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Breslin Bound: Girls Report Week 7

January 21, 2014

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Girls basketball teams are facing the final month of their regular seasons and for most a second run through a familiar slate of opponents.

Teams on this week's list are among those that took big steps last week toward finishing that slate strong as the tournament awaits at the end of February.

1. Frankfort (9-0, Class D) – The Panthers have returned to the elite in Class D and are on their way to besting last season’s 13-10 finish by the end of this month.

2. Pewamo-Westphalia (9-0, Class C) – The Pirates defeated rival Laingsburg on Friday to take over first place alone in the Central Michigan Athletic Conference. 

3. Southgate Anderson (9-1, Class A) – The Titans are tops in the Downriver League, with their lone loss to solid Class B Eaton Rapids last month.

4. Wyoming (8-2, Class A) – The Wolves handed Coopersville its first league loss this season to take hold of the top spot alone in the O-K Blue. 

5. McBain (8-2, Class C) – The Ramblers have stormed back with four straight wins after losing twice at the Motor City Roundball Classic and lead the Highland Conference by half a win.

6. Kingsley (8-3, Class B) – The Stags did fall to Frankfort on Friday, but should keep pace and could get another chance to play for a piece of the title. 

7. Frankenmuth (7-3, Class B) – The Eagles absorbed a loss as well at the Roundball Classic, but have won six of their last seven and lead the Tri-Valley Conference East.

8. Manistee (8-0, Class B) – Playing as an independent is allowing the Chippewas to take on – and this season defeat – schools of various sizes from multiple conferences. 

9. Waterford Kettering (8-1, Class A) – Kettering has won six straight and took the lead in the KLAA North with a four-point win over Waterford Mott last week. 

10. Pickford (6-3, Class D) – The Panthers have rebounded from a 1-3 start to move into a tie for first in the Eastern Upper Peninsula Athletic Conference.

PHOTO: Waterford Kettering, here against Freeland last month, has won six straight to improve to 8-1 this winter. (Click to see more at HighSchoolSportsScene.com.) 

Tony Coggins serves as PA announcer during a 2022 Division 3 volleyball match at Kellogg Arena.

In Memoriam: Tony Coggins (1971-2023)

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

October 24, 2023

The MHSAA and Holly school communities are grieving this week after the sudden loss of Tony Coggins, a shining light in his educational community and an enthusiastic supporter of school sports as a public address announcer for several of our largest championship events.

But while that cheerful tone has been quieted, it surely will not be forgotten by the many fortunate to enjoy an event in the presence of that voice and the joyfulness he brought into every arena, press box and classroom.

Coggins, 51, died Saturday. He is survived by his wife Kristy and children Emma and Bradlee, among several family and friends from his local and greater sports communities.

Tony CogginsHis career as a PA announcer began during his freshman year of high school in 1985, when his father Dale Coggins – Flushing’s athletic director at the time – couldn’t find anyone else to announce middle school football games. That was 39 years ago, and this fall Tony Coggins was in his 24th announcing at Holly, where he taught and served as an administrator in addition to his role as “Voice of the Holly Bronchos” for football, basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball, competitive cheer and swimming & diving over the years.

Coggins has been a mainstay among MHSAA Finals PA announcers over the last decade in football, basketball, softball and most recently volleyball. He lent his voice to college sports at University of Michigan as well. “Tony was a huge part of our Finals events. It’s hard to imagine it being the same without him,” MHSAA Executive Director Mark Uyl said.

As part of the run-up to the MHSAA public address announcers clinic in 2018, Coggins said this about what drew him to the microphone:

“I have zero athletic ability whatsoever, which is interesting because my father was an all-state running back. But I enjoy being involved, and I've always been the one for history and statistics and knowing what's going on,” Coggins said. “This is a way for me to be involved. It's a way for me to use a talent I've been given; public speaking has always come pretty naturally for me.

“So I worked at my craft to get better. I got better from watching the people around me, from studying the people I like, and the people – if I saw someone I didn’t care for – I'd make a note and say to myself, ‘Don't do that.’ I take feedback from people very personally, and I mean that in a good way. If somebody takes the time to come up and say, ‘You did this well; I think you should change this,’ that means they care about the program also. We all have the same goal in mind, and that's to make the experience good for the high school student and the parents, the fans, that come there.”

Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, at St. John Vianney, 2415 Bagley Street in Flint. There will be visitation from 2-8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27, at the Swartz Funeral Home, 1225 West Hill Road, and at the church from 10 a.m. Saturday until the time of the Mass.