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Lacrosse Finals Move to U-M Among Headlines as Spring Sports Ramp Up
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
April 9, 2024
The Girls & Boys Lacrosse Finals will be played at University of Michigan Lacrosse Stadium for the first time, one of the most notable changes for this season as sports ramp up for more than 100,000 athletes anticipated to participate this spring for Michigan High School Athletic Association member schools.
The MHSAA sponsors postseason competition each spring in baseball, girls and boys lacrosse, girls soccer, softball, girls and boys track & field, boys golf (Lower and Upper Peninsula) and girls golf (UP), and girls (LP) and boys (UP) tennis.
The U-M Lacrosse Stadium opened for competition in 2018 and seats 2,000 spectators. The Girls Lacrosse Finals will be played Friday, June 7, with Division 1 at 4 p.m. and Division 2 at 7 p.m. The Boys Lacrosse Finals will be played the following day, June 8, with Division 2 at 11 a.m. and Division 1 at 2 p.m.
Girls lacrosse also has a significant format adjustment this season, as games will be played with four 12-minutes quarters instead of the previous two halves, in part to allow coaches more opportunities to provide direct instruction during a game. Two more rules changes are expected to improve flow of play – players awarded a free position outside of the critical scoring area no longer must come to a stop and settled stance before self-starting, and false start penalties outside the critical scoring area have been eliminated.
Several more rules changes will be noticeable this spring:
In boys lacrosse, a change was made to enhance player safety. Play will stop immediately any time a player’s helmet comes off, and that player may not return until the next dead ball after play continues.
Fair and legal starts are a continued emphasis for track & field, and a rule change will allow for movement before the start of the race as long as a competitor does not leave their mark with a hand or a foot after the “set” command, or make forward motion before the starting device is activated.
A significant rule change in softball alters pitch delivery mechanics. The pitcher may now have both feet off the ground at the same time when releasing the ball as long as both feet remain within the 24-inch width of a pitching plate and the pitcher does not replant the pivot foot before delivering the pitch.
Another change in softball requires that a playbook/playcard be worn on the wrist or kept in a back pocket to reduce distractions. If worn by the pitcher, the equipment must be worn on the non-pitching arm. Similarly in baseball, a wristband with plays or instructions will be permitted but must be a single, solid color, and for pitchers may not contain the colors white or gray or be otherwise distracting. Baseball players must wear this wristband on the wrist or forearm, and pitchers may wear one only on their non-pitching arm.
Also in baseball, a rule change allows for one-way communication devices worn by the catcher to receive instructions from the dugout while on defense, for the purpose of calling pitches. The coach must be inside the dugout/bench area to use the communication device.
Golfers now are required to participate in at least four competitions for the high school team prior to representing that school team in an MHSAA Regional or Final. Those four regular-season competitions may be 9 or 18-hole events.
In tennis, for the first time in Lower Peninsula play, a No. 1 doubles flight from a non-qualifying team will be able to advance from its Regional to Finals competition. To do so, that No. 1 doubles flight must finish first or second at its Regional, and the No. 1 singles player from that team also must have qualified for the Finals individually by finishing first or second in Regional play.
On the soccer pitch, two officiating-related changes will be especially noticeable. Officials now may stop the clock to check on an injured player without that player being required to leave the match – previously that player would have to sub out. Also, categories for fouls have been redefined: careless (which is a foul but does not receive a card), reckless (a foul with a yellow card) and excessive force (foul with red card).
The 2023-24 Spring campaign culminates with postseason tournaments, as the championship schedule begins with the Upper Peninsula Girls & Boys Golf and Boys Tennis Finals during the week of May 27 and wraps up with Girls Soccer, Baseball and Softball Finals on June 15. Here is a complete list of winter tournament dates:
Baseball
Districts – May 23-June 1
Regional Semifinals – June 5
Regional Finals, Quarterfinals – June 8
Semifinals – June 13-14
Finals – June 15
Golf
LP Boys Regionals – May 28-June 1
UP Girls & Boys Finals – May 29, 30, 31 or June 1
LP Boys Finals – June 7-8
Boys Lacrosse
Pre-Regionals – May 10-15
Regionals – May 16-29
Quarterfinals – May 31 or June 1
Semifinals – June 5
Finals – June 8
Girls Lacrosse
Pre-Regionals – May 16-18, or May 20
Regionals – May 22-June 1
Semifinals – June 5
Finals – June 7
Girls Soccer
Districts – May 22-June 1
Regionals – June 4-8
Semifinals – June 11-12
Finals – June 14-15
Softball
Districts – May 23-June 1
Regionals – June 8
Quarterfinals – June 11
Semifinals – June 13-14
Finals – June 15
Tennis
LP Girls Regionals – May 15-18
UP Boys Finals – May 29, 30, 31 or June 1
LP Girls Finals – May 31-June 1
Track & Field
Regionals – May 16-18
Finals – June 1
Shaya Brothers Run Individual Title Count to 7 in Pacing Bloomfield Hills 3-Peat
By
Steve Vedder
Special for MHSAA.com
October 19, 2024
BYRON CENTER – There may not be a sibling rivalry, but there's plenty of talent.
Bloomfield Hills senior Pierce Shaya can definitively say there is no goal of one-upping his younger brother, Connor, when it comes to their impressive tennis careers. In fact, Pierce said having his brother on the team only makes him better.
"Motivation," he said. "There's definitely not a rivalry."
The two closed out stellar seasons in helping the Blackhawks win Saturday's MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 1 Finals championship in Byron Center. Pierce won his fourth individual flight title, while Connor added his third as Bloomfield Hills finished with 35 points to 27 for runner-up Troy. Northville was third with 20 points, Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice next with 13, and Ann Arbor Skyline and Rochester Hills Stoney Creek had 12 points each.
Pierce, headed to Michigan next season, defeated Chad Anderson of Rochester 6-4, 6-1 at No. 1 singles. Connor upped his career record to 81-0 with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Quentin Rangi of Rochester Hills Stoney Creek at No. 2 singles.
Pierce had previously won No. 3 singles as a freshman, No. 1 doubles as a sophomore and No. 2 singles as a junior. Connor won No. 4 and No. 3 singles the last two years, respectively. The two represent arguably the best one-two punch in the state, Bloomfield Hills coach Greg Burks said.
"As a coach, you're looking to have that type of talent at the top," said Burks, whose team title was its third straight. "Not every coach has that, and we're lucky as a team to have it."
The Shaya brothers took different paths this season. Pierce said he didn't play his best tennis until the last couple weeks, while Connor said Saturday’s was the toughest of his three titles. Pierce said he couldn't find any rhythm until playing in a recent USTA event in Midland.
"It's been my worst year," he said. "I wasn't able to find any rhythm, but a lot of it turned in that tournament. I came back from there, it was a changeup for me, and I kind of had to find my way. I won a couple matches, and I think it helped me get in the mood for this weekend."
Connor, who was seeded No. 2 despite his previous postseason success, said increased pressure after winning two previous titles was something he knew he had to overcome.
"Every year is different, and this is a lot off my shoulders," he said. "There was a lot of competition here. A lot of older players who hit the ball hard. The odds were against me; people thought I would lose."
Bloomfield Hills also earned titles in three other flights. Zev Spiegel defeated Ann Arbor Huron's Aarav Dalal 6-3, 6-1 at No. 3 singles, while two Black Hawks doubles teams won. The No. 1 pair of Asher Langwell and Dominic Pascarella defeated Nick Song and Josh Kim of Northville 6-4, 7-6 (2), and Meyer Saperstein and Sajan Doshi downed Northville's Nathan Shields and Anderson Herdoiza 6-5, 6-2 at No. 3 doubles.
Bloomfield Hills' Brady Winston also made a final before losing to Troy's Dheera Yelleti 6-1, 6-1 at No. 4 singles.
Troy's Jackson Kraus and Raghav Karur defeated Suraj Makunar and Shreyan Muddappa of Troy Athens at No. 4 doubles 6-0, 6-3. Northville's No. 2 doubles team of Nikhil Karmani and Brian Zang defeated Troy's Varun Shetty and Anthony Wu 7-6 (8), 2-6, 7-5..
Burks, finishing up his 20th year as coach, said another team title was anything but a certainly three months ago when the season opened. Bloomfield Hills had to plug numerous holes from last year's championship lineup.
"I told the kids what they did was nothing short of spectacular," he said. "I don't if they realize how hard this was and what we did. Every match we grew as a team. It was a learning process, and we weathered the storm.
"We have depth, a lot of depth. We have a lot of neighboring clubs who've done a great job. We wouldn't have done this without their amazing jobs."
Spiegel, a sophomore, said the coaches did an outstanding job nurturing a young team.
"It was a great season," he said. "The coaches told us we weren't always going to win, but that we were here for a reason. Coach said we could win it all if we didn't do silly things."
PHOTOS (Top) Bloomfield Hills poses with its latest team championship trophy, won this weekend at Byron Center West Sports Complex. (Middle) Rochester Hills Stoney Creek’s Quentin Rangi volleys during a Friday match at No. 2 singles. (Below) Northville’s Alex Boules gets into a ground stroke at No. 4 singles Friday. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)