This Time, Troy Takes Champion's Trophy
June 15, 2013
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
WILLIAMSTON – Alison Holland might have worried a bit after Grandville’s Sydney Blitchok scored a little more than 14 minutes into Saturday’s Division 1 Final at Williamston.
Holland, Troy’s senior goalkeeper, would even admit to that – given that Troy was making its third straight MHSAA championship game appearance and was shut out in their last two.
But that anxiety faded almost immediately. This team was “gutsy,” Holland said, and she knew her teammates would get chances to even the score.
The Colts were able to make good on two – and beat Grandville 2-1 to claim their first MHSAA title since 2003.
“Twice we didn’t win it, so we were all just so motivated this year,” Holland said. “We wanted to go out on a good note, and we’re going to have this forever with each other. It’s just a great time right now.”
Troy had fallen to Okemos 2-0 in last season’s Final and 1-0 to Novi in 2010.
But those became fading memories Saturday when senior Madison Hirsch evened the score 18:25 into the first half and senior Kayla Porter put Troy ahead 13:31 into the second.
Porter's goal led to an uproarious celebration near the Colts bench, mostly in response to previous teasing by coach Brian Zawislak – who had told his players they didn’t celebrate goals like they should because they weren’t getting the entire team involved.
“When you’re held scoreless the last two (Finals), you have those demons in you,” Zawislak said. “When Hirsch hits the back of the net, everyone’s spirits just lifted.”
Porter’s goal run likely included a little unloading of frustration after battling a physical Grandville defense for nearly three quarters of the game.
Once Hirsch put in the team’s first goal, Porter wanted to add the next.
“I had a lot of energy out there, and I wanted to score,” she said. “It was really running through my mind. So when I got the ball down there, I just ran, and I just shot it.”
Troy finished this season 15-6-3 after opening 3-6-2. Grandville finished 14-8-1. Both teams were unranked entering the postseason and neither finished among the top two in their respective leagues.
But both beat top-10 teams on the way to Williamston and obviously found their peak performance when it counted most.
“I just told them nobody imagined at the beginning of the year that we’d be anywhere close to here,” Grandville coach Lewis Robinson said. “It gives them the experience of being here and helps us a lot for next year. And (I) guarantee we’ll be back in and around this time of year next year and the year after as well. With 13 underclassmen on the team, the future is very bright.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Troy players celebrate the team’s go-head goal during the second half of Saturday’s Division 2 Final. (Middle) Colts senior Kayla Porter finishes a run with a shot that would give her team the 2-1 lead. (Click to see more from Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)
Performance of the Week: Northville's Helena McLellan
June 2, 2023
Helena McLellan ♦ Northville
Junior ♦ Soccer
McLellan, a standout midfielder, scored twice in Northville's 3-0 win over Belleville on May 22 to clinch the overall Kensington Lakes Activities Association championship. The Mustangs earned the opportunity to play in that game by claiming the KLAA West title with an 11-0-3 record, and they're 15-0-4 heading into Saturday's Division 1 District Final against Livonia Stevenson.
An accomplished club soccer player, McLellan chose to compete for her high school team this spring for the first time and helped Northville to a No. 2 ranking at the end of the regular season after the Mustangs finished Division 1 runner-up a year ago. Belleville was ranked No. 8 in the final coaches association poll, and McLellan followed up her goals against the Tigers with another in Northville's 3-1 District Semifinal win over Farmington Hills Mercy on Wednesday.
@mhsaasports ⚽️POW: Helena McLellan #performanceoftheweek #soccer #goals #scored #northville #mustangs #conferencechampions #MHSAA #highschoolsports #tiktalk #interview #TikTok #mistudentaid #fyp ♬ Beat Automotivo Tan Tan Tan Viral - WZ Beat
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2022-23 Honorees
May 25: Mitchel Luck, Linden lacrosse - Report
May 18: Ahava Le Febre, Holland tennis - Report
May 11: Gracie Maloney, Macomb Dakota softball - Report
May 4: Braxton Brann, Ann Arbor Huron track & field - Report
April 27: Owen Patton, Vestaburg track & field - Report
April 20: Lilly Damm, Millington softball - Report
April 13: Larissa Huffman, Mackinaw City track & field - Report
April 6: Darius Acuff, Detroit Cass Tech basketball - Report
March 23: Regan Finkbeiner, Hemlock basketball - Report
March 16: Alaina Yaney, Grand Ledge gymnastics - Report
March 9: Braeden Davis, Dundee wrestling - Report
March 2: Gabriel Sanchez-Burks, Ann Arbor Pioneer swimming - Report
Feb. 23: Grace Sobczak, Marquette swimming - Report
Feb. 16: Kaitlynn Demers, Gibraltar Carlson competitive cheer - Report
Feb. 9: Indya Davis, West Bloomfield basketball - Report
Feb. 2: Braydon Sorenson, Onekama skiing - Report
Jan. 26: Shayna Hruska, Iron Mountain wrestling - Report
Jan. 19: Kayla Tafanelli, Warren Woods-Tower bowling - Report
Dec. 20: Brenden Paden, Riverview Gabriel Richard hockey - Report
Dec. 16: Tuff Scott, Holton bowling - Report
Dec. 9: Macey Fegan, Standish-Sterling basketball - Report
Dec. 2: Treyton Siegert, Gladwin football - Report
Nov. 24: Lily Witte, Dexter diving - Report
Nov. 17: Navea Gauthier, Shelby volleyball - Report
Nov. 10: Derek Huisman, Holland Christian soccer - Report
Nov. 3: Thomas Westphal, New Baltimore Anchor Bay cross country - Report
Oct. 27: Justin Wickey, Colon football - Report
Oct. 20: Owen DeMuth, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood tennis - Report
Oct. 13: Mia Melendez, Ann Arbor Greenhills golf - Report
Oct. 6: Shawn Foster, Grand Ledge football - Report
Sept. 30: Hannah Smith, Temperance Bedford swimming - Report
Sept. 22: Helen Sachs, Holland West Ottawa cross country - Report
Sept. 15: Nina Horning, Lake Orion volleyball - Report
Sept 8: Arturo Romero, Muskegon Oakridge soccer - Report
Sept. 1: Austin King, Midland Dow tennis - Report
Aug. 25: Olivia Hemmila, Troy Athens golf - Report
PHOTO Northville's Helena McLellan steps into a kick during a May 9 draw with Hartland. (Photo by Chris Mudd/National Photo Scout.)