Battle of the Fans V: Vote Now
February 16, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
We’ve seen two Great Lakes, crisscrossed the Lower Peninsula and crossed Mackinac Bridge twice in search of Michigan’s top high school student cheering section – and returned to tell (and show video) of the tales.
Now it's your turn to vote for your favorite of this season's Battle of the Fans V finalists.
Vote today through 4 p.m. Thursday on your favorite of these five (enrollments in parentheses) – Charlotte (833), Munising (194), Muskegon Western Michigan Christian (294), Traverse City West (1,623) and Yale (722) – by liking, sharing and re-tweeting on the MHSAA’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram sites
But before you do, take a few minutes to watch all five videos and read the stories behind the sections by clicking the links below.
The contest is sponsored by the MHSAA Student Advisory Council, which will have the final vote on the champion. SAC members will use all resources available to make their decision – including giving significant weight to the public social media vote. Votes will be valued proportionate to the size of the school receiving them (for example, one vote for Class D Munising will mean more than one vote for much larger Class A Traverse City West).
The champion will be announced Friday on Second Half. Video of all five finalists will be shown on the main scoreboard during the Girls and Boys Basketball Finals in March at Michigan State's Breslin Student Events Center. All five finalists will be invited to Breslin on March 25 for the Class B Boys Basketball Semifinals, and the winner will be presented with a championship banner at center court.
And now, the finalists, in alphabetical order:
Charlotte
Read all about it: Charlotte 'Flight Club' Shows It Can Soar
Munising
Read all about it: 'Stang Nation' Continues Tradition Of Support
Muskegon Western Michigan Christian
Read all about it: 'Green Machine' Gears Up For BOTF V
Traverse City West
Read all about it: 'Creatures' Remain Way Of Life At TC West
Yale
Read all about it: 'Reloaded' Yale Section Brings Noise Again
Performance of the Week: Ann Arbor Pioneer's Rachel Forsyth
September 1, 2023
Rachel Forsyth ♦ Ann Arbor Pioneer
Senior ♦ Cross Country
The latest in a long line of Pioneer distance stars, Forsyth began her final high school cross country season with a nearly 26-second victory in the big-school race at the Benzie Central Pete Moss Invitational on Saturday. She ran a personal-record 17:09.24, which says a ton considering her past work; Forsyth was the Lower Peninsula Division 1 Final champion in 2021 as a sophomore and the 2020 runner-up in her first trip to Michigan International Speedway. What's more, she was followed in this Benzie race by reigning Division 3 champion Jessica Jazwinski of Hart in second and last year's Division 4 champion Aiden Harrand of Buckley in third as Pioneer finished second as a team against an elite field.
An injury delayed the start of Forsyth's junior season last fall until the end of September, and she ran only 62nd at the LPD1 Final five weeks later. But she was clearly back to unstoppable during track season, setting personal records in the 3,200, 1,600, 800 and 400 while going undefeated in individual events for the spring and winning LPD1 Finals championships in the 800, 1,600 and as part of the 3,200 relay. She and her siblings have enjoyed an incredible run of success over the last decade; older sister Anne Forsyth was a four-time top-15 cross country finisher at LPD1 Finals and runner-up as a junior in 2016, and sister Sarah Forsyth twice finished among the top 10 individually and as a senior with Rachel in 2021 helped Pioneer to the team title.
@mhsaasports 🏃♀️POW: Rachel Forsyth #xc #crosscountry #pioneer #pr #personalrecord #congrats #letsgo #annarbor #highschoolsports #tiktalk #interview #performanceoftheweek #mistudentaid #MHSAA #fyp ♬ original sound - MHSAA
@mhsaasports 🏃♀️POW: Rachel Forsyth #tiktalk #questiontime #part2 #tv #republicofdoyle #disneymovies #mulan #frozen #running #icecream #swimming #emoji #performanceoftheweek #fyp #MHSAA ♬ original sound - MHSAA
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MHSAA.com's "Performance of the Week" features are powered by MI Student Aid, a part of the Office of Postsecondary Financial Planning located within the Michigan Department of Treasury. MI Student Aid encourages students to pursue postsecondary education by providing access to student financial resources and information. MI Student Aid administers the state’s 529 college savings programs (MET/MESP), as well as scholarship and grant programs that help make college Accessible, Affordable and Attainable for you. Connect with MI Student Aid at www.michigan.gov/mistudentaid and find more information on Facebook and Twitter @mistudentaid.
(PHOTOS by Run Michigan.)