3 Michigan Leaders Earn NFHS National 'Coach of the Year' Honors
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
January 18, 2022
Three Michigan high school varsity coaches have been recognized among 23 National Coaches of the Year for 2020-21 by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NHFS) Coaches Association.
Ann Arbor Pioneer girls swimming & diving coach Stefanie Kerska, Bronson volleyball coach Jean LaClair and DeWitt football coach Rob Zimmerman were selected by a committee including representatives from all eight NFHS sections – Michigan is part of Section 4 with Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Wisconsin.
The following brief bios includes an excerpt from each honoree’s coaching philosophy, which nominees were asked to submit after being identified as candidates for the awards.
Stefanie Kerska took over both the Ann Arbor Pioneer girls and boys swimming & diving programs during the 2014-15 school year, and she has led the girls to the last two Lower Peninsula Division 1 Finals championships; her 2020 team doubled up the runner-up’s score with 368 points, and this fall’s team climbed even higher with 405.5 points at the season-ending meet. She also led the girls team to a runner-up Finals finish in 2019 and the boys team to last season’s LPD1 Finals championship. Kerska previously served as an assistant coach at University of Michigan from 1997-2012 and on the USA Swimming national team staff from 2008-16. She remains active with USA Swimming, the FINA Swimming Development Team and as a presenter for the Summit for Empowering Women in Swim. She was named the Michigan Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association Coach of the Year for both Division 1 girls and boys during the 2020-21 school year.
“Athletics starts with a belief in belonging and making every team member feel safe and valued. Teammates should depend on coaches and each other for support, guidance and motivation to be the best they can be. Athletics should create an environment where effort, attitude and dependability are valued and required for success. It is often said that athletics builds character. I, however, believe it reveals it.”
Jean LaClair ranks fourth in Michigan high school volleyball coaching history for varsity victories with a record of 1,289-398-99 having led Midland Dow from 1988-90, Pinconning from 1997-99 and Bronson beginning with the 2000-01 winter season. She’s coached Bronson to five MHSAA Finals championships – including four straight in Class C/Division 3 from 2015-18 – and her last two teams have reached the Division 3 Quarterfinals and Regional Semifinals, respectively. She is a longtime executive board member of the Michigan Interscholastic Volleyball Coaches Association and has served as president, and was a 2017 inductee to the Michigan High School Coaches Association’s Hall of Fame. She also serves as Bronson’s athletic director and has received both the MHSAA’s Women In Sports Leadership Award and Allen W. Bush Award.
“High school athletics should be a lifelong, fun experience for our student-athletes where they learn what it takes to be a part of a team, what it means to work hard for the team. Those who play competitive spots in high school demonstrate more confidence, leadership and self-respect. They learn to set goals and manage their time! They have a better appreciation for diversity and a more developed sense of morality. These are all reasons why athletics are important, and I love working with our kids to make them better leaders for the community and world.”
Rob Zimmerman led DeWitt to the last two Division 3 championship games and the Panthers’ first MHSAA Finals title to cap the 2020 season with a 12-0 record. He’s built a 241-67 record coaching DeWitt’s varsity since 1999 after previously coaching the varsity at Cedar Springs from 1996-98. He also has served as a head varsity track & field coach and middle school wrestling coach during his tenure in school sports, and he has served as both a regional director and on the executive board for the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association. His teams total have played in six MHSAA Finals, to go with 19 league, 14 District and 12 Regional titles during his 23 seasons at DeWitt. He has five times received statewide Coach of the Year recognition from The Associated Press, and in 2020 was named the state Dream Team Coach of the Year by both the Detroit Free Press and MHSFCA and state Coach of the Year by the MHSCA and Detroit Lions.
“In an ever-changing world that poses more social and emotional challenges for young people than ever before, systems that can provide a foundational support and teach high levels of collaboration, discipline, accountability and relationships are more important that ever. Athletics provides young people the opportunity to foster and cultivate these key traits that are crucial for their development. For future success, students need to be equipped to handle a variety of diverse situations and work with a variety of diverse people. This is sports at its core.”
Rockford wrestling coach Brian Richardson was honored in Section 4 after leading the Rams to the Division 1 Semifinals and a 20-4 record.
The NFHS has been recognizing coaches through an awards program since 1982.
Onekama Seeking to Take Next Step After Back-to-Back Trips to Regional Finals
By
Tom Spencer
Special for MHSAA.com
October 11, 2024
Over the past few seasons, the Onekama Portagers have demonstrated they have the right skills to consistently win high-profile volleyball matches.
And they are hoping to carry those skills into another postseason rematch with Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart.
Sacred Heart has stood in the way of Onekama reaching the Quarterfinals – winning their Regional Finals matchups the last two seasons.
Anticipating winning a fifth-straight District title, the Portagers can’t help but look ahead to another possible Regional meeting with the Irish, the current top-ranked team in Division 4. Onekama is listed as honorable mention in coaches poll.
The Portagers improved their record to 23-8-1 overall Thursday with a Northwest Conference title-clinching sweep of Benzie Central. It was the first championship for Onekama since returning to the conference during the 2016-17 school year.
With the conference title and another trophy from winning their own invitational this fall, the Portagers have a fifth-straight District championship in their sights.
“We’d like to make this five, and the girls are looking forward to it,” Onekama coach Linda Elo said. “Winning the conference is special because it has been a competitive conference for a lot of years.”
The key to Onekama’s success has been the play of setter Elizabeth McKeough, libero Ava Mauntler and outside hitters Hailey Hart and Delaney McCarthy.
McKeough, McCarthy and Mauntler, a member of the all-Region team last year, are sophomores. Hart is a junior. The Portagers also have a host of support players who posses defensive prowess.
“The strength of my team is a strong setter, my libero and two outside hitters, and they do a really good job,” said Elo, now in her ninth season as the Onekama coach. “Defensively, I am a coach who pushes a lot of defense – it’s an important part of the game.”
Heading into the conference clincher, Hart was leading the team with 251 kills, McCarthy had 200 and senior middle hitter Leah Gary – also the team leader in blocks – had 101. At 5-foot-9, Gary and McCarthy are the team’s tallest players.
Also prior to the Benzie match, Mauntler had 70 serving aces and 379 digs, both team highs. McCarthy and McKeough are right behind Mauntler in aces, and McKeough leads the team in setting at eight assists per game.
During the sweep of Benzie, McCarthy racked up a 19-point service run and Hart added a 13-point service run. Hart added 16 kills, while Gary chipped in with eight kills and McKeough collected 30 assists in the 25-9, 25-4, 25-4 dominating performance.
“The girls have really good systems play, and they get better all the time,” Elo said. “We are not the tallest team, but these girls get good touches blocking to start our defense and we have people in the back line that are willing to go on the floor if they need to.”
While acknowledging most coaches love their own squads, Elo is quick to say her team is special. She notes her Portagers are fun to watch, and she gets frequent compliments from opponents and their supporters.
“When they get going and get up to speed, they don’t quit,” Elo said. “And they do a good job being great teammates. When you add that all in, it’s a good formula.”
Eight of the team’s 13 rostered players came into the season with previous varsity experience.
District play for the host Portagers will get underway on their home court in early November. Bear Lake, Brethren and Frankfort are the other teams in the District. Frankfort also is a Northwest Conference opponent, and Brethren will join the league next year.
The Portagers have a Quarterfinal appearance on their minds. But if the Portagers get out of the District, Sacred Heart will likely be an obstacle again in the Regional.
Onekama first appeared the rankings Sept. 16. The Irish, on the other hand, have been listed among the top five all season, moving into the top spot this week.
They’ve met once this fall, on Aug. 24, with Sacred Heart winning a two-set match 26-24 and 31-29.
“You’ve always got to look down the road,” Elo said. “We faced Sacred Heart last year in Regional Finals with three freshmen on the team. We lost, but they learned the pressure of those high-profile games.”
Tom Spencer is a longtime MHSAA-registered basketball and soccer official, and former softball and baseball official, and he also has coached in the northern Lower Peninsula area. He previously has written for the Saginaw News, Bay County Sports Page and Midland Daily News. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, Roscommon, Ogemaw, Iosco, Alcona, Oscoda, Crawford, Kalkaska, Grand Traverse, Benzie, Leelanau, Antrim, Otsego, Montmorency, Alpena, Presque Isle, Cheboygan, Charlevoix and Emmet counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Onekama players including Elizabeth McKeough (3), Maddie Gunia (10), Hailey Hart (11) and Ava Mauntler (20) huddle during a match. (Middle) Leah Gary (3) works to get the ball past an opposing block. (Below) The Portagers pose for a team photo following their home invitational championship. (Photos courtesy of Meredith McNabb.)