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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.

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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.

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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.

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Previous 2012-13 honorees:

High 5s: 9/26/2012

September 26, 2012

We're kicking off the 2011-12 school year with a newly-crowned MHSAA soccer goals leader, arguably the top female cross country runner in the state, and a boys tennis team that's risen from two wins two seasons ago to two wins over top-10 teams this past Saturday.

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. Check back later this week for details plus links to stories on each.

Julia Bos
Grand Rapids Christian senior
Cross Country

Bos, the reigning Division 2 individual champion, is again dominating. Chief among her wins this season was a first place in the elite race at the Spartan Invitational at Michigan State, where she edged reigning MHSAA Division 1 champion Erin Finn of West Bloomfield. Bos finished in a time of 17:20, 15 seconds ahead of the field.

Up next: Bos isn't sure where yet, but she'd like to run next season at a Division I or II college. But she's set to major in biology and eventually go pre-med and become a surgeon. "I really just like science. I like anatomy and physiology. I like doing small detail things with my hands, I'm hands-on, and surgery sounds like a great career."

I look up to: "I don't know too many runners that well. But what I like about (West Bloomfield's) Erin Finn, she just seems to be really good at dealing with the pressure of fame and being on the top, being expected to win. She seems to have a good handle on that."

My favorite course: "I might have to say at the Foot Locker Midwest in (Kenosha) Wisconsin. It had a lot of hills, and I pr'd on that course. (Bos ran a personal record 17:14 and finished second.)

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Aaron Chatfield

Burt Lake Northern Michigan Christian senior

Soccer

Chatfield eclipsed the career goals record of Dearborn great Soony Saad by scoring his 173rd high school goal last week, and now has 178 and 267 points overall during his four-year varsity career. He's the youngest of five brothers who all played soccer at the school, including two more who rank on the all-time goals list and one who is first for career points -- but with only five more than Aaron has totaled heading into this weekend. His father Rusty was the team's longtime coach and taught him the fundamentals, and Aaron now plays for his older brother Lee, a former standout at the school.

Ready for any competition: “We have a high school with 35 students, and we play high schools with 200 or 300. We play the toughest schedule we can. We have really hard games and not so hard games. I know I can play with the best of them.” 

Moves like Chatfield: "This year I've gotten a lot better with my scissor, or double scissor. Mainly, I'm a lot quicker than everybody. If somebody is back-peddling, I'll just push by them and run by them. But the easiest, I touch inside, then touch outside, then take a shot." 

Up next: Chatfield is considering a variety of college programs including Division I Liberty and George Mason, NAIA Olivet Nazarene and Northland International (Wis.). He is considering an occupation in sports and ministry. "I would like to go to a Christian school, a school with a spiritual aspect to it. And I want to go to a school that plays good competition. If you want to play (soccer) at the next level, going to a big college is not a huge deal."

Go F.C.: Chatfield joins his brother Paul in rooting for Manchester City, but also enjoys watching Barcelona. His favorite player, like for many, is Messi. "Just how he can go so incredibly fast, even with the ball at his feet, it is so incredible."

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Ludington Boys Tennis

The Orioles have improved from two wins two seasons ago to a 15th-place finish at the Division 4 Final in 2011, to defeating two top-10 teams at Saturday's Almont Invitational. Ludington, now ranked No. 6 by the coaches association, beat then-No. 2 Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett 5-3 and No. 10 Almont 6-2. The Orioles also beat Division 3 No. 9 Spring Lake on Thursday, and head into next week with a chance to finish the dual season 9-0 and win the Coastal Conference title.

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