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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: 5/9/24
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
May 9, 2024
1. GIRLS SOCCER Division 1 No. 5 Midland Dow finished undefeated in the Saginaw Valley League for the third-straight season by handing Division 3 No. 2 Flint Powers Catholic its lone SVL loss 1-0 – Mid-Michigan Now
2. TRACK & FIELD For the first time since 2008, Mason County Eastern finished a girls/boys championship sweep in the West Michigan D League – Ludington Daily News
3. BOYS LACROSSE Fenton clinched the Flint Metro League title in just its second season, downing Linden 6-3 – WJRT
4. GIRLS SOCCER Division 2 No. 4 Plainwell clinched its fourth-straight Wolverine Conference championship with a 3-0 win over Vicksburg – Kalamazoo Gazette
5. TRACK & FIELD The LPD4 No. 7 Centreville girls and White Pigeon boys claimed Southwest 10 Conference titles – Sturgis Journal Girls | Boys
6. GIRLS TENNIS Ludington edged North Muskegon to claim the West Michigan Conference title – Local Sports Journal
7. BASEBALL Division 1 No. 6 Jenison handed No. 5 Rockford a 2-1 loss, breaking the Rams’ 20-game winning streak, but Rockford came back with a 2-1 win in the second game – Grand Rapids Press
8. SOFTBALL Olivia Tilley broke Division 2 honorable mention Carleton Airport’s career stolen base record during a win over Grosse Ile, and as just a sophomore – Monroe News
9. TRACK & FIELD Traverse City St. Francis swept the Bruce Garland Relays at Benzie Central; the Gladiators girls are No. 1 in LPD3, and the boys are No. 10 – Traverse City Record-Eagle
10. BOYS LACROSSE Hartland followed Jacob Ross to a 17-6 win over Brighton – Livingston Daily Press & Argus