Century of School Sports: State's Storytellers Share Fall Memories
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
October 15, 2024
The story of school sports always has been, and remains, one of its most valuable commodities – a collection of memories tying together generations who have learned, competed and endured with their classmates, representing their communities over the 100-year history of the Michigan High School Athletic Association.
High School sports in Michigan have had the great benefit of being featured prevalently in the state’s media going back to their start – first in the local newspaper, then over the local radio airwaves, followed by local TV stations and now joined by an online presence allowing anyone from anywhere to keep up with their favorite school team.
Once per season – Fall, Winter and Spring – during this 2024-25 “Century of School Sports” celebration, we’ll feature memories from several of our state’s storytellers who have played major roles in getting out the good word on school sports. Below is our first edition, taken from a survey of more than 20 media members past and present along with our longtime MHSAA historian and staff communications specialist.
Dad Role Provides Perspective for Role as Storyteller
Jack Doles, WOOD TV (Grand Rapids)
I have been covering high school sports in the state of Michigan since 1987. I have seen some of the most incredible games played at the Silverdome and Ford Field in the MHSAA football state championships. Nothing will top watching my son Tommy win a state championship with Grand Rapids Christian in 2012. They beat Orchard Lake St. Mary's in overtime 40-37. Drake Harris, who would go on to play football at the University of Michigan, had a game for the ages.
But the thing I'll never forget was interviewing my son afterward. I could hardly get the questions out. I wasn't the reporter for that game; that wouldn't be right. Still, I came away from that championship run with a different perspective. I saw first-hand how a school community rallies around a team. It gave me a better understanding of how we should try and cover teams and tournaments.
Sexton Takes Lansing on Unforgettable Ride
Brian Calloway, Lansing State Journal
One of the best things about high school sports is seeing teams take communities on special rides and to places they have never been before. I have seen it plenty with football teams I have covered, like Mason and Corunna last season making their historic runs to Ford Field. But the instance that stands out the most is when Lansing Sexton reached the Division 4 state championship game in 2014 under Dan Boggan. The trip ended with a 28-27 loss to Grand Rapids South Christian, but the experience marked a major moment for the Lansing School District, which has produced plenty of football talent over the years but never had any of its schools get to a football state final.
Livonia Schools Set Stage as 1st Class A Boys Soccer Finalists
Brad Emons, Detroit Free Press (formerly of Observer & Eccentric newspapers)
The first MHSAA Class A boys soccer championship game, on Nov. 6, 1982, ironically featured two Livonia schools, Stevenson vs. Churchill, at Flint’s Atwood Stadium.
Stevenson, coached by Pete Scerri and led by prolific goal scorer Gary Mexicotte, earned a 4-1 victory over the Chargers.
Reese Refuses to Let Championship Party End
Rob Kaminski, MHSAA communications coordinator since 1999
In a sport that has seen a host of repeat champions and schools with numerous Finals appearances, it’s a school that had only one shot at the Finals and made the most of it against long odds that comes to mind: The 2021 Reese Rockets.
The Rockets, in fact, had only reached the MHSAA Semifinals one other time (2010), and coach Angie Compton’s team was facing a tall task being asked to dethrone two-time defending champion Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central in the Division 3 championship match. SMCC was making its 11th Finals appearance. Before reaching the Final, however, Reese was extended to four sets in a thrilling 25-20, 25-18, 23-25, 28-26 victory over Muskegon Western Michigan Christian.
Facing the perennial power Kestrels the next day, Compton’s team appeared to be running on empty as SMCC took the first two sets, 25-18, 25-19. Unfazed, and actually singing and dancing to music blaring over the public address system during each break in the action, Reese pounded out a 25-25 win in set 3 and put the champs on the ropes with a 25-21 win in set 4 to tie the match, 2-2.
The Rockets would have to battle back from one last deficit, trailing in the see-saw fifth set, 9-7, before capping the Cinderella season on the second championship point of the night as senior Maddi Osantowski and junior Abby Karst combined for a block for a 16-14 victory. Osantowski finished with 34 kills and totaled 110 attack attempts while setter Aydan Dalak had 42 assists.
Muskegon Reminds Us that It’s Never ‘Game Over’
Ron Pesch, MHSAA historian
Part of a rare double bill hosted at MSU's Spartan Stadium, the 2008 Muskegon-Davison Division 2 Semifinal provided countless Big Reds fans with the opportunity to depart early. And many did.
Everything that could go wrong did go wrong for unbeaten, top-ranked, and heavily-favored Muskegon. Turnover after turnover – six in total, including two muffed punts – aligned with a stellar performance by Davison's sophomore quarterback, Jake Thompson, and an opportunistic Cardinals squad. Davison led 21-13 at the half, 35-13 with 4:45 to play in the third quarter, and 35-19 with under five minutes remaining when a blown defensive assignment allowed Muskegon to cut the margin to 35-25 on a 77-yard TD pass. But a failed 2-point conversion meant the Big Reds still needed two scores.
For several in the press box, as well as the great majority in the stands, it was game over. However, in a game filled with life lessons, Muskegon's recovery of a pair of onside kicks – with touchdowns to follow – made the Big Reds’ eventual 38-35 victory the most improbable of improbable comebacks in MHSAA playoff history. It's still stunning to watch.
Good-bye to Legendary Program, Legendary Coach
Brad Emons, Detroit Free Press (formerly of Observer & Eccentric newspapers)
In the final year of Farmington Hills Harrison before it closed its doors, the state’s all-time winningest coach with a career record of 443-112-1 saw his team surrender a 14-7 fourth-quarter lead and fall in a Division 4 Regional Final at home to Chelsea, 21-14, on Nov. 11, 2018.
Afterward, legendary Harrison coach John Herrington addressed the media and said, “The only thing I thought about was Don Meredith and Monday Night Football. He used to say, ‘Turn out the lights, the party is over.’ I guess that’s my quote.” Herrington finished his career at Harrison with 34 playoff appearances, 13 state titles and five runner-up finishes from 1970-2018.
Mercy Completes Miracle at Calihan Hall
Mick McCabe, Detroit Free Press since 1970
(From its start as an MHSAA-sponsored sport in 1973 through 2006, girls basketball was played during the fall.)
On Dec. 11, 1982, the Flint Northern girls basketball team was well on its way to making MHSAA history. After three quarters the Vikings, who were attempting to become the first girls team to win five consecutive state championships, led upstart Farmington Hills Mercy by 19 points.
With less than seven minutes remaining the lead was 18 points, and Mercy was in trouble. Left with no alternative, Mercy applied a full-court trapping press and suddenly Northern began turning the ball over like crazy. The Marlins got within five when sophomore Amy DeMattia (13 points, 10 rebounds) scored three straight baskets to give Mercy the lead while Northern, which had 31 turnovers, responded with four consecutive turnovers. Sophomore Annette Ruggiero came up with a key steal and hit a free throw for a two-point lead and then another sophomore, Mary Rosowski, nailed a clutch free throw with 11 seconds left to seal the deal – a 61-58 win over the Vikings.
Junior Sarah Basford led Mercy with 20 points. Mercy started one senior, one junior and three sophomores, and the Marlins may have been too naive to realize they were supposed to be intimidated by Northern. After the final buzzer sounded, Mercy coach Larry Baker looked like he was in a daze as he wandered around the court repeating: “I don’t believe it ... I don’t believe it.” Neither did anyone else.
Grand Ledge Refuses to Lose in 1st Football Finals Trip
Tim Staudt, WILX (Lansing), in 53rd year of broadcasting
(Trailing 14-7 against Utica Eisenhower with less than a minute to play in the 2000 Division 1 football championship game, Grand Ledge scored 12 unanswered points – beginning with a 5-yard touchdown run by Matt Bohnet with 53 seconds to play, followed by an onside kick recovered by the Comets’ Collin O’Keefe, which led to a 45-yard game-winning scoring pass from Bohnet to Tim George with 22 seconds remaining. The 19-14 win gave Grand Ledge its first football Finals championship, notable as well as the team was coached by Pat O’Keefe, who at one time had the record for most baseball coaching wins in state history and remains second on that list.)
One of the most remarkable comebacks in state finals football history was when Grand Ledge came back to defeat Utica Eisenhower at the Silverdome, rallying to win the Division 1 state championship under coach Pat O’Keefe in 2000.
Even for Those Disappointed, 8-Player Final Tremendous
Greg Miller, formerly of 9&10 News (Cadillac)
I had the misfortune of covering a great deal of sad state championship games where our local team would fall to a team from downstate. Few were more heartbreaking than the 2012 8-Player Football Final (the second year a state championship was awarded in 8-player football) at Greenville High School's beautiful football stadium.
The Bellaire Eagles had a 6-0 halftime lead but fell behind when Deckerville scored twice in the third quarter. The Eagles would try to rally in the fourth quarter, and eventually hit a massive touchdown pass with less than a minute to play to pull within a 2-point conversion of tying the game and likely sending it to overtime. Alas, the 2-point try failed, and the subsequent onside kick was unlucky as well.
As a bit of an introduction to a new brand of football that allowed so many small schools across the state to keep playing the game, it was a tremendous game – even if the team I was there to cover came up two points short.
Power of DeYoung’s 42 Resonates for Mourning Champion
Jack Doles, WOOD TV (Grand Rapids)
Back in 2002, the South Christian Sailors had a fantastic team. They were very talented and tight knit. During the playoffs, in the week of the Semifinals, one of their teammates, Derek DeYoung was killed in a car accident. At the urging of his father, a pastor, the Sailors decided to continue to play.
Derek wore number 42, and they scored 42 points in a win over Caro in the Semifinal. After the game, both teams and fans gathered together on the field and took a knee and prayed.
The Sailors then had to go to a funeral for their friend and teammate, and then prepare for a state championship game. Instead of being distracted, they came out focused and on a mission. Derek's brother wore his jersey with the #42 and led the Sailors onto the field. They hammered Riverview and won the state championship. Late in the game, they kicked a field goal that would give them 42 points. There wasn't a dry eye in the house. Another incredible memory from covering high school sports.
Previous "Century of School Sports" Spotlights
Oct. 8: Guided by 4 S's of Educational Athletics - Read
Oct. 1: Michigan Sends 10 to National Hall of Fame - Read
Sept. 25: MHSAA Record Books Filled with 1000s of Achievements - Read
Sept. 18: Why Does the MHSAA Have These Rules? - Read
Sept. 10: Special Medals, Patches to Commemorate Special Year - Read
Sept. 4: Fall to Finish with 50th Football Championships - Read
Aug. 28: Let the Celebration Begin - Read
PHOTOS (Top) Clockwise from top left: Farmington Hills Mercy's Sarah Basford directs the offense during a 1982 Class A Semifinal against Lansing Everett. (2) Lansing Sexton's cheerleaders await their football team's entrance at Ford Field. (3) Farmington Hills Harrison football coach John Herrington sends a play in with quarterback Drew Stanton. (4) Reese volleyball players dance together during a break in the 2021 Division 3 Final. (5) The 1982 Livonia Stevenson boys soccer team takes a team photo used in the MHSAA Book of Champions. (Middle) Livonia Stevenson players carry their championship trophy after winning the 1982 Class A soccer title at Atwood Stadium. (Below) Members of the 1982 Farmington Hills Mercy girls basketball team pose for a team photo. (MHSAA file photos.)
1975 Class D Football Film Finds Way Back to MHSAA for All to Enjoy Again
By
John Johnson
MHSAA Communications Director emeritus
April 11, 2023
Chasing history was one of the most enjoyable parts of serving at the MHSAA for nearly 34 years. Researching information, but especially what I considered for a long time to be talking to the “old guys” (now I’m one of them) and soaking up their verbal histories of our games.
It also involved chasing down old photos, broadcasts and game films – especially those which preceded our more modern video era beginning in the 1990s.
When I arrived at the MHSAA in 1987, there was a shelf of old 16mm film canisters of an assortment of Boys Basketball Finals from the 1950s to the 70s – certainly not a complete set. The Association would shoot some game action from each quarter and the trophy presentations. They’d be sent out to the participating schools to show to the students (I remember watching a Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart game in 1967 when I was in fifth grade). Some would find their way back to the office – most would not.
Will Robinson, the legendary Detroit Public School League coach who led Pershing High School to the league’s first MHSAA titles (in 1967 and 1970) after a district-imposed hiatus from 1931-61 from statewide tournaments, would pull my chain every time we saw each other about those games featuring Spencer Haywood and Ralph Simpson, among others. We never found them.
So it became a project to try and track down as many old game films of state championships as we could.
Any conversation with someone with a history tone always included a question about the whereabouts of a game film or video. One of those recently bore fruit.
When Crystal Falls Forest Park played in the 8-Player Football Finals at the Superior Dome in Marquette back in 2017, I spent a lot of time talking with living legend Bill Santilli, who led the Trojans to the Class D crown in the very first year of the tournament in 1975, and who would later coach the school to a second state title (2007) and serve as athletic director. He said he had a box on his desk collecting dust that he didn’t know what to do with – that box contained an old video tape from that game.
I uttered four little words – “Send It To Me.”
After a while the tape arrived in East Lansing, and I got our video production friends at When We Were Young Productions/Rush Media in Wisconsin on it. This winter, they found someone who could convert it and sent me a file that was recently posted to the MHSAASPORTS Channel on YouTube. You can watch the Trojans play Flint Holy Rosary by Clicking Here or watching above.
There are all kinds of old game films/videos and artifacts in attics, closets, garages, etc., in every town. Two of our Muskegon historians – Ron Pesch, the MHSAA’s history guy; and the old broadcaster, Jim Moyes, who called games on the radio for years in the Port City – can tell stories of their own about discoveries they have made. Moyes found all kinds of mementos while working on his book on the history of high school track & field in Michigan, and sitting with Ron at this year’s Girls Basketball Finals, he told a story of finding the mother lode of photographs from one of his other historical passions – silent film star Buster Keaton – who spent ten summers in the Actor’s Colony in Muskegon.
Pesch found a listing for Eleanor Keaton, Buster’s widow, using a telephone book (remember those?), made a phone call and shortly thereafter, on a vacation to California, was in her living room where he was loaned a photo album and family scrapbook containing all kinds of images from their time in Muskegon. Many of those images appear in a soon-to-be-released documentary, while the album and scrapbook now reside in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences library in Beverly Hills, Calif. You can preview the film by Clicking Here.
So if you think you have something of a state championship that could be utilized on a bigger platform and enjoyed by everyone, drop a note to [email protected]. If something needs to be converted to a more modern format, you’ll get a copy back, and the footage will be eventually viewable on the MHSAA’s YouTube channel.
To help guide your search, think in the following terms:
► Just about anything before 1990. But there are gaps during the 90s that need to be filled as well.
► Only Championship games and Semifinal games, unless something momentous occurred (like Richie Jordan’s 60-point game for Fennville against Bridgman in a Regional Semifinal in 1965, which is still an all-time tournament single-game record for boys basketball).
► For a list of what’s in the MHSAA archives prior to 2000 – Click Here. A long-term project is to get all of the games on the list and up to about 2010 uploaded to the YouTube channel. Most games from 2013-14 on can be viewed on the NFHS Network, and some games between 2010 and 2013 are available for purchase as DVDs from PrepFilms.com.
PHOTO Posing with the championship trophy after the 1975 Class D Football Final are (left to right): Forest Park tight end Bryan LaChapelle, quarterback Richard Mettlach, head coach Dick Mettlach and running back Bill Santilli.