Preview: Finals Memories Finally to be Made Again at McLane
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
June 15, 2021
The wait to return to Michigan State University and McLane Baseball Stadium for MHSAA Semifinals and Finals finally will come to an end this weekend. And what a return it will be.
The 16-team field is headlined by two of the most star-studded in recent memory in Orchard Lake St. Mary’s and Portage Central. Six contenders will be playing to reach the final day of the season for the first time. And nine teams will be pursuing their first championships – with a guaranteed first-time title winner in Division 4.
Division 1 - Thursday
Midland Dow vs. Portage Central - 9 a.m.
Grand Blanc vs. Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice - 11:30 a.m.
Division 2 - Friday
New Boston Huron vs. Orchard Lake St. Mary's - 9 a.m.
Stevensville Lakeshore vs. Gladwin - 11:30 a.m.
Division 3 - Thursday
Traverse City St. Francis vs. Richmond - 2:30 p.m.
Buchanan vs. Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett - 5 p.m.
Division 4 - Friday
Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep vs. Marlette - 2:30 p.m.
Maple City Glen Lake vs. Marine City Cardinal Mooney - 5 p.m.
FINALS - June 19
Division 1 - 9 a.m.
Division 2 - 2:30 p.m.
Division 3 - 11:30 a.m.
Division 4 - 5 p.m.
Tickets cost $9.40 and may be purchased online only at GoFan. One ticket is good for all baseball, softball and girls soccer games at MSU’s Old College Field that day. All Semifinals and Finals will be broadcast and available with subscription from MHSAA.tv, with free audio broadcasts on the MHSAA Network.
Below is a glance at all 16 teams taking the field:
Division 1
BLOOMFIELD HILLS BROTHER RICE
Record/rank: 29-10, unranked
Coach: Bob Riker, 23rd season (633-226-4)
League finish: Second in Detroit Catholic League Central
Championship history: Three MHSAA titles (most recent 2008), three runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Will Shannon, sr. C (.372, 14 2B, 43 RBI); Alfredo Velazquez, soph. OF (.360, 11 2B, 29 RBI, 29 R); Brayden Dowd, soph. OF (.286, 5 HR, 23 RBI, 31 R); John Locker, sr. P (2.14 ERA, 77 K/39 1/3 IP).
Outlook: This will be the team’s third-straight trip to the Semifinals. The Warriors defeated No. 5 Livonia Stevenson and No. 13 Brownstown Woodhaven during their Regional run, after finishing runner-up in their league to St. Mary’s and ahead of four more teams that won at least District titles (and U-D Jesuit reached the Quarterfinals before losing to the Warriors). Rice did so with Shannon the only senior (non-pitcher) in the starting lineup, although Locker is expected to start on the mound Thursday and senior Blaise Wilcenski (1.57 ERA, 58 K/35 2/3 IP) is another key arm.
GRAND BLANC
Record/rank: 31-11, unranked
Coach: Kevin Hubbs, fifth season (98-93)
League finish: Second in Saginaw Valley League
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Jonah Meleski, sr. OF (.435, 44 R, 34 RBI, 36 SB); David Lally, jr. P/IF (.414, 38 R, 6 HR, 47 RBI, 10-3 pitching, 0.95 ERA 78 K/57 2/3 IP); Nate Helms, jr. P/IF (.337, 6 HR, 32 RBI, 5-2 pitching, 2.20 ERA); Hunter Ames, jr. C/IF (.371, 32 R, 22 RBI).
Outlook: Grand Blanc followed up its first Regional championship by earning its first trip the Semifinals, holding its five postseason opponents to a combined three runs including a shutout of No. 15 Utica Ford. The Bobcats finished second in their league only to No. 17 Midland. The team as a whole is hitting .309 and can create havoc on the bases having stolen 136 this season while getting caught only 16 times. Senior Tim Welsh is another big bat hitting .358 over 21 games and slated to start the Semifinal at first base. Lally has committed to sign with Notre Dame.
MIDLAND DOW
Record/rank: 27-14, unranked
Coach: Rich Juday, fifth season (97-53)
League finish: Tied for fifth in Saginaw Valley League
Championship history: Class A runner-up 1983 and 1987.
Players to watch: Trent Johnson, sr. P/UTY (.344, 13 2B, 24 RBI, 9-2 pitching, 2.01 ERA 66 K/73 IP); Logan McCoy, sr. P/IF (.495, 39 R, 14 2B, 46 RBI, 4 saves pitching); Jack Bakus, soph. P/IF (.405, 31 R, 13 2B, 7 HR, 37 RBI); Daniel Kowalczyk, jr. OF (.376, 25 RBI).
Outlook: Dow also has emerged from the competitive SVL and advanced to this weekend with a one-run Quarterfinal win over No. 9 Hudsonville. The Chargers have steadily upped their wins under Juday and with one more will have their most under the former Dow and Michigan State standout – who also has coached at MSU, Northwood and in the Oakland A’s minor league system. Total, eight regulars are hitting .338 or better, with senior Riley Nelson (.368, 10 SB) and junior Bill VanSumeren (.360, 11 2B) among those also standing out in multiple offensive categories.
PORTAGE CENTRAL
Record/rank: 34-4, No. 2
Coach: Cory DeGroote, third season (55-14)
League finish: First in Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference
Championship history: Division 1 champion 2002, Class A runner-up 1997.
Players to watch: Luke Leto, sr. IF/P (.495, 71 R, 13 2B, 10 HR, 34 RBI, 31 SB); Nick Ford, sr. IF (.411, 37 RBI, 4 saves pitching); Zach MacDonald, sr. OF (.521, 63 R, 16 2B, 15 HR, 60 RBI, 18 SB); Gavin Brasosky, sr. P/IF (.358 10 HR, 41 RBI, 9-0 pitching, 0.82 ERA, 117 K/59 2/3 IP).
Outlook: Portage Central is making its first trip to the Semifinals since 2011 led by a star-loaded lineup. Leto is slated to play next at Louisiana State, Brasosky at Tennessee and MacDonald at Miami (Ohio), and the team as a whole is hitting .353 with those three and Ford packing the first four spots in the lineup. The Mustangs have defeated top-ranked Grand Ledge and No. 14 Battle Creek Lakeview during a tournament run that has seen them outscore five opponents by a combined 51-14. Seniors Ryan Dotson (7-2, 1.95 ERA) and Cody Stewart (7-0) also are among a number of reliable arms.
Division 2
GLADWIN
Record/rank: 25-9-1, unranked
Coach: Troy Gary, ninth season (148-98-5)
League finish: Fourth in Jack Pine Conference
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Lucas Mead, soph. OF (.457, 46 R, 31 SB); Ian Graves, sr. P (9-1, 1.84 ERA, 60 K/65 1/3 IP); Ethan Shea, sr. 1B (.333, 33 RBI, 4-3 pitching); Lincoln McKinnon, soph. 3B (.381, 11 2B, 26 RBI).
Outlook: Gladwin won its first Regional title since 2014 and second all-time, and this will be the program’s first trip to the Semifinals. The Flying G’s have won three of their five tournament games by one run, including a 4-3 Regional Semifinal victory over No. 8 Bay City John Glenn. The team has only four seniors but seven sophomores including four who start. Sophomore shortstop Connor Dee (.319, 28 RBI) and junior catcher Aaron Kozlow (.353, 14 SB) provide more offensive punch, and senior second baseman/pitcher Hunter Williams has stolen 27 bases without being caught and also has a 1.48 ERA.
NEW BOSTON HURON
Record/rank: 26-7, No. 4
Coach: Philip Yancey, sixth season (94-54)
League finish: First in Huron League
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Rickey Emelian, sr. CF/P (.340, 29 RBI, 13 SB, 3-0 pitching, 0.74 ERA, 3 saves); Mathew Williams, jr. RF (.381, 43 R, 32 SB); Chase Molnar, sr. P/SS (.375, 10 SB, 8-0 pitching, 1.67 ERA, 56 K/51 IP, 3 saves); Ethan Webb, sr. C/1B (.365, 5 HR, 39 RBI).
Outlook: This will be the program’s first appearance at the Semifinals, and Huron has been building toward a run like this over Yancey’s tenure reaching 20 wins in 2018 and winning a District title in 2019. The Chiefs downed No. 6 Trenton 7-5 in the Quarterfinal after splitting a pair with the Trojans in early April, and four of their seven losses came over two doubleheaders to ranked Division 1 teams. Eight hitters are batting .338 or better on the season, and senior Thomas McSwain (5-0, 1.46 ERA) and junior Cole Grunwald (4-0) also are undefeated on the mound.
ORCHARD LAKE ST. MARY’S
Record/rank: 41-1, No. 1
Coach: Matt Petry, 11th season (252-142-2)
League finish: First in Detroit Catholic League Central
Championship history: Four MHSAA titles (most recent 2019), three runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Alex Mooney, sr. SS (.462, 67 R, 9 HR, 54 RBI); Brock Porter, jr. P (11-0, 0.50 ERA, 115 K/55 2/3 IP); Jake Dresselhouse, jr. OF (.413, 70 R, 14 HR, 60 RBI); Ike Irish, jr. C (.432, 48 R, 12 2B, 12 HR, 53 RBI).
Outlook: St. Mary’s has been recognized all season as one of the top high school teams in the nation, with its only defeat this spring 2-1 to Division 1 No. 16 Saline. The roster is loaded with future college players who have signed or committed to do so, including Alex Mooney (Duke), Porter (Clemson), Irish (Auburn), juniors Jack Crighton and Nolan Schubart and sophomore Jasen Oliver (Michigan), junior Jake Dresselhouse (Michigan State) and sophomore Ryan Mooney (Notre Dame). Senior Tommy Allman (Jacksonville) is another top thrower at 10-0 with a 1.27 ERA, while Schubart (.416, 9 HR, 53 RBI) and Crighton (.440, 37 R, 37 RBI) are among other big bats. Alex Mooney made the all-state first team in 2019, and Schubart made the second team.
STEVENSVILLE LAKESHORE
Record/rank: 27-11, No. 16
Coach: Mark Nate, 16th season (384-177-1)
League finish: Fifth in Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference
Championship history: Division 2 champions 2017 and 2018, Class B champion 1990.
Players to watch: Ryan Kolessar, jr. OF (.383, 19 SB); Zach Warren, soph. IF/P (.345, 30 R, 22 SB, 8-1 pitching, 2.63 ERA); Trevor Griffiths, soph. OF (.385, 32 R, 28 SB); Grant Ruddell, sr. UTY (.359, 27 RBI, 17 SB).
Outlook: Lakeshore has won 18 of its last 20 games while adding a fourth-straight Regional title and earning a third Semifinals berth over those four seasons with postseason victories over No. 7 Edwardsburg and No. 9 Grand Rapids Christian. Ruddell and left fielder/pitcher Riley Adams (.349, 27 RBI, 19 SB, 3.26 ERA) are the team’s only seniors, and junior Vaughn Hurdle (5-1, 1.94) and freshman Noah Chase (8-2, 2.92 ERA) join Warren as part of a pitching staff that has gained valuable experience while shining this spring against a loaded schedule. Lakeshore has defeated three ranked Division 1 teams.
Division 3
BUCHANAN
Record/rank: 34-2, No. 1
Coach: Jim Brawley, third season (57-11)
League finish: First in Berrien-Cass-St. Joseph Conference Red
Championship history: Class C champion 1985, three runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Jack Branch, sr. P/IF/OF (.467, 40 R, 42 RBI, 11-0 pitching, 0.95 ERA, 74 K/66 1/3 IP); Matthew Hoover, jr. P/IF (.463, 44 R, 11 2B, 37 RBI, 14 SB, 9-1 pitching, 0.26 ERA, 110 K/55 IP); Drew Glavin, jr. P/IF/OF (.445, 47 R, 31 SB, 5-0 pitching, 0.75 ERA); Macoy West, jr. P/IF/OF (.390, 31 R, 13 2B, 50 RBI, 6-1 pitching, 0.36 ERA, 56 K/39 IP).
Outlook: Buchanan is headed to the Semifinals for the first time since finishing Division 3 runner-up in 2015, and after outscoring five playoff opponents by a combined 41-4. The Bucks have defeated No. 7 Pewamo-Westphalia, No. 11 North Muskegon and No. 15 Niles Brandywine during the tournament run, and their only losses this spring came by a run to Division 1 semifinalist Portage Central and during a split with Division 2 semifinalist Lakeshore. Four more regulars hit at least .311, and the team has only four seniors – including only two among its top six hitters and one among its top four pitchers.
GROSSE POINTE WOODS UNIVERSITY LIGGETT
Record/rank: 29-5, No. 2
Coach: Dan Cimini, 17th season (468-105)
League finish: First in Detroit Catholic League AA
Championship history: Five MHSAA titles (most recent 2016), three runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Kurt Barr, jr. P/IF (.338, 11-1 pitching, 0.90 ERA, 110 K/69 1/3 IP); Matthew Greene, sr. CF (.400, 32 R, 10 2B, 32 RBI); Jack Jones, soph. P/OF (.365, 30 RBI, 10 SB, 8-1 pitching, 0.84 ERA, 57 K/57 IP); Jarren Purify, soph. SS (.411, 50 R, 11 2B, 34 SB).
Outlook: This will be Liggett’s eighth Semifinals appearance over the last 10 seasons, and the Knights were Division 3 runners-up in 2019. They played a loaded schedule and all five losses came to Division 1 or 2 teams including two to St. Mary’s, while the postseason has included wins over No. 3 Detroit Edison and No. 6 Blissfield. This is another team built to continue contending, with only two seniors in the starting lineup but also five sophomores and two freshmen. Sophomore Joey Randozzo (.388, 17 SB) tops four more regulars hitting at least .317, and junior Matthew Belcrest (5-0, 0.95 ERA, 54 K/36 2/3 IP) provides another solid option on the mound,
RICHMOND
Record/rank: 30-5, No. 5
Coach: Scott Evans, 10th season (237-72)
League finish: Third in Blue Water Area Conference
Championship history: Division 2 runner-up 2013 and 2014.
Players to watch: Bennett Hitzelberger, jr. P/1B (.322, 32 R, 29 RBI, 10-0 pitching, 1.28 ERA, 91 K/60 IP); Reese Rinna, sr. RF (.468, 13 2B, 34 RBI); Joe Parinello, jr. C/P (.449, 32 R, 35 RBI); Carson Gee, sr. 3B (.371, 47 R, 11 2B, 25 SB).
Outlook: Richmond is headed back to the Semifinals for the first time since its back-to-back runner-up finishes. The Blue Devils have outscored their four postseason opponents by a combined 44-8, with wins over the last two weeks over No. 8 New Lothrop and No. 10 Algonac – the latter an 8-3 victory avenging two league losses. Richmond also split in league play with Division 2 No. 20 Croswell-Lexington. Sophomore Jackson Jones (.382, 11 2B, 27 RBI), junior Denny Salagan (.366, 20 SB) and senior Mitch Dobbelaer (.346) bolster the lineup, and junior Hudson Davenport (7-3, 1.40 ERA) is another top thrower and committed to Eastern Michigan.
TRAVERSE CITY ST. FRANCIS
Record/rank: 27-9, No. 14
Coach: Tom Passinault, seventh season (196-49)
League finish: First in Lake Michigan Conference
Championship history: Class D champion 1990, Division 3 runner-up 2017.
Players to watch: Charlie Peterson, jr. P/IB (.478, 45 R 16 2B, 6 HR, 56 RBI, 9-2 pitching, 1.94 ERA, 85 K/61 1/3 IP); Cody Richards, jr. IF/P (.429, 10 2B, 29 RBI); Aidan Schmuckal, sr. C (.477, 55 R, 28 RBI); Josh Groves, jr. OF (.371, 33 R).
Outlook: St. Francis has won 13 of its last 14 games, with just a split against No. 13 Boyne City during that time. Although this is an entirely different crew of players bringing the Gladiators back to the Semifinals, there is some relatable experience on the biggest stage – Peterson, Schmuckal and Groves all scored during the Division 7 football championship game in January. Seniors Jack Hitchens (5-2, 2.75 ERA), Corbin Domres (.315) and Jimmy Muzljakovich (30 R) also are among key contributors.
Division 4
KALAMAZOO HACKETT CATHOLIC PREP
Record/rank: 29-9, No. 5
Coach: Smiley Verduzco, first season (29-9)
League finish: Second in Southwestern Athletic Conference Lakeshore
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Brenden Collins, jr. CF/P (.554, 35 R, 17 2B, 56 RBI, 28 SB, 4-2 pitching); Stephen Kwapis, sr. 3B (.490, 61 R, 15 2B, 11 HR, 59 RBI, 29 SB); Nick Verduzco, soph. SS (.423, 53 R, 13 2B, 36 RBI, 15 SB); Steven Widger, sr. C (.472, 45 R, 10 2B, 34 RBI, 37 SB).
Outlook: Hackett is making its first trip to the Semifinals on the strength of a lineup hitting a combined .385 and averaging 9.2 runs per game. The postseason run has included wins by scores of 9-8 (over No. 18 Kalamazoo Christian) and 8-7 as the Irish have scored 51 runs total over five playoff games. Senior Sam Shea (9-2, 2.22 ERA, 72 K/63 IP) is slated to take the mound in the Semifinal, and he’s also one of eight in the lineup hitting .300 or better. Sophomore Patrick Ogrin (.424) is among five over .400, and junior Isaac Backman (.356, 20 SB) and freshman Eli Backman (.337, 10 SB) are among seven hitters who have stolen at least 10 bases. Kwapis has signed with Notre Dame.
MAPLE CITY GLEN LAKE
Record/rank: 27-7, No. 8
Coach: Kris Herman, 17th season (392-217-6)
League finish: Second in Northwest Conference
Championship history: Class D runner-up 1984.
Players to watch: Mateo Gokey, jr. SS/P (.363, 29 R, 27 RBI, 10 SB, 4-0 pitching); Jon Popp, sr. 3B/P (.350, 26 R, 28 RBI, 11 SB, 5-1 pitching, 3.37 ERA, 75 K/43 2/3 IP); Ryan Flores, sr. 1B/P (.354, 32 R, 9-3 pitching, 3.16 ERA, 95/62 IP); Sean Galla, soph. OF/C (.382, 22 RBI).
Outlook: Glen Lake is returning to the Semifinals for the first time since 2014 and charging into the weekend having scored at least 10 runs in six of its last nine games. The team is hitting a combined .319 with seven regulars at .313 or better – seniors Drew Barber (.382) and Jackson Ciolek (.322, 30 RBI) and junior Connor Ciolek (.313, 33 R, 21 SB) also are among contributors on that list. The 15-6 Quarterfinal win over No. 17 Gaylord St. Mary avenged a regular-season defeat.
MARINE CITY CARDINAL MOONEY
Record/rank: 27-6, No. 2
Coach: Mike Rice, fourth season (83-44)
League finish: First in Detroit Catholic League Intersectional
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Rocco Comito, sr. IF (.459, 34 RBI, 12 SB); Thomas Gill, sr. P (9-0, 0.60 ERA, 67 K/58 2/3 IP); Trent Rice, soph. P/OF (.495, 40 R, 12 2B, 44 SB, 2-0 pitching, 0.75 ERA); Blake Lutzky, soph. P/IF (.405, 13 SB, 6-1 pitching, 0.97 ERA, 70 K/50 2/3 IP).
Outlook: Cardinal Mooney has gone from struggling to fill the roster when Mike Rice first took over the program to winning its third Regional title all-time and making the Semifinals for the first time. Cardinal Mooney has outscored is five playoff opponents by a combined 59-6. Comito made the Division 4 all-state first team in 2019, and he, Gill and leadoff hitter Anthony DiGiuseppe (.369, 10 SB) are the lone seniors. Six regulars are hitting .325 or better, also including sophomore Ryan Trombley (.325), and junior Nathan Super is a super sub at .362 and 3-0 with a 2.83 ERA on the mound.
MARLETTE
Record/rank: 22-9, No. 11
Coach: Dave Hayden, sixth season (71-75-2)
League finish: First in Greater Thumb Conference East
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Gavin Gage, sr. IF/P (.409, 29 R, 24 RBI, 2.14 ERA pitching); Travis Fuller, jr. C/P (.387, 38 R, 17 SB); Cody Hayden, sr. IF/P (.495, 33 RBI, 14 SB, 10-2 pitching, 1.21 ERA, 74 K/57 2/3 IP); Ethan Marshall, jr. IF/P (.309, 7-1 pitching, 1.13 ERA, 95 K/56 IP).
Outlook: Marlette is one of the great turnaround stories in the state over the last five seasons, with the next chapter its first Semifinal appearance. Led by also-soccer coach Dave Hayden, the Red Raiders have put together a combined 45-20-1 record with two league and two District titles over this spring and 2019 after going a combined 27-57-1 over the previous three seasons. Marlette downed No. 13 Muskegon Catholic Central for the Regional title and then defeated Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary in a second one-run win Saturday. Senior Logan Clark (.371, 21 SB) is another catalyst for a team hitting a combined .316, and junior Grant Roberson (1.40 ERA) provides another reliable arm.
PHOTO: Midland Dow’s Jack Bakus begins to step into a pitch against Bullock Creek during a game at Loons Stadium this spring. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)
'Over Here,' Athletes Gave to WWI Effort
March 28, 2018
By Ron Pesch
Special for Second Half
In a nation at war, the needs of many outweigh the desires of a few.
Among the many noble sacrifices for the greater good was Michigan’s spring high school sports season of 1918.
The United States’ entry into “The Great War” (today commonly known as World War I) came on April 6, 1917, 2½ years after the war had begun. First elected President of the United States in 1912, Woodrow Wilson earned re-election in 1916 under a platform to keep the U.S. out of the war in Europe. The sinking of the British passenger ships Arabic and Lusitania in 1915 caused the death of 131 America citizens, but did not invoke entry into the conflict. However, continued aggressive German actions forced a reversal in policy.
“The present German submarine warfare against commerce is a warfare against mankind,” stated Wilson in an April 2 special session of Congress, in requesting action to enter the war.
A huge baseball fan, President Wilson recognized the value of entertainment and athletics during a time of crisis. Major league baseball, America’s pastime, completed a full schedule in 1917. A former president at Princeton University, on May 21, 1917, Wilson addressed the value of school athletics in a letter to the New York Evening Post.
“I would be sincerely sorry to see the men and boys in our colleges and schools give up their athletic sports and I hope most sincerely that the normal courses of college sports will be continued so far as possible, not only to afford a diversion to the American people in the days to come when we shall no doubt have our share of mental depression, but as a real contribution to the national defense. Our young men must be made physically fit in order that later they may take the place of those who are now of military age and exhibit the vigor and alertness which we are proud to believe to be characteristic of our young men.”
Despite the highest of hopes, the requirements and realities of war deeply impacted life in the U.S. soon after.
In February of 1918, a proposal was circulated by Dr. John Remsen Bishop, principal of Detroit Eastern High School and president of the Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Association, to abolish spring athletics at Michigan high schools. Due to a labor shortage brought on by the war, the states, including Michigan, needed help on farms, harvesting crops from spring until late fall. The action might also affect the football season of 1918.
The Boys’ Working Reserve, a branch of the U.S. Department of Labor, was organized in the spring of 1917 and designed to tap into an underutilized resource to help address that labor deficiency. “Its object was the organization of the boy-power of the nation for work on the farms during the school vacation months.”
While the idea was popular among schools around Detroit, due to the lack of public commentary from outstate school administration, it was expected that the proposal would meet at least some opposition when the M.I.A.A. gathered on Thursday, March 28 in Ann Arbor during a meeting of the state’s Schoolmasters Club.
Less than two weeks prior to the March meeting, Michigan Agricultural College made an announcement that would impact one aspect of the coming spring sports season.
“The department of athletics of the Michigan Agricultural College begs to inform the high schools of the state that plans for the annual interscholastic track meet, which was to have been conducted here in June, have been given up this year – not through any desire on the part of this department to discourage athletics, but because this is a time when we can and should devote our resources to better uses,” said coach Chester L. Brewer of the Aggies to the Lansing State Journal. “It would hardly be sound judgment for us to make our usual elaborate plans for this meet while our government is appealing to all of us to economize and exercise the utmost thrift. Neither is it wise policy to encourage unnecessary traveling upon the railroads, or to ask high schools of the state to make any expenditures other than those which are absolutely necessary.”
Earlier in the year, similar news had come from the University of Michigan.
In January of 1917, the University of Michigan had announced plans for an elaborate annual high school basketball invitational, designed to identify a Class A state champion. Billed as the “First Annual Interscholastic Basket Ball Tournament,” the March event hosted 38 teams. However, influenced by the war, a decision had been made not to run a second tournament in 1918. Instead, on March 27, Kalamazoo Central and Detroit Central, two of the state’s top teams, were invited to Ann Arbor for a hastily arranged contest at U-M’s Waterman Gymnasium. The schools had split a two-game series during the regular season. Kalamazoo won the season’s third matchup, and while not official, declared itself 1918 Michigan state champion.
Into this environment of patriotism and uncertainty, school administrators arrived in Ann Arbor for the Schoolmasters gathering. There, in the morning, the membership heard a presentation from H. W. Wells, assistant and first director of the Boys’ Working Reserve. “The heart of the nation, rather than the hearts of the nation, is beginning to beat. War is making us a unit,” said Wells, discussing the aim to recruit boys between the ages of 16 and 21 to help provide food for the allies in Europe and at home in the United States.
“Wells told of the need for the farmers to sow more wheat, and plant more corn,” reported the Ann Arbor News, “and in the same breath he told of great corn fields all over the country, where last year’s corn still lay unhusked, because of a lack of farm labor.”
It was estimated that 25 percent of the nation’s farm workforce was now active in the armed forces.
The proposition was brought to the M.I.A.A. by Lewis L. Forsythe, principal at Ann Arbor High School, who would soon establish himself as a guiding force in high school athletics. The proposal “was discussed thoroughly.”
“This session is usually a stormy one, because of contentions that arise over rulings that affect schools in different ways,” said Adrian superintendent Carl H. Griffey to the Adrian Daily Telegram, “but this meeting was a serious one in which all matters were related to our national welfare and passed by unanimous votes.”
So, one day after the conclusion of the abbreviated state basketball championship contest, the spring prep sports season in Michigan came to an abrupt halt. Michigan’s male high school students were asked to work to support the war effort.
“Chances are that they will remain there for the duration of the war,” stated the Lansing State Journal in response to the action. “At the meeting … it was talked of quitting football because of the need of the boys staying on the farms till the latter part of November. This is highly probable. If it is passed upon then Michigan high schools will have but one sport, basketball.
“Whether intra-mural sports will replace the representative teams is not known. This form of athletics demands the attention of a great number of teachers to tutor the different class organizations. The teachers are taxed to the limit at present and cannot give the time to sports. Organizing farm classes and Liberty bond teams is taking the teacher’s spare moments. … But still athletics are needed, as the war has demonstrated, and physical training should be instituted from the kindergarten to the university.“
“Those lads who leave for the farms the first of May,” wrote the Port Huron Times-Herald, “will be in better condition when they return home from the fields and cow lanes than they would (have) had they remained in the city until June batting the leather pill.”
The fate of the 1918 football season would not be known until late August.
In late June, the 29th Governor of Michigan, Albert E. Sleeper, thanked the estimated 8,000 students who had joined the ranks.
“To you soldiers of the soil I would say this, that I am as proud to address you as I would be to address any of the boys who are bearing arms for their country. You have proved that you are true patriots, for you have started out to do exactly what your country has asked you to do – the thing which you can do best for your country at this time.
“Every day, in the rush of official work, I think of you Reservists as you work on the farms, just as I think of our soldiers who are in training camps or ‘over there.’ And I am just as proud of you as I am of them. So are all the people of Michigan.”
It was estimated “the boys who last spring left their high school studies and as members of the United States Boys’ Reserve have helped the Michigan division to add $7,000,000 to the food production of the nation.”
In September, Byron J. Rivett, secretary of the M.I.A.A., announced that, based on a vote of member high schools, prep sports would be resumed in the fall. The Detroit News celebrated the news that “moleskins and pigskins will be in evidence and the grand old game will be a part of the autumn’s entertainment.”
In October, in Grand Rapids and Detroit and other cities across the state, officials gathered to honor those who served as part of the “Michigan Division of the Reserve” and to award bronze badges in recognition for their contribution to the war effort.
World War I officially ended on November 11 with the signing of the armistice. Armistice Day, today known as Veteran’s Day, was first celebrated in 1919. In total, an estimated 16 million were killed during the war.
“Four million ‘Doughboys’ had served in the United States Army with the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF). Half of those participated overseas,” said Mitchell Yockelson in Prologue magazine, a publication of the National Archive. “Although the United States participated in the conflict for less than two years, it was a costly event. More than 100,000 Americans lost their lives during this period.”
More than 5,000 of those casualties had come from Michigan.
***
To the surprise of the world, a second war arrived in 1918. This one did not discriminate based on geographic or political borders. It would take more lives than World War I.
Globally, the Spanish Flu pandemic arrived in three waves, one in the spring, one in the fall of 1918, and a third arriving in the winter of 1919 and ending in the spring. It, too, would impact high school and college athletics in Michigan and beyond, as countless football games across the nation were cancelled in an attempt to help reduce the spread of the disease.
In the end, an estimated 675,000 would die in the United States from the virus. In Michigan, hundreds succumbed in October 1918 alone. In Detroit, between the beginning of October and the end of November, “there were 18,066 cases of influenza reported to Detroit’s Department of Health. Of these, 1,688 died from influenza or its complications.” Worldwide, an estimated 50 million were killed by the Influenza pandemic of 1918-1919.
Ron Pesch has taken an active role in researching the history of MHSAA events since 1985 and began writing for MHSAA Finals programs in 1986, adding additional features and "flashbacks" in 1992. He inherited the title of MHSAA historian from the late Dick Kishpaugh following the 1993-94 school year, and resides in Muskegon. Contact him at [email protected] with ideas for historical articles.
PHOTOS: (Top) The U.S. Department of Labor recruited high school students to work on farms as soldiers went oversees to fight World War I. (Middle top) A Working Reserve badge. (Middle) Lewis L. Forsythe. (Below) Another recruitment poster for the Working Reserve shows a man plowing a field while war rages in the background. (Photos collected by Ron Pesch.)