistee Catholic Central, Marquette, Middleville Thornapple Kellogg, Midland Dow, Saginaw Swan Valley, Sturgis, Traverse City Central, Walled Lake Western and Yale.

Multiple-sport participation remains the norm among applicants. The average sport participation rate of the finalists is 2.70, while the average of the application pool was 2.16. There are 75 three-plus sport participants in the finalist field, and all but two of the 28 sports in which the MHSAA sponsors postseason tournaments are represented.

Of 407 schools which submitted applicants, 55 submitted the maximum allowed. This year, 1,701 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 at the following address: http://www.mhsaa.com/Schools/Students/MHSAAScholarAthleteAwardApplicants.aspx.

 The applications were judged by a 63-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. 4; Class B scholarship recipients will be announced Feb. 11, and Class A scholarship recipients will be announced Feb. 18. 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 22, 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, one of Michigan’s major insurers, has a statewide force of more than 400 agents serving more than 380,000 Michigan policyholders. Besides providing life, home, auto, farm, business and retirement insurance, the company also sponsors life-saving, real-time Doppler weather tracking systems in several Michigan communities.             

 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.

Back

Area boys are Class B scholar-athlete finalists

EAST LANSING – The 120 finalists for the Michigan High School Athletic Association’s Scholar-Athlete Awards for the 2013-14 school year have been announced. The program, celebrating its 25th anniversary, 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, 608 scholarships have been awarded.

In Class B boys, the finalists include Tye Wittenbach of Belding and Ryan Spaulding of Freeland.

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, the final 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. Dearborn Heights Crestwood, Hastings and Marlette each have five finalists this year.  Fourteen schools each had two finalists: Bay City Central, Bloomfield Hills Marian, Dearborn, Grand Haven, Grand Rapids West Catholic, Manistee Catholic Central, Marquette, Middleville Thornapple Kellogg, Midland Dow, Saginaw Swan Valley, Sturgis, Traverse City Central, Walled Lake Western and Yale.

Multiple-sport participation remains the norm among applicants. The average sport participation rate of the finalists is 2.70, while the average of the application pool was 2.16. There are 75 three-plus sport participants in the finalist field, and all but two of the 28 sports in which the MHSAA sponsors postseason tournaments are represented.

Of 407 schools which submitted applicants, 55 submitted the maximum allowed. This year, 1,701 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 at the following address: http://www.mhsaa.com/Schools/Students/MHSAAScholarAthleteAwardApplicants.aspx.

 The applications were judged by a 63-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. 4; Class B scholarship recipients will be announced Feb. 11, and Class A scholarship recipients will be announced Feb. 18. 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 22, 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, one of Michigan’s major insurers, has a statewide force of more than 400 agents serving more than 380,000 Michigan policyholders. Besides providing life, home, auto, farm, business and retirement insurance, the company also sponsors life-saving, real-time Doppler weather tracking systems in several Michigan communities.             

 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.

Back

Area girls are Class A scholar-athlete finalists

EAST LANSING – The 120 finalists for the Michigan High School Athletic Association’s Scholar-Athlete Awards for the 2013-14 school year have been announced. The program, celebrating its 25th anniversary, 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, 608 scholarships have been awarded.

In Class A girls, the finalists include Saige Tomczak of Bay CIty Central, Jessica Hacker of Bay City Western, Caroline Ann Hagan of East Lansing, Elizabeth Cowger of Fenton, Jessica Graves of Lowell, Kallise R. Dent of Midland Dow, Grace Kao of Okemos and Meghan Datema of Rockford. 

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, the final 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. Dearborn Heights Crestwood, Hastings and Marlette each have five finalists this year.  Fourteen schools each had two finalists: Bay City Central, Bloomfield Hills Marian, Dearborn, Grand Haven, Grand Rapids West Catholic, Manistee Catholic Central, Marquette, Middleville Thornapple Kellogg, Midland Dow, Saginaw Swan Valley, Sturgis, Traverse City Central, Walled Lake Western and Yale.

Multiple-sport participation remains the norm among applicants. The average sport participation rate of the finalists is 2.70, while the average of the application pool was 2.16. There are 75 three-plus sport participants in the finalist field, and all but two of the 28 sports in which the MHSAA sponsors postseason tournaments are represented.

Of 407 schools which submitted applicants, 55 submitted the maximum allowed. This year, 1,701 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 at the following address: http://www.mhsaa.com/Schools/Students/MHSAAScholarAthleteAwardApplicants.aspx.

 The applications were judged by a 63-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. 4; Class B scholarship recipients will be announced Feb. 11, and Class A scholarship recipients will be announced Feb. 18. 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 22, 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, one of Michigan’s major insurers, has a statewide force of more than 400 agents serving more than 380,000 Michigan policyholders. Besides providing life, home, auto, farm, business and retirement insurance, the company also sponsors life-saving, real-time Doppler weather tracking systems in several Michigan communities.             

 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.

Back

Area boy athletes are Class A scholar-athlete finalists

EAST LANSING – The 120 finalists for the Michigan High School Athletic Association’s Scholar-Athlete Awards for the 2013-14 school year have been announced. The program, celebrating its 25th anniversary, 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, 608 scholarships have been awarded.

In Class A boys, the finalists include Stone Manczak of Bay City Central, Chris Kruger of Holt, Nate Fisher of Midland and Vikram Shanker of Midland Dow.

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, the final 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. Dearborn Heights Crestwood, Hastings and Marlette each have five finalists this year.  Fourteen schools each had two finalists: Bay City Central, Bloomfield Hills Marian, Dearborn, Grand Haven, Grand Rapids West Catholic, Manistee Catholic Central, Marquette, Middleville Thornapple Kellogg, Midland Dow, Saginaw Swan Valley, Sturgis, Traverse City Central, Walled Lake Western and Yale.

Multiple-sport participation remains the norm among applicants. The average sport participation rate of the finalists is 2.70, while the average of the application pool was 2.16. There are 75 three-plus sport participants in the finalist field, and all but two of the 28 sports in which the MHSAA sponsors postseason tournaments are represented.

Of 407 schools which submitted applicants, 55 submitted the maximum allowed. This year, 1,701 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 at the following address: http://www.mhsaa.com/Schools/Students/MHSAAScholarAthleteAwardApplicants.aspx.

 The applications were judged by a 63-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. 4; Class B scholarship recipients will be announced Feb. 11, and Class A scholarship recipients will be announced Feb. 18. 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 22, 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, one of Michigan’s major insurers, has a statewide force of more than 400 agents serving more than 380,000 Michigan policyholders. Besides providing life, home, auto, farm, business and retirement insurance, the company also sponsors life-saving, real-time Doppler weather tracking systems in several Michigan communities.             

 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.

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Local teams included in MHSAA webcasts and highlights

The following is from the MHSAA’s media department:

A come from behind victory in a battle of two of the top-ranked teams in the state in high school hockey anchor this week’s package of highlights produced by schools in the  School Broadcast Program are featured on the MHSAA.tv website and the MHSAA YouTube Channel.

 

In a game played last week, host Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood finally tied the game in the last few minutes of regulation against visiting Orchard Lake St. Mary’s before prevailing with a going just over a minute into overtime, 4-3.  Cranbrook-Kingswood has been the top-ranked team in Division 3 in the coaches polls this season, St. Mary’s has been riding atop the Division 1 rankings.

 

This week’s package of School Broadcast Program Highlights from the week of Jan. 13 includes the following events (click on links below to watch an event in its entirety):

 

·   Orchard Lake St. Mary’s at Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood – Ice Hockey

·   Marquette at Escanaba – Boys Basketball

·   Holt at Haslett – Boys Swimming & Diving

 

Here’s the schedule of School Broadcast Program members planning to cover games in the coming week, some of which will be available at MHSAA.tv shortly after each game’s conclusion (All games varsity and delayed unless noted):

 

·   Byron Center at Comstock Park – Boys Freshman Basketball – Tuesday – LIVE – Subscription

·   Byron Center at Comstock Park – Boys JV Basketball – Tuesday – LIVE – Subscription

·   Byron Center at Comstock Park – Boys Basketball – Tuesday – LIVE – Subscription

·   Gobles at Watervliet – Boys Basketball – Tuesday – LIVE – Subscription

·   Fife Lake Forest Area at Onaway – Boys Basketball – Tuesday

·   Dowagiac at Plainwell – Boys Basketball – Tuesday

·   Big Rapids & Stanton Central Montcalm at Lakeview – Wrestling – Wednesday

·   Johannesburg-Lewiston at Onaway – Girls Basketball – Wednesday

·   Belding at Comstock Park – Wrestling – Wednesday – LIVE – Subscription

·   Traverse Bay Area Reps at Cheboygan – Ice Hockey – Wednesday

·   Painesdale-Jeffers at Calumet – Girls Basketball – Thursday

·   Lincoln Alcona at Oscoda – Boys Basketball – Thursday – LIVE – Subscription

·   Arenac Eastern at AuGres-Sims – JV Girls Basketball – Thursday

·   Houghton at Calumet – Boys Basketball – Friday

·   Newberry at Cheboygan – Boys Basketball – Friday

·   Oscoda at Lincoln Alcona – Girls Basketball – Friday

·   Hillman at Rogers City – Girls Basketball – Friday

·   Arenac Eastern at Rogers City – Girls Basketball – Monday

·   Pickford at Newberry – Girls Basketball – Jan. 28 – LIVE – Subscription

 

The School Broadcast Program, powered by PlayOn! Sports, is a platform which schools can utilize to reach members of their community about activities taking place in their buildings, providing recognition for students while at the same time giving them hands-on opportunities to gain broadcasting experience and providing schools an opportunity to realize additional revenues for their programs.

 

Schools interested in becoming a part of the School Broadcast Program should contact John Johnson at the MHSAA Office.

 

The network for the weekly radio commentary MHSAA Perspective – presented by the Michigan Army National Guard – has now grown to a total of 86 radio stations (80)  and audio webcast sites (6) across the state, generally during the local broadcasts of high school games.  The program runs for 30 weeks through the end of the winter sports season.  MHSAA Perspective can also be accessed from the home page of the MHSAA Website.  Visit the MHSAA Perspective page of the MHSAA Website for a complete list of network affiliates.

 

 

This week’s MHSAA Perspective is titled:  History On The Fours.  In this edition of Perspective, John Johnson talks about some of the great moments in the MHSAA Boys Basketball Tournament in years ending in four.

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Eaton Rapids wrestling looking to reclaim past glory

By BUTCH HARMON

During the 1980s and 1990s, Eaton Rapids was home of one of the premier Division 2/Class B wrestling teams in the state. Under coach Joe Ray Barry, the Greyhounds are working their way back up the ladder.

Barry, a former Mason High School star and wrestler at Central Michigan University, is in his third year as head coach of the Greyhounds and has the program headed in the right direction. Heading down the stretch of the season, Eaton Rapids has a 23-8 record and is gearing up to make a run at the team state finals.

“We’ve been having a good season,” Barry said. “We have been a pretty young team the last couple of years, and we are still pretty young. We just have one senior right now.”

The Greyhounds are thin on numbers but have plenty of talent, led by junior Jaedin Sklapsky, who has a 32-1 record and is ranked No. 1 in the state at 130 pounds. Sophomore Lane McVickey started the season with a 17-2 mark and is ranked fifth in the state at 135 pounds. Isaac Coolidge (103 pounds), Austin Eldred (119), Austen Hutchison (125), Blaine Milheim (145), and Triston Warner (215) have all won over 20 matches this season.

“We have beaten some good teams this year,” Barry said. “We beat Greenville 37-33, and we lost a couple of real close duals to Holt and Tecumseh. We are basically filling only nine of the 14 weight classes, so we are starting each match about 24 points down.”

Despite the low numbers, the Greyhounds have some lofty goals. “We’re looking to make a run at the state tournament this year,” Barry said. “We have a good junior class and a good sophomore class. We face Charlotte in our district, and we know that is not going to be an easy task by any means, but it’s something we are capable of.”

Eaton Rapids and Charlotte have picked up the intensity of their rivalry this year, both on the mat and the football field.

“We faced Charlotte in our first football playoff game, and we had to get past them there,” Barry said. “Ten of my wrestlers were on the football team, and all ten of them were on the field.”

Barry likes the progress being made in the wrestling program as it works to get back to the level it was over 15 years ago. Eaton Rapids won Division 2 state titles in 1999 and 1997 and Class B state titles in 1993, 1991, and three consecutive titles from 1985 through 1987.

“We’ve had a lot of good coaches, and those are definitely some big shoes to fill,” Barry said. “The program was real strong in the late 80s and the 90s, and we can get there again. We got the community behind us, and their support for wrestling is big for our success.”         

 

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Hoops take center stage during holiday break

While some teams used the holiday break for rest and relaxation, other teams, like the Saginaw boys and the Freeland girls, headed south to take part in the six-day basketball extravaganza that is the Motor City Roundball Classic.

The tournament is played at two venues, the boys at Harper Woods High School and the girls at Detroit Edison. In all, nearly 100 games were played, with schools from Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Ohio vying for basketball supremacy.

Although Motor City Roundball is the premier Michigan tournament during the holiday break, the Lansing area featured Meijer Holiday hoops, hosted by East Lansing High School at the Breslin Center on the campus of Michigan State University. Lansing Christian, Lansing Catholic, Holt, and East Lansing played in the all-day tournament that featured six games and high-flying action on the court by the No. 2 sophomore recruit in the country, Consortium College Prep’s Josh Jackson, and Grand Rapids Christian’s DeShaun Scott.

Meanwhile, Saginaw High played played two tough teams during Roundball against Thea Bowman Leadership Academy and Consortium College Prep. Although the Trojans lost the two games they played, playing in the tournament allowed the team to stay fresh during the long grind of a tough season.

Girls teams that played during the break included Freeland, Williamston, Frankenmuth, Powers Catholic, and Goodrich. 

Even with all of the snow and cold weather experienced during the break, the action was definitely heating up on the court, and it remain heated until champions are crowned in March at the Breslin. 

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