Welcome Back to 'The Woods'
January 17, 2014
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Buchanan, here we come.
The MHSAA and its Student Advisory Council will kick off "Battle of the Fans III" tonight with a return trip to Buchanan, last season's BOTF champion.
Buchanan, tucked into the southwest corner of the Lower Peninsula, is a Class B school of 465 students hailing from a community of roughly 4,400. The Bucks earned voters' hearts in 2013 as most of that student body and community filled the home gym – fittingly referred to as "The Woods" – for the MHSAA's BOTF visit.
The MHSAA will visit finalists Beaverton, Bridgman, Frankfort and Traverse City West later this month and during the first two weeks of February before crowning a champion on Feb. 21 and inviting representatives from the winning section to a banner presentation during the Boys Basketball Semifinals on March 21 at Michigan State's Breslin Center.
Remember, follow the Battle of the Fans on the MHSAA's Facebook, Twitter and Instagram social media sites by clicking hashtag #BOTF. The MHSAA-produced story and video from tonight's trip will be published Tuesday on Second Half.
Here's Buchanan's application video for this winter's contest.
PHOTO is courtesy of Buchanan High School. Battle of the Fans III is sponsored in part by the United Dairy Industry of Michigan.
Performance of the Week: Whitmore Lake's Kaylie Livingston
November 8, 2024
Kaylie Livingston ♦ Whitmore Lake
Sophomore ♦ Cross Country
After finishing runner-up as a freshman, Livingston took the championship step to win her first MHSAA Final in this sport, claiming the Lower Peninsula Division 4 title Saturday at Michigan International Speedway in 18 minutes, 6.5 seconds. Livingston built an 8.6-second lead during the first mile and won the race by nearly 14 seconds, and in the process also led Whitmore Lake to a repeat team championship.
Livingston won 13 races total this fall, finishing second once and sixth among a field that included two more eventual Finals champions in the Shepherd BLUEJAY Invitational Elite race. She also plays basketball for Whitmore Lake, making the all-Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Conference first team as a freshman, and she's just a few months removed from winning the 3,200 meters, finishing second in the 1,600 and running on the winning 3,200 relay at the spring's LPD4 Track & Field Finals.
@mhsaasports 🏃♀️POW: Kaylie Livingston #crosscountry #whitmorelake #finals #champion #part1 #highschoolsports #tiktalk #interview #performanceoftheweek #mistudentaid #fyp #MHSAA ♬ original sound - MHSAA
@mhsaasports 🏃♀️POW: Kaylie Livingston #tiktalk #questiontime #modernfamily #heart #emoji #sand #cheese #pizza #part2 #performanceoftheweek #mistudentaid #fyp #MHSAA ♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys - Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey
Follow the MHSAA on TikTok.
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. 25: Oliver Caldwell, Grand Rapids West Catholic tennis - Report
Oct. 18: Alex Graham, Detroit Cass Tech football - Report
Oct. 11: Victoria Garces, Midland Dow cross country - Report
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
PHOTO Whitmore Lake's Kaylie Livingston charges toward the finish of Saturday's Lower Peninsula Division 4 championship race. (Click for more from Dave McCauley/RunMichigan.com.)