Beaverton 'Creatures' Dominate Bleachers
February 17, 2014
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
BEAVERTON – What have Beaverton’s Bleacher Creatures meant to their 1,100-person town during their 35 years cheering on the local teams?
Junior Breanna Frasher got a pretty good idea last week.
A leader of this year’s student cheering section, she made a trip to the elementary school to read to some of the younger students. When teachers would mention the Creatures, the kids’ faces glowed.
“As 6-year-olds, they knew what a Bleacher Creature was. They knew it meant you came to the game, you wore red, you painted your face,” Frasher said. “They were all excited.
“Then you’d ask, ‘Who wants to be a Bleacher Creature some day?’ All of them raised their hands. I think that’s awesome, that we’ve … given that to them. They can look up to us and look forward to being a Bleacher Creature.”
Beaverton was the final stop on this year’s Battle of the Fans III tour. MHSAA staff and Student Advisory Council members visited all five finalists over the last month to document the stories behind the sections and film them on home game nights. The public may vote for its favorite on the MHSAA’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram sites Tuesday-Thursday, with the Student Advisory Council taking that vote into consideration when selecting the champion after that vote has concluded.
The winner will be announced Friday on Second Half and honored with a championship banner during the Boys Basketball Semifinals on March 21 at Michigan State University’s Breslin Center.
Not long ago, Frasher was one of those elementary school kids, looking forward to her turn in the student section. Now she’s among a group of junior and sophomore leaders that includes three third-generation Beaverton High students and three more whose parents also went to the school.
The original Bleacher Creatures emerged in 1979 and then gained steam during the Beaverton boys basketball team’s run to the MHSAA Class C Semifinals in 1984. The Beavers lost that game, 69-58, to Kalamazoo Christian at the University of Michigan’s Crisler Arena.
But keeping a promise to his team, Beaverton coach Roy Johnston – the third-winningest boys hoops coach in MHSAA history and a devout Michigan State fan – kissed the block “M” on Crisler’s center court after being carried to the middle of the floor by the Bleacher Creatures. “Roy kissed the floor in ’84,” is still heard around town including by junior Jen Eaton, whose mother was a sophomore in the section in 1984.
Johnston’s presence still plays an enormous role in the Creatures’ efforts. He entered this season with a combined record of 650-287 coaching four schools going back to 1971, and part of growing up in Beaverton is aspiring to play for the legendary coach – or root on his team. After all, the gym is named after him, and three grandsons are now in the program.
“We know you can’t have an amazing thing like this happen without a supportive community,” said sophomore Braedon Wolfe, whose father and uncle both played on the 1984 team. “And that’s what we have here. This thing never would’ve lasted close to this long (without) these people in this community; it’s amazing.”
But the section also has continued to evolve.
The original Creatures morphed into something known as the “Red Rave” at some point (a small sign where the current section sits pays homage) before Bleacher Creatures returned as the name in 2008.
Those early sections, by the oral history literally passed down through generations, traveled big and cheered strong, but didn’t have the creativity of the current Creatures, who for their team’s Valentine’s day game against Houghton Lake created Cupid to make friends of the Beaver and Bobcat mascots. Of course, there also was a piece of recent tradition – Wolfe, a robed and white-bearded Moses, parting a Red Sea of Beaverton students clad in their usual red T-shirts.
Last year’s section was led by a pair of emphatic seniors who graduated in the spring. This school year’s leaders realized a longer chain of command would be necessary to secure the section continuing into its fourth decade.
This fall, junior Drew Porter and Wolfe – recipients of the throwback basketball jerseys worn by last year’s leaders – serve as president and vice-president, respectively, of a newly-formed spirit club. The hierarchy also includes a secretary, treasurer, photo/video and music coordinators, creative and fundraising leaders and campaign managers.
Full club meetings are standing-room only, with about 30 students – or just under 10 percent of the school – taking part. The band sits adjacent to the student section during games and plays a big part, and multiple members sit in on the spirit meetings to help coordinate between the two.
There’s even an annual Bleacher Creature Award given to a member of the section that resides in the school trophy case next to “Butch,” its most prized traveling trophy.
“I think (the section) hit a roar, and we realized, ‘Why end it when it’s going so well,’” Frasher said. “We need to keep it going.”
“And we needed to get organized to we could keep it going,” added junior Nate O’Brien, another of the spirit club leadership.
There’s been another evolution that has taken hold over the last decade and especially this fall after Beaverton failed to make last season’s Battle of the Fans finals.
Eaton remembered as a middle schooler not having any desire to be a Creature after hearing some of what was hurled forth by those high schoolers during games. Such things are almost unheard of now, but Frasher and her classmates knew almost immediately a year ago why they didn’t advance in BOTF – despite just missing the finals by finishing seventh in the vote to decide the top five.
A “winning team – losing team” chant, meant to point out and demean the team about to be defeated, had to be the culprit. That became a little more apparent when a viewer left a comment about the chant below the application video.
“Our feet shuffled the next day. No one really talked,” Frasher remembered. “We came to school and sat there, and we knew. We watched and re-watched the video, and it came down to a point: that’s the reason.”
“We were going to apply (this year) from the beginning,” Eaton said.
Although the Creatures were disappointed, the winter did end with some positives to carry into this fall, including unexpected solidarity that formed as Beaverton made a run back to the boys basketball Quarterfinals.
The Beavers’ Regional run took them to Jack Pine Conference foe Sanford Meridian’s gym, and about 30 Meridian fans joined into the Creatures section. So too did students from league colleagues Gladwin, Houghton Lake and Roscommon. The Creatures absorbed with joy those who wanted to join and brought handfuls of extra shirts so their new cheering mates had something to wear to fit in.
The expanded section became known as the “Jack Pine Super Crew,” and this winter Beaverton’s leaders have noticed new sections cropping up at almost every school in the league.
And don’t forget those original Creatures. During the Quarterfinal run, a few of the dads and uncles dressed up like cheerleaders. Friday night, a group of parents made sure to join the Macarena line that circled the court during a break. They have built props and donated for spirit buses to away games – anything to keep these Creatures going strong. The 1984 hoops team was inducted into the Beaverton Sports Hall of Fame on Friday, and both former players who spoke made sure to mention how much support the teams derived from the section then and now.
It’s been tough financially in the community of late, and next year seventh and eighth grade students will move to the high school in order to save the district a reported $100,000. Bad times on top of the usual small-town jokes are enough to give some rude opponents something about which to snicker.
The Bleacher Creatures are a way – now always positive – the community continues to stand together to answer.
“This is us coming together, even though you can say anything you want about it,” Porter said. “This is who we are.”
Battle of the Fans III is sponsored in part by the United Dairy Industry of Michigan.
PHOTOS: (Top) Beaverton "Bleacher Creatures" prepare for a free-throw attempt during Friday's game against Houghton Lake. (Middle) The Creatures cheer on their classmates during the MHSAA's Battle of the Fans visit. (Photos courtesy of Bob Frei.)
Scholars & Athletes 2022: Class C & D
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
February 8, 2022
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 33rd 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 26 during the MHSAA Boys Basketball Finals at the Breslin Student Events Center in East Lansing.
The Class C Scholar-Athlete Award honorees are: Korah Honig, St. Louis; Jillian Koski, Ishpeming Westwood; Ryann Locke, Springport; Ryan Doty, Clinton; Mert Oral, Ann Arbor Greenhills; and Ty Ruddy, Ottawa Lake Whiteford.
The Class D Scholar-Athlete Award recipients are: Megan Bennett, McBain Northern Michigan Christian; Mia Riley, Fowler; Ashton McNabb, Three Oaks River Valley; and Eli Shoup, Mason County Eastern.
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.)
Korah Honig, St. Louis
Played four years of varsity volleyball and will participate in her fourth of track & field this spring. Earned all-league and all-region in volleyball and qualified for MHSAA Finals in shot put and discus as a junior. Served as captain of volleyball and track teams and earned academic all-state in the latter. Participating in fourth year of student council and has served as vice president. Also participating in fourth years of school’s marching/concert, pep, jazz and steel drum bands and church praise band and is proficient playing 10 instruments. Served as section leader for drumline and clarinet sections. Also participating in quiz bowl and as sportswriter for school newspaper, and in fourth year of pep club. Will attend Indiana Institute of Technology and study business.
Essay Quote: “The definition of sportsmanship is when a sport is enjoyed for its own sake and a sense of fellowship with one’s competitors. The reason sports exist is because people enjoy playing them, and sportsmanship is what keeps the love of the game alive. Sports are more than winning but also building relationships and good competition.”
Jillian Koski, Ishpeming Westwood
Playing third season of varsity basketball, played fourth of varsity tennis in the fall and will play second of varsity golf and fourth of varsity softball this spring; also swam as a junior and participated in track & field as a freshman. Twice won MHSAA Finals flight championships in tennis and finished runner-up as a senior, and made Finals for swimming as a junior. Helped tennis team to three Finals championships and softball and basketball teams to league titles. Earned all-conference in golf and all-Upper Peninsula in tennis. Served as captain of tennis, softball and golf teams. Carried a 4.0 GPA through high school and is participating in second year of National Honor Society. Participating in fourth year of student council; served as class president the first three years and is serving as council president as a senior. Participating in third year of Business Professionals of America, also having served as president of that group, and earned national awards. Will attend Michigan State University and study business management.
Essay Quote: “Sportsmanship ideals keep the sports community thriving. … Through my experience, I have learned that sportsmanship is not simply being considerate to the opposing team. Each team must show compassion within themselves in order to be successful.”
Ryann Locke, Springport
Playing fourth season of varsity basketball, played two of varsity volleyball and ran two of cross country, and will compete in fourth varsity seasons of soccer and track & field this spring. Qualified for MHSAA Finals in track and earned all-state honorable mention in soccer, and earned all-area in basketball and was named league’s Most Valuable Player. Earned academic all-state in all five varsity sports. Served as captain of soccer and basketball teams. Participating in second year of National Honor Society and fourth on student council. Has participated in 4-H and Future Farmers of America throughout high school, earning a number of 4-H grand champion awards and FFA state recognition. Also participating in school’s Sources of Strength and Senior Strong organizations. Will attend Trine University and pursue pre-medical studies.
Essay Quote: “I cherish every moment when I get the chance to compete. I try to compete with a level of integrity that others can respect and acclaim. … It is a special feeling to walk off the court filled with pride, holding your head high, feeling triumphant. But sometimes you lose, you have to look opponents and coaches in the eye and shake their hand, tell them good job, embrace the fact that they were better than you in that moment.”
Ryan Doty, Clinton
Ran second varsity season of cross country in the fall and will participate in fourth of track & field this spring; also played varsity soccer as a freshman. Ran on two Finals-qualifying cross country teams and earned all-conference and all-region in track. Served as captain of cross country and track teams. Participating in fourth year of student government and has served as vice president, and participating in third years of National Honor Society and Hispanic Honors Society, having served in leadership positions in both. Participating in fourth year of International Club and has served as co-president. Formed Images and Ancestors, LLC, and created family tree with more than 4,000 members. Participated throughout high school in USDA botanical research. Served as team coordinator and competed at National TRAC Bridge Competition. Contributed to Clinton Mascot Rebranding Committee and served on school’s Student Engagement Committee promoting diversity and inclusion. Participated in mission trip to Romania. Has not decided where he will attend college, but intends to study genetics.
Essay Quote: “Sportsmanship is more than a buzzword, it is a lifestyle: a way of life that seeks self-improvement through the advancement of others. In order to have a successful team and athletic association, members must race not only for themselves, but also for those around them.”
Mert Oral, Ann Arbor Greenhills
Played four seasons of varsity tennis, becoming one of nine in MHSAA history to win three Finals championships at No. 1 singles, and helped Greenhills to two team titles. Earned Mr. Tennis Award after senior season and all-state for the fourth time, and also won 2018 USTA Midwest Closed Championships and reached finals of 2019 USTA Level 2 national tournament. Served as Greenhills tennis team captain as junior and senior. Participating in fourth season of Model United Nations and has served twice on executive board. Contributing for fourth year to school’s Peer to Peer math tutoring program and has served as club leader. Participated in two years of DECA, winning a state championship and qualifying for international competition. Served one year as class officer. Will attend University of Michigan and study biomedical engineering.
Essay Quote: “From day one our coaches preached to us that no matter if we win or lose, we should always do it with class, and we should strive our hardest to be ambassadors for the game, to demonstrate what tennis, and all high school sports for that matter, is about: sportsmanship. I began seeing competition and matches not as something to “win or lose,” but rather as opportunities to represent myself, my teammates, and my coaches to the best of my ability.”
Ty Ruddy, Ottawa Lake Whiteford
Played two seasons of varsity football and will participate in fourth of track & field this spring; also played varsity basketball as a junior. Qualified for MHSAA Finals in track and helped football team to Regional title; contributed in multiple sports despite significant medical challenges including three open-heart surgeries by age 3. Earned academic all-state in football and all-league scholar-athlete awards in all three sports. Served as team captain of football and track teams. Carries 4.0 GPA and is participating in second year of National Honor Society. Serving as student council treasurer and senior class president. Participating in first year of choral ensemble and previously participated in Future Farmers of America during the first two years of high school. Served as team leader during mission trip and has contributed to Goodfellow Food Pantry throughout high school, organizing a holiday food drive that collected more than 3,500 items. Will attend Hillsdale College and study English and applied mathematics.
Essay Quote: “In September 2021, my doctors notified my parents and me, for the first time, that I had one kidney. The experience struck a chord with me, instilling a thankfulness for everyday experiences I had not previously shown. Before that day, I had recognized the brevity of life but never the importance of life experiences.”
Other Class C girls finalists for the Scholar-Athlete Award were: Haley Anne Newland, Bad Axe; Karly Smith, Beal City; Isabel Contreras-Spencer, Grass Lake; Gillian Kuehnle, Hartford; Gabrielle Carey, Iron Mountain; Jordan Fox, Lake City; Isabel Henige, New Lothrop; Trinity Kolka, Sanford Meridian; and Anna McPherson, Saranac.
Other Class C boys finalists for the Scholar-Athlete Award were: Dylan David Reisig, Bridgman; Cole Garrison Stone, Carson City-Crystal; Samuel Peterson, Charlevoix; Jack Davis, Holland Black River; Isaac Backman, Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep; Jack Hollebeek, Grandville Calvin Christian; Joshua M. Fairbanks, Roscommon; Jonah Cerone, Royal Oak Shrine Catholic; and Alex Tanner, Whitmore Lake.
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 Bennett, McBain Northern Michigan Christian
Playing third season of varsity basketball, played four of varsity volleyball and will play fifth of varsity soccer this spring (after also playing as an eighth grader, allowed at schools with fewer than 100 students). Helped all three teams to District championships. Earned all-state recognition in soccer and basketball and all-league in volleyball, and earned academic all-state in all three sports. Served multiple seasons as team captain in basketball and volleyball. Serving fourth year on student council including second as part of executive committee. Participating in second year of National Honor Society and third of theater and choir. Participating in fourth years of Christ Committee and Chapel Team, and has served as president of both. Volunteers in church, school and community efforts. Is undecided where she will attend college, but intends to study criminal justice.
Essay Quote: “(Sportsmanship) is going out of one's way to help, congratulate, or simply acknowledge another player no matter the mindset one is in; it is the helping hand when a player falls down; it is the words of encouragement when another player is struggling. Sportsmanship is the way that others watching see Christ through an athlete's actions.”
Mia Riley, Fowler
Playing fourth season of varsity basketball and played four of varsity volleyball. Named all-state in basketball for second time as a junior in leading team to Division 4 Finals championship. Also earned all-state honors two seasons in volleyball. Served as captain of both teams. Carries 4.0 GPA and has been dually enrolled for three years at Lansing Community College; made LCC’s President’s list. Participating in third year of National Honor Society and has served as chapter vice president, and participating in first year on student council. Participating in fourth year of Business Professionals of America, serving as club president and having qualified for national competition. Has volunteered with church throughout high school. Will attend Ferris State University and study biology and pre-optometry.
Essay Quote: “Entitlement, foul play, ‘trash talk’, and plenty other unsportsmanlike conduct is prominent in sports. These are all things that I do not want my character to reflect when I participate in educational athletics. Instead, I strive to act … with nothing but respect, understanding, and kindness towards others in sports. It is unselfish, sportsmanlike acts … that help us to refocus our purpose for participating in sports in the first place: to compete with our teammates and have fun.”
Ashton McNabb, Three Oaks River Valley
Playing third season of varsity basketball and will play fourth season of varsity baseball in the spring; also ran three seasons of varsity cross country. Helped basketball and baseball teams to league championships and baseball to multiple District titles. Carries 4.4 GPA and will be named valedictorian. Earned all-league and academic all-state in baseball, and served as team captain of baseball and basketball teams. Participating in fourth year of National Honor Society and was first freshman inducted in school history. Serving second year on MHSAA Student Advisory Council and previously served two years as class vice president. Contributing to school’s Peer 2 Peer program, and has participated in church youth group throughout high school and as a volunteer with Urban Hope the last two years. Is undecided where he will attend college, but intends to study engineering.
Essay Quote: “Sportsmanship is such an understated topic; never do you go home and have dinner and talk about how ‘sportsmanship’ was at practice. … The crazier thing to me is that we have a standard for sportsmanship … without consistently defining it! We assume athletes naturally understand the necessity for sportsmanship on and off the court, and I think part of the problem is the lack of dialogue on the topic.”
Eli Shoup, Mason County Eastern
Playing third year of varsity basketball and will compete in fourth years of varsity baseball and track & field this spring; also ran four years of varsity cross country. Qualified for MHSAA Finals in cross country all four years and earned all-conference in basketball and track and all-district recognition in baseball. Helped cross country team to Regional title and baseball team to District championship. Earned academic all-state in cross country. Served as captain of cross country and track teams. Carries 4.0 GPA and will be named valedictorian, and earned 25 college credits with dual enrollment at West Shore Community College. Participating in second year of National Honor Society and first of varsity club, and has served as vice president of latter. Participating in school marching band and earned first chair for saxophone. Participated in 4-H throughout high school and received county fair reserve grand champion award. Is undecided where he will attend college, but intends to study mechanical engineering.
Essay Quote: “Many teams, including other ones I’ve been on, are very competitive. Newcomers don’t always feel welcome. Everyone is your friend until you supersede them, and then they are cold and resolved against you. Our cross country team wasn’t like that. We built each other up and congratulated each other on personal successes.”
Other Class D girls finalists for the Scholar-Athlete Award were: Ashton Hord, Felch North Dickinson; Tara Townsend, Frankfort; Alaina Roush, Harbor Springs Harbor Light Christian; Anna Roberts, Hillsdale Academy; Meredith VanDerWeide, Hillsdale Academy; and Skylar Wiesen, Leland.
Other Class D boys finalists for the Scholar-Athlete Award were: Cole Robinson, Bellaire; Jack Matrella, Bessemer; Brayden M. Steenwyk, Ellsworth; Jacob Rademacher, Fowler; Jonas P. Lanser, McBain Northern Michigan Christian; and Samuel Paga, Petoskey St. Michael Academy.
The Class B scholarship award recipients will be announced Feb. 15, and the Class A honorees will be announced Feb. 22.
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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 1.4 million spectators each year.