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Revived Blue Crew Continues to Thrive

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

February 6, 2018

PETOSKEY – When Dominick Murray’s older sister was a high school senior in 2012, Petoskey’s Blue Crew was a top-five finalist in the inaugural Battle of the Fans.

Three years later, then-freshman Dominick was “really iffy” about the whole thing and didn’t go to a game.

The once-proud Blue Crew had all but faded away. But in 2016-17, the section was reborn and returned to the BOTF Finals. And that wasn’t a one-hit wonder – Petoskey welcomed the MHSAA for Friday’s boys basketball game against Traverse City West as one of three finalists vying for this year’s Battle of the Fans VII championship.

Petoskey’s student section isn’t just back. It’s all the way back and better than ever before.

“There’s a lot of things stressful in high school, extremely stressful,” Petoskey senior Isabella Rowe said. “So coming to a basketball game or a football game or whatever kind of sport, just getting to focus on encouraging your classmates, getting to see people smile when Danny (Kolp) or anyone just dunks that basketball and everyone just jumps up in the air – it’s the coolest experience and the whole gym is so happy.”

We met with Rowe, Murray, seniors Jake Lee, Carly Williams, Jack Paulsen and David Paquette, and junior Taylor Whitman to discuss all that is the Petoskey Blue Crew.

BOTF is a competition, of course, and this year’s tour stop reports will follow a format similar to a typical game night – starting with a gameplan other schools can incorporate if they wish to join the fun, followed by our video from the tour stop and then more on why the section is considered one of the state’s best.

Petoskey’s Gameplan

Take some of these tips from the Blue Crew:

• It’s not a one-person show. Start as early as you can and get as many passionate people as possible to join in the planning. 

• Find out what students want. Petoskey’s love theme nights – and you’ve got to give fans who aren’t necessarily into sports incentives to keep them coming back for more.

• Work with your school administrators, finding out what you’re allowed to do and how they can help.

• Get social. There’s no better way to get out the good word than through social media. It’s the best way to let your classmates know what events are coming up.

• Get younger students involved, be it underclassmen or even middle school and elementary fans. They’re the ones who will be carrying on the traditions moving forward, and instilling pride and a sense of belonging early is valuable. 

Pregame Prep

The last regular-season game of last season, at Boyne City, remains memorable because of how the section traveled and dressed up and made it festive. Not long after, Rowe and Lee – juniors who were part of the main organizing group – began reaching out for new help on social media and together coming up with people they thought might be good additions to the Blue Crew’s leadership.

What they found in part were a lot of classmates who were interested in coming to games and helping lead cheers on the floor – but not necessarily planning behind the scenes. Both are important, of course, and by the end of May the “core group” for this year’s Blue Crew had just about taken shape.

That core group put together a list of theme nights, ranked which should be on the biggest games, and in August started filling in a calendar (Rowe and Williams have put a new one together for every month). The leaders also put together a “rules and guidelines sheet” including things like how seating will work (you get the best seats by showing up earliest, not based on grade, etc.). They started thinking up ideas to get underclassmen more involved in the section and eventually began working with their National Honor Society and DECA chapters and SAFE in Northern Michigan to help with finances and provide giveaways like lanyards.

In fact, the Blue Crew already is working on next year – at least a little bit – putting together the materials Whitman will need to take over when most of these leaders graduate, plus suggesting classmates who could take their places.

Game Time

Petoskey turned its gym into a safari-themed “jungle” for our visit, and packed its home stands despite the girls basketball team playing at Alpena and the hockey team hosting Alpena for a cancer benefit game in honor of freshman Evelyn Schwarz, who is undergoing chemotherapy while battling the disease.

The Blue Crew made sure to take part in that special event, raising money with a “miracle minute” between the first and second quarters. The Crew also had plans to finish the night by joining other classmates cheering at the hockey game after the basketball team was done.

“When you’re not part of a major sport – there’s not many fans at a ski race; nobody’s going to come out to the hill – (like with) soccer, before last year there was literally nobody there, and this year for the first time people are actually singing in the stands like you’d see in a professional game or something,” said Paquette, who played soccer and ski races. “It’s so cool, and it really gives you energy and support. It’s cool that your peers are supporting you for what you do, and I want to do (the same) because I love the positive energy we can give the basketball program, and I think it helps them better on the court too.”

A major change to the Blue Crew this school year has been the variety of teams it’s cheering. Football always is big, and basketball is the main draw up north during the winter. But the Crew made its share of volleyball matches during the fall and soccer games for the first time. Hockey has joined the winter rotation.

The BOTF Semifinal “Challenge Round” over 12 days last month also provided an opportunity for the Crew to grow its reach and continue its focus this year on getting more younger students involved. One challenge option gave BOTF semifinalists the opportunity to show how they get the youth involved – and Petoskey took that challenge head on.

The Blue Crew’s big focus for in-game fun this season was on creating great theme nights, but leaders learned something new there too.

Their classmates would get up for the challenge of a creative idea – dressing up for Safari Night gave them options of being a tourist, an animal, or just showing up in green or camouflage. But Crew members also like when themes are simple – wearing the school colors or all white, for example.

In the end, a mix definitely is best.

“(My sister) asked me about it. Obviously we do a lot of things differently than they did,” Murray said. “She wanted to know if some of the traditions still stand. … I told her what we did, and she said she’s much rather be in our student section because she’s an outgoing person and would’ve loved to dress in an ‘80s aerobics outfit.”

Postgame Analysis

The roar is restored. “It hasn’t really crossed people’s minds that much that even just when we were sophomores, (Blue Crew) wasn’t a thing,” Paquette said. “The underclassmen have grown up with this as their only experience. It’s a testament to the culture change we’ve created here, at least for the juniors and seniors to accept that’s what the culture is now. And I think that’s good because it’s probably going to continue it in the future.

We’re all in this together. “I think the reason the Blue Crew died was no one was including the younger classes; now we’re including everyone,” Lee said. “It’s not like we’re split upperclassmen and (under)classmen. We’re all together now, in school and on the court.”

We keep with the theme: “Last year and even before that we filled half of our stands, and now every game is always filled all the way to the top,” Rowe said. “People are pretty good about doing (theme) because we definitely did a ton of different things – just from simple things like color blocks (like blue and white) all the way to an 80s aerobic theme. Carly and I focus on getting calendars set for each month, and of course we try to not do the same thing twice. The girls (basketball) team had its own and boys had its own. We always had relatively good turnouts, and kids were always excited; ‘Hey, you going to the game tonight? What are you wearing?’ That’s always the first question they ask: What are you wearing?”

Spirit is contagious. “I know T.C. West motivated us to be in (Battle of the Fans). And then Boyne City … we were (finalists last year) at the same point. And now Pellston, and I’ve heard kids from Charlevoix want to get involved in the Battle of the Fans competition,” Williams said. “They’ve seen our rules and guidelines sheet and they’re like, this is what we need to do. … It’s just motivation from other schools that’s getting kids started.”

Next stop on BOTF: We also visited Boyne City for its game Friday, and that report and video will publish Feb. 12. We'll finish the 2018 BOTF tour at Buchanan for its Feb. 16 boys basketball game against Berrien Springs.

The Battle of the Fans is sponsored in part by the United Dairy Industry of Michigan.

PHOTOS: (Top) Petoskey's Blue Crew roots on its boys basketball team Friday against Traverse City West. (Middle) A member of the Blue Crew takes the night's safari theme prehistoric. (Photos by Larry Tracy/CMA Action Photography.)

Scholars & Athletes 2020: Class C & D

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

February 3, 2020

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

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 31st year of sponsoring the award, will give $1,000 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. 

Each of the scholarship recipients will be honored at a halftime ceremony during the Division 3 Boys Basketball Final, March 28, at the Breslin Student Events Center in East Lansing. Commemorative medallions will be given to the finalists in recognition of their accomplishments.

The Class C Scholar-Athlete Award honorees are: Madelyn Koski, Ishpeming Westwood; Alanna Mayer, Bronson; Kayla Moore, Madison Heights Bishop Foley Catholic; Brendan Dafoe, Petersburg Summerfield; Noah Dusseau, Petersburg Summerfield; and Hutson Hohlbein, Adrian Lenawee Christian.

The Class D Scholar-Athlete Award recipients are: Emma Springer, Three Oaks River Valley; Samantha Teachworth, Portland St. Patrick; Lesley Armah, Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart; and James Storey, Pickford.

Overviews of the scholarship recipients of the Class C Scholar-Athlete Award follow. A quote from each recipient's essay also is included:

Madelyn Koski, Ishpeming Westwood
Played four seasons of varsity tennis, is playing her fourth of varsity basketball and will play her fourth of varsity softball this spring; also participated in track & field as a junior. Earned all-state honors in basketball while helping her team to last season’s Division 3 Quarterfinals, and was named Upper Peninsula Division 2 Player of the Year in the fall in helping the tennis team to its fourth straight UPD2 championship. Also earned all-league honors in softball and has served as captain in basketball and tennis multiple seasons. Participating in second year of National Honor Society and third of Business Professionals of America, winning a Regional award for BPA as a junior and reaching the national competition as a sophomore. Serving as vice president of BPA chapter after previously serving as treasurer. Served as youth coach or clinician for basketball, softball and tennis throughout high school. Will attend Ferris State University and study pre-pharmacy.

Essay Quote: “No athlete should have to listen to belittling comments made by spectators. This makes me appreciate those with good sportsmanship even more than I did in the past. Seeing other schools with good sportsmanship reinforced my sportsmanship. I don’t want other athletes to feel the way I did when I was a freshman.”

Alanna Mayer, Bronson
Played three seasons of varsity volleyball, is playing her third of varsity basketball and will participate in her fourth of varsity track & field this spring. Earned all-state recognition in helping volleyball team to two Class C/Division 3 Finals championships, earned all-area honors in basketball and qualified for the MHSAA Finals in track. Also contributed to multiple academic all-state team awards in volleyball. Served as captain of all three teams. Participating in second year of National Honor Society and serving as chapter president, and also serving fourth year as student council treasurer. Participated in 4-H and earned a number of “Best of Show” awards for crafts and livestock. Participated in various volunteer projects throughout high school. Finalizing college plans but intends to study business management.

Essay Quote: “Winning is important but showing good sportsmanship is even more important because it forms the basis on how student-athletes interact and treat other people. It teaches them to respect the players on their team as well as the players on the opposing teams. It teaches them to respect their coaches, and most importantly, the referees or officials involved in their games.”

Kayla Moore, Madison Heights Bishop Foley Catholic
Played four seasons of varsity volleyball, is playing her fourth of varsity basketball and will played her fourth of varsity softball in the spring. Earned all-state in softball and all-league in volleyball and basketball, and helped both the volleyball and softball teams to multiple District championships. Served multiple seasons as captain of all three teams. Participating in second year of National Honor Society and serving as chapter president, and also serving as student council executive board president after previously serving as historian. Serving as executive board member for Catholic Athletes for Christ and prayer leader for Mission and Ministry Club’s Be the Difference Day committee. Founded “Hoops for Hope” charity basketball event to promote cancer awareness. Will attend Saginaw Valley State University and study physical therapy.

Essay Quote: “The most popular catch of the week or the buzzer-beating shot to win the game may be recognized, but it is the acts of positive sportsmanship that are remembered for ages. While I may forget a math formula or a vocab definition, I will never forget the impact that educational athletics has had on my life and the person it shaped me to be today.”

Brendan Dafoe, Petersburg Summerfield

Playing third season of varsity basketball, played three of varsity football and will play fourth of varsity baseball in the spring; also participated in track & field as a junior. Earned all-state honors in baseball and all-region and all-league in basketball and football, and was named Monroe County Region “Athlete of the Year” as a junior by Monroe News. Helped baseball team to 2019 Division 4 Finals championship and served as captain of both basketball and football teams. Participating in fourth year of student council and serving as president, and also participating in second year of National Honor Society. Participating in multiple volunteer efforts serving youth and the elderly. Selected to attend numerous leadership conferences and earned a Hugh O’Brian Leadership Award. Will attend University of Toledo and study nursing.

Essay Quote: “Many younger kids look up to the actions I show on and off the field and court and they replicate those behaviors. I’m a fierce competitor, but my teammates will tell me to ‘quit being so nice!’ In fact, while on second base I picked up the ball that was overthrown by the catcher and was called out because of it. I haven’t lived that down, but I love how I have the opportunity as a student athlete to lead in a positive way.”

Noah Dusseau, Petersburg Summerfield
Played two years of varsity football and ran three of cross country, playing second of varsity basketball and will participate in fourth of track & field in the spring; also played junior varsity baseball as a freshman. Helped basketball team to league title and track team to Michigan Interscholastic Track Coaches Association team state meet runner-up finish. Carries 4.0 grade-point average and has earned 11 academic all-state honors. Served as captain of track, cross country and junior varsity football teams. Participating in second years of National Honor Society, National Technical Honor Society and Future Farmers of America; serving as NHS, NTHS and Lenawee FFA chapter presidents. Participated in Lenawee TECH Center Student Leader Organization and American Legion Boys State, and has participated in Young Life for three years. Will attend University of Toledo and study pharmaceutical sciences.

Essay Quote: “There will be many parts of life that will be challenging for everyone. It can be something as simple as failing a math test to as serious as losing a loved one. These events will happen to everyone, and there is no way to avoid them. Sportsmanship teaches us to help those that are going through adversity, whether it be our teammates or opponents, to continue pushing.”

Hutson Hohlbein, Adrian Lenawee Christian
Played four seasons of varsity football, playing fourth of varsity basketball and will play fourth of varsity baseball in the spring. Earned all-conference honors in football and all-county in football and basketball, and helped both of those teams to District titles. Served as captain for multiple seasons of both football and basketball teams and as part of player’s council for former. Selected as representative for Southern Central Athletic Association team-building retreat as sophomore. Carries grade-point average above 4.0 and participating in second year of National Honor Society, this year as treasurer. Also serving as student council vice president after previously serving two years as a representative and as class president as a freshman. Serving third year as class chaplain. Participated as youth basketball coach and continues to officiate multiple sports. Finalizing college plans but intends to study nursing as part of a pre-medical program.

Essay Quote: “If sportsmanship were to be put on the backburner, sports would not only lose their rule-locked organization, but it would also lose its special touch. Every athlete has a reason to play the game they love so much, but without a focus on sportsmanship, an athlete’s love for the game would soon fade while things like pride, cheating, and disrespect steal their joy.”

Other Class C girls finalists for the Scholar-Athlete Award were: Anna Laurenz, Breckenridge; Makayla Fletcher, Clinton; Lauren Schnicke, Kent City; Grace Tylutki, Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central; Isabella Santiago-Lindsay, North Muskegon; Ellie DuVall, Ottawa Lake Whiteford; Ellary Pachulski, Saranac; Allyson Kemp, Unionville-Sebewaing; and Olivia Bowman, White Cloud.

Other Class C boys finalists for the Scholar-Athlete Award were: Gabriel Seir, Ann Arbor Greenhills; Jared Gottschalk, Beal City; Kendall Anthes, Cass City; Sandyn Cuthrell, Cass City; Drew Markel, Cass City; Giovanni Basanese, Iron Mountain; Jack Pedlar, Lake City; Riley McKenna, Lakeview; John Hayhurst, North Muskegon.

Overviews of the scholarship recipients of the Class D Scholar-Athlete Award follow. A quote from each recipient's essay also is included: 

Emma Springer, Three Oaks River Valley
Played four varsity seasons of volleyball, playing fourth of basketball and will play her fourth of softball this spring; also ran cross country as a sophomore. Earned all-state honors in softball and all-league recognition in both volleyball and basketball, and was part of receiving team academic all-state recognition in basketball and softball. Helped softball team to league and District titles her first three seasons and has served as captain of all three teams three times. Has served or is serving as class president, National Honor Society chapter president, Varsity Club president, Interact Club founder and president, Spanish Club officer and vice president of student congress. Participated in various volunteer efforts over all four years of high school, and also in school’s peer-to-peer program as a junior. Will attend Calvin University and study kinesiology and Spanish with aspirations of obtaining a doctorate in physical therapy.

Essay Quote: “What the River Valley community learned in its time of grieving is that sportsmanship can be so much more than an interaction between two people, or even two teams. Sometimes sportsmanship is displayed by multiple teams and countless individuals over two years and comes from those you least expect.”

Samantha Teachworth, Portland St. Patrick
Played four seasons of varsity volleyball, is playing her third of varsity basketball and will play her fourth of varsity softball in the spring. Earned all-league recognition in volleyball and softball and has captained all three of her varsity teams. Helped volleyball team to Regional championship and basketball team to District title. Participating in third year of National Honor Society and serving this year as president of the school’s Student Advisory Committee. Also has served as president of the Ionia Future Farmers of America chapter and multiple 4-H clubs, as a church alter server prefect and township election official. Received various FFA awards and was recipient of the FFA’s Washington Leadership Conference Scholarship. Will attend Aquinas College and study political science.

Essay Quote: “When it comes to organized sports, I feel sportsmanship is one of the first things that should be taught. It is an issue that makes me nervous for the future of sports. … I watched my brother’s third-grade basketball game where a parent was getting so upset about the calls, he would follow a 15-year-old referee on the court to yell at him. It becomes a matter of self-control. We have to realize that at the end of the day, it is a game.”

Lesley Armah, Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart
Ran four seasons of varsity cross country and will run his fourth of varsity track this spring, and played junior varsity basketball as a sophomore. Participated on cross country teams that finished first and second at MHSAA Finals. Earned AP Scholar with Honor Award and a third place in the Mid-Michigan Regional Brain Bee competition. Has represented his class as secretary/treasurer and vice president on student senate, served as co-captain of the school quiz bowl team and delegation leader for Model United Nations. Earned all- conference recognition for both quiz bowl and Model UN, helping the former to a state championship. Founded and served as president of College Prep Club and also participates in Key Club, National Honor Society, Science Olympiad and robotics. Finalizing college plans but intends to study biology.

Essay Quote: “Unsurprisingly, gracefully leaping over thirty-nine inches of cold, hard metal while in a dead sprint is a difficult task to learn and one that I struggled with for quite some time. Fortunately, whenever I got critiqued for my mediocre form or smacked head-first into a hurdled, I had my trusty group of other hurdlers waiting with words of encouragement. … Despite my numerous, humiliating falls, I constantly received sportsmanly encouragement from teammates and even other competitors that made my bumpy transition into hurdling bearable.”

James Storey, Pickford
Played four seasons of varsity football, is playing his fourth of varsity basketball and will play his fourth of varsity baseball and participate in his third season of track & field this spring. Earned all-state honors in football and all-conference in basketball and baseball, and led Pickford to the 8-player Division 2 championship this past fall. Served as team captain in all four sports. Carries 3.99 grade-point average while dually enrolled for nine college credits, and earned school academic excellence awards in multiple subjects. Served as school and class president during four years of student government, and is participating in second year of National Honor Society. Tutors in math and serves as church volunteer. Finalizing college plans but intends to pursue a pre-medical degree with aspirations of a career in dermatology.

Essay Quote: “Sportsmanship is the one aspect of the game that makes high school athletics memorable forever. While there are times that athletes get caught up in the heat of an intense game, these are the situations where it is most important to maintain a good attitude and good sportsmanship. There will always be people who act unsportsmanlike in these situations; however, this is where student-athletes need to be leaders and deal with the situation in a sportsmanlike manner.”

Other Class D girls finalists for the Scholar-Athlete Award were: Teegan Dawson, Bellaire; Josie Koenigsknecht, Fowler; Colleen McCarthy, Onekama; Emma Engler, Peck; Kaitlyn Bricker, Pellston; and Isabel Mossel, Plymouth Christian Academy.

Other Class D boys finalists for the Scholar-Athlete Award were: Tony Piggott, Fowler; Ramy Abueita, Genesee; Alex Sutten, Marion; Adam Paga, Petoskey St. Michael Academy; Bryce Opie, Suttons Bay; and Matthew Schmidt, Three Oaks River Valley.

The Class B scholarship award recipients will be announced Feb. 11, and the Class A honorees will be announced Feb. 18.

Farm Bureau Insurance of Michigan was founded in 1949 by Michigan farmers who wanted an insurance company that worked as hard as they did. Those values still guide the company today and are a big reason why it is known as Michigan’s Insurance Company, dedicated to protecting the farms, families, and businesses of this great state. Farm Bureau Insurance agents across Michigan provide a full range of insurance services—life, home, auto, farm, business, retirement, Lake Estate®, and more—protecting nearly 500,000 Michigan policyholders.

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.