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 FacebookTwitter 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.

Battle of the Fans: Petoskey, Here We Come

February 16, 2012

Only one stop remains on the MHSAA "Battle of the Fans" tour.

Friday is Snowcoming at Petoskey High, and the Blue Crew has the fifth and final shot at proving it's the top student cheering section in Michigan this winter.

Petoskey hosts a varsity doubleheader against West Branch Ogemaw Heights. Check in over the weekend for the story behind the section and video of the Blue Crew in action.

The Battle of the Fans Tour began in Frankenmuth, then moved to Grand Rapids Christian and Reese before hitting Rockford two weeks ago. Stories and videos on those four student sections can be found by clicking the links at the bottom of this page under "Related Articles."

Voting runs Monday-Thursday on our Facebook page, with the big announcement coming Friday. And all five finalists will be part of a video that runs on the Breslin Center scoreboard throughout the Girls and Boys Basketball Finals next month.

The contest was organized by the MHSAA's Student Advisory Council.