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 FacebookTwitter 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: Midland Dow's Victoria Garces

October 11, 2024

Victoria Garces headshotVictoria Garces ♦ Midland Dow
Senior ♦ Cross Country

The two-time MHSAA Finals top-five placer is undefeated in three races this season after winning last weekend's Saginaw Heritage Hawks Invitational by nearly 14 seconds with a time of 18:08.47. She opened her season Sept. 21 with a personal-record 17:17 to win the Gold championship at Cadillac's Veterans Serving Veterans Invitational, and that time remains the second-fastest in Lower Peninsula Division 1 this season. 

Garces finished fifth at the LPD1 Finals at Michigan International Speedway as both a junior and sophomore, and she placed ninth in Wisconsin's Division 1 championship race as a freshman. She finished second in the 3,200 (10:21.85) and third in the 1,600 (4:51.28) at this past spring's LPD1 Girls Track & Field Finals, and she will continue her career next fall at Duke. 

@mhsaasports 🏃‍♂️POW: Victoria Garces #crosscountry #HHDow #chargers #run #part1 #highschoolsports #tiktalk #interview #performanceoftheweek #mistudentaid #fyp #MHSAA ♬ original sound - MHSAA

@mhsaasports 🏃‍♂️POW: Victoria Garces #tiktalk #questiontime #qdoba #hearthands #emoji #gummyclusters #hawaiian #part2 #performanceoftheweek #mistudentaid #fyp #MHSAA ♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys - Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey

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MHSAA.com's "Performance of the Week" features are powered by MI Student Aid, a division within the Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP). 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.

Previous 2024-25 honorees

Oct. 4: Asher Clark, Bay City John Glenn soccer - Report
Sept. 26:
Campbell Flynn, Farmington Hills Mercy volleyball - Report
Sept. 19:
TJ Hansen, Freeland cross country - Report
Sept. 12:
Jordan Peters, Grayling soccer - Report
Sept. 6:
Gabe Litzner, Sault Ste. Marie cross country - Report
Aug. 30:
Grace Slocum, Traverse City St. Francis golf - Report

(Photos courtesy of the Midland Dow girls cross country program.)