Record Win Streak Setters Meet in Opener

September 4, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Friday’s varsity football season opener between Ithaca and Hudson at Alma College was the first time the teams had met on the field.

But the programs have been mentioned in the same conversations concerning record success frequently over the last decade. They are the only programs statewide that have won more than 44 consecutive games during the state’s long history of the sport.

The Hudson teams from 1968-1975 put together a 72-game winning streak that remains the MHSAA record and fourth longest in national high school football history. The Tigers’ streak ended at the first MHSAA Finals with a loss to Ishpeming in the inaugural Class C championship game.  

Beginning on opening night 2010 and until a loss in the 2014 Division 6 Final, Ithaca mounted a serious challenge to Hudson’s accomplishment, winning 69 straight games to rank second in Michigan and tie for seventh on the national winning streak list. The Yellowjackets’ run included four straight Division 6 championships. Coincidentally, both teams won their first MHSAA Finals titles in 2010 – Hudson won Division 7 that fall.

Ithaca won Friday’s first matchup against Hudson, 38-24, and the teams came together after for this photo below (and partially above).

Journalist’s Schools to Remember Him

Southwestern Michigan is mourning the loss of Sturgis Journal sports editor Corky Emrick, who died unexpectedly Aug. 19. 

The high schools he covered for two decades also will be honoring the memory of their ardent supporter.

Bronson, Burr Oak, Centreville, Constantine, Colon, Mendon, Sturgis, Three Rivers and White Pigeon all will be wearing helmet stickers and uniform patches with “CE” in green and yellow during this 2019-20 school year.

Emrick joined the Journal staff fulltime in 1999 and took over as sports editor in 2008, according to the paper’s report after his death. Click to read that Sturgis Journal piece in full.

Performance of the Week: Birmingham Seaholm's Colton Kinnie

November 3, 2023

Colton KinnieColton Kinnie ♦ Birmingham Seaholm
Senior ♦ Football

The Maples’ third-year starting quarterback led Seaholm to a 56-49 win over rival Birmingham Groves in a Division 2 District Semifinal on Friday after Seaholm also had defeated Groves 21-14 in the regular-season finale the week before. Kinnie ran for four touchdowns and threw for two more as his team improved to 9-1 this fall.

Seaholm earlier repeated as Oakland Activities Association Blue champion and is a combined 17-4 over the last two seasons after finishing just 1-8 in 2021. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Kinnie has been a major contributor to the turnaround, and he’s joined by an experienced cast of seasoned starters including twin brother Granden. Both also joined the Seaholm baseball varsity as sophomores and helped that team to a District title in the spring.

@mhsaasports 🏈POW: Colton Kinnie #football #touchdown #seaholm #letsgo #part1 #highschoolsports #tiktalk #interview #performanceoftheweek #mistudentaid #fyp #MHSAA ♬ original sound - MHSAA

@mhsaasports 🏈POW: Colton Kinnie #tiktalk #questiontime #part2 #suits #chipotle #nighttime #kitkat #reeses #phone #family #performanceoftheweek #mistudentaid #fyp #MHSAA ♬ original sound - MHSAA

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MHSAA.com's "Performance of the Week" features are powered by MI Student Aid, a part of the Office of Postsecondary Financial Planning located within the Michigan Department of Treasury. MI Student Aid encourages students to pursue postsecondary education by providing access to student financial resources and information. MI Student Aid administers the state’s 529 college savings programs (MET/MESP), as well as scholarship and grant programs that help make college Accessible, Affordable and Attainable for you. Connect with MI Student Aid at www.michigan.gov/mistudentaid and find more information on Facebook and Twitter @mistudentaid.

Past 2023-24 Honorees

Oct. 27: Lauren Timpf, Macomb Lutheran North golf - Report
Oct. 20:
Alena Li, Okemos golf - Report
Oct. 13:
Seth Norder, Grand Haven cross country - Report
Oct. 5:
Paige Anderson, Muskegon Reeths-Puffer golf - Report
Sept. 29:
MacKenzie Bisballe, Lake City volleyball - Report
Sept. 22:
Jhace Massey, Gladwin football - Report
Sept. 15:
Kaylee Draper, Sturgis swimming - Report
Sept. 8:
Owen Jackson, Traverse City St. Francis tennis - Report
Sept. 1:
Rachel Forsyth, Ann Arbor Pioneer cross country - Report

PHOTO Seaholm quarterback Colton Kinnie eludes a Groves defender during their Division 2 playoff matchup. (Photos courtesy of the Birmingham Seaholm athletic department.)