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High 5s: 10/31/12

October 31, 2012

Finishing lower than first is a rarity for this week's High 5 recipients, who have found themselves ahead of the pack throughout most of this fall's volleyball, cross country and football seasons.

Amanda McKinzie
Battle Creek St. Philip senior
Volleyball

McKinzie, a 6-foot outside hitter, helped lead St. Philip to a 66-2-1 record heading into the postseason and the overall top ranking, regardless of class, by the Michigan Interscholastic Volleyball Coaches Association. The Tigers are going for their seventh consecutive MHSAA Class D championship, and McKinzie has been a key player on the last three. Her 2,396 career kills heading into the Regional rank fourth in the MHSAA record book since the beginning of the rally scoring era in 2004, and her 352 aces are 12th. She intends to sign with Virginia Tech and is one of 10 candidates for the state's Miss Volleyball award.

The candidate speaks: "I never would've thought (I'd be a finalist) when I was younger. I know so many good girls from around here too. It's just such an honor."

This is it: "I've started to feel the nerves. There aren't many (matches) left. I've been on (varsity) since freshman year, been on the teams that won all these past years, and I can feel the pressure. Yeah, this is it. We can't take things for granted." 

Had to be a Hokie: McKinzie also considered Duke and Indiana before settling on Virginia Tech. "The coaches, the facilities, just the all-around campus, how it's set up. It's easy to get around places. And the coaches are so welcoming. Everything they have for you is pretty much right there."

Staying in sport: Although McKinzie is unsure what she'll study, she's considering something in health and nutrition that is connected to athletics.

Click to read more.

Connor Mora
Cedar Springs senior
Cross country

Mora won last weekend's Division 2 Regional at Benzie Central by more than 22 seconds with a time of 14:54. That's 39 seconds faster than his MHSAA Finals time of 15:33 that placed him third last fall. He won the 1,600 and 800-meter runs at the Division 2 Track and Field Finals this spring.

Finally, 14s: "It doesn't feel like it happened. It's just an unimaginable feeling. It's been my goal since I started running, and at the end of my freshman year I realized I could do really well at this sport if put in the work. When I ran that time, I reailzied all that I'd been wroking for has paid off."

A nickname that stuck: Mora was labeled Mr. Competitive by his fourth-grade teacher.  “I was just your average little kid, like all the other little kids. I never thought of myself as fast. But one thing I do remember is I always liked to win at everything. Just everything. Every sort of competition."

No slam dunk: "I wish I was good at basketball. I didn't even make the team in middle school. I can't make a layup to save my life. (But) I still love playing. It's really fun. I like every sport, whether I'm good at it or not."

Up next: Mora hopes to continue running for a Division I college program, with Michigan and Michigan State among in-state possibilities. He'd like to study kinesiology and become a physical therapist.

Click to read more. 

Ithaca football

The Yellowjackets are 10-0 heading into Friday's Division 6 Regional Final against Hemlock, and haven't lost since falling in a 2009 MHSAA Semifinal. Ithaca has won 38 straight games, with two Division 6 championships along the way, and holds the fifth-longest winning streak in MHSAA football history. The streak is the third longest since the beginning of the playoff era in 1975.

Click for more.

Previous 2012-13 honorees:

Did you see that? (9/24-9/30)

October 2, 2012

League champions have been crowned in a number of golf and tennis conferences, and we'll get to more of those next week. Volleyball and cross country provided the best of the non-football action from the week that was Sept. 24-30.

Volleyball

Make it 40: Adrian Madison has owned the Tri-County Conference over the last few seasons, and Thursday pushed its league winning streak for 40 with a pair of wins over Morenci, which also was undefeated in the league this season heading into the night.  (Adrian Daily Telegram)

Another weekend, another win: Richland Gull Lake, ranked No. 2 in Class A, this time won the East Grand Rapids Invitational by going undefeated in a Gold division that including formerly-No. 5 Portage Central and new No. 10 East Grand Rapids, among others. (Grand Rapids Press)

Calumet makes it three: The Copper Kings are ranked No. 4 in Class C and have dominated the Upper Peninsula this fall, including at this weekend's Marquette Invitational. Their title march included a final match win over Houghton. It's the third time this season Calumet has beaten Houghton, which won the Copper Kings' District the last two seasons. (Houghton Daily Mining Gazette)

Believe in Beal City: Some of the best small-school volleyball in the state is being played in the middle of the Lower Peninsula. Class D No. 3 Beal City downed Class C No. 2 St. Louis at the Sharks home invitational Saturday, and also beat Class C No. 7 New Lothrop on the way. (Mount Pleasant Morning Sun)

Cross country

Loaded fields at CCC: Some of the state's top competition, especially from the north and west, ran at the Carson City-Crystal Invitational on Saturday. Winning the four girls races were Division 2 No. 3 Ada Forest Hills Eastern, unranked Coopersville, Division 3 No. 1 Grandville Calvin Christian and Division 4 No. 3 Bear Lake/Onekama. The boys races were won by  Division 4 No. 1 Pewamo-Westphalia, Division 3 No. 1 Grandville Calvin Christian, unranked Alma and Division 1 No. 7 Saginaw Heritage. Cedar Springs' Connor Mora (15:31) and Grand Rapids Christian's Julia Bos (17:37) were the fastest individuals. (Playmakers.com)

Escanaba in the highlight: The Escanaba boys team topped a field of 28 at the Munising Invitational with four finishers among the top 13. Sault Ste. Marie freshman Parker Scott continued his tremendous first season winning the individual title in 16:15. Calumet won the girls race, with Marquette's Lindsey Rudden leading the way individually in 18:21. (Escanaba Daily Press)

Seaholm makes statement: The Birmingham Seaholm girls, ranked No. 3 in Division 1, topped a field that included No. 2 Saline and No. 1 Grosse Pointe South (although without top runners Hannah and Haley Meier). Seaholm placed five finishers among the top 10 in the large school race at the Coaching Legends Classic in Brighton. Division 6 No. 1 Romeo won the boys race. (Oakland Press)

In Memoriam

Northern Michigan loses personality, official: The Traverse City area mourned the unexpected death of Scott Michael Trager, the morning anchorman at 9&10 News/Fox 32 and an MHSAA basketball official for nearly a decade. Trager, who was 46, had been at 9&10 since 1990 and assisted in the creation of the station's 'Sports Overtime" show. (9&10 News)

Story of the Week

Touchdowns for Teal: Those who have watched Monroe's football team this fall may have noticed the players' teal shoelaces, which certainly stand out against the otherwise red, white and black uniforms. The team is wearing them in support of Julie West, whose son Tom West is the standout quarterback. Julie is being treated for ovarian cancer. (Monroe Evening News)