Preview: How Will These Stories End?
June 13, 2019
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
While it’s convenient when previewing a Finals series to find a common theme bonding all four games, sometimes that’s just not possible.
Sometimes, like this weekend, the stories are unrelated – but all worth the price of admission.
In Division 1, reigning champion Novi is attempting to repeat without one of its top players against a Plymouth team seeking its first title. The Division 2 Final will match up Bloomfield Hills Marian and Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern for the third straight season.
Essexville Garber in Division 3 and Royal Oak Shrine Catholic in Division 4 are playing in Finals for the first time. Kalamazoo Christian is back after finishing Division 4 runner-up the last two seasons, and Garber’s Division 3 opponent Grand Rapids South Christian is one of three teams among the final eight that didn’t win its league but can end this spring with a victory.
Following is this weekend’s schedule:
Division 1 - Saturday - 4 p.m.
Novi vs. Plymouth
Division 2 - Friday - 4 p.m.
Bloomfield Hills Marian vs. Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern
Division 3 - Friday - 1 p.m.
Grand Rapids South Christian vs. Essexville Garber
Division 4 - Saturday - 1 p.m.
Kalamazoo Christian vs. Royal Oak Shrine Catholic
Tickets cost $8 and include admission to the softball and baseball games also being played at MSU’s Old College Field. Radio broadcasts of all games can be heard online at MHSAAnetwork.com. All games will be streamed live online at MHSAA.tv and viewable on subscription basis. (Click for brackets, scores and a parking map.)
All statistics below are through Regionals.
Division 1
NOVI
Record/rank: 27-0-1, No. 1
League finish: First in Kensington Lakes Activities Association West
Coach: Todd Pheiffer, fifth season (84-17-15)
Championship history: Six MHSAA titles (most recent 2018).
Players to watch: Avery Fenchel, jr. F (24 goals, 14 assists); Jessie Bandyk, sr. M (10 goals, 15 assists); Lauren Calhoun, sr. D (2 assists); Eva Burns, soph. D (1 goal).
Outlook: Improving on a championship season of course is difficult. But one more win would do it for the Wildcats, who can finish unbeaten after totaling five losses in 2018 and earlier won their league after finishing third last spring. And Novi has done it after losing sophomore keeper Abbey Pheiffer (0.16 goals-against average) to a season-ending injury – but freshman Sammy Maday (0.14) stepped in and the team hasn’t missed a beat. Fenchel and Bandyk were all-state first teamers last season, and Calhoun and Burns earned honorable mentions. Senior forward Julia Stadtherr ranks second in scoring with 17 goals, and senior forward Lexi Whalen has added nine and 13 assists.
PLYMOUTH
Record/rank: 19-4-1, No. 5
League finish: Second in KLAA East
Coach: Jeff Neschich, 15th season (record N/A)
Championship history: Division 1 runner-up 2010.
Players to watch: Kennedy White, sr. F; Rebecca Przybylo, sr. GK. (Stats not submitted.)
Outlook: Plymouth won its first Regional title since 2010 on the way to advancing to a Final for the second time in program history. These Wildcats avenged a regular-season loss to No. 13 Troy in the Semifinal, and will attempt to continue that streak after falling to Novi twice. The only other loss, and the tie, came to No. 11 Hartland. White made the all-state first team last season for the second straight, and Przybylo made the third team as a sophomore.
Division 2
BLOOMFIELD HILLS MARIAN
Record/rank: 17-1, No. 2
League finish: First in Detroit Catholic League Central
Coach: Barry Brodsky, 18th season (334-27-36)
Championship history: Seven MHSAA titles (most recent 2018), three runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Jansen Eichenlaub, sr. F (23 goals, 7 assists); Sara Stroud, sr. M (4 goals, 6 assists); Anna Leonard, jr. M (1 goal, 1 assist); Kate Biglin, jr. M (4 goals, 9 assists).
Outlook: Marian is heading to the championship game for the third straight season hoping for a third straight Division 2 championship. Plenty of Marian’s best have won before – Eichenlaub made the all-state first team last season, while Leonard and Stroud made the second, senior defender Neve Badalow made the third and junior forward Chloe Aberlarde (two goals this spring) earned honorable mention. Sophomore forward Maria Askounis is the team’s second-leading scorer with eight goals and 10 assists off the bench, and senior mid Sydney Petoskey has seven goals as another super sub.
GRAND RAPIDS FOREST HILLS NORTHERN
Record/rank: 19-2-1, No. 6
League finish: Second in Ottawa-Kent Conference White
Coach: Daniel Siminski, sixth season (105-18-11)
Championship history: Four runner-up finishes (most recent 2018).
Players to watch: Parker Hutchinson, jr. G (0.60 goals-against average, .848 save percentage); Elyse DeSchryver, jr. F (28 goals, 18 assists); Grace Sayers, soph. F (25 goals, 2 assists); Alyssa Greshak, jr. F (10 goals, 10 assists).
Outlook: Forest Hills Northern is hoping to break through after three straight championship game losses. The Huskies’ only losses during the regular season were to top-ranked DeWitt and Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central, which reached the Division 1 Semifinals. DeSchryver made the all-state third team last season and leads the scoring for a team that has netted 106 goals and given up only 16. In addition to DeSchryver, Sayers and Greshak, sophomore Emily Vander Hoff has 11 goals off the bench, and senior Carlye Fatum has 12 assists as a starting mid.
Division 3
GRAND RAPIDS SOUTH CHRISTIAN
Record/rank: 19-3-3, No. 5
League finish: Second in O-K Gold
Coach: Brian Broekhuizen, sixth season (99-31-12)
Championship history: Division 3 champion 2013.
Players to watch: Annika Zuverink, sr. GK (0.22 goals-against average, .930 save percentage); Cassidy Broekhuizen, sr. F/M (10 goals, 5 assists); Joz VanTol, sr. F/M (6 goals, 8 assists); Emma DeVries, jr. F (14 goals, 5 assists).
Outlook: South Christian also is coming off its second Regional title on the way to this second Finals appearance. The Sailors got here in part by winning a shootout with No. 6 Allegan in the Regional Final and then downing No. 8 Boyne City in the Semifinal. South Christian has 19 shutouts and eight straight including a scoreless run through all six tournament games. Zuverink earned an all-state honorable mention last season, while VanTol and senior defender Morgan Rottman made the third team.
ESSEXVILLE GARBER
Record/rank: 22-0-2, No. 7
League finish: First in Tri-Valley Conference East
Coach: Troy Stewart, 15th season (164-116-22)
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Rachel Hahn, sr. F (30 goals, 22 assists); Teagan Betzold, fr. F (29 goals, 16 assists); Natelle Vantol, jr. M (14 goals, 16 assists); Logan Rau, sr. GK (0.42 goals-against average, 16 shutouts).
Outlook: Just three years ago, Garber was finishing its third straight sub-.500 season – but was on the verge of this climb. The Dukes went from eight wins in 2016 to 13 the next season and 15 last spring. In addition to the unbeaten record this season, Garber also won its first Regional title before upsetting No. 2 Warren Regina in the Semifinal. Hahn earned an all-state honorable mention as a junior, and she’s one of seven Dukes who had scored at least nine goals entering this week including also senior Isabel Baranski (14 goals, 11 assists). Rau actually made it 17 shutouts on the season with another Tuesday and has given up only eight goals all spring.
Division 4
KALAMAZOO CHRISTIAN
Record/rank: 21-2-2, No. 3
League finish: First in Southwestern Athletic Conference Valley
Coach: Jay Allen, sixth season (114-19-13)
Championship history: Four Division 4 titles (most recent 2008), two runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Sarah Miller, jr. M/D (9 goals, 21 assists); Lauryn Mohney, jr. M/D (16 goals, 12 assists); Kayla Beebe, sr. M/F (36 goals, 7 assists); Emma Bertrand, sr. M/F (19 goals, 8 assists).
Outlook: Kalamazoo Christian has come up just short the last two seasons, falling 1-0 in last spring’s Final and in a shootout in 2017, both times to Lansing Christian. The Comets have outscored their opponents this spring by a combined 120-12, with losses only to Division 3 No. 4 Otsego and also larger Paw Paw. Beebe made the all-state first team last season, and Mohney made the second, while senior defender Elise Van Sparrentak made the third and junior keeper Jenna Blackwell and Bertrand earned honorable mentions. Junior Sarah Wenke joins the three mentioned above with double-digit goals, finding the net 10 times heading into this week.
ROYAL OAK SHRINE CATHOLIC
Record/rank: 22-3-3, No. 2
League finish: First in Detroit Catholic League 2/3
Coach: Mark Soma, 15th season (record N/A)
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Allison LaPoint, jr. GK (17 shutouts); Chloe Woodbeck, sr. F; Elli Plunkey, soph. F; Regan Robinson, jr. M. (No other stats submitted.)
Outlook: The Knights have dominated in winning their first Regional title and now moving on to their first championship game. Shrine has outscored its six tournament opponents by a combined score of 34-1, with wins over No. 14 Lansing Christian, No. 4 Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central and No. 5 Madison Heights Bishop Foley along the way. LaPoint and Robinson made the all-state second team last season, and Plunkey earned honorable mention. But the team got a massive boost when Woodbeck – who has signed with Purdue – joined the high school team this spring after playing at the elite club level.
PHOTO: Marian’s Jansen Eichenlaub, here in last season’s Division 2 Final against Forest Hills Northern, will try to lead her team this weekend to its third straight championship.
Gull Lake Returns to State's Elite
June 15, 2013
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
WILLIAMSTON – Can one save change a soccer season?
It certainly can alter a championship game, as junior Maggie Harma and Richland Gull Lake found out Saturday afternoon in Williamston.
Bloomfield Hills Marian fired 27 shots during the double-overtime MHSAA Division 2 Final. Harma, the keeper, had to save 13.
But the shot she stopped 30 seconds into the 100-minute game might’ve saved the Blue Devils’ first championship run since 1992, one they finished with a 1-0 victory over the reigning champion Mustangs.
“If it had gone in, our team would’ve been down the whole game trying to come back,” Harma said. “Because I saved it, it kinda gave us the little push we needed: We are here, we deserve to be here, we’re not here by luck. We’re here because we’re good, and we can win this.”
Gull Lake (21-1-1) was a Finals regular during the 1990s. But the current players were either still figuring out how to run or maybe even how to walk when the Blue Devils played in their most recent championship game in 1999.
Marian’s story is nearly the opposite. The Mustangs (17-3-4) have won five titles over the last 11 seasons, including three of the last five in Division 2.
Gull Lake second-year coach Jeff Corstange was plenty familiar with his program’s previous success, having graduated from the school in 1996.
“That’s one of the things when I came into this coaching role two years ago; I knew what it took to get there,” Corstange said. “These girls were young. They didn’t really know what it was. But I wanted to bring excitement back to Gull Lake.
“The whole community supported us tonight, and they get energy off of that.”
Harma admitted her team was a bit intimidated when Marian first arrived Saturday. But Corstange had emphasized to his players that they deserved to be in the Final, and the numbers said the same.
Gull Lake entered the postseason ranked No. 3, just one spot behind Marian. The Blue Devils gave up only eight goals this season – and including Saturday, not one during the MHSAA tournament.
“It starts with their keeper. She’s a really good keeper. And the four in the back are really good,” Marian coach Barry Brodsky said. “Just for whatever reason, we couldn’t get that last little inch it takes to get it into the goal. I thought we were going to get it the first 30 seconds of the game. Sometimes when you don’t get that goal you think you should, that’s the game right there.”
Gull Lake didn’t get its goal until 3:56 into the first overtime. Sophomore forward Amanda Pavletic, who had 15 goals this season although she wasn’t a starter, found the back of the net and sent the Blue Devils’ supporters into a frenzy.
Like it had in a 1-0 overtime Semifinal win over Spring Lake in the Semifinal, Gull Lake’s defense held strong over the final 16 minutes to secure the win.
“We worked really hard in the preseason, and we knew what we were capable of doing this year,” Corstange said. “All that hard work and determination ... this goes to show we can battle with anybody, being a small school. We welcome the battle. We have a lot of talent out there.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Gull Lake freshman Kenzie Harney (11) battles with a Bloomfield Hills Marian player for possession during Saturday’s Division 2 Final. (Middle) Marian sophomore Kelly Sweeney (11) pushes the ball past the outstretched foot of Gull Lake’s Olivia Sullivan. (Click to see more from Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)