McKelvey Fills Record-Setting Kicking Role with Lenawee Christian Football

By Doug Donnelly
Special for MHSAA.com

October 11, 2022

ADRIAN – A couple of years ago it would have been easy to image Brady McKelvey scoring a last-second shot for Adrian Lenawee Christian to win a basketball game or for him to find the back of the net with a game-winning goal in soccer.

Southeast & BorderBut fast forward to today and McKelvey might be more likely to kick a game-winning field goal for the No. 2-ranked Cougars 8-player football team.

“I watched football of course, but I never played it until last year,” McKelvey said. “It’s interesting. It’s been a lot of fun. I’m glad Coach (Bill) Wilharms asked us to try out.”

McKelvey is a two-sport athlete in the fall, playing for both the Lenawee Christian soccer and football teams. He’s played on MHSAA championship teams in both sports. Last week McKelvey reached rare territory when he kicked his 100th career extra point – the state record for 8-player football.

“We were never big football players,” McKelvey said, referring to him and his brother, Jacob, now a student at the University of Michigan. “We just always had a soccer ball in our hands.”

Wilharms is the strength and conditioning coach and varsity football coach at Lenawee Christian, which has grown into an 8-player powerhouse, winning Division 1 championships in the 2020 and 2021 seasons. Brady and Jacob McKelvey were working out at the LCS facilities two springs ago when Wilharms asked if they wanted to try out kicking for the football team.

“I always wondered what it would be like to kick a football,” Brady McKelvey said. “I’ve always wanted to, but never had the opportunity. We were excited to try it out.”

Both came out for the team last season and were coached by Casey Opsal, a former Hudson kicker and now a Lenawee County sheriff’s deputy who is one of Wilharms’ assistants. With Opsal’s guidance, Jacob and Brady blossomed into outstanding kickers.

“He’s been the person who has taught me everything I know about it,” McKelvey said. “He helped me improve a lot.”

McKelvey has never attended a football camp or had a lesson in kicking a football from anyone outside of the LCS staff. Yet, his statistics are nothing short of amazing.

Last season, McKelvey had a string of 52 consecutive extra points at one point and finished the season making 59-of-61 attempts. He has a current streak of 23 straight makes heading into this week’s game and is 44-for-45 overall this year. In two seasons, that makes him 103-for-106. He kicked his first field goal earlier this season, giving him 106 career kicking points.

Twice in his career he’s kicked 10 extra points in a game. This year he’s hit at least eight PATs four straight weeks. He also averages about 45 yards per kickoff. 

Wilharms said he’s happy McKelvey decided to try his leg at football and said the senior is still learning nuances of football, such as where to place the ball on kickoffs.

McKelvey, with father Scott McKelvey and mother Melissa Dempsey. “He is a good athlete,” Wilharms said. “His PATs are consistent. We are definitely glad to have him on the team.”

Brady and Jacob shared duties last season, although by the end of the season Jacob was kicking off and Brady was handling the bulk of the extra points.

“At first, one of us would go out and kick and the next time the other one would go out there,” McKelvey said. “Toward the end of the season, I was better at extra points, and he was better at kicking off. It is cool to be on a team that scores a lot because you get to kick a lot.”

LCS has no trouble scoring. The Cougars are 6-1 and average 49.8 points per game.

Soccer continues to be McKelvey’s favorite sport. The Cougars are having a solid season on the pitch as well, and he is a big part of that team’s success too.

“I still love soccer,” McKelvey said. 

Cougars soccer coach Nathan Sharpe said McKelvey is a team leader. He has three goals and three assists this fall.  “He’s a captain and a key player on our team,” Sharpe said.

McKelvey said kicking the ball in soccer and kicking the football are very different things requiring different technique.

“It’s surprisingly different,” he said. “A soccer ball is a lot bigger. You have more room to hit it. You want to lean over and try and keep it toward the ground. A football you have to make a much different type of contact because you want to get it up into the air.

“The first time I kicked a football with no coaching, it was interesting. I had to try and completely switch how I was kicking.”

He’s learned the technique so much that this winter he is considering not playing basketball so he can go to football kicking camps. He’s hoping to become good enough to try out or walk-on to a football team in college.

“I didn’t really expect to be as consistent as I have been,” he said. “You watch college kickers, and even they miss sometimes. I work at it as much as I can. With soccer games, there are times I cannot go to football practice, but I try and get out there as much as I can.

“I think it would be awesome to kick in college,” he added. “I plan on going to some camps this winter. If I’m able to walk-on somewhere, that would be fine with me.”

Besides soccer, the McKelveys have a basketball background as well. Their dad Scott has coached boys and girls basketball in Lenawee County for years. He recently was hired as the boys varsity coach at Blissfield. The boys grew up being managers and hanging around the teams that Scott coached.

McKelvey is setting the bar high in the 8-player football record book. LCS still has two regular-season games remaining and is considered among the favorites to make a long postseason run – meaning he could push that extra point number a lot higher.

“I’m very happy I tried out for the team,” he said. “Being part of it is a lot of fun. The guys on the team have always treated me as part of the team. I really like being on the team. All the success we have makes it so much fun.”

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.

PHOTOS (Top) Brett McKelvey prepares to kick off during a game this season. (Middle) McKelvey, with father Scott McKelvey and mother Melissa Dempsey. (Photos courtesy of Jeff Jameson/Lenawee Christian.)

2022 Week 9 Football Playoff Listing: Top 40 in 11-Player Divisions & Top 24 in 8-Player Divisions

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

October 19, 2022

Here is a list of Michigan High School Athletic Association football playing schools, displaying their win-loss records and playoff averages through the eighth week of the season.

Schools on this list are divided by division and ordered by playoff average. The top 32 teams by playoff average in each 11-player division and top 16 teams by playoff average in each 8-player division will qualify for the MHSAA Football Playoffs beginning Oct. 28. Divisions were determined prior to the start of the season, and the lists below include not only teams currently positioned to potentially qualify, but also the next eight teams in each division. (Forfeits confirmed for this week already have been added and are reflected in win-loss records and playoff points below.)

To review a list of all football playoff schools, individual school playoff point details and to report errors, visit the Football Playoff Point Summary page.

The announcement of the qualifiers and first-round pairings for both the 11 and 8-player playoffs will take place at 6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 23, on the “Selection Sunday Show” on Bally Sports Detroit and its website. The playoff qualifiers and pairings will be posted to the MHSAA Website following the Selection Sunday Show.

11-PLAYER DIVISION 1

1. Belleville, 8-0, 79.875
2. Macomb Dakota, 8-0, 79.643
3. Brighton, 8-0, 79.500
3. Rockford, 8-0, 79.500
5. Caledonia, 8-0, 78.875
6. West Bloomfield, 7-1, 75.875
7. Clarkston, 6-2, 75.750
8. Lapeer, 7-1, 74.000
9. Davison, 7-1, 73.375
10. Rochester Adams, 7-1, 72.875
11. Clinton Township Chippewa Valley, 6-2, 71.500
12. Romeo, 6-2, 70.000
13. Northville, 7-1, 69.875
14. Grandville, 6-2, 68.375
15. Utica Eisenhower, 6-2, 66.750
16. Southfield Arts & Technology, 6-2, 65.625
17. Saline, 6-2, 64.125
18. Detroit Catholic Central, 6-2, 63.504
19. Dearborn, 6-2, 61.750
20. Novi, 5-3, 61.500
21. Troy, 6-2, 61.250
22. Holt, 5-3, 59.714
23. Ann Arbor Huron, 5-3, 59.667
24. East Kentwood, 5-3, 58.018
25. Hartland, 5-3, 57.750
26. Grand Ledge, 6-2, 56.714
27. Brownstown Woodhaven, 6-2, 55.804
28. Grand Blanc, 4-4, 52.125
29. Detroit Cass Tech, 5-3, 51.679
30. Lake Orion, 4-4, 50.500
31. Rochester Hills Stoney Creek, 4-4, 49.625
32. Livonia Stevenson, 4-4, 49.000
33. New Baltimore Anchor Bay, 3-5, 48.125
34. Rochester, 4-4, 46.125
35. Holland West Ottawa, 3-5, 45.000
36. Howell, 3-5, 43.500
37. Westland John Glenn, 3-5, 43.000
38. Monroe, 3-5, 42.750
39. Troy Athens, 4-4, 42.625
40. Jenison, 2-6, 41.375

11-PLAYER DIVISION 2

1. Dexter, 8-0, 80.042
2. Birmingham Seaholm, 7-1, 71.250
3. Livonia Franklin, 7-1, 70.750
4. Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central, 8-0, 69.500
5. Muskegon Mona Shores, 7-1, 67.125
6. Midland, 7-1, 66.750
7. Temperance Bedford, 7-2, 65.528
8. Warren De La Salle Collegiate, 7-1, 65.375
9. Roseville, 6-2, 64.875
10. Battle Creek Central, 7-1, 64.107
11. Waterford Mott, 6-2, 63.625
12. Byron Center, 6-2, 63.500
13. Port Huron Northern, 7-1, 60.500
14. Farmington, 6-2, 60.000
15. Saginaw Heritage, 6-2, 59.500
16. Grosse Pointe South, 5-3, 58.875
16. South Lyon East, 6-2, 58.875
18. South Lyon, 6-2, 58.607
19. East Lansing, 6-2, 57.964
20. Port Huron, 6-2, 55.500
21. Swartz Creek, 6-2, 55.250
21. Traverse City Central, 4-4, 55.250
23. Muskegon Reeths-Puffer, 5-3, 52.000
24. Dearborn Heights Crestwood, 6-2, 51.500
25. Harrison Township L'Anse Creuse, 4-4, 50.500
26. Portage Northern, 5-3, 50.357
27. St Clair Shores Lakeview, 5-3, 50.125
28. White Lake Lakeland, 4-4, 49.875
29. Warren Cousino, 5-3, 48.250
29. Warren Mott, 4-4, 48.250
31. Milford, 4-4, 47.875
32. Birmingham Groves, 5-3, 47.750
33. Ypsilanti Lincoln, 3-5, 44.625
34. Portage Central, 3-5, 44.607
35. Ferndale, 4-4, 44.375
36. North Farmington, 2-6, 43.750
37. Bay City Western, 4-4, 43.000
38. Detroit U-D Jesuit, 4-4, 42.286
39. Harper Woods, 3-5, 41.375
40. Midland Dow, 3-5, 39.375

11-PLAYER DIVISION 3

1. Walled Lake Western, 7-1, 72.750
2. Mount Pleasant, 7-1, 67.625
3. Trenton, 7-1, 66.750
4. Mason, 8-0, 65.500
5. Gibraltar Carlson, 7-1, 64.250
6. St. Joseph, 7-1, 63.232
7. Grosse Pointe North, 8-0, 62.875
8. Zeeland West, 7-1, 62.625
9. Muskegon, 6-2, 61.250
10. Fenton, 6-2, 58.875
11. Linden, 5-3, 56.125
12. Detroit Martin Luther King, 5-2, 54.238
13. Southgate Anderson, 5-3, 53.750
14. DeWitt, 5-3, 52.000
15. River Rouge, 5-2, 51.917
16. Haslett, 6-2, 51.125
16. Lowell, 5-3, 51.125
18. Cadillac, 5-3, 50.375
19. Auburn Hills Avondale, 5-3, 49.875
20. Coopersville, 5-3, 49.250
21. Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice, 3-4, 48.000
22. Jackson, 4-4, 46.625
23. Allen Park, 4-4, 46.607
24. East Grand Rapids, 3-5, 45.875
25. Parma Western, 5-3, 45.661
26. Holly, 4-4, 45.500
27. Cedar Springs, 4-4, 44.607
28. Detroit Henry Ford, 5-3, 44.399
29. Detroit Renaissance, 4-4, 44.274
30. St. Clair Shores Lake Shore, 4-4, 43.125
31. Lansing Waverly, 4-4, 43.089
32. Gaylord, 5-3, 43.000
33. Sparta, 5-3, 42.625
34. New Boston Huron, 5-3, 42.250
35. Sturgis, 5-3, 41.750
36. Stevensville Lakeshore, 3-5, 40.857
37. Sault Ste. Marie, 5-3, 39.625
38. Grand Rapids Northview, 3-5, 35.250
39. Zeeland East, 2-6, 34.875
40. Richland Gull Lake, 3-5, 34.500

11-PLAYER DIVISION 4

1. Whitehall, 9-0, 64.097
2. Grand Rapids South Christian, 8-0, 62.250
3. Tecumseh, 8-0, 62.125
4. Goodrich, 7-1, 60.750
5. Redford Union, 8-0, 60.375
6. Riverview, 8-0, 59.875
7. Hastings, 7-1, 58.819
8. Edwardsburg, 7-1, 58.625
9. North Branch, 7-1, 53.917
10. Charlotte, 7-1, 52.875
11. Chelsea, 5-3, 51.458
12. Freeland, 7-1, 50.250
13. Dearborn Divine Child, 6-2, 50.125
14. Hudsonville Unity Christian, 5-3, 50.069
15. Fruitport, 6-2, 49.750
16. Madison Heights Lamphere, 6-2, 49.125
17. Ada Forest Hills Eastern, 6-2, 48.375
18. Croswell-Lexington, 6-2, 46.375
19. Ludington, 6-2, 46.194
20. Ortonville Brandon, 5-3, 45.750
21. Three Rivers, 5-3, 45.625
22. Garden City, 5-3, 45.250
23. Vicksburg, 4-4, 44.875
24. Carleton Airport, 6-2, 44.500
25. Livonia Clarenceville, 5-3, 43.750
26. Orchard Lake St. Mary's, 3-5, 43.625
27. Marysville, 5-3, 42.768
28. Big Rapids, 6-2, 41.000
28. Paw Paw, 4-4, 41.000
30. Grand Rapids Christian, 3-5, 40.750
31. Niles, 4-4, 40.375
32. Adrian, 4-4, 39.875
32. Wayland, 4-4, 39.875
34. Lake Fenton, 3-5, 38.625
35. Marshall, 4-4, 38.000
36. Detroit East English, 4-4, 36.667
37. Lansing Sexton, 4-4, 36.339
38. Center Line, 5-3, 35.768
39. Allendale, 3-5, 35.000
40. Fremont, 4-4, 34.569

11-PLAYER DIVISION 5

1. Frankenmuth, 8-0, 59.875
1. Grand Rapids Catholic Central, 7-1, 59.875
3. Corunna, 7-1, 59.500
4. Marine City, 7-1, 57.125
5. Muskegon Oakridge, 7-1, 56.194
6. Portland, 7-1, 55.750
7. Armada, 7-1, 55.625
8. Belding, 7-1, 53.875
9. Kingsford, 6-2, 51.083
10. Williamston, 6-2, 49.500
11. Gladwin, 8-0, 48.500
12. Detroit Country Day, 5-2, 46.679
13. Berrien Springs, 6-1, 45.732
14. Romulus Summit Academy North, 6-2, 45.250
15. Flat Rock, 5-3, 45.125
16. Kingsley, 6-2, 45.000
17. Howard City Tri County, 7-1, 42.875
18. Dundee, 6-2, 42.750
18. Saginaw Swan Valley, 5-3, 42.750
20. St. Clair Shores South Lake, 6-2, 42.500
21. Olivet, 6-2, 41.750
22. Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, 5-3, 41.000
23. Hopkins, 5-3, 40.875
24. Flint Hamady, 7-1, 40.839
25. Ogemaw Heights, 6-2, 40.125
26. Detroit Denby, 5-3, 39.988
27. Shepherd, 6-2, 39.250
28. Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep, 4-4, 38.524
29. Essexville Garber, 5-3, 38.250
30. Detroit Southeastern, 5-3, 36.696
31. Yale, 4-4, 36.375
32. Lake Odessa Lakewood, 6-2, 36.125
33. Birch Run, 4-4, 35.125
34. Benton Harbor, 4-4, 34.732
35. Grosse Ile, 4-4, 34.250
36. Richmond, 3-5, 34.125
37. Flint Powers Catholic, 3-5, 33.161
38. Whitmore Lake, 6-2, 31.625
39. Midland Bullock Creek, 4-4, 31.429
40. Macomb Lutheran North, 3-5, 30.875

11-PLAYER DIVISION 6

1. Grand Rapids West Catholic, 7-1, 61.750
2. Almont, 6-2, 52.167
3. Gladstone, 6-2, 51.125
4. Ecorse, 8-0, 50.738
5. Madison Heights Bishop Foley, 8-0, 48.750
6. Constantine, 7-1, 48.125
6. Durand, 8-0, 48.125
8. Reed City, 7-1, 48.000
9. Clinton, 8-0, 47.750
10. Negaunee, 8-0, 47.139
11. Warren Michigan Collegiate, 7-1, 46.536
12. Buchanan, 7-1, 45.054
13. Standish-Sterling, 7-0, 44.946
14. Millington, 7-1, 44.804
15. Boyne City, 8-0, 44.750
16. Detroit Voyageur College Prep, 6-2, 41.000
17. Ovid-Elsie, 6-2, 40.000
18. Kent City, 6-2, 37.250
19. Clare, 5-3, 36.875
20. Manistee, 5-3, 35.819
21. Muskegon Catholic Central, 6-2, 35.500
22. Watervliet, 5-3, 35.232
23. Menominee, 4-4, 34.792
24. Detroit Northwestern, 5-3, 34.292
25. Elk Rapids, 6-2, 34.250
26. Calumet, 5-3, 34.014
27. Montague, 3-5, 33.944
28. Houghton, 5-3, 33.764
29. Sanford Meridian, 5-3, 33.250
30. Lansing Catholic, 3-5, 33.000
31. Laingsburg, 6-2, 32.500
32. Dearborn Heights Robichaud, 3-5, 30.500
33. Detroit Pershing, 4-4, 30.321
34. Parchment, 4-4, 30.179
35. Clawson, 4-4, 30.143
36. Lutheran Westland, 5-3, 29.750
36. Stockbridge, 5-3, 29.750
38. Remus Chippewa Hills, 3-5, 29.375
39. Ida, 3-5, 28.500
40. Hillsdale, 3-5, 28.482

11-PLAYER DIVISION 7

1. Traverse City St. Francis, 8-0, 53.250
2. Detroit Central, 8-0, 51.113
3. Hudson, 8-0, 47.750
4. Jackson Lumen Christi, 5-3, 47.000
5. Ithaca, 7-1, 39.804
6. North Muskegon, 7-1, 39.500
7. Lawton, 6-2, 39.232
8. Napoleon, 8-0, 38.750
9. Charlevoix, 7-1, 38.500
10. Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker, 8-0, 38.125
11. Union City, 7-1, 36.750
12. New Lothrop, 6-2, 36.625
13. Schoolcraft, 6-3, 35.716
14. Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central, 3-5, 34.375
15. Bad Axe, 6-3, 34.083
16. Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett, 6-2, 34.000
17. Pewamo-Westphalia, 5-3, 33.375
18. Delton Kellogg, 4-4, 32.792
19. Homer, 6-2, 32.625
20. Montrose, 5-3, 32.250
21. Ravenna, 5-3, 31.625
22. Manchester, 5-3, 31.500
23. Cass City, 5-3, 30.375
24. Grass Lake, 5-3, 30.250
25. Benzie Central, 3-5, 28.071
26. Lake City, 5-3, 27.500
27. Bath, 5-3, 27.321
28. Niles Brandywine, 4-4, 27.107
29. Erie Mason, 5-3, 26.500
30. L'Anse, 4-4, 26.264
31. Burton Bendle, 4-4, 26.161
32. Jonesville, 4-4, 25.125
33. Perry, 3-5, 23.875
34. Leslie, 2-6, 23.125
35. Beaverton, 2-6, 23.000
36. Detroit Loyola, 1-7, 22.661
37. Hanover-Horton, 2-6, 20.875
38. Sandusky, 2-6, 20.667
39. Galesburg-Augusta, 2-5, 20.577
40. Harrison, 2-6, 20.125

11-PLAYER DIVISION 8

1. Iron Mountain, 7-1, 44.764
2. Ottawa Lake Whiteford, 8-0, 44.250
3. Ubly, 8-0, 40.000
4. Beal City, 8-0, 38.625
5. Marine City Cardinal Mooney, 7-1, 38.250
6. Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary, 7-1, 37.875
7. Harbor Beach, 7-1, 35.875
8. Fowler, 7-1, 35.375
9. Riverview Gabriel Richard, 5-3, 35.125
10. Evart, 7-1, 34.375
11. Reading, 6-2, 33.625
12. St. Ignace, 6-2, 33.375
13. Mount Clemens, 7-1, 32.613
14. Frankfort, 7-1, 32.250
15. Centreville, 6-2, 31.970
16. Bark River-Harris, 6-2, 31.125
17. Saginaw Nouvel, 5-3, 30.964
18. Carson City-Crystal, 7-1, 30.250
19. Clarkston Everest Collegiate, 5-3, 29.214
20. Decatur, 5-3, 29.036
20. White Pigeon, 5-3, 29.036
22. Ishpeming, 4-4, 28.847
23. White Cloud, 6-2, 28.750
24. Flint Beecher, 4-3, 28.536
25. Melvindale Academy for Business & Tech, 6-2, 28.488
26. Detroit Leadership Academy, 3-5, 28.167
27. Addison, 4-4, 25.875
27. McBain, 4-4, 25.875
29. Marlette, 4-4, 25.750
30. East Jordan, 4-4, 25.250
31. Detroit Community, 4-4, 24.292
32. Petersburg Summerfield, 4-4, 24.125
33. Vassar, 4-4, 23.917
34. Sterling Heights Parkway Christian, 3-5, 23.250
35. Dansville, 3-5, 20.250
35. Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest, 3-5, 20.250
37. Unionville-Sebewaing, 2-6, 20.167
38. Manton, 3-5, 19.625
39. Burton Bentley, 3-5, 19.286
40. Maple City Glen Lake, 3-5, 18.875

8-PLAYER DIVISION 1

1. Munising, 8-0, 37.375
2. Martin, 7-1, 37.250
3. Merrill, 8-0, 36.250
3. Rogers City, 8-0, 36.250
5. Kingston, 8-0, 34.375
6. Brown City, 7-1, 33.875
7. Newberry, 7-1, 32.804
8. Auburn Hills Oakland Christian, 7-1, 31.625
9. Norway, 6-2, 31.083
10. Adrian Lenawee Christian, 6-2, 30.750
11. Breckenridge, 6-2, 30.375
11. Gobles, 6-2, 30.375
13. Tekonsha, 7-1, 29.643
14. Rudyard, 5-3, 28.161
15. Fulton, 6-2, 28.125
16. Indian River Inland Lakes, 5-3, 28.054
17. Deckerville, 5-3, 27.625
18. Pickford, 5-3, 27.411
19. Mesick, 5-3, 26.607
20. Marcellus, 5-3, 26.500
21. Britton Deerfield, 5-3, 26.232
22. Manistee Catholic Central, 5-3, 25.857
23. Battle Creek St. Philip, 4-4, 25.518
24. Suttons Bay, 3-5, 24.804

8-PLAYER DIVISION 2

1. Colon, 8-0, 36.625
2. Marion, 8-0, 34.857
3. Climax-Scotts, 7-1, 34.250
4. Powers North Central, 8-0, 33.958
5. Peck, 7-1, 32.375
6. Au Gres-Sims, 7-1, 31.625
6. Morrice, 7-1, 31.625
8. Crystal Falls Forest Park, 7-1, 30.458
9. Mendon, 6-2, 30.000
10. Posen, 7-1, 29.875
11. Gaylord St. Mary, 6-2, 28.929
12. Central Lake, 6-2, 28.500
13. Lake Linden-Hubbell, 5-3, 25.708
14. Cedarville, 5-3, 25.536
15. Camden-Frontier, 4-4, 25.250
16. Stephenson, 5-3, 24.958
17. Kinde North Huron, 5-3, 24.625
18. Bay City All Saints, 4-4, 23.000
19. Athens, 4-4, 22.625
20. Pittsford, 4-4, 22.250
21. Wyoming Tri-unity Christian, 4-4, 21.875
22. Mio, 3-5, 21.750
23. Atlanta, 3-5, 21.375
24. New Haven Merritt Academy, 4-4, 21.125

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 1.3 million spectators each year.

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