And the 2015 BOTF Winner is ...
February 20, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Sydney Brooks always has taken pride in her town, even as classmates talked about how there was nothing to do in Dowagiac and how they couldn’t wait to leave when high school was done.
Turns out there’s a lot of fun to be had in her school’s corner of the southwestern Lower Peninsula, and it’s come full circle for the “Attack” – Dowagiac’s student section and this season’s MHSAA Battle of the Fans IV champion.
Dowagiac’s success was accomplished in steps – starting with the formation of the “Chieftain Heart” spirit club three years ago, then the establishment of a “Front Row Crew” last year to get the Attack in Battle of the Fans shape.
This winter, that heart beat stronger than ever, not just in the stands at high school basketball games, but throughout the entire community.
“Before, everybody thought we were just a normal small town. But when everybody comes together – from this whole experience, we’ve learned teamwork,” Brooks said. “The whole town learned to work together, become united. We learned how much it pays off to work together, how much hard work can pay off.
“We worked so hard, and the community worked so hard. We’ve accomplished so much. I’m so proud of Dowagiac.”
The Attack will accept its MHSAA championship banner during the 6 p.m. Class B Boys Basketball Semifinal on March 27 at Michigan State University’s Breslin Center. The other four finalists also will be invited to Breslin to receive rewards for this season’s achievement.
Dowagiac was chosen based on a vote by the MHSAA’s 16-member Student Advisory Council influenced by public vote on the MHSAA’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram sites. A total of 22,673 social media votes were received, with those results then equated against a school’s enrollment.
The Council based its vote on the following criteria: positive sportsmanship, student body participation, school spirit, originality of cheers, organization of the group, section leadership and overall fun.
Dowagiac and then Buchanan received the majority of public social media support, finishing among the top three in all four ways votes were accepted (Facebook likes and shares, Twitter re-tweets and Instagram likes). Some of the more interesting comments made on Second Half stories this week came from alumni of those schools, the oldest a graduate from 50 years ago.
Other numbers to consider from this season's contest: The application videos have been watched nearly 28,000 times, and the MHSAA-produced videos from our tour stops have more than 8,600 views. The stories on the five finalists plus Tuesday’s explanation of how to vote had been viewed 19,078 times as of 8:30 this morning.
This has been one of the coldest winters we can remember, but our Battle of the Fans finalists gave us warm welcomes the last five Friday nights. Here’s what we’ll remember most about each:
Showtime Award: Beaverton
What we saw: The reigning champion hosted the first stop on this season’s finalists tour and reminded us why it won BOTF III with a packed gym and an almost identical group of student leaders who keyed the section’s rise in 2013-14. The Bleacher Creatures put their focus this winter on adding more fun to breaks in play, and had something entertaining lined up for every timeout. Tradition runs deep for a student section that got its start in 1979, and the Creatures supply plenty of fun for the rest of the fans in addition to support for a pair of varsity basketball teams that are a combined 39-2.
Why we’re fans: Starting with the “Beaver Slide,” through the “Parting of the Red Sea” and a dunk into a mini hoop over 6-foot-8 athletic director Ryan Roberts, the Creatures always gave us something to watch. They do their part by amping up the party in the stands to go with the strong basketball being played on the floor. They’ve mastered the ability to bring together an entire student body and continue to set an example for creativity – their ideas no doubt will be picked up by other sections heading into 2015-16 and beyond.
Leave a Legacy Award: Buchanan
What we saw: The Herd made its third straight BOTF Finals and continues to be held in highest regard all over this state – and in some cases, by schools outside Michigan that have learned of Buchanan’s success in rallying students all the way to its elementary buildings. “The Woods” once again was filled for our visit, with students doing what has drawn admiration these last few years – cheering hard for their classmates on the floor and having a blast during breaks. The halftime rendition of “High School Musical” is an all-time highlight of the contest’s four-year history.
Why we’re fans: What more can be said? No section in Michigan has served as a stronger ambassador for how a strong student section can change the culture of not just a school, but an entire community. No other section in Michigan is referred to as often by schools trying to create the same. We see Buchanan’s influences on schools not only from their southwest corner, but all over the state. The Herd may not have won BOTF for a second time in three years, but Buchanan certainly has made its mark, again – and created something we hope continues for years to come.
Guts for Glory Award: St. Johns
What we saw: A new way for this school’s enthusiastic students to support their teams – and positive energy that’s just starting to boil. St. Johns was our largest finalist this season, and represented as such filling a corner of its gym to the top row for the 6 p.m. boys game and with most of the students staying for the start of the girls game played after. Despite a 12-point loss by the boys team, St. Johns fans stayed engaged throughout, with help from the band, cheerleaders and dance team – and showed us a few things we hadn’t seen before, including a nice take on the sport of curling and a full student body domino fall that started at center court.
Why we’re fans: We’ve heard a lot of transformation stories over the last four years, but St. Johns’ student leaders have had one of the tougher goes since forming their Student Athletic Leadership Committee three years ago. Athletic directors can take a lot of steps to get the ball rolling – and in this case, Chris Ervin sent leaders to the last two MHSAA Sportsmanship Summits and provided plenty of support. But the battle for a strong student cheering section is often won in a school’s hallways, where leaders must convince their classmates to buy in. St. Johns’ leaders considered giving up before a breakthrough this winter – and we’re glad they kept up the good fight.
Bring the Noise Award: Yale
What we saw: It’s more what we heard – a collective roar so loud it left a noticeable fuzziness in our ears when the game was done. More than 400 students whipped a quarter of Yale’s gym into a game-long frenzy that no doubt would make playing in front of Kohler’s Krazies (named in honor of boys basketball coach Garnett Kohler) a tougher task than merely trying to stand up to a team that is 15-1 this season. The Krazies added in some nice backflips and a superintendent-led roller coaster during breaks in play – but those and other sideshows were merely to keep the crowd’s attention and not meant to become the main event.
Why we’re fans: The sheer power of this section knocked us back – in a good way. The first fans for a varsity doubleheader began showing at 4:30 p.m. for a 6 p.m. opening tip, and that’s the kind of passion we’ll always cheer on. But the best part was learning how the Krazies, over only a few months this winter, have turned their student body into a tighter-knit community, and then extended that effort to the community of Yale as a whole by incorporating adults into their cheers and raising money to help out a few of the town’s less fortunate.
Battle of the Fans champion: Dowagiac
What we saw: Wow. The vision of hundreds of orange-clad Dowagiac fans bouncing back and forth as the school’s flag was waved is something we won’t forget. The Attack wore shirts printed with “Dowagiac United,” and there’s little that’s more impressive than watching a large group of fans organized and following its leaders en masse – while adding a ton to an already intense game atmosphere. Like BOTF’s champions past, Dowagiac’s section just looks like the fun place to be. The teachers are involved. The band is involved. The elementary schools made videos to join in the fun. The city office made a video showing its support. The Attack is certainly catchy – and we’ve bought in as well.
Why we’re fans: We appreciate how much work has been done to build school spirit over the last three years, and could feel the buzz immediately after walking in the front door. Dowagiac’s student leaders have been pounding on the door, figuratively speaking, and the student section this year is proof they finally pushed through. The sea of orange shirts was not an optical illusion Friday; the gym was filled to its 1,100 fan capacity, with the band and adults across from the students helping to form a blanket of “Dowagiac United” at the doors. And again, that’s not just a slogan; students from the “Front Row Crew” all the way to the top of the stands stayed engaged despite their team getting up by a big margin early, were impressively together on whatever chants the leaders started, and were joined by many of the adults as they enjoyed a booming soundtrack from the band and English teacher Dustin Cornelius, the Attack advisor and also game deejay. Students may have complained a few years ago about having nothing in town to do; now they’ve got plenty of opportunities, along with the rest of their community, to join in something special.
“It was never true that there is nothing to do in Dowagiac. People just didn’t believe there was, and didn’t want to believe there was,” Brooks said. “Now everybody knows there is something to do. We are a great town, and people care a lot about them in this town."
What we found in Dowagiac is what all of our BOTF champions have had in common: All four created atmospheres that anyone entering the gym would want to join.
In fact, that can be said about all five of this season’s BOTF finalists – and once again, clips from all five MHSAA tour stops will be shown on the main scoreboard during the Girls and Boys Basketball Finals in March at the Breslin Center.
We continue to cheer on these students sections as we learn how much their work has helped other schools transform not just their bleachers, but life in the hallways as well. During each of the last three Battles of the Fans, we’ve heard of how new sections learned from those that have competed before them, either at Sportsmanship Summits or by watching the videos from the first years of the contest. Buchanan and Beaverton can both enjoy assists on Dowagiac’s championship this winter – the Attack certainly gained input from their regional neighbor’s example, and leaders showed last year’s Beaverton video to the entire student body when getting this season’s section of the ground.
But in the end, Dowagiac’s leaders still had to take everything they’d learned not just from others but from their own experiences of trial and error to arrive at this point. This Battle of the Fans championship is one reward – but only a highlight from what an entire community can take pride in every game night.
Battle of the Fans IV is sponsored in part by Milk Means More.
Click to check out our stories and videos behind the finalists. Also, click to see student-produced videos from all sections that entered the contest. (Photo courtesy of Scott Rose.)
2023 Scholar-Athlete Award Recipients Announced in Class C & D
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
February 7, 2023
The Michigan High School Athletic Association has selected 10 student-athletes from Class C and D member schools to receive scholarships through the MHSAA/Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete Award program.
Farm Bureau Insurance, in its 34th year of sponsoring the award, will give $2,000 college scholarships to 32 individuals who represent their member schools in at least one sport in which the Association sponsors a postseason tournament. The first 30 scholarships are awarded proportionately by school classification and the number of student-athletes involved in those classes; also, there are two at-large honorees who can come from any classification.
Students applying for the Scholar-Athlete Award must be carrying at least a 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale) grade-point average and have previously won a letter in a varsity sport in which the Michigan High School Athletic Association sponsors a postseason tournament. Other requirements for the applicants were to show active participation in other school and community activities and produce an essay on the importance of sportsmanship in educational athletics.
The 32 scholarship recipients will be recognized March 25 during the MHSAA Boys Basketball Finals at the Breslin Student Events Center in East Lansing.
The Class C Scholar-Athlete Award honorees are Saylar Cuthrell, Cass City; Laina Harger, St. Charles; Quinn Watts, Fowler; Brennan Cannaday, Royal Oak Shrine Catholic; Noah Etnyre, Plymouth Christian Academy; and Ethan Green, Kingston.
The Class D Scholar-Athlete Award recipients are Megan Roberts, Hillsdale Academy; Makennah Uotila, Ontonagon; Ryan McDonell, Bay City All Saints; and Amos Norland, Dollar Bay.
Overviews of the scholarship recipients of the Class C Scholar-Athlete Award follow. A quote from each recipient's essay also is included:
(NOTE: If an athlete intended to play and was part of a spring sports team in 2020, that sport is counted among the athlete’s total although the season was canceled due to COVID-19.)
Saylar Cuthrell, Cass City
Played three seasons of varsity volleyball, is playing her fourth of varsity basketball and will play her fourth of softball and compete in her third of track & field this spring. Led volleyball team to Division 3 Semifinals this past fall and helped basketball team to District title in 2021. Named all-state first team in softball, all-area in basketball and all-region in volleyball, and won Regional title in track to make MHSAA Finals in that sport. Earned academic all-state in volleyball and will graduate a three or four-year captain in three sports. Participating in second year as dual enrollment student. Served in various leadership positions including as student body president and president of Tuscola County Future Youth Involvement advisory council, and also participated in National Honor Society. Will attend Northwood University and study supply chain management.
Essay Quote: “Our (Semifinal) battle against Pewamo-Westphalia was soon to begin, and when the first whistle blew our student section cheered. What was so chilling about the student section was that it not only had Cass City kids but also the North Branch volleyball team as well. It wasn’t that we knew each other personally but simply because we both live in the thumb of Michigan and share that thumb pride. It was a feel-good statement and was heartfelt. What an amazing teaching moment for all in attendance.”
Laina Harger, St. Charles
Played two seasons of varsity volleyball, is playing her third of varsity basketball and will play her third of varsity softball this spring. Led basketball teams to league and District championships, earning all-area honors in that sport and all-league recognition in volleyball. Served as team captain for both volleyball and basketball. Helped all three varsities to academic all-state honors. Participating in second year of National Honor Society and fourth years of class council, student council and as part of Saginaw County Youth Ambassador program. Serving as NHS chapter and class council vice president. Earned National Merit Rural/Small Town Recognition. Also participating in second year of school Link Crew and third as part of Read Across America program. Is undecided where she will attend college but intends to study physical therapy.
Essay Quote: “As my future plans became clear, I realized that playing in college wasn't the best fit for me. Understanding this, I struggled to figure out what I would get from playing sports if my intentions weren't to play college anymore. … It took me four years to finally see that there is so much more to high school sports than getting to the next level. Sports enhance how you treat others, your resilience in tough situations, your leadership skills, and so much more.”
Quinn Watts, Fowler
Played two seasons of varsity volleyball, is playing her second of varsity basketball and will play her fourth of varsity softball this spring; also played junior varsity golf this fall. Helped basketball team to back-to-back Division 4 Finals championships and volleyball team to back-to-back District titles and a Regional championship. Served as captain of both of those teams. Serving fourth year as student council president and also has served as president during four years on school’s Student Athletic Advisory Council. Participating in third year of National Honor Society and second of National Technical Honor Society. Served as 4-H club leader and earned multiple grand champion awards for showing cattle. Participated in two years of Business Professionals of America and made regional finals. Is undecided where she will attend college but intends to study biology on a pre-medical track.
Essay Quote: “A state championship trophy was what my team and I had to show for this season; however, no trophy could exceed the richness of the lessons I learned. … We chose to act with respect, kindness, and generosity towards our opponents and allowed our performance on the court, rather than the voice of our words, prove our worth.”
Brennan Cannaday, Royal Oak Shrine Catholic
Played four seasons of varsity soccer, will play his third of varsity lacrosse this spring and also played junior varsity basketball as a sophomore. Earned multiple all-state honorable mentions for soccer in helping that team to league and District titles, and earned all-league in helping lacrosse team to multiple league titles and Regional Finals appearance. Served as soccer captain and will serve as lacrosse captain in the spring. Participating in third year of National Honor Society and previously served two years in student government including as class president. Participated in DECA throughout high school, earning multiple state championships, and posted top scores across all district and state competitions multiple times. Served as DECA vice president of membership and vice president of career development. Will attend Michigan State University and study psychology.
Essay Quote: “There is no truer form of sportsmanship than to be praised by your opponent. … I have made an active effort to acknowledge the successes of not only my teammates but also the other teams as well because of the effect that one comment had on me. My favorite thing to do after games is to walk over to the other team’s bench and meet the coach and players.”
Noah Etnyre, Plymouth Christian Academy
Played four seasons of varsity football and is wrestling fourth varsity season, both as part of cooperatives with Lutheran Westland, and will play fourth varsity season of baseball this spring. Qualified for MHSAA Individual Wrestling Finals first three seasons and finished runner-up as junior. Earned all-state in football and helped that team to league title, and earned multiple all-state honors in baseball helping that team to multiple District championships. Set program records in football and wrestling and served as captain of all three teams; also earned academic all-state honors in all three. Named National Wrestling Coaches Association/U.S. Marine Corps Character and Leadership All-American. Took classes from Schoolcraft College as dual-enrolled student for two years. Participating in third years of National Honor Society, National Art Honor Society and National Spanish Honor Society. Represented school on league leadership council. Will attend Calvin University and study biology.
Essay Quote: “(My Westland teammate) Jack and I share an intense affinity for competition and success, and this common desire presented itself in a garage gym, a local football field, and the 2021-22 athletic season. However, unlike most high school teammates, we never attended class in the same school building. … The importance of sportsmanship is understanding that a sport is so much more than a game. The game is simply there to bring people who need to be together, together.”
Ethan Green, Kingston
Ran four seasons of varsity cross country, playing second season of varsity basketball and will play second season of varsity baseball and compete in fourth of track & field this spring. Earned all-state and academic all-state in cross country, and all-league in track. Ran in three MHSAA Cross Country Finals and won two Regional titles in that sport, and won Regional title as part of track relay to make those Finals as well. Also helped baseball team to District title. Served or will serve as captain of all four teams. Participating in second year of National Honor Society and fourth of student council and school leadership committee. Serving as class and NHS chapter president and will graduate as class valedictorian. Played four years in marching band and orchestra. Will attend Ferris State University and study optometry.
Essay Quote: “As good as it is to be competitive, character and respect towards others is so much more vital in life than having too big of an ego to show an act of sportsmanship. … Now when it's my turn on the court, I always thank our officials that are taking time away from their home and families, tell opposing coaches and players "good game," even after a loss. Another important thing I took away from this experience is that people are always watching, especially the youth.”
Other Class C girls finalists for the Scholar-Athlete Award were Alaina Andrews, Ottawa Lake Whiteford; Aziza Burgoon, Iron Mountain; Samantha Dietz, Watervliet; Kylie McGrath, Cass City; Abigail Meyer, Marlette; Tailor Onstott, Beal City; Claire Scholten, Charlevoix; Ruby Sierer, Clinton; and Danni Swihart, Hanover-Horton.
Other Class C boys finalists for the Scholar-Athlete Award were Riley DeSarbo, Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central; Ty Kohlmann, New Lothrop; Grant Mason, Manistique; Andrew Mleczko, Madison Heights Bishop Foley; Brock Murphy, Menominee; Blake O'Connor, Maple City Glen Lake; Logan Pflug, Cassopolis; Dirk Rierson, Unionville-Sebewaing; and Seth Vanderwest, Kent City.
Overviews of the scholarship recipients of the Class D Scholar-Athlete Award follow. A quote from each recipient's essay also is included:
(NOTE: If an athlete intended to play and was part of a spring sports team in 2020, that sport is counted among the athlete’s total although the season was canceled due to COVID-19.)
Megan Roberts, Hillsdale Academy
Ran four seasons of varsity cross country and played four seasons of varsity volleyball, playing fourth season of varsity basketball and will compete in fourth of track & field this spring. Earned multiple all-state honors in track & field and cross country and all-state honorable mention in basketball, and academic all-state in cross country, volleyball and track. Helped 3,200 relay to Lower Peninsula Division 4 Finals championship and owns school records in two events. Served as team captain of all four teams and twice represented school at league leadership conference. Earned National Merit Rural/Small Town Recognition. Participating in third year of National Honor Society and fourth of student council, serving as vice president of the latter as a senior. Participating in service club for fourth year, and second as president. Will attend Hillsdale College and study biology.
Essay Quote: “I have found that one of the greatest parts of sports in educational athletics is the friendships made both inside and outside of my team. Although you could become friends with an opponent off the court, most of my friendships were formed on the playing field, often after a time that good sportsmanship was displayed. … I come from a very competitive family and being able to compete in sports with other players who I both respect and respect me makes the sports I play a lot more enjoyable. Healthy competition with good sportsmanship makes sports fun for everyone.”
Makennah Uotila, Ontonagon
Ran three years of varsity cross country and played four of varsity volleyball, playing fourth season of varsity basketball and will compete in fourth of track & field this spring. Helped track & field team to last two Upper Peninsula Division 3 Finals championships and basketball team to District title as junior. Earned all-state honorable mention in basketball and all-Upper Peninsula in cross country; also earned all-league in volleyball and won individual Finals title in long jump multiple seasons. Served as volleyball and basketball team captain. Participating in fourth year in student government and third as National Honor Society officer, serving as president of both, and also has served as secretary of Future Farmers of America chapter. Earned FFA District award for public speaking and attended American Legion Auxiliary Girls State program. Participating in fourth year of TANGO service group. Is undecided where she will attend college but intends to study biology with a concentration in natural resources.
Essay Quote: “I always felt as if I was kind to those on and off the court, but I have limited time left to consciously exercise this abundance of empathy as a senior athlete. Learning from the experience firsthand, kindness can change a mindset. In a setting that teaches so many lessons, kindness is a lesson that can be learned and taken with an athlete everywhere life takes them; I'll be taking sportsmanship with me.”
Ryan McDonell, Bay City All Saints
Played four seasons of varsity football, is playing his third of varsity basketball and competing in fourth of varsity bowling. Earned all-league and all-area honors in football and served as captain of football and basketball teams. Will graduate as class valedictorian. Participating in second year of National Honor Society and fourth on student council, serving as NHS president and student council vice president. Participated in Youth Leadership Bay County and the Catholic Diocese of Saginaw’s Youth Encounter Service, both as a junior. Participating in fourth year of Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Club, serving as president. Coached at youth football and basketball camps. Will attend Michigan State University and study biology.
Essay Quote: I tore my ACL, needed surgery, and no sports for nine months. My senior year was finished, and it barely got started. … I was a captain but couldn’t play, how could I lead? But then I thought about my football family. The parents that thanked me for teaching their sons, and my teammates: the offense, the defense, the entire team had to reconfigure their positions to adapt in my absence. … My team was willing to do whatever they needed to do to be successful, not only for the team, but for me. The empathy from my teammates, the unselfishness, and their concern for me to prevail (off the field) was the truest example of sportsmanship I’ve ever experienced.”
Amos Norland, Dollar Bay
Ran four seasons of varsity cross country, is playing third season of varsity basketball and will compete in fourth of track & field this spring. Earned all-state cross country honors all four years, helping his team to two Finals titles and a runner-up finish and winning the Upper Peninsula Division 3 individual championship as a senior. Earned all-state in multiple track events and helped that team win a Finals title as well. Earned all-league in basketball. Served as cross country team leader and basketball captain. Serving fourth year on student council and as president, and also serving as class president for fourth year. Participating in third year of National Honor Society, serving as chapter president, and serving third year on Student Leadership Advisory Council of the Keweenaw, as director of resources. Playing fourth year in band and as saxophone section leader. Will attend Michigan Technological University and study kinesiology.
Essay Quote: “As good as it feels to beat a rival basketball team or win a race, demonstrating good sportsmanship is valuable in a deeper way. Winning gives you a victory. Sportsmanship builds character, forms relationships, and provides you with important lifelong lessons. My cross country coach teaches us how to be respectful almost as much as he teaches us how to run. As a result, we have grown as runners, but more so, we have grown to show the values of being a good sport.”
Other Class D girls finalists for the Scholar-Athlete Award were Monique Brisson, Munising; Emma Case, Kinde North Huron; Kylie Quist, Athens; Macey Springer, Three Oaks River Valley; Kasandra Lynn Waldi, Chesterfield Austin Catholic; and Gabriella Wenzel, Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary.
Other Class D boys finalists for the Scholar-Athlete Award were Brody Appelgren, Hillman; James Blackburn, Martin; Caleb Diener, Hillsdale Academy; Caleb Munson, Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary; Luke Walker, Clarkston Everest Collegiate; and Matthew Zammit, Marine City Cardinal Mooney.
The Class B scholarship award recipients will be announced Feb. 14, and the Class A honorees will be announced Feb. 21.
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The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation of voluntary membership by more than 1,500 public and private senior high schools and junior high/middle schools which exists to develop common rules for athletic eligibility and competition. No government funds or tax dollars support the MHSAA, which was the first such association nationally to not accept membership dues or tournament entry fees from schools. Member schools which enforce these rules are permitted to participate in MHSAA tournaments, which attract more than 1.3 million spectators each year.