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Michel Finishes with Story to Tell
June 11, 2013
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Andrew Michel received the heart-breaking news only moments before leaving his golf team’s Regional on Friday to get ready for that night’s Brownstown-Woodhaven prom.
But missing making the MHSAA Finals by a stroke was not the first thing he shared with those who asked about his day at West Shore Golf and Country Club in Grosse Ile.
Instead, the graduating senior told of the 132-yard shot he dropped for a hole-in-one on the par-3 12th hole, his second ace but first in competition.
Michel finished with a season-best 76, missing the cut for this weekend’s Lower Peninsula Division 1 Final by a stroke despite firing another eagle during the final holes of his round.
“At the start of the day, I told myself don’t leave anything on the table. Go for it on every hole, make every shot and just have fun at your last tournament,” Michel said Tuesday afternoon as he readied for that night’s graduation ceremony. “Being a senior, I went for everything.”
The best part might’ve been how he came back from a disappointing previous hole.
Michel had just finished off a triple bogey on No. 11, and admitted he was down on himself. He stepped to the next tee with his pitching wedge, and “I didn’t really care what happened. I chose the club I like to hit on that hole, and in the air I was thinking it was really good,” he said.
The ball touched down on the green and spun back into the hole.
Michel also played golf and soccer at Brownstown-Woodhaven. He’ll attend Grand Valley State University in the fall, study engineering, and will try to walk-on the Lakers’ golf team.
“Deep down inside,” he said he’s disappointed he won’t be playing at Michigan State’s Forest Akers West on Friday. But he’s got a quite a highlight to take with him from his final high school round.
“It was very bittersweet. I really wanted to go to state,” Michel said. “But the hole-in-one balanced it out a bit.”
Eye on the official
Hopefully you caught our MHSAA benchmarks piece (also published on Second Half) on longtime official Lamont Simpson, who has worked not only MHSAA Finals but NCAA tournaments and is one of 32 officials in the WNBA. (Here’s the link in case you missed it.)
He also became that league’s first to wear the referee cam, debuting the new gear during a recent game between the Phoenix Mercury and Indiana Fever.
The camera provides plenty of ref’s-eye views. Click the video below to check it out.
Wheels of Steele
We’ve been watching the inspiring progress of Frankenmuth runner Bobby Steele especially over the last few years as his story became known across the Lower Peninsula.
Steele, who is visually impaired, has run cross country and track for the Eagles, thanks to the help of guides who ran with him to help him stay on course.
If you haven’t heard Steele’s awesome story, check out this 8-minute video. Not only did Steele run, but he cut roughly 12 minutes off his first cross country times over the course of his career.
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Today in the MHSAA: 5/31/24
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
May 31, 2024
1. GIRLS GOLF Ontonagon added to its record championship total with another at the Upper Peninsula Division 3 Finals – MHSAA.com
2. BOYS GOLF Powers North Central claimed its second UPD3 Finals title in three seasons – MHSAA.com
3. GIRLS SOCCER Milford clinched its first District title in this sport with a 1-0 win over Walled Lake Northern in Division 1 – Oakland Press
4. GIRLS SOCCER Battle Creek Calhoun Christian/St. Philip claimed its first District title with a 5-0 win over Jonesville in Division 4 – Battle Creek Enquirer
5. GIRLS SOCCER No. 13 Elk Rapids ran its District title streak to three with a 5-1 win over No. 4 Leland in Division 4 – Traverse City Record-Eagle
6. BOYS GOLF Hillsdale Academy won its Lower Peninsula Division 4 Regional with a 331 as the top three teams finished within five strokes of each other – Hillsdale Daily News
7. GIRLS SOCCER No. 5 Stevensville Lakeshore came back to defeat Vicksburg 2-1 in a Division 2 District Final – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium
8. GIRLS SOCCER No. 3 Troy downed No. 12 Troy Athens 4-1 in a Division 1 District Final – Oakland Press
9. GIRLS SOCCER Top-ranked Hudsonville Unity Christian finished a Division 3 District title run with a 7-0 win over No. 10 Grand Rapids West Catholic – FOX 17
10. GIRLS SOCCER No. 2 Richland Gull Lake shut out No. 15 Otsego 1-0 to claim a Division 2 District title – WWMT
Also of note …
BOYS BASKETBALL Clarkston is mourning the death of longtime coach Dan Fife, who retired in 2018 third on the all-time wins list in the sport with 703 – Oakland Press