6 Schools Win First Titles in 2012-13

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

June 24, 2013

A total of 101 schools won one or more of the 127 team Finals championships awarded by the Michigan High School Athletic Association during the 2012-13 school year – with six programs winning the first MHSAA team titles in any sport for their respective schools.

The Manchester girls basketball, Jackson Northwest girls bowling, Portland football, Harbor Beach football, Deckerville football and Hamtramck Frontier International boys soccer teams brought home the first MHSAA team championships in their schools’ histories.

A total of 33 teams won their first MHSAA titles. A total of 46 champions were repeat winners from 2011-12 – and 23 of those won for at least the third straight season. The Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice boys lacrosse team has the longest title streak of nine seasons, while the Battle Creek St. Philip volleyball team has won six straight titles for the second-longest streak overall and longest among girls programs. 

Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood claimed the most championships, four, winning in Division 2 boys lacrosse, Lower Peninsula Division 3 girls swimming and diving, Lower Peninsula Division 3 girls tennis and Division 3 ice hockey. Four schools won three titles apiece: Grand Rapids Christian, Grand Rapids South Christian, Marquette and St. Ignace LaSalle.

Sixteen of the MHSAA's 28 championship tournaments are unified, involving teams from the Upper and Lower Peninsulas, while separate competition to determine titlists in both Peninsulas is conducted in remaining sports.

For a sport-by-sport listing of MHSAA champions for 2012-13 - Click Here (PDF)

The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation of voluntary membership by more than 1,500 public and private senior high schools and junior high/middle schools which exists to develop common rules for athletic eligibility and competition. No government funds or tax dollars support the MHSAA, which was the first such association nationally to not accept membership dues or tournament entry fees from schools. Member schools which enforce these rules are permitted to participate in MHSAA tournaments, which attract approximately 1.6 million spectators each year.

PHOTO: Manchester's girls basketball team celebrates the school's first MHSAA team championship in any sport this March at the Breslin Center. (Click to see more at HighSchoolsSportsScene.com.)

Six Members Elected to MHSAA Representative Council

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

October 20, 2021

Elections were completed this week to fill positions on the Michigan High School Athletic Association’s legislative body, its Representative Council, with four members receiving re-election, another rejoining the Council after previously serving and a sixth being selected for the first time. All six were elected to two-year terms.

The four re-elected members ran unopposed. Marquette athletic director Alex Tiseo was re-elected to continue representing Class A and B schools in the Upper Peninsula. Gobles athletic director Chris Miller was re-elected to continue representing Class C and D schools in the southwestern section of the Lower Peninsula, and Ottawa Lake Whiteford athletic director and football coach Jason Mensing was re-elected to continuing representing Class C and D schools in the southeastern section of the Lower Peninsula. Jay Alexander, executive director of athletics for Detroit Public Schools Community District, was re-elected to continue representing Detroit Public Schools.

Boyne City athletic director and girls basketball coach Adam Stefanski was elected to represent junior high/middle schools. He previously served on the Council for one year while athletic director at Mackinaw City. Elected to the Council for the first time was Chelsea athletic director Brad Bush, who will fill one of two statewide at-large positions.

The Representative Council is the 19-member legislative body of the MHSAA. All but five members are elected by member schools. Four members are appointed by the Council to facilitate representation of females and minorities, and the 19th position is occupied by the Superintendent of Public Instruction or designee. The Council meets three times annually. Five members of the Council convene monthly during the school year to form the MHSAA’s Executive Committee, which reviews appeals of Handbook regulations by member schools.

Additional elections took place to select representatives to the Upper Peninsula Athletic Committee. Negaunee athletic director and football coach Paul Jacobson was elected to represent Class A and B schools, Ishpeming Westwood athletic director Jon Beckman was elected to represent Class C schools, and Ontonagon superintendent and principal Jim Bobula was elected to represent Class D schools.

The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation of voluntary membership by more than 1,400 public and private senior high schools and junior high/middle schools which exists to develop common rules for athletic eligibility and competition. No government funds or tax dollars support the MHSAA, which was the first such association nationally to not accept membership dues or tournament entry fees from schools. Member schools which enforce these rules are permitted to participate in MHSAA tournaments, which attract more than 1.4 million spectators each year.