High 5s - 3/13/12
March 13, 2012
Every Tuesday, Second Half honors 2-4 athletes and a team for its accomplishments.
Have a suggestion for a future High 5? Please offer it by e-mail to [email protected]. Candidates often will have accomplished great things on the field of play -- but also will be recognized for less obvious contributions to their teams, schools or the mission of high school athletics as a whole.
Christine Wilson
Grand Ledge senior
Gymnastics
Wilson led the Comets to a fifth-straight MHSAA team championship Friday at Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills. She returned Saturday and won the Division 1 individual championship with a score of 38.400, including a first-place 9.7 on the uneven parallel bars. She set the Division 2 all-around Finals record in winning that championship in 2011. Wilson scored perfect 10.0 scores twice this season, believed to be the first in MHSAA history.
Up next: I will either be attending the University of Michigan or Michigan State University. I like both campuses, and they both have great business programs. I am not sure if I will be competing yet; I would absolutely love to be on MSU's team next year, but I have to get some bigger skills first.
I'm not exactly sure what I want to be (after college), but I have always thought it would be cool to work in a sales management position for a sports company like Nike or Under Armour.
I learned the most about gymnastics from: When I was younger, my coach Carrie Stout from Twistars pushed me to excel and to enjoy the sport; I owe her a huge thanks for that. When I became a high school gymnast, Duane Haring really motivated me to become the best gymnast I could possibly be. He has taught me that there are no limits if you are willing to be dedicated and if you have the drive to win. He has never given up on me and has worked with me through my ups and downs. I could never have achieved as much as I have without his constant faith in me. I will never be able to thank him enough.
I look up to: In the gymnastics world, I look up to Jordyn Wieber. She's so dedicated and mentally tough, it's insane. When I am at a competition, I try to imitate her focus and determination. I also look up to my coach Duane Haring for always keeping a positive attitude when things get tough. I also look up to my relatives and close friends because I know they have my back, and I can count on them for anything.
Perfection: When I got my first 10.0 on the bars; I cannot even describe the feeling that I endured when it happened. I was nauseous and could not breathe for about 30 seconds, and I just started bawling. Bars used to be my weakest event in gymnastics until the end of last year. I have struggled so much on bars and have almost quit because of it. Knowing that I persevered through those hardships and had just achieved perfection was the most surreal feeling that I have ever experienced.
Bria Walsh
Southgate Anderson senior
Competitive cheer
Walsh helped the Titans to the MHSAA Division 1 championship on March 2, the first cheer championship in school history. Southgate Anderson scored 816.6032 points, besting its previous top score this season by less than a tenth of a point and putting it three ahead of runner-up Hudsonville.
Up next: Walsh will attend The Art Institute of Michigan, either in Novi or Troy. She'll study media animation -- with the goal of creating animated films like those produced by Pixar (think "Finding Nemo," the "Toy Story" movies, etc.)
I learned the most about cheer from: My coach (Colette) Norscia. She taught me more than cheerleading though. It was really like she built everybody up as a person. We all matured under her. And she really knows the sport. Obviously, she's a big part of why we got here.
I'm driven by: My team. Their dedication, their hard work. That pushes me farther because I want it as much as they do. And I'm not going to be the one to hold them back.
To those claiming cheer isn't a sport: Come and watch us once and see if you can do what we can, because I highly doubt it. It takes a lot of dedication. It's not a set sport like basketball. You don't get points by how many baskets you make. You get points for how much heart you have and how much you show it. It's a lot harder than it looks.
Christian Michalick
Brighton hockey
Senior
Michalick didn't take over as the starter in net until the second half of the season, but he made the opportunity count. He had 37 saves in a 2-1 double-overtime win over Orchard Lake St. Mary in Friday's Semifinal, then had 20 more saves as the Bulldogs defeated Grosse Pointe North 4-3 on Saturday to win the MHSAA Division 1 championship.
"I've wanted to do this my entire (career), since I started playing goalie. To start in a state championship and win it, it's just incredible."
In the Semifinal: I was just in the zone. It was all my mental game. I know I have the physical skills, but I just had to make sure I was into it mentally. Having early shots set the tone for me, and from there I just got into a rhythm.
My hero is: Probably Martin Brodeur. He's one of the reasons I started playing goalie. I watched him, watched him in the Stanley Cup (playoffs) with the Devils, ... and I wanted to be like Marty.
Game time: I get a plate of pasta around 3:30. I get to the rink about 6 o'clock and start stretching. Once I get on the ice, I just close my eyes and talk to myself and try to visualize the game. From there, I just go.
I'm driven by: I don't want to lose. I'm a competitor, I always have been, and I was raised that way. My dad (Tim) is a competitor. I just hate losing.
Mackenzie MacEachern
Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice senior
Hockey
MacEachern, who has committed to play at Michigan State, led the Warriors to the Division 2 championship Saturday and finished this season with 42 goals and 48 assists. He made the all-state first team this season.
Up next: MacEachern was drafted into the North American Hockey League last spring, but chose to finish high school first. He'll play junior hockey for one year or perhaps two, but has committed to join the Spartans after that.
What drives me: I just love the game, I guess. I just love playing it. I want to keep playing it.
I look up to: My parents, Pam and Ron.
Get prepped: I shower before every game. Shower and take a nap. And I eat Subway before every game -- chicken breast and bacon, no cheese.
My best moment in hockey: Today (winning the Division 2 Final).
Saline boys swimming and diving
The Ann Arbor area has long been known for its swimming prowess. The way Saline coach Todd Brunty sees it, his program is just measuring up to that reputation.
The Hornets claimed their third-straight MHSAA Division 1 championship Saturday, and in the process broke four Finals records including two for all divisions/classes. They won seven of the 12 swim races, led by juniors Adam Whitener, David Boland and Josh Ehrman.
"We've got a huge group of men swimming year-round, and they've got big dreams and big goals. I'm just kind of a beneficiary of swimming in the area," Brunty said, but added that certain lessons come with the high school portion of that training. "(They) learn about team. Because high school swimming is a unique, precious thing. It's all about the team, all about each other, your family, your community.
"This is a really special time. That's what we talk about a lot."
Country Day Caps 22-Win Streak on Top
March 10, 2018
Second Half reports
PLYMOUTH — Carter Elrod’s contributions in the final seconds of the MHSAA Division 3 championship hockey game won’t show up in the box score.
What will show up in the records from here on out is that Detroit Country Day is the 2017-18 Division 3 champion because Elrod sacrificed his body for the cause.
The senior forward blocked two shots in the final seconds, including a prime opportunity just before the buzzer, to preserve Country Day’s 2-1 victory over Livonia Churchill on Saturday at USA Hockey Arena.
It’s a dirty, often dangerous job, which Elrod does unflinchingly.
“Earlier in the season, I broke my hand blocking a shot,” Elrod said. “It’s a thing Coach stresses every day that we have to do to win games. Every time we go out there, we don’t think, we just go out there and block the shot.”
If shots get to the net, Country Day has one of the best goaltenders in the state to clean up the mess. Junior Sam Evola stopped 30 of the 31 shots he faced, but appreciated not having to face a 32nd shot when Churchill’s Conor Burnette had a glorious chance in the high slot in the final seconds.
“A lot of it is guys like him blocking shots out of nowhere,” said Evola, who had a 1.00 goals-against average and .953 save percentage during the regular season. “I think they might have scored if he hadn’t blocked that one shot; I didn’t see it.”
Churchill was trying to become the second team this weekend to force overtime after trailing 2-0. Traverse City West did it against Saginaw Heritage in the Division 1 Semifinals, only to lose, 3-2.
Seth Kucharczyk’s goal with 7:53 left in the game got the Chargers within a goal. They kept pressing with their goaltender pulled at the end, but couldn’t get a puck past Evola — or Elrod.
“This guy could definitely have more points, but he does so much,” Country Day coach Frank Novock said. “People who know hockey know how important he is out there, blocking shots, winning face-offs, penalty killing, getting pucks. In the first period, he was probably our only forward going, how hard he was working. It kind of caught on a little bit. Night in and night out, his work ethic and determination were amazing.”
After losing in the Quarterfinals the last two seasons, Country Day won its first MHSAA hockey championship since 1981 by holding six postseason opponents to a combined five goals.
It was the longest stretch between championships among past MHSAA title winners, eclipsing the 22 years between Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett’s 1990 and 2012 titles.
The Yellowjackets (28-2-1) won their last 22 games after losing 3-0 to Liggett on Dec. 16. Upset with his team’s effort that night, Novock had a no-pucks practice two days later.
“We weren’t very good,” he said. “I put 51 minutes on the clock and said, ‘You guys owe me another game, because we didn’t play one Saturday.’ That was the last game we lost all season. The guys didn’t complain; they took their medicine. It was three 17-minute periods they owed me. They just went through it like they did these last 22, so I consider that a win, also.”
The championship game nearly went two full periods without a goal, as Churchill’s Chris Sergison stopped the first 14 shots he faced to do his part in keeping the game scoreless.
Country Day got the break it needed when Mickey VanAntwerp took a pass from Jacob Thomas, split the defense at the blue line and went in on a breakaway. He scored, then crashed into the net, with 38.1 seconds left in the second period.
Tim Stebbins deflected a shot by defenseman Jacob Thomas past Sergison on the power play with 10:53 left in the game to give Country Day a 2-0 lead.
Churchill cut that in half, but couldn’t get the equalizer.
It was the first Finals appearance for the Chargers, who lost in the Quarterfinals after each of their previous six Regional championships.
“The overall experience has really been incredible,” Churchill coach Jason Reynolds said. “The atmosphere has certainly been electric. This is something we’ve been looking forward to. We had an opportunity to kind of embrace it and get our bearings about us (Friday) when we played the game. We were successful there. It was important for us not just to get here, but to get to Saturday.”
Churchill (16-12-3) was 11-11-3 during the regular season, but plays in the tough Kensington Lakes Activities Association. The KLAA had teams in all three championship games, with Brighton playing in Division 1 and Hartland in Division 2.
“I cannot deny how strong our KLAA schedule is year in and year out,” Reynolds said. “A lot of guys are focused on our .500 record, but that .500 record has also been against state-ranked teams over the course of the year. Even if we weren’t coming out guns blazing in November and December, the strength of our schedule has allowed us to build and develop and get better, so hopefully when we’re healthy by playoff time, we’re able to go on a run.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Detroit Country Day seniors Carter Elrod (left) and Tim Stebbins celebrate the team’s first MHSAA title since 1981. (Middle) Country Day junior Mickey VanAntwerp (25) slides a shot into the net Saturday.