Rep Council Wrap-up: Fall 2019
December 16, 2019
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The adoption of an enhanced strength-of-schedule formula to determine 8-Player Football Playoff qualifiers beginning with the 2020 season was the most notable action taken by the Representative Council of the Michigan High School Athletic Association during its Fall Meeting on Dec. 6 in East Lansing.
Generally, the Council takes only a few actions during its Fall Meeting, with topics often introduced for additional consideration and action during its meetings in winter and spring. This Fall Meeting saw the Council take only two actions, while the majority of discussion centered on topics expected to receive more specific consideration at MHSAA sport committee meetings this winter.
The decision to alter the playoff selection process for 8-player football makes playoff selection consistent across both formats of the sport; 11-player football will begin using the enhanced strength-of-schedule formula as well in 2020, per Council approval at its Spring Meeting this past May. The new playoff selection formula places greater weight on the success of a team’s opponents and sets playoff divisions during the school classification process in March, instead of after the conclusion of the regular season as done previously in both 11 and 8-player football. Also similarly, teams will not be allowed to opt-up into a larger division in either format. The one difference for 8-player is that points assigned for defeating an opponent will be the same for teams in both divisions; in 11-player, more points are awarded on an escalating scale for defeating teams in larger-school divisions.
The Council also approved the permanent use of a policy for non-traditional draws in basketball and volleyball that has guided the scheduling of postseason play for those sports during the 2018-19 and 2019-20 school years. Non-traditional draws allow games to be played at a school’s home or closer neutral site instead of all teams at the same site to alleviate travel distance and time for teams facing long trips during the District and Regional rounds. The policy approved for continuation allows for non-traditional draws to be used for Districts made up of all Upper Peninsula teams, a combination of Upper and Lower Peninsula teams or Districts made up of seven or eight teams from any location; and for geographically-neutral sites to be selected for Regionals that include more than one District located entirely in the Upper Peninsula. For the two District scenarios including Upper Peninsula teams, a traditional draw still may be conducted if all participating teams agree to it.
A number of remaining discussions focused on results from this fall’s Update Meeting survey completed by administrators during the MHSAA’s annual presentations across the state. The Council at its Spring Meeting requested study by staff on a variety of topics – most notably amateur status, out-of-season coaching issues, use of football equipment in out-of-season activities and the MHSAA travel limitation both during the summer and in-season. A number of Update survey questions addressed those subjects, and conversations on those topics will continue at the separate sport committee meetings over the next few months in advance of further Council discussion in March and May.
The Council discussed efforts to promote and grow football, and staff reported on the upcoming Youth Football Summit to be held Jan. 19, 2020, at the MHSAA in partnership with USA Football and the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association. Those efforts, along with the history of use of football equipment out-of-season, are scheduled for further conversation at the MHSAA Football Committee meeting in January.
Additionally, MHSAA staff reported on current mental health initiatives – including the Association’s rules meeting partnership with the Mental Health Foundation of West Michigan and its “be nice.” education program – and on the first meeting of the Sports Medicine Advisory Council. Staff relayed feedback received this fall during the first season under the new sport-specific transfer rule, and also observations from the first-time use of limited District seeding in boys soccer during the recently-completed season. An update also was presented on officials registration and retention.
The Fall Meeting saw the addition of William McCoy, athletic director of Romulus Summit Academy North, to the 19-person Council. He was appointed to a two-year term. McCoy fills the position formerly held by Courtney Hawkins, athletic director of Flint Beecher High School, whose term ended. Also, Kris Isom, athletic director at Adrian Madison High School, was appointed to a two-year term. She replaces Justin Jennings, who previously served as superintendent for Muskegon Public Schools and vacated his Council appointment after leaving Muskegon for a position in Ohio this summer.
The Council reelected Scott Grimes, assistant superintendent of human services for Grand Haven Area Public Schools, as its president; and Vic Michaels, director of physical education and athletics for the Archdiocese of Detroit, as secretary-treasurer. Clare Middle School principal Steve Newkirk was elected Council vice president.
The Representative Council is the 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 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 more than 1.4 million spectators each year.
2020 Scholar-Athlete Finalists Announced
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
January 21, 2020
The 120 finalists for the Michigan High School Athletic Association's Scholar-Athlete Awards for the 2019-20 school year, presented by Farm Bureau Insurance, have been announced.
The program, in its 31st year, has recognized student-athletes since the 1989-90 school year and again this winter will honor 32 individuals from MHSAA member schools who participate in at least one sport in which the Association sponsors a postseason tournament.
Farm Bureau Insurance underwrites the Scholar-Athlete Awards and will present a $1,000 scholarship to each recipient. Since the beginning of the program, 800 scholarships have been awarded.
Scholarships will be presented proportionately by school classification, with 12 scholarships to be awarded to Class A student-athletes, six female and six male; eight scholarships will be awarded to Class B student-athletes, four female and four male; six scholarships will be awarded to Class C student-athletes, three female and three male; and four scholarships will be awarded to Class D student-athletes, two female and two male. In addition, two scholarships will be awarded at-large to minority recipients, regardless of school size.
Every MHSAA member high school could submit as many applications as there are scholarships available in its classification, and could have more than one finalist. Midland Dow has four finalists this year while Cass City and Ann Arbor Pioneer each have three. Seventeen schools each have two finalists: Ada Forest Hills Eastern, Battle Creek Lakeview, Caro, Chelsea, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood, Fowler, Grosse Ile, Haslett, Hastings, Holland, Ida, North Muskegon, Petersburg Summerfield, Richland Gull Lake, St. Johns, Three Oaks River Valley and Troy Athens.
Multiple-sport participation remains the norm among applicants. The average sport participation rate of the finalists is 2.5. There are 86 three-plus sport participants in the finalists field, and all but one of the 28 sports in which the MHSAA sponsors postseason tournaments are represented.
Of 424 schools which submitted applicants, 12 submitted the maximum allowed. This year, 1,491 applications were received. All applicants will be presented with certificates commemorating their achievement. Additional Scholar-Athlete information, including a complete list of scholarship nominees, can be found on the MHSAA Website.
The applications were judged by a 66-member committee of school coaches, counselors, faculty members, administrators and board members from MHSAA member schools. Selection of the 32 scholarship recipients will take place in early February. Class C and D scholarship recipients will be announced Feb. 4, Class B scholarship recipients will be announced Feb. 11 and Class A scholarship recipients will be announced Feb. 18. All announcements will be made on the MHSAA Website.
To honor the 32 Scholar-Athlete Award recipients, a ceremony will take place during halftime of the MHSAA Division 3 Boys Basketball Final, March 28 at the Breslin Student Events Center in East Lansing.
To be eligible for the award, students must have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.50 (on a 4.0 scale) and previously have won a varsity letter in at least one sport in which the MHSAA sponsors a postseason tournament. Students also were asked to respond to a series of short essay questions, submit two letters of recommendation and a 500-word essay on the importance of sportsmanship in educational athletics.
Farm Bureau Insurance of Michigan was founded in 1949 by Michigan farmers who wanted an insurance company that worked as hard as they did. Those values still guide the company today and are a big reason why it is known as Michigan’s Insurance Company, dedicated to protecting the farms, families, and businesses of this great state. Farm Bureau Insurance agents across Michigan provide a full range of insurance services—life, home, auto, farm, business, retirement, Lake Estate®, and more—protecting nearly 500,000 Michigan policyholders.
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 more than 1.4 million spectators each year.
2019-20 Scholar-Athlete Award Finalists
GIRLS CLASS A
Alexandra Montgomery, Ann Arbor Huron
Lydia Valtadoros, Ann Arbor Pioneer
Lara Janosz, Bloomfield Hills
Madelyn Crandell, Byron Center
Morgan Cooper, Hartland
Brenna Bailey, Haslett
Kaitlyn Stid, Holland
Lucy Borski, Holland West Ottawa
Mónica Ruiz, Holly
Kayla Wolma, Hudsonville
Eliza Alushi, Livonia Stevenson
Ericka Asmus, Marquette
Sasha Konovalenko, Midland Dow
Maddie Sermak, Okemos
Kylie Ray, Pinckney
Anusha Tekumulla, Port Huron Northern
Jayne Flynn, Richland Gull Lake
Grace Foster, Richland Gull Lake
Raegan McNamara, Rochester Hills Stoney Creek
Rachel Gamm, Rockford
Erin Middleton, St. Johns
Elizabeth Saunders, Traverse City Central
Shaelie McClain, Troy Athens
Lauren Tarnowsky, Waterford Mott
BOYS CLASS A
Vaughn Hajra, Ann Arbor Pioneer
Owen Rennich, Ann Arbor Pioneer
Skyler Sebring, Battle Creek Lakeview
Vikram Strander, Battle Creek Lakeview
DJ Dixon, Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice
Jack Spamer, Brighton
Nate Sesti, Clarkston
Caleb White, Detroit Catholic Central
Luke Sayler, Dexter
Logan Canada, Fenton
George Graham, Grosse Pointe North
Nathaniel Holcomb, Haslett
Jonah Gilmore, Holland
Tej Kothari, Jenison
Shadrach Cunningham, Lansing Waverly
Sean Anderson, Midland Dow
Saketh Kamaraju, Midland Dow
Anish Middha, Midland Dow
Brandon Liu, Northville
Malcolm Gaynor, Portage Northern
Ben Boss, Saginaw Heritage
Peter Apostol, St. Johns
Davis DiGiovanni, Troy Athens
Ethan Price, Warren Cousino
GIRLS CLASS B
Alicia Kanai, Ada Forest Hills Eastern
Baylee Martens, Battle Creek Pennfield
Delaney Wesolek, Bay City John Glenn
Eleanor Kwartowitz, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood
Olivia Prodin, Chelsea
Elizabeth Norris, Corunna
Tara Keller, Frankenmuth
Grace Beardsley, Gladwin
Hannah Fulmer, Grosse Ile
Hannah Johnson, Hastings
Elizabeth Hovest, Ida
Sheridan Leinbach, Lansing Eastern
Katelynn Ceccacci, Ortonville Brandon
Abbey Almeda, Plainwell
Katherine Topoleski, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep
Faith Schafer, Williamston
BOYS CLASS B
Gabriel Hassan, Ada Forest Hills Eastern
Brice Austin, Alma
Jacob Herman, Berrien Springs
Jack Fairman, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood
Isaac Joslyn, Caro
Trevin Phillips, Caro
Joseph Norwood, Chelsea
Chris Lilly, Croswell-Lexington
Ben Lankfer, Grand Rapids Catholic Central
Lucas Kopp, Grosse Ile
William Roosien III, Hastings
Samuel Beach, Hillsdale
Alex Mitchell, Holland Christian
Hunter Assenmacher, Ida
Jorden Sowash, Owosso
Andrew Innerebner, Sault Ste. Marie
GIRLS CLASS C
Anna Laurenz, Breckenridge
Alanna Mayer, Bronson
Makayla Fletcher, Clinton
Madelyn Koski, Ishpeming Westwood
Lauren Schnicke, Kent City
Kayla Moore, Madison Heights Bishop Foley
Grace Tylutki, Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central
Isabella Santiago-Lindsay, North Muskegon
Ellie DuVall, Ottawa Lake Whiteford
Ellary Pachulski, Saranac
Allyson Kemp, Unionville-Sebewaing
Olivia Bowman, White Cloud
BOYS CLASS C
Hutson Hohlbein, Adrian Lenawee Christian
Gabriel Seir, Ann Arbor Greenhills
Jared Gottschalk, Beal City
Kendall Anthes, Cass City
Sandyn Cuthrell, Cass City
Drew Markel, Cass City
Giovanni Basanese, Iron Mountain
Jack Pedlar, Lake City
Riley McKenna, Lakeview
John Hayhurst, North Muskegon
Brendan Dafoe, Petersburg Summerfield
Noah Dusseau, Petersburg Summerfield
GIRLS CLASS D
Teegan Dawson, Bellaire
Josie Koenigsknecht, Fowler
Colleen McCarthy, Onekama
Emma Engler, Peck
Kaitlyn Bricker, Pellston
Isabel Mossel, Plymouth Christian
Samantha Teachworth, Portland St. Patrick
Emma Springer, Three Oaks River Valley
BOYS CLASS D
Tony Piggott, Fowler
Ramy Abueita, Genesee
Alex Sutten, Marion
Lesley Armah, Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart
Adam Paga, Petoskey St. Michael Academy
James Storey, Pickford
Bryce Opie, Suttons Bay
Matthew Schmidt, Three Oaks River Valley