Preview: Pitch to Provide No Shortage of History-Making Possibilities

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

November 1, 2024

Byron Center and Plymouth Christian Academy will make school history Saturday just by showing up for their first MHSAA Boys Soccer Final. Pontiac Notre Dame Prep can make some as well with a first championship victory.

Grand Ledge High School also will host the second-most successful program in this sport’s postseason history – Muskegon Western Michigan Christian will play in its 17th Final, tying Detroit Country Day for the most title game appearances.

Saturday’s first Final will be Division 4 at 10 a.m., followed by Division 3 at 12:30 p.m., Division 2 at 3:30 and Division 1 at 6 p.m. Tickets cost $11 and may be purchased online only at GoFan. All four Finals also will be broadcast and available with subscription on the NFHS Network.

Division 1  |  Division 2  |  Division 3  |  Division 4 

Below is a glance at all eight contenders, with statistics through Regionals:

Division 1

BYRON CENTER
Record/rank:
 19-4-1, unranked
Michigan Power Rating: No. 35
Coach: Chad Bays, second season (36-7-3)
League finish: First in Ottawa-Kent Conference Green
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Luke Philo, sr. GK; Kaleb Smith, jr. MF; Brendan Walker, sr. D (Statistics not submitted).
Outlook: Byron Center has added its first Finals run to its first Regional championship won last week. Bays also led the Bulldogs to a 17-3-2 record in his first season last fall after previously coaching the junior varsity. The team advanced in part with shootout wins over Grand Haven and No. 4 Oxford and also defeated top-ranked Portage Central during this postseason. Smith is the team’s leading scorer, and only three seniors start – so this could be just the start of a run at the top of Division 1. Philo earned an all-state honorable mention last season.

ROCHESTER ADAMS
Record/rank:
 17-2-4, No. 5
Michigan Power Rating: No. 5
Coach: Josh Hickey, 16th season (188-94-62)
League finish: Second in Oakland Activities Association Red
Championship history: Two MHSAA titles (most recent 2022), two runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Anthony Page, sr. W (7 goals, 7 assists); Alex Rosin, sr. M (15 goals, 17 assists), Logan Lilla, sr. W (13 goals, 6 assists).
Outlook: Adams is making its second championship match appearance in three seasons and playing for the OAA Red’s third-straight title after Troy Athens won Division 1 a year ago. Any team emerging from that league will be prepared; in addition to Adams, Troy finished the regular season ranked No. 3, Oxford was No. 4, Troy Athens was No. 8 and Berkley No. 12 in Division 1. Adams defeated Troy in overtime, No. 10 Utica Eisenhower and No. 11 Saline in a shootout during this playoff run. Senior Reid Dennis has been a force in goal, giving up 0.4 goals per game with 12 shutouts heading into this week. Page earned an all-state honorable mention last season.

Division 2

GRAND RAPIDS FOREST HILLS NORTHERN
Record/rank:
 19-4-3, No. 7
Michigan Power Rating: No. 19
Coach: Juan Torres, fourth season (59-18-7)
League finish: First in O-K White
Championship history: Division 2 champion 2019, two runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Drin Mandija, soph. F (12 goals, 6 assists); Almedin Hoxha, jr. M (14 goals, 6 assists); Beau Lincoln, jr. M (7 goals, 14 assists).
Outlook: Forest Hills Northern has done some impressive damage on the way to the season’s final weekend, among others defeating top-ranked Fruitport, No. 12 Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central, 2023 champion Grand Rapids Christian and No. 8 Bay City John Glenn during the playoffs – the first three on the list in shootouts. Junior Lukas Darling has been in goal for all of it, with eight shutouts this season while giving up just 1.2 goals per game. The Forest Hills Central win avenged a 3-0 loss in the regular-season finale. Total, 18 players had scored at least once entering this week.

WARREN DE LA SALLE COLLEGIATE
Record/rank:
 19-3-1, No. 2
Michigan Power Rating: No. 4
Coach: Thaier Mukhtar, 36th season (594-143-97)
League finish: Second in Catholic High School League Central
Championship history: Five MHSAA titles (most recent 2005), one runner-up finish.
Players to watch: Andrew Corder, soph. F (16 goals, 6 assists); Daniel Makara, sr. D (9 goals, 8 assists); Joshua Ross, sr. M (13 goals, 8 assists).
Outlook: The Pilots rode a 3-1 win over No. 5 Mason into their first championship match since 2005. Mukhtar is the winningest coach in MHSAA boys soccer history and has directed the program to all five of its Finals titles. He began this season with three all-state first-teamers from last year in Makara, Ross and Corder, while junior midfielder Nikolai Zacharko (6 goals/4 assists) made the third team last season and sophomore keeper Dominic Baldarotta earned an honorable mention. Baldarotta has played the majority in net this season, with a 1.21 goals-against average and eight shutouts heading into this week.

Byron Center’s Kaleb Smith (10) pushes the attack during Wednesday’s Semifinal win over Oxford.

Division 3

ELK RAPIDS
Record/rank:
 18-6-1, No. 10
Michigan Power Rating: No. 13
Coach: Nate Plum, 17th season (275-116-34)
League finish: Tied for first in Northern Shores Conference
Championship history: Two MHSAA titles (most recent 1998), three runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Jayden Hresko, jr. F (14 goals, 11 assists); Mason Hilley, soph. M (3 goals, 7 assists); Tyler Standfest, soph. F (16 goals, 9 assists).
Outlook: After reaching the Semifinals for the sixth time under Plum’s leadership, Elk Rapids broke through to get back to championship weekend for the first time since its last title was won in 1998. The Elks have given up just three goals over six postseason games and no more than one in any match going back to Sept. 7; they haven’t lost since Sept. 9. They defeated No. 4 Kingsford, No. 9 Hartford and No. 12 Traverse City St. Francis during this run, and junior Jacob McManus has played most in net with a 0.79 goals-against average and 10 shutouts over the course of the fall. Hresko, Hilley and junior midfielder Carter Denoyer (6 goals, 1 assist) earned all-state honorable mentions last season.

PONTIAC NOTRE DAME PREP
Record/rank:
 22-2, No. 1
Michigan Power Rating: No. 1
Coach: Rob Suffredini, 10th season (111-80-35)
League finish: Does not compete in a league.
Championship history: Division 3 runner-up 2000.
Players to watch: Benjamin Liparoto, jr. M (8 goals, 4 assists); Will Lanham, sr. F (28 goals, 14 assists); Jack Kilpatrick, jr. M (12 goals, 13 assists).
Outlook: Aside from stumbles against No. 5 Detroit Country Day and Division 1 No. 3 Troy, Notre Dame Prep has put together one of the most dominating runs in the state in any division – and the Fighting Irish avenged the Country Day loss with a shootout win in the District Final. They also downed No. 2 Flint Powers Catholic and No. 13 Williamston during this postseason, the latter in their 12th shutout of the fall. Lanham made the all-state first team last year, and Kilpatrick made the third team. Four others had at least five goals scored entering this week.

Division 4

MUSKEGON WESTERN MICHIGAN CHRISTIAN
Record/rank:
 14-7-3, No. 8
Michigan Power Rating: No. 10
Coach: Ben Buursma, fifth season (73-32-12)
League finish: Does not compete in a league.
Championship history: Nine MHSAA titles (most recent 2023), seven runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Dan Minasian, sr. GK (1.04 goals-against average, 9 shutouts); Tekalegn Vlasma, sr. F (27 goals, 5 assists); Cole DeJonge, sr. M (5 goals, 24 assists).
Outlook: WMC is seeking its third-straight Division 4 title, and earning it would have to make this run one of the program’s most impressive over its highlight-filled history. The Warriors have yet to give up a goal over five postseason games against Ravenna, No. 6 North Muskegon, No. 13 Harbor Springs, No. 2 Leland and No. 5 Grandville Calvin Christian. Minasian, senior defender Ben Visser and DeJonge all made the all-state first team last season, while Vlasma made the second team and was the star of last year’s championship match with two goals in finishing 2023 with 26 total.

PLYMOUTH CHRISTIAN ACADEMY
Record/rank:
 15-5-3, unranked
Michigan Power Rating: No. 24
Coach: Ryan Thompson, second season (21-10-9)
League finish: Second in Michigan Independent Athletic Conference Blue
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Caedmon Whipple, sr. M (23 goals, 12 assists); Mac MacDonald, sr. M (3 goals, 1 assist); Grant Ramseyer, soph. F (12 goals, 11 assists).
Outlook: Coming off a solid regular season, PCA has put together a stunning playoffs outscoring its six opponents by a combined 21-5. The two most recent victories came over No. 3 Royal Oak Shrine Catholic and No. 4 Lansing Christian and are part of a 13-0-2 streak going back to Sept. 13. Whipple made the all-state third team last season, and MacDonald earned an honorable mention, and they are two of only four seniors total. Sophomore midfielder Leo Lavigne also had scored 12 goals entering this week.

PHOTOS (Top) Pontiac Notre Dame Prep’s Edziu Lis (9) pursues the ball during a regular-season victory over Birmingham Seaholm. (Middle) Byron Center’s Kaleb Smith (10) pushes the attack during Wednesday’s Semifinal win over Oxford. (Top photo by Adam Sheehan; middle photo by John Johnson.)

Byron Center Savoring Every Day as Program-Best Playoff Run Grows

By Dean Holzwarth
Special for MHSAA.com

October 23, 2024

BYRON CENTER – Almost every day during the last few weeks, Byron Center boys soccer coach Chad Bays has been asking his players the same thing in an attempt to inspire them.

West Michigan“The postseason is a new experience, and every time after we survive a game I say, ‘Boys, guess what we get to do that other teams don’t?’” Bays said. “And they yell, ‘Practice!’ Because we don’t want this to be our last practice. We try to build that excitement.”

It’s likely that the question was repeated Tuesday night following a thrilling 2-1 win over Grand Haven in a Division 1 Regional Semifinal. A penalty shootout was needed to decide the winner.

This is the farthest a Byron Center boys soccer team has advanced in MHSAA Tournament, and it’s come on the heels of the program’s first Ottawa-Kent Conference Green championship.

“We’re trying to make history, but taking it one game at a time,” Bulldogs senior keeper Luke Philo said before the Regional Semifinal. “We want to go as far as we can with this group. I’m not ready to be done playing soccer with this group of boys.”

A number of factors contributed to this year’s success.

The program made strides last fall under Bays in his first season at the helm after a stint as the junior varsity coach.

Byron Center finished third in the conference in 2023 – its highest finish in league play – and with a young team. 

As this year began, Bays noticed something early on that gave him hope for continued improvement. 

“We had tryouts, and for the first time ever, I had a complete team all make the fitness test requirements,” he said. “They came in fit and they came in ready, which was very exciting because we could just hit the ground running.

“I've just really been happy with the amount of growth I've seen in the guys and the amount of work they’ve put in in the offseason, individually.”

The Bulldogs take a team photo in front of their net.Philo said the team was determined to be in the best condition possible before the season started.

“We were always on the field in the offseason running,” he said. “While travel teams practiced, we were on the outside running. Trying to get to that next level. A lot of the guys were in the gym lifting weights and putting on pounds. Just always running trying to get in shape for the season.”

Byron Center has a strength and conditioning program, Bulldog Power. It has become instrumental in the team’s development.

“A lot of guys got bigger and stronger,” Bays said. “Bulldog Power does a great job, and the guys were really committed. We were young last year with a lot of sophomores, and we were getting pushed off the ball. They committed themselves to not letting that happen this year. Their offseason work has really shown.”

Junior midfielder Kaleb Smith, the team’s leading scorer, said there also were high expectations for this season. And the team delivered with an outright title, losing only one O-K Green game and tying another in back-to-back early-October games.

“We always looked at it as if we treat each game like the state championship, then we will continue our season,” Smith said. “And our goals were set pretty high because we knew that we were good enough, and we wanted it. Everyone puts the effort in on and off the field and just works well together.

“Winning the conference was really fun, and this has been a blast. I love all my teammates because they play their hearts out, and it's awesome to be around that.” 

Team chemistry has been another important aspect. It’s a tight-knit group that has formed a brotherhood. 

“This has been the most fun I've had with soccer in my life for sure,” said Philo, who also was on Byron Center’s Division 2 championship hockey team last winter.

“It’s been a riot, and I love my team. It’s like a family to me, just hanging out with a bunch of my brothers all the time. We love being around each other and it’s so much fun, but we still get results and get the job done.”

Byron Center improved to 17-4-1 on Tuesday and already has established a school record for wins in a season.

Last week, the Bulldogs won a District crown for only the second time in school history.

“We were all hoping we could have this type of success, and I was confident in our coaching staff,” Philo said. “I felt like we had the pieces the last two years but just couldn't figure everything out.  

“I had a feeling that we had something special, but we just had to figure out how we were going to play with each other.” 

The bond among them has translated to the field, according to Bays.

“They play so well together,” he said. “We defend well and build from the back well. That allows (us) opportunities. We do a pretty darn good job in all three phases of the game.”

Dean HolzwarthDean Holzwarth has covered primarily high school sports for Grand Rapids-based WOOD-TV for five years after serving at the Grand Rapids Press and MLive for 16 years along with shorter stints at the Ionia Sentinel and WZZM. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Allegan, Kent and Ottawa counties. 

PHOTOS (Top) Byron Center players raise their District trophy in celebration last week. (Middle) The Bulldogs take a team photo in front of their net. (Photos courtesy of the Byron Center athletic department.)