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February 13, 2012

Check out our must-know scores and news from Feb. 6-11.

(Click on links for coverage.)

Wrestling

Shelby remains; Hesperia does not: Hesperia always seems to be in the Division 4 Finals mix, having reached the championship match in Battle Creek three of the last five seasons, including 2011 when it finished runner-up. But Shelby -- frequently a Division 3 team but in Division 4 this season -- knocked out the Panthers with a 36-26 win in Wednesday's team District. Shelby was ranked No. 4 and Hesperia No. 3 entering the postseason. (Mlive.com)

Coon remains king of the heavyweights: Fowlerville junior Adam Coon won the last two MHSAA Division 2 championships at 215 pounds, and is considered the favorite at heavyweight this season. He remained undefeated at 42-0 with a 3-2 win in Saturday's individual District final over Mason's Adam Robinson (39-2), who finished third at heavyweight in Division 2 at last season's MHSAA Finals. (MHSAA.com)

All four move on for one more: The 215-pound class at Temperance Bedford's Division 1 individual District also was expected to be among the most contested statewide Saturday, with four of the top six in that division competing according to MichiganGrappler.com. All four advanced to next weekend's regional, led by the Kicking Mules' Bryan Smith, who won with a 6-1 decision in the final. (MHSAA.com)

Girls basketball

Goodrich rolls on: The Martians continue to make their case not only as the favorite in Class B this season, but as one of the state's elite regardless of class. For the second straight week, Goodrich beat a state-ranked Class A team by double figures. This time it was reigning Class A champion Inkster, 63-48 (last week it was No. 9 Midland, 56-36). The Martians are 16-0. (Mlive.com)

Boys basketball

Wes Leonard enters Fennville Hall of Fame: Nearly a year after his death, the former all-stater was inducted into his school's Hall of Fame during a ceremony Friday. We've created one file with links to both print and video media coverage, and we'll be uploading our video of the entire ceremony later Monday. (Second Half)

Editor's note: Did we miss something? Comment below and tell us about it. Is there an event coming up that we should make sure to note? Comment or e-mail [email protected].

High 5s - 10/17/12

October 17, 2012

We love to recognize first-time accomplishments (or first time in a long while), and this week's High 5s go out to some of the best this season in swimming, tennis and football.

Each week, Second Half recognizes two athletes and a team for their successes during the current season. To nominate a candidate, email editor Geoff Kimmerly at [email protected].

Below are this week's honorees.

Morgan Bullock
Zeeland West freshman
Swimming

Bullock, swimming in her first high school MISCA Meet, posted winning times in the 200-yard freestyle and 100 butterfly that would've placed at last season's MHSAA Division 1 Final. She won the 200 in 1:51.97 and the butterfly in 56.37 seconds. Her 200 time would've been the third best at last season's Final, and her butterfly time would've placed her fifth, just behind older sister Jordan Bullock, who graduated this spring. Zeeland West and East combine for one team, and Morgan already has team records in the 50 and 100 freestyles and 100 butterfly. Those three records formerly belonged to her sister.

All about the training: Bullock lives near the pool, so she wakes up school day mornings at 5:24 a.m. and gets to the pool at 5:32 for 5:45 practices. The team then has breakfast together before classes begin. "I love the feel when you touch that wall, when you see your best times. You know that all the hard work, waking up so early in the morning for practice, it all pays off."

Be like Dana: "Mostly I look up to Dana Vollmer. Just for the Olympics this year, her 100 butterfly, she had an amazing time. I'm close to the Olympic trial cut for that, and (I admire) a huge amount how fast she's gotten." 

Already thinking ahead: "The next Olympic trials, I want to make that. I probably won't get in the top two, so I'll wait four years, and that's when I want to go to the Olympics. I think I'll be 20-something. And I want to go into dentistry. My dad and my grandparents, they always ask what I want to be when I grow up. They'll always throw out some stuff, like my grandma will throw out being a lawyer. But when I watched the Olympic trials in Omaha (Neb.), I was watching it and thinking I definitely want to do this next time." 

Best advice from big sis: "That's a hard one. Probably just try your best."

Click to read more.

Billy Heckman
Portage Central senior
Tennis

Heckman, the runner-up at No. 2 singles at last season's MHSAA Division 2 Final, downed reigning No. 1 singles champion Davis Crocker of Kalamazoo Loy Norrix 7-6 (5), 6-1 to win last week's Regional championship at Portage Northern. Crocker was 26-0 this season heading into the event. The two had never met during the high school season, but Heckman had fallen to Crocker once previously at a USTA event.

Up next: Heckman isn't sure where yet, but he'd like to play Division I college tennis. He does know he'll study business. "I'm good with people, and I just like doing business stuff. A lot of people think I'm an entrepreneur just because I like to work on things. I used to buy things and then fix them up and sell them on eBay ... make some extra cash."

The apprentice: "With tennis, I just know how to set up points pretty well, and maybe that can apply to business somehow. We have senior mock elections. ... (People) call me the next Steve Jobs, the next billionaire."

A different kind of ball player: Heckman's father Victor Heckman was a baseball fifth-round draft pick of the Chicago White Sox in 1985. "Obviously, he wanted me to play. But those are some pretty big shoes to fill. I played every kind of sport when I was a kid. Tennis just seemed to stick with me."

My favorite player is: "Lleyton Hewitt. I always liked how competitive he is. I used to grow my hair out to be like him. He has a great serve. It's not all about power. He has great placement."

Click to read more.

Lansing Everett football

The Vikings downed rival Lansing Sexton 32-0 to clinch a share of the Capital Area Activities Conference Blue championship, their first league title since 1986. Everett is 8-0 after winning a combined six games over the last three seasons, and can finish with a perfect regular season for the first time since 1954 by beating winless Jackson on Friday. The Vikings trail only Muskegon in playoff point average among teams expected to fall into Division 2 when pairings are determined Sunday.

Click to read more.

Previous 2012-13 honorees: