3 Michigan Coaches Earn NFHS Honor
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
January 16, 2019
Three Michigan high school coaches with long histories of championship success were honored Wednesday with 2018 National Coaches of the Year awards presented by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NHFS) Coaches Association.
Midland Dow boys tennis coach Terry Schwartzkopf, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep girls volleyball coach Betty Wroubel and Bloomfield Hills Marian and Birmingham Brother Rice golf coach Leon Braisted III – formerly the longtime coach of the girls and boys programs at Birmingham Seaholm – earned three of the 22 available NFHS awards and have led their programs to a combined 13 MHSAA Finals championships.
The following brief bios include excerpts from each honoree’s coaching philosophy, which they were asked to submit after being identified as candidates for the awards.
Leon Braisted III began coaching both the girls and boys Birmingham Seaholm teams in 1998 and guided those programs through the 2015-16 school year. He led the Maples girls to Lower Peninsula Division 2 championships in 2006, 2008 and three straight from 2013-15, and also to five runner-up Finals finishes. His Seaholm boys team was Division 2 runner-up in 1999. Braisted has coached the Bloomfield Hills Marian girls the last three seasons and the Birmingham Brother Rice boys the last two, leading Marian to a Division 2 runner-up finish in 2017. Rice finished seventh in Division 1 this spring. Braisted was inducted into the Michigan Interscholastic Golf Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2015.
“An athletic program opens the door for students to become involved in different sports. Any sport the student joins is quite a learning experience. A coach through practices teaches the players to be ‘team players and learn the rules of the sport.’ During the practices and playing the sport, players learn tolerance, become alert to their surroundings, and most importantly (the sport) offers exercise. As a golf coach for 21 years I recognize that golf is a lifelong sport. The player learns patience, perseverance and (the sport) motivates the individual to desire to improve (his or her) game. At the beginning of each new season, I encourage the students to join in participating on a golf team. I do not turn any students away from being on the team whether they know how to play golf or not. There is much one can learn from being a teammate and facing the challenge of self- improvement, along with meeting new friends. Joining a sports team is more than just excelling on the field. It is the ability to meet others, a place and time where a person can enjoy the moments away from the rapid pace of daily life.”
Terry Schwartzkopf took over the Midland Dow program in 2007 after seven years leading the junior varsity. He guided the Chargers to five straight Lower Peninsula Division 2 championships from 2009-13 and a sixth title in 2016. He was named the statewide boys tennis Coach of the Year in 2017 by the Michigan High School Tennis Coaches Association and led Dow to unbeaten seasons in 2010, 2011 and 2014. His team finished fifth at the Division 2 Final this fall and tied for second in 2017.
“I believe that the sport is irrelevant when it comes to coaching. Granted, specific content knowledge is imperative to success, but coaching is about creating a stable environment in which young individuals can mature as individuals and athletes. I believe that athletics help individuals learn how to cope with loss, cope with success, and how to work to achieve a goal. It allows them the ability to feel that they contribute to something greater than themselves, to put team before self, and serves as something that unites players regardless of age or circumstances. Due to this mindset, our teams tend to be a tight-knit bond of individuals who help each other to succeed. In fact, this year alone I have had seven alumni return at various times in order to work with the team, desiring to give back to the program. In fact, my original captain returned to serve as a volunteer assistant coach this year. These legends give faces to the names that my players have heard stories of as they continue to unite this team past, present, and future. … The records, trophies, and competition are a wonderful part of the game of tennis, but the real victories come in watching these young boys turn into productive men willing to serve others, live with integrity, and exhibit character and sportsmanship both on and off the court.”
Betty Wroubel is the third-winningest coach in MHSAA volleyball history at 1,486-308-130 after leading the Fighting Irish to a 64-6 record and Division 2 runner-up finish this fall. She started her varsity head coaching career in the sport at Clawson, guiding that program from 1979-82. She then led the Pontiac and Oakland Catholic program from 1989-94 and has coached Notre Dame Prep since its first season in 1994-95. Her teams won Class B titles in Fall 2007, 2013 and 2017. Wroubel also coaches the softball team – she led Pontiac Catholic to the Class C title in 1983 – and serves as Notre Dame Prep’s athletic director. She was inducted into the Michigan Interscholastic Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2014.
“My philosophy of athletics has changed considerably since I started coaching and has continued to change throughout my career. I believe that athletics provide a powerful vehicle to teach and prepare our student athletes not only in sport, but more importantly in life. My responsibility has never been solely to teach my players to play and love the sport of volleyball, but rather to pursue their passion for something they love and how to grow as young, strong females today – to prepare them to handle disappointment, failure, adversity and stress in a healthy manner and success with a humble heart. As important as it is to help the players develop their game skills, it is far more important to help them in their personal growth journey, to prepare them for a world that will be very different than the one I grew up in, and to create a team-oriented culture in a world that is all about ‘me.’ … I try to teach and empower my players to believe in themselves, embrace all opportunities of both success and failure, and how to achieve what they once considered unimaginable; to work hard, be humble, grateful, forgive oneself, forgive others, and always strive to be what God created them to be.”
Three more Michigan coaches earned honors in Section 4, which includes Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Wisconsin. Hartland wrestling coach Todd Cheney led the Eagles to the Division 1 title in 2016 – the school’s first in his sport – while Dexter swimming & diving coach Michael McHugh has led his school’s boys program to four MHSAA titles including three straight in Lower Peninsula Division 2. Sterling Heights Stevenson competitive cheer coach Brianna Verdoodt led her program to its first MHSAA title, also in Division 1, in 2018 after Stevenson finished Finals runner-up in 2017.
The NFHS has been recognizing coaches through an awards program since 1982. Winners of NFHS awards must be active coaches during the year for which they receive their award.
Football Title Reflects Kingsley's Current Success, Recalls Loved Ones Passed
By
Tom Spencer
Special for MHSAA.com
December 1, 2023
Kingsley football fans have become pretty familiar with VIP parking for home games over the last couple of seasons.
They may just start looking for a Kingsley VIP lot at Ford Field. The Stags just captured the MHSAA Division 6 championship trophy with a 38-24 victory over Almont, their second Finals championship and first since 2005.
The road to the Finals started with Kingsley hosting two playoff games, allowing great use of the VIP Parking of Trina’s Touchdown Club. The lot is adjacent to the school’s Rodes Field and provided in loving memory of Katrina “Trina” Kay Schueller, who passed away Oct. 21, 2021, at Munson Medical Center.
Those playoff games filling Trina’s Touchdown Club’s parking lot featured wins over Mason County Central 61-12 and Manistee 37-18, and 51-27 over Gladstone in the Regional Final. Kingsley then traveled down the road and defeated Reed City 37-7 in the Semifinal.
There may not have been designated VIP parking in Cadillac and Ford Field for the Stags’ followers, but there were a lot of VIPs at both stadiums with Schueller on their minds. Pretty much everyone with an affiliation with the highly-successful program or familiarity with the community’s struggles have become VIPs to the Kingsley coaching staff and many others.
Most certainly among the VIPs are head coach Tim Wooer, assistant coach Conner Schueller, his brother Carter Schueller, and his father Mike Schueller.
Conner was set to play the biggest regular-season game of his career the day after his mom passed. It was the regular-season finale against rival Traverse City St. Francis.
Wooer vividly remembers the moments leading up to that matchup, noting how difficult it was for Conner. But his then-fullback and now-assistant coach demonstrated amazing strength and maturity he stills exhibits today.
“He’s in his senior football season, and his mom is in the hospital for four weeks — he’s balancing that playing football and going to school,” Wooer recalled. “And then she passes, and he has the strength to come back to school and deliver the news to our team.
“I am sobbing watching this kid, and I’m just amazed,” Wooer continued. “The next night is Parents Night, and he’s on the field with his dad and brother without his mom.”
Conner still played, making a 4th-down goal line tackle to prevent a St. Francis touchdown. The Gladiators won the game, but Conner won the day, conquering much just to dress for the game.
The Stags went on to playoff wins over Kingsford 28-10 and Clare 32-6. They bowed out with a 33-18 Regional loss to Frankenmuth.
Conner’s junior year of 2020 had been cut short as the Kingsley was forced to forfeit its District Final to Reed City because several players and coaching staff tested positive for COVID-19. The Stags had Ford Field in their minds that season too after playoff wins over 38-13 Standish-Sterling 38-13 and Gladwin 63-16.
Conner, who celebrated his 20th birthday at Saturday’s Final, remembers his playing days and the challenges presented him.
“At the time it was ‘she’s not there,’ especially my senior year she wasn’t there to watch me and finish it out, but I know she’s watching above,” he said. “We were about to go play Reed City my junior year for Regionals, and everyone got sick and it ended our season unfortunately.”
Those challenges were on his mind at Ford Field, and running through his mind when he saw his brother and father in the stands. Carter, now a senior at Kingsley, had been unable to play football due to injuries.
“I thought about my brother – he unfortunately didn’t play this year due to his injuries, and I don’t really blame him for that,” Conner said. “I thought about him as well because it was just me and my dad and my brother now.
“It was very emotional,” Conner continued. “I got a glimpse of him in the strands.”
Carter also was filled with gratitude for the coaching staff for welcoming and mentoring him. He had become keenly aware of the amount of time coaches spend away from family at practices and going through film.
In addition to his family, Conner was thinking about many others in the Kingsley community – and other senior classes like his that didn’t get the chance to celebrate a championship.
He also was thinking about Justin Hansen, a 2003 graduate of Kingsley. Hansen was a captain on the 2002 conference championship team. He went on to become a special-operations Marine sergeant and was killed in action July 24, 2012, while deployed in Afghanistan. Hansen was on patrol as part of an operation in search of a high-value target when his team was hit with small arms fire.
On Saturday, Wooer was wearing a red T-shirt with the letters “USA” on the front and the name “Hansen” on the back. It also featured the number 54, Hansen’s in high school.
Wooer, who turned 54 in July, wore the shirt in Hansen’s memory knowing Hansen would be on the veteran coach’s mind and symbolizing Hansen’s presence with the team at Ford Field.
Wooer wants to make sure Hanson is never forgotten and reminds the soldier’s family the entire community remains behind them.
“I believe it is part of our job as a community to show our love to this family and help in any way possible to help them get through this process,” Wooers said. “After the funeral, we all went about life.
“We certainly still think about Justin and feel the pain,” he continued. “But nothing like a family does.”
Hansen’s tragic passing led to the creation of the annual Patriot Game in Traverse City in 2012 while Wooer was coaching Traverse City West. The game features crosstown rivals West and Traverse City Central every year and strives to honor veterans, first responders, active duty military, and area heroes who died while serving their country.
Saturday’s win over Almont left Wooer emotionally exhausted after all the preparations to do it right for the senior class, the school, the Kingsley community, the Schueller family and Hansen. Collectively, they’ve really become more like a family to the Stags coaching staff and many, many others.
“In terms of emotions, there is no doubt Justin was on my mind throughout the game,” Wooer said. “Trina and Conner have been – those are two huge pieces.
“And, a lot of my thoughts are with the seniors,” he continued. “You want to win the game, but also it is your last time with them.”
Wooer has learned a lot from his former players and coaches over the years. He’s become close friends with many of them, going back to his early days of coaching as a student-teacher at Elk Rapids. He also coached at Farewell and Traverse City West, the latter from 2008-2017 after a first tenure at Kingsley. He returned to Kingsley in 2018.
Schueller is among several former players and coaches who have been on Wooer’s coaching staffs over the years. Several continue today.
“I could give you lots of other stories about kids I have had,” Wooer said. “There comes this transition where they turn into such amazing men, you catch yourself every once in a while saying, ‘I want to be like him.’
“You get this huge smile on your face because you’re so proud of them, just like a mother or father would,” Wooer continued. “A coach always looks at his players like they’re part of his family.”
In addition to Conner, current assistants with long-term relationships with Wooer are Tom Kaleita, Kyle Smith, Ryan Zenner, Dan Goethals, Josh Merchant, Jordan Bradford, Steve Klinge, Connor Schueller, Mike Arlt, Larry Mikowski, Bobby Howell, Rob Whims and Jason Morrow.
This year’s seniors were Jon Pearson, Eli Graves, Skylar Workman, Gavyn Merchant, Max Goethals, Evan Trafford, Bode Bielas, Grant Kolbusz, James Person, Caleb Bott, Trenton Peacock, Noah Scribner and Gavin Dear. They and the coaching staff will be the center of attention as the community celebrates the football team at 7 p.m. this evening in the high school gymnasium.
The seniors probably won’t need VIP parking tonight. But if it would help, Conner would surely make arrangements to utilize Trina’s Touchdown Club. He’d have to add a shuttle though as Rodes Field is about a mile away from the school.
“It feels amazing — I don’t think it really hit any one yet, but I am sure it will,” Conner said. “After we won, it is truly something – it is something else I can’t explain.
“The seniors finally won it the way they were supposed to,” he continued. “It was a good class of seniors.”
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) Kingsley students support their classmates during Saturday’s Division 6 Final at Ford Field. (2) Stags assistant coach Conner Schueller watches from the sideline during an Almont run back. (3) Kingsley coach Tim Wooer, in red, prepares to present the championship trophy to his team including Schueller, far right. (4) Trina’s Touchdown Club welcomes members to the VIP lot adjacent to the Kingsley stadium. (Ford Field photos by Hockey Weekly Action Photos; touchdown club photo courtesy of the Kingsley football program.)