Tecumseh Thankful for Day to Remember
June 3, 2019
By Doug Donnelly
Special for Second Half
TECUMSEH – Baseball’s loss was lacrosse’s gain.
Dylan Day was in the fifth grade and playing Little League baseball in Tecumseh when he earned a spot on the district all-star team. Because he wasn’t a resident of Tecumseh, however, he wasn’t eligible to play for the squad.
“I was already starting to like lacrosse,” said Day. “In school, the varsity kids came down to our school and gave us a clinic on lacrosse. It looked like something I’d be interested in. I decided to give it a try.”
That lesson must have been a good one. It eventually led to a tremendous four-year run for the Tecumseh team and a phenomenal individual career for its leader.
Day is a multiple-sport athlete who completed his four-year career last week as Michigan’s second all-time leading scorer in lacrosse with nearly 500 career points. Last fall he rushed for 1,020 yards and passed for 1,037 more for the Indians’ football team, earning all-Southeastern Conference honors and receiving all-state mention from some postseason teams. He had more than 3,200 career offensive yards in football.
Despite hearing from Tecumseh’s football coaches that he might have a future playing college football, the 6-foot, 175-pound Day has long been dreaming of playing college lacrosse. He started playing the sport year-round before middle school. During the summer he would sometimes go from a full day of lacrosse to football workouts. He joined a traveling lacrosse team early on and has been playing across the country now for several years.
“I think the sport just fits my style,” he said. “I like to be active, run around and I like to hit. It’s the sport that I definitely have the most fun playing.”
Day was an instant success in lacrosse.
As a freshman, he scored 65 goals and had 27 assists, earning all-SEC and honorable mention all-state honors for the 14-3 Indians. After that season, he made the Under Armour All-American Midwest Uncommitted Team, a national traveling team that competed in a high-level tournament in Baltimore.
“He was a leader since the day he stepped on our practice field by challenging other teammates to elevate their game and speed,” Tecumseh lacrosse coach Steve Ayre said.
In 10th grade, he scored 83 goals and had 45 assists, with an 11-point game against Saline. As a junior, he surpassed the previous MHSAA record for goals in a season with 104 and had 59 assists. The Indians went 20-1 and won a Regional championship – and fittingly Day scored the game-winning goal in overtime.
“I didn’t care that I scored the goal as much as I cared about winning the championship,” he said. “It was a dogpile, everyone was jumping on. It was great.”
Another thing that made his junior season one to remember was he was able to share it with his younger brother Blake who also played on the team.
“We are brothers, so we argue, but it was pretty cool to play alongside of him, too,” he said.
This season, Day was as good as ever, scoring 52 goals and getting 52 assists. He finished his career with 304 goals, 183 assists and 417 ground balls.
“Dylan has always shown great athleticism, but his tempo of play and fearlessness set him aside from other athletes,” Ayre said.
Although he spent most of his career as an attack, he also played some midfield. “I think the coaches recognized I was good at scoring goals, so they put me in the attack spot,” he said.
In November, Day committed to the University of Indianapolis to play lacrosse. It’s a NCAA Division II program that is relatively new but has enjoyed a lot of success. In just their fourth season, the Greyhounds made the national semifinals and finished with a 16-3 record overall.
“My education is the most important thing,” Day said. “When I started looking and making visits, that’s the first thing I would ask about. I want to be a dentist or something in that field.”
As for playing the sport at the next level, Day is excited for the challenge.
“I’ve been playing lacrosse year-round now for several years,” he said. “I’m just a busy person in general. I think I’ll get used to playing in college.”
Ayre said he has no doubt Day will do what it takes.
“His dedication to academics and athletics has always impressed me,” Ayre said. “In today's world it is easy to get caught up in wanting to be a college athlete. Unfortunately, this usually means you lose sight of other things in your life, like academics, family, being a kid. Dylan played football for four years, worked at a job, completed a pre-dentistry course at our Tech Center, played on numerous travel and showcase lacrosse teams, and still managed to be a kid.”
Doug Donnelly has served as a sports and news reporter and city editor over 25 years, writing for the Daily Chief-Union in Upper Sandusky, Ohio from 1992-1995, the Monroe Evening News from 1995-2012 and the Adrian Daily Telegram since 2013. He's also written a book on high school basketball in Monroe County and compiles record books for various schools in southeast Michigan. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for Jackson, Washtenaw, Hillsdale, Lenawee and Monroe counties.
PHOTO: Tecumseh’s Dylan Day finished 2019 among the all-time leading scorers in MHSAA boys lacrosse history. (Photo courtesy of the Tecumseh boys lacrosse program.)
Veteran Rangers Seek Another Title Shot
April 24, 2018
By Dean Holzwarth
Special for Second Half
GRAND RAPIDS – The Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central boys lacrosse team has experienced the gamut of emotions over the past two seasons.
From the euphoria of winning the MHSAA Division 2 Final in 2016 to the heartache of falling short a year ago – and both times the Rangers had to face their biggest rival with the title on the line.
“They’ve felt both sides of it,” first-year FHC coach Andy Shira said. “The thrill of winning it and the heartbreak of losing it, and both of those are the highest and lowest you can get with it being against our rival, East Grand Rapids.”
The Rangers are determined to relive the magical season of two years ago, and they believe they have just the group to do it.
Spearheaded by seniors Bryce Clay and Patrick English, and the return of 21 players total, FHC has the talent to make another postseason run.
“We have a different chemistry from last year, and we want to win because of what happened last year in the state championship game against our crosstown rival,” said Clay, who already has surpassed 300 goals during a stellar high school career.
“It left a bad taste in our mouth, and we’re motivated to get back. We want to see East again, and we want to go out on a high note and have a successful season.”
The Rangers defeated the Pioneers 10-6 in the 2016 championship game, but were denied back-to-back titles with an 11-9 loss last season.
“It’s a huge motivation, definitely,” English said. “I think that is driving us every day. We got them two years ago, and they came back at us. We really have to step it up this year.”
FHC gained a bit of redemption with a 14-7 victory over EGR last week and currently stand at a perfect 7-0.
Shira, who has been in the program the past five years as the defensive coordinator, has seen early positive signs from his experienced team. But he knows there is room for improvement.
“The way we’ve played so far has been surprising at times,” Shira said. “I knew we would be good, but we’ve shown flashes of greatness with how well we’ve played at times against the competition we’ve played. But we’ve been inconsistent at times. We know we can play at that level, and we just have to be more consistent.”
The Rangers also are bolstered by the return of seniors Andrew Trapp and Kyle Basch, and juniors Tate Hallock, Logan Wedder and Jack Nolan.
“We’re playing really well,” said English, a four-year player who is headed to Marquette University in the fall. “A huge part is team chemistry, and we’ve been getting along and playing good team ball.”
Clay has been the team’s offensive juggernaut since joining the program as a freshman.
He scored a school-record 81 goals with 43 assists in his debut season and eclipsed his own mark the following spring with 104 goals and 53 assists.
Last season he notched 99 goals and a career-high 62 assists.
“I was fortunate enough to make the team my freshman year and had a great year, and from there I kept working hard and wanted to be better than the season before,” Clay said. “I work hard, and I want to be the best player in the state. I’ve had a good run, and it has flown by for sure, but I credit my coaches and teammates for giving me the opportunity to do what I do.”
Clay already has collected 36 goals and 23 assists this season.
“He’s a true competitor,” Shira said. “I never have to question whether or not he is giving me his all and going as hard as he can. On the field, in the classroom and in the weight room, he’s going as hard as he can and it shows in his ability on the field. Not many teams can match up well with him.”
Clay, who has committed to continue playing at the University of Michigan, attributes his success to his older brother, Andrew.
The siblings played together for two seasons. Andrew now plays at Michigan State for the club program that plays as part of the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association.
“He’s had a big impact on me, and he is why I am the gritty player I am,” Clay said. “For two years I hated him on the field because he was always on me. We would get into fights at practice, and he was the only guy who wanted to defend me and I wanted to go against him.
“We would really get into each other, but it really helped me out with that competitive edge. He was one of the best defenders in the state, and to go against him every day was huge for me. I give him a lot of credit.”
Shira remembers the physicality between the two.
“They would go at each other every day, and there was that brotherly pushing and shoving,” he said. “They were the best players at their positions and it drove them to continue building.”
Clay and English combine to produce a formidable one-two punch.
“Personally, I think we have the best offense in the state,” English said. “We’ve grown up playing with each other, and we push each other to do better. We understand each other’s games, and we play really well together.”
While the Rangers have the potential to reclaim the Division 2 championship, Shira is taking it in stride.
“Our goal every year is to make it there and win, but I don’t think success is us winning a state championship,” Shira said. “There are bigger things outside of lacrosse. Teaching them to be better young men and instilling life skills will still measure the season as a success.”
Dean Holzwarth covered primarily high school sports for the Grand Rapids Press and MLive for 16 years and more recently served as sports editor of the Ionia Sentinel and as a sports photojournalist for WZZM. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Allegan, Kent and Ottawa counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Forest Hills Central's Bryce Clay rolls toward the goal on his way to unloading a shot during last season's Division 2 Final against East Grand Rapids. (Middle) The Rangers' Patrick English passes off to a teammate against the Pioneers.