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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."

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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."

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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.

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Previous 2012-13 honorees:

High 5s: 10/24/12

October 29, 2012

Two of this week's honorees finished their MHSAA careers over the weekend with Finals championships. The third hopes to accomplish the same on the first Saturday in November.

Kelsey Murphy
Plymouth senior
Golf

Murphy, who finished third individually at the 2011 MHSAA Division 1 Final after leading deep into the second day, claimed this season's championship with a two-day 178 at Michigan State's Forest Akers East. Her rounds of 73 and 75 helped Plymouth to its first MHSAA team championship in any sport. She made two birdies during her second round and edged Utica senior Taylor Clark by a stroke. Murphy made the all-state Super Team as a junior and is among favorites to win the Miss Golf award to be announced later this month.

Drive time: Murphy's favorite club is her Titleist 910 driver. "That's one of my most consistent clubs. When I need to put a good shot out there, I rely on my driver to help me out."

I look up to: "Rory McIlroy. He's always willing to go out there and play a new round each day, and I admire his etiquette on the course. He's not one of those players that shows frustration a lot. He keeps it internal, and that's a good thing to have on the golf course." 

Up next: Murphy will sign with Eastern Michigan University and study nursing. "I knew the coach (Sandy Wagner) before because she was the first swing coach I ever had, and I admired the way she acts as a coach. Plus it has a great nurshing program and it's close to home, so it all worked out. I had a few surgeries when I was little, and I had nurses who were really well-trained and they helped calm me down before. I wanted to do that, at a children's hospital."

Sister act: Murphy's sophomore sister Sydney beat her for the first time this fall, at the DeWitt Invitational at Hudson Mills. Sydney shot a 74 to share medalist honors, while Kelsey shot a 77 to tie for third. "I was proud of her for that. She's going to be a really great golfer. I was getting updates throughout the round, and she was playing a really good round. So I knew she probably was going to beat me." 

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Michael Sienko
Williamston senior
Tennis

Sienko capped a 28-0 run this fall by beating rival Chance Conley of Portland in the MHSAA Division 4 No. 1 Singles Final, 6-1 and 6-0. Conley defeated Sienko in the championship match last season, and both along with third-seeded Matt Heeder of Lansing Catholic all played in the Capital Area Activities Conference White. Sienko won the Division 4 No. 2 singles championship as a freshman and will graduate with a career record of 102-8.

Sign me up: Sienko hopes to choose between Army and Air Force for after high school, and he plans to continue his tennis career. His father Dean is a Major General in the Army and his brother Peter currently is a sophomore on Army's tennis team. Their sister Carolyn is in the Navy.

Taking a Chance: Michael Sienko and Conley have matched up a number of times over the years, but have become friends in the process. Sienko said Conley was his toughest opponent this season. "He hits a good ball. It's hard, and he's a really good competitor too. ... A lot of people think we hate each other, but I think we're good friends. On the court, it's a different thing, but off the court we're nice."

Born to lead: "I'm leaning toward business management or finance or something in there would be interesting. I like numbers, and I'd say math is maybe my best subject, and I kinda like to run things. To be the boss would be interesting."

Right on, Rafa: Sienko's favorite player is Rafael Nadal. "I read his book, and he talked about all the hard work he's done. He talks about the focus and dedication he puts into the sport, and I thought it was amazing that he did that. And the stories he told were just insane."

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Grand Blanc soccer

(Updated Oct. 29.) The Bobcats have advanced to their third Division 1 Semifinal in five seasons, and did so last week with a 1-0 win over Walled Lake Central after falling to Central in a shootout in a Regional Semifinal last season. Grand Blanc scored only 32 goals during its 18 regular-season games, but has scored 18 during five games in the postseason. The Bobcats are 15-6-2. 

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Previous 2012-13 honorees: