SPORTS SECTION ⚫ THE LATEST HEADLINES

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BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor

DETROIT (CCN) — Our Metro Flint regional area had a 2-out-of-3 effort at Ford Field. 

Millington and Goodrich won state titles but Frankenmuth lost for the first time this season.

Frankenmuth was of only three teams in the state to take an undefeated record into the state finals at Ford Field on the Michigan High School Athletic Association's annual crowning of champions in all eight divisions on the two days after Thanksgiving.

Frankenmuth finally met its match though, coming up short against No. 1 ranked Pontiac Notre Dame Prep. The Fighting Irish rolled 42-7 in the Division 5 state championship game.

Notre Dame Prep missed out on perfection by losing its regular season finale to Hudsonville Unity Christian which was ranked No. 1 in the state in Division 4  in the final regular season poll by the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association.

Goodrich, ranked No. 4 Division 4,  recovered from a 22-0 opening night loss at Frankenmuth to run the table the rest of the way with 13 straight victories to take the Division 4 title in a 35-6 breeze over Niles.

Division 7 combatants Millington and Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central were the other two schools that brought perfect records to Ford Field.

St. Mary CC, a four-time state champ, was no match for Millington in their battle. The Cardinals prevailed by a 24-0 score in their first ever appearance in the state finals since the MHSAA state playoff system began 50 years ago in 1975.

It's the first time the Metro Flint regional area has had two state champions in the same season since 1998. Jim Szapan led Chesaning to the 1998 Class B title when beating Belding 41-38 while Montrose won the Class CC crown under Dennis Reinhart by beating Whittemore-Prescott 21-14.

Millington was the first local team to register a shutout in a state championship game while the margins of victory by both the Cardinals (24 points) and Goodrich (29 points) were the largest among teams to win state titles.

Previous state titles by teams in the Metro Flint regional area include 11 by seven schools.

Local teams have lost nine time in the finals.

The old Flint Rosary won our area's first state title in 1977 when first-year Coach Bill Hermann guided his team to a 21-20 victory over Crystal Falls Forest Park in Class D. Rosary had lost in the Class D finals to the same Crystal Falls Forest Park team in 1975 and 1976 under Coach Richard Mettlach's leadership — 14-6 in 1976 after being clobbered 50-0 in the first match-up.

New Lothrop won a Division 8 title in 2006 under Jake  Emmendorfer when beating Crystal Falls Forest Park 34-13, then won it all twice in Division 7 (50-44 over Madison Heights Madison in 2018 and 42-35 over Traverse City St. Francis in 2020) under Coach Clint Galvas.

Clarkston also counts three state championships. They were in Division 1 under Kurt Richardson when beating Detroit Catholic Central 32-14 in 2013, getting by Saline 33-25 in 2014 and then nipping West Bloomfield in 2017 by a memorable 3-2 score.

Davison won it all in Division 1 when Jake Weingartz led his 2019 Cardinals to a 35-25 victory over Brighton. They lost 41-0 to West Bloomfield in a return visit to Ford Field for the finals in 2020.

Flint Powers Catholic made it to the Division 4 state finals in 2015 after winning it all in 2005 under Jack Pratt when beating  Grand Rapids Catholic Central 17-10.

Frankenmuth was runner-up in Division 5 in both 2020 and 2022 before losing in the 2024 finals while Corunna reached the finals before losing in Division 5 last year.

Goodrich reached the 2022 state finals in Division 4 before losing 28-0 to Grand Rapids South Christian.

Two neighboring schools in Lapeer County and Oakland County have also won state titles.

Lapeer West won a double overtime thriller 24-21 over South Lyon in Class A in 1995 under Jeff Putnam who later coached at Flint Kearsley and Davison when Lapeer's East and West high schools merged to become the Lapeer Lightning.

Neighboring Oxford in Oakland County won it all in 1992 under Bud Rowley with a 20-13 victory in overtime over  Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills in the Class BB classification.

Game Stories Inside Today's Preps Section

You can find details on all the state championship games in all eight divisions for prep football inside today's My AM Advantage Sports Section.

BY GARY ANDERSON

CCN Staff Writer

LINDEN (CCN) — Pro boxer Joey Spencer of Linden has announced that he knows who his opponent will be on December 12th at Flint's Dort Financial Center in Flint. Spencer, who is 18-1 and coming off his victory by KO in his first hometown fight last summer at Linden High School's football field, is making his second Genesee County bout in Flint as part of the "Big Time Boxing USA" card promoted by Brooklyn-based Salita Productions.

 All the fights from the Dort on Dec. 12 will be featured live to a worldwide audience on the DAZN streaming network. The opponent wasn't listed in our story below last week. That's because the opponent was not yet determined.

But Spencer took to social media yesterday with a Facebook post to reveal it's going to be Miguel Angel Hernandez of Dallas, Texas. He's 9-0 with 7 knockouts.  It will be a 10-round bout.

 Spencer had this to say about Hernandez. "Hernández is a tough, undefeated fighter and I’m looking forward to taking on this challenge in front of my Michigan fans."

Tickets can be purchased in person at Dort Financial Center's box office or online at Tix.com or SpencerPromotions.com.

Also on the fight card at the Dort on December 12th will be Flint's Ardreal Holmes who is 16 and oh after a KO in his last fight also promoted by Salita Productions in mid-September at the Dort. Grand Blank High School grad Leon "Lethal" Lawson was also on the last card and he will be back to fight again for this second hometown appearance.

 Lawson, a grandson of Flint's legendary Bumper Lawson who was close friends with famous heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali, went to 16 and one with 9 KOs by winning on the Flint card in September by Salita Promotions. Lawson, also a cousin to Flint's pro boxing brothers Anthony and Andre Durell, dropped Luis Alberto Veron of Argentina with a right hook at the 37-second mark of the 4th round earlier this fall. 

Dec. 12 will mark Lawson's second fight of 2024 after fighting only once in 2023 following his first loss in a mid-2022 decision to Nathaniel Gallimore of Jamaica. Lawson's opponent has also not yet been named.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is pro boxer Joey Spencer of Linden.

BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor

EVANSTON, ILLINOIS (CCN) — Fenton's Josh Thompson has been named Honorable Mention All-Big 10 in college football for the Northwestern Wildcats.

He's a 6-foot-5, 301-pound offensive lineman for Northwestern who is a red-shirt junior.

Thompson started 9-of-10 games this season for the Wildcats after starting 11 times last fall as a sophomore when earning the top job at right tackle in Game 3. He switched back to guard this fall under Coach 

 Connor Colby of Iowa and Donovan Jackson of Ohio State were selected as the first team offensive guards by Big 10 coaches. Olaivavega Loane of Penn State and Emmanuel Pregnon of USC were the second team picks while Marcus Harper II of Oregon and Joe Huber of Wisconsin were the third team selections.

  Caleb Tiernan was an honorable mention as the only other Northwestern player honored on offense with Thompson.  Theran Johnson of Northwestern was second team all-Big 10 as a defensive back. Thompson's teammates  Aidan Hubbard, Anto Saka, Damon Walters and Xander Mueller were honorable mention selections on defense while kickoff return specialist Joe Himon was an honorable mention on special teams.

The Big 10 media selections were almost identical but Saka Walters were left off as honorable mentions on defense while Devin Turner, Mac Uihlein and Theran Johnson got notice instead.  Punt return man AJ Henning was an honorable mention on special teams but Himon was left off the media all-stars.

Henning is a transfer from the Michigan Wolverines. He returned a punt 61 yards for a touchdown against UConn in 2021 for Michigan's first punt return for a TD since 2019 

Thompson was named Academic All-Big Ten last season as well at Northwestern which is one of the most respected academic institutions in America.

Thompson didn't allow a sack in his final 8 starts a year ago after Penn State's vaunted offense managed to get by his side of the line twice.

He did not see action as a freshman when the Wildcats opted to red shirt him.

 Thompson was the No. 35 offensive guard in the USA and rated as the 20th overall recruit in Michigan by 24/7 Sports after his senior season for the Fenton Tigers.

He was a four-year star for the Tigers and led them to a 34-9 record during his career under Coach Jeff Seltzke as a team captain. They won three Metro League championships and went to the state playoffs three times while he anchored the line.

Coach Seltzke said he was "very proud of Josh" and added: "He was an all-state player in high school and now all-Big 10. He is extremely gifted with a work ethic not matched by many. Bigger things to come in his future"

Thompson  played three positions on the offensive line at Fenton — right guard, right tackle and left tackle. Coach Seltzke said Thompson never once allowed a  sack during his prep career with the Tigers.

Thompson was honored as a pre-season prep All-American candidate by Sports Illustrated in 2020. He was picked on the Flint Journal's Dream Team offense in 2019 for all classes.

He was an unanimous first team all-Metro pick twice by Metro League coaches and was also a first team selection as a sophomore.

Thompson was named as a Division 2 all-Region first team selection and named all-state by the Detroit Free Press, Detroit News and Associated Press.

His father, Randall Thompson, played college football at Central Michigan University and brother Reid played at Wayne State University.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is lineman Josh Thompson of the Northwestern Wildcats.

BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor

CLARKSTON (CCN) — Junior star Kendyl Smith engineered the first genuine upset of the high school basketball season Tuesday night (Dec. 3, 2024). She scored 27 points, including dropping 6 3-point bombs to lead Flint Powers Catholic to a 62-55 upset over Clarkston.

The Lady Wolves were predicted by many to be one of the best girls' basketball teams in the state this season.

Powers will now get some notice after the opening night upset despite being hit hard by graduation after making a surprise run to the state quarterfinals in March Madness a year ago.

Smith's sister, Amaya, went on to play Division 1 basketball at Central Michigan University and Ali Anderson is playing for the Mott Bears in junior college hoops.

But returning the younger Smith is huge. 

She gives Coach Ryan Trevithick one of the top players in the state. In fact, she's on many lists of top players in the nation after leading her Columbus-based AAU team to a national championship a year ago when facing many of the nation's top recruits.

Only a junior, Kendyl Smith has already committed to join her big sister Amaya at CMU.

Opposing Coach Aaron Goodhough was certainly impressed. He told the Oakland Press, “That’s a good team, and Kendyl shot lights out. I told their coach – she’s coming off seven weeks of mono – I said, ‘Hey, can you have her run over and give my girls mono if that’s what mono looks like?’ She’s a great player, a great kid, and they play into her strengths. I’m sure she’s going to be exhausted tonight coming off that.”

The Powers point guard really got going in the second quarter after leading the Lady Chargers to a 15-13 advantage after one quarter with a 7-point binge. She scored 11 more in the second to help Powers build a 4-point halftime lead.

Two 3-point bombs by Smith in the 3rd quarter and strong support by a trio of others helped Powers push its lead to a high of 15 points when junior Paige Ringwelski's free throw completed a 3-point play the old fashioned way.

One of the other top contributors for Powers was freshman forward Evah Smith — no relation to Kendyl Smith but the daughter of Flintstone great Antonio Smith who starred at Michigan State University when winning the NCAA title.

Antonio's daughter was one of two other Powers players  in double figures besides Kendyl Smith with 16 points. Ringwelski had 10

Clarkston was led by Elli Robak with 18 points and   Brooklyn Covert with 14 while  Makayla Butki and Ellie Hernandez contributed 7 points each.

The Lady Wolves try to get victory number one on Friday night (Dec. 6, 2024) at Traverse City Central, then take on highly-regarded Hartland at the Swartz Creek Showcase on Saturday (Dec. 7, 2024).

Powers plays game two next Tuesday(Dec. 10, 2024) at Ypsilanti Arbor Prep which won the Division 3 state championship a year ago.

(See Girls' Basketball Roundup)

(See Boys' Basketball Roundup)

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is Flint Powers Catholic star Kendyl Smith.

FLINT (CCN) — The Mott Bears men lost for the second time in three games Monday night when dropping a 90-74 decision to arch rival Lansing Community College.

Mott gets a chance for revenge on Dec. 14 when visiting Lansing.

Coach Steve Schmidt's Bears have a nine-day break to go back to the drawing board as the veteran coach tries to get the Bears on track.

They're now 4-2 so far in their 14-game non-conference tune-up schedule before the games count for real in the Eastern Conference of the Michigan Community College Athletic Association.

The conference opener is Jan. 11 at St. Clair Community College in Port Huron.

Monday night's home court loss at Ballenger Field House on the campus of Flint's Mott Community College was the first defeat there since Feb. 14, 2023 when losing to Macomb Community College.

Freshman Justin Mims of Augusta, Georgia led Mott in the losing cause against Lansing CC with his second straight game topping 20 points.

Mims scored 20 points against Lansing after bagging 21 in Mott's victory three days earlier over Rochester Christian's JV. He's now averaging 15.2 points per game.

Coach Steve Schmidt's men were coming off their first loss of the season two nights earlier at Kalamazoo Valley College — 95-60.

Freshman Justin Mims led Mott with 21 points on a 10-of-14 shooting night. The 6-foot-5 guard from Augusta, Georgia is now averaging 15.2 points per game.

Freshman Kimari Barden of Warren Lincoln High in the Detroit area added 15 points against Lansing

Sophomore Teon Armstrong of Davison scored 11 points and freshman Miles Beard of Charlotte, North Carolina chipped in with 10 points off the bench.

(See More Mott Bears Sports Highlights)

FLINT (CCN) — The Flint Firebirds came up short against one of the Ontario Hockey League's best teams Saturday night in front of 2,921 fans at Dort Financial Center in Flint.

They lost a 3-2 heartbreaker to the Barrie Colts.

The Colts are one point behind the Niagara Ice Dogs in the OHL's Central Division of the Eastern Conference while the Firebirds are dead last in the West Division of the Western Conference.

The game was tied 2-2 going into the third and final period. 

Dalyn Wakely scored the game winner for Barrie with 11:33 left.

The Firebirds had jumped out to a 2-0 lead on goals by Nolan Collins and Nathan Aspinall.

(See More Flint Firebirds Stories)

 (CCN) — Nathan McGinnis and Wally Rose have been named to important positions by the Genesee County Coaches & Officials Association.

McGinnis will take over as GCCOA Recruiting Director while Rose will become a GCCOA Member At Large on the board.

McGinnis replaces Sara Bauman while Rose takes over for John Sandlin.

The announcements were made by GCCOA President Robert Hinojosa. He said, "I would like to thank Mrs. Bauman and Mr. Sandlin for their service and wish them the very best.  I am excited to have Mr. McGinnis and Mr. Rose on our board to continue their predecessors' work and provide our members with excellent leadership."

Friday, Nov. 29, 2024

Goodrich's Martians are bringing home a state championship trophy later today.

I'm convinced these boys have had a guardian angel guiding them on their way to Ford Field in Detroit. Kres Wasington will be there in spirit today.

Sadly, he left us  unexpectedly earlier this year. He was only 50 years old.

I got to know Kres by often sitting together with him at travel baseball games as his son Grant played on Foutch Baseball with my oldest grandson Jack in their first summer of visiting baseball diamonds around the state. I also coached the two boys together a year earlier in a little league rec team where they honed the skills that would make them travel baseball stars.

To say Kres was a bit passionate about sports would be a terrible understatement.

Anyone who crossed paths with Kres in our local sports community was immediately struck by his charisma and passion about life.

An obituary for Kres explained it this way: "Kres found joy in cheering for his beloved University of Michigan and Detroit Lions teams. His enthusiasm for sports spilled into his involvement with youth sports throughout Genesee County. Recently he devoted himself to supporting his children's sports teams in Goodrich. One striking quality about Kres was his ability to make everyone he spoke to feel special. His infectious charisma and genuine kindness attracted people. He had a remarkable gift for brightening rooms and lifting the spirits of those around him. His absence will be deeply felt by the community."

Oldest son Miles Washington will be lining up for the Martians today at Ford Field with his dad smiling down from up above in the Kingdom some of us will be blessed to visit some day in the afterlife following our days on this earth.

Little brother Grant will be cheering him on in the seats with sister Raegan and mom Tara. 

Tara Washington wrote this on Facebook this morning about going to Ford Field today without her husband who will be watching from heaven:

"IT'S FOR ALL THE MARBLES TODAY! I got all the feels right now. How can Kres not be here to see this… But Im excited, I’m nervous like I'm playing, and then I think about how Kres would be acting and how annoyed I would be with him getting ready for today. As I sit here not sleeping looking at the team pic, Kres at some point coached all these boys and how we (are) all family from knowing each other from grade school, so not only am I cheering for our own son but for our 50 other kids that we have seen grow up over the years. So this year boys, the team's biggest fan is everybody’s guardian angel. He has been with all of u every step of the way. As (you) say a little prayer for these boys as they make history today, say a little extra one for me and my kids too."

I'm praying for all of you Tara. I'm only sad that Kres can't be there to yell at the referees today in person. But hey, maybe Kres has more power to help from heaven.

If there's a big call that gets reversed Goodrich's way, we can thank Kres for pulling the strings up there to make the referee change his mind.

 Click Here to Read Old Sports Thoughts Columns

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Mike Killbreath is an award-winning newspaper sports columnist. He appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Daily Gazette Sports Weekend Show Sundays from 6-8 pm and on The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8 am until 9:30 am. He's an award-winning news columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This fall will be his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a new weekly national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.

BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor

(CCN) — A trio of local teams punched their ticket Saturday to Ford Field in Detroit next week.

Millington, Frankenmuth and Goodrich won their state semifinal matchups to reach the state finals.

For Millington, it's the first time the Cardinals will be there in school history.

For Goodrich, it's the second time in the last three years that veteran Coach Tom Alward has taken his Martians to high school football's biggest stage in Michigan.

Frankenmuth has now been a Final Four team in Division 5 for the fifth year in a row. It's the third time Coach Phil Martin's Eagles have been to the state championship game.

One thing all three schools have in common besides being the lone survivors out of 18 qualifiers for the state playoffs from the Metro Flint regional area is this: None of them have ever won a state championship.

Goodrich is up first on Friday (Nov. 29, 2024) in the Division 4 state finals. The Martians meet Niles in a matchup of 12-1 teams that have not lost since opening night.

Frankenmuth, which inflicted that lone loss on Goodrich's record, takes a 13-0 record into its state championship game on Saturday (Nov. 30, 2024) in Division 5 against No. 1 ranked Pontiac Notre Dame Prep that brings an 11-1 mark into the contest.

Millington puts its perfect 12-0 record on the line Saturday (Nov. 30, 2024) against also unbeaten  Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central in the Division 7 state championship game.

Millington plays at 9:30 am on Saturday.

Frankenmuth plays at 4 pm on Saturday.

Goodrich's game is at 12:30 pm on Friday.

The TV broadcasts for all eight state title games will be presented on FanDuel Sports Network. The radio broadcasts for each of our three local teams will be carried on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio. 

Click Here for Game Stories from the Semifinals in Today's Prep Sports Section

BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor

KALAMAZOO (CCN) — Veteran basketball Coach Steve Schmidt found out in convincing fashion Wednesday night that he has some work to do this season with his Mott Bears.

They lost 95-60 at Kalamazoo Valley College to present a clear picture of the vast improvement needed to join the contender class in national circles this season.

Mott didn't make it to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) tournament a year ago. The Bears lost 79-72 to Henry Ford CC in the Great Lakes District A quarterfinal.

Mott has been 12 times to the NJCAA tournament under Schmidt who is  821-237 since taking the top job with the Bears in 1991 — winning it all under his leadership in 2003, 2007, 2008 and 2012. His Bears made it to the national championship game three other times — 2001, 2004 and 2011.

The Bears were off to a 3-0 start before going to Kalamazoo Valley College. The Cougars, now 6-0 on the young season, are the defending champs in the Western Conference of the Michigan Community College Athletic Association (MCCAA). They were also ranked No. 21 in the NJCAA pre-season poll after last season's 24-7 overall record.

Along with lots of practice sessions ahead with Coach Schmidt and assistants Kevin Tiggs and Shaquille, Mott's 2024-25 roster is only four games into a 17-game non-league schedule to prepare for the Jan. 11 opener in the MCCAA's Eastern Conference  at St. Clair Community College.

The Skippers were the 2024 Great Lakes District C champion and finished last season with a 27-8 record overall. They won a pair of games in Danville at the NJCAA's national tournament.

They didn't even win their own conference last season, however, as Macomb CC qualified for the NJCAA's national tourney for the second year in a row en route to making it to the national championship game.

Facing the task of two pre-season top 25 teams in their own conference makes Mott in the MCCAA's toughest conference with two schools that joined Kalamazoo Valley in the MJCAA's pre-season top 25 poll. St. Clair CC checked in at No. 11 while Macomb CC was No. 4. A fourth MCCAA school was ranked in the pre-season top 25, too, with Bay College coming in at No. 14 after winning the MCCAA's Northern Conference during a 27-5 overall campaign.

Others in the Eastern Conference with Mott, St. Clair and Macomb are  Henry Ford, Oakland, Wayne County, Schoolcraft and Jackson.

Mott was led at Kalamazoo Valley by Kylen Clark with 12 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals.

Kimari Barden added 9 points for the Bears and a team-high 8 rebounds while Teon Armstrong and Jude Drake contributed 6 points each.

(See More Mott Bears Sports Highlights)

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is Steve Schmidt who is in his 33rd year as head coach of the Mott Bears basketball program.

BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor

FLINT (CCN) — Flint's Ardreal Holmes and Linden's Joey Spencer will headline a boxing card at Flint's Dort Financial Center on Dec. 12.

Tickets are now on sale for the event that will also feature Grand Blanc High School grad Leon "Lethal" Lawson II, Detroit’s rising middleweight prospect Da’Velle “Hitman 2.0” Smith, veteran fighter Byron Rojas of Nicaragua and a Lexington, Kentucky unbeaten prospect in women's boxing — Samantha Worthington.

Tickets can be purchased in person at Dort Financial Center's box office or online at Tix.com or SpencerPromotions.com.

Doors open on fight night at 5:30 pm at the Dort.

The boxing card will be the latest edition of "Big Time Boxing USA" by Brooklyn-based Salita Promotions that has promoted fights that have been featured on national television via HBO, Showtime, ESPN and Sky Sports.

This fight card in Flint will be presented on the online pay web site known as DAZN which is a live streaming service.

Salita Promotions began in 2010 and exploded five year later for promoter Dmitry Salita after he signed Flint's two-time Gold Medal champion Claressa Shields at the the start of her pro career. Shields went on to become a world champion and is considered by many as the best woman boxer in history.

Salita was a world champion boxer with a 31-1-1 record and 17 knockouts, before becoming a promoter. He now manages many Michigan fighters and other top prospects across the USA.

Salita, 42, is a devout Orthodox Jew from Southfield who was inducted earlier this year into the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. 

His  "Big Time Boxing USA" series is now considered by many boxing experts as the premier talent development series in professional boxing.

Salita said in a press release, “My team and I are proud to announce the strongest BIG TIME BOXING USA fight card to date. Since the series launched in February, we have been building and growing this series to become the premier talent developmental platform for young fighters and this fight card is the best of them all. We thank DAZN for providing the global platform for these fighters to shine and earn their shot at a world title. And we thank the fans of Flint for supporting their hometown heroes and the sport of boxing overall. We had a terrific show in September at the Dort Financial Center and this fight card is even more loaded with hard-hitting talent.” 

The co-main event in Flint on Dec. 12 features two top boxers in the sport in Holmes and Spencer.

Southpaw Holmes, known as Bossman, was on the last Flint card presented by Salita Promotions in mid-September. He defended his USBA Junior Middleweight title in his first hometown bout with a dominant 10-round decision over Cuban-morn Hugo Noriega of Miami (now 10-3, 5 KOs). Holmes, 30, is now 16-0 for his pro career with 6 KOs.

This time, Holmes returns to his hometown to defend his title once more against a more seasoned opponent — French contender Ahmed El Mousaoui who is 35-6-1 with 9 KOs. It will be the fourth straight fight in Michigan for Holmes who fought on national TV with ShoBox appearances in both 2022 and 2023 on Showtime.

Spencer wasn't on the September card at the Dort but he won his last fight Aug. 18 on the football field at Linden High School where he went to school. Spencer, 24, is 18-1 as a pro and has had several fights on national TV.

Younger brother Mickel Spencer, 20, went to 4-0 by knocking down Keaton Gatzmer three times en route to a TKO victory with 1:20 to go in the first round. It was his third knockout in four fights as a pro. It's unknown if the younger Spencer will be on the Dec. 12 boxing card in Flint after joining his brother as the co-main event performer last August in their hometown fights in Linden.

Big brother Joey Spencer won the National Boxing Association Intercontinental title by beating Janer Gonzalez with a 5th round knockout. It was the 11th time Spencer has knocked out an opponent as a pro. Gonzalez had a 21-6-1 coming into the fight.

The Linden fight marked only the second one for Joey Spencer since suffering his first defeat to highly regarded Jesus Ramos in March 2023.

Only his second professional fight in his home state of Michigan, Joey Spencer is scheduled in Flint on Dec. 12 for a 10-round fight. The opponent hasn't yet been identified.

Opponents have also not yet been announced for Lawson or Worthington. Rojas, 34, is also awaiting word on who is opponent will be. He's 28-4-3(11 KOs) and a former world title challenger.

Lawson, a grandson of Flint's legendary Bumper Lawson who was close friends with famous heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali, went to 16-1 (9 KOs) by winning on the Flint card in September by Salita Promotions.

Lawson, also a cousin to Flint's pro boxing brothers Anthony and Andre Dirrell, dropped Luis Alberto Veron of Argentina with a right hook at the 37-second mark of the 4th round. Dec. 12 will mark Lawson's second fight of 2024 after fighting only once in 2023 following his first loss in a mid-2022 decision to Nathaniel Gallimore of Jamaica. Now 22-8-1, Gallimore has lost three in a row since beating Lawson.

Worthington is 9-0 and all but two of her fights have ended in knockouts. Shields has tabbed her as a "future star" in the women's game. Promoted by Flint’s Shields and her T-Rex Promotions, Worthington shares a bond with the "GWOAT" as former U.S. Olympic teammates in 2016. 

 Worthington currently holds impressive rankings of No. 2 with the IBF, No. 4 with the WBO, and No. 6 with both the WBC and WBA at 140 pounds. 

Detroit’s rising middleweight prospect Da’Velle “Hitman 2.0” Smith, praised as the city’s most promising talent since Tommy Hearns, enters the ring fresh off an impressive victory over Gilberto Pereira dos Santos in Puerto Rico. Now 10-0 with knockouts in all but two fights, Smith goes against William Townsel (8-1, 6 KOs) from Virginia Beach.

This matchup marks Smith's biggest challenge to date, coming off the same situation when he upset Nadim Salloum who was 12-0 coming into their bout in March's Big Time Boxing USA event.

(CCN) — Foutch's Strike Zone is hosting Lance Parrish for a book signing event on Nov. 23.

Parrish is a 1984 World Series hero for the Detroit Tigers who was the star catcher on the city's last championship team.

Parrish will appear with former Detroit News award-winning sports writer Tom Gage who wrote the book with him.

There are a limited number of books available so make sure you call and reserve a spot/book. The event will feature "personalized autographs" as well as time for questions and answers about the 1984 World Championship season season and his career.

The cos will be $35 and covers the price of an autographed copy of Parrish's book.

Parrish belted 33 home runs in 1984 with 98 RBI.

He played his first 10 seasons in Detroit during a 19-year career in the big leagues. His 1984 season was one of two 98 RBI campaigns with the Tigers along with a career-best 114 RBI in 1983. He hit 324 career home runs with 1,070 RBI.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is Lance Parrish who is coming to Flint Township's Foutch's Strike Zone on Nov. 23 for a book signing.

BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor

(CCN) — Grand Blanc's season ended in the prep football state playoffs on Friday night (Nov. 15, 2024) while Frankenmuth and Goodrich won  to reach the state semifinals. Millington copied their feat by winning on Saturday afternoon (Nov. 16, 2024).

Frankenmuth, Goodrich and Millington all rolled on their home turf in the Regional championships while Grand Blanc lost 21-14 at Rochester Adams in a battle of 9-2 teams in Division 1.

Frankenmuth, ranked No. 2 in the last regular season poll in Division 5 by the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association, went to 12-0 on the season by beating Gladwin 35-0. It's the fourth straight Final Four appearance for Coach Phil Martin's Eagles who twice reached the state finals at Ford Field in Detroit during that span.

The Eagles get another shot to win it all if they can get by Grand Rapids Catholic Central on Saturday (Nov. 23, 2024). Kick-off from Memorial Stadium in Mount Pleasant will be 1 pm.

Grand Rapids Catholic Central is 8-4 and was ranked no. 7 in the final regular season poll. The Cougars won their Regional title by beating Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep 21-14.

Goodrich whipped Haslett 42-13 to reach the Final Four for the third straight season in Division 4. The Martians made it to the state finals for the first time in school history in 2022. Goodrich, now 11-1 on the year with an 11-game winning streak since losing its opener 22-0 at Frankenmuth, goes this week to Stoney Creek High School in Rochester Hills.

Kick-off for veteran Coach Tom Alward's Martians on Saturday is 1 pm against Harper Woods which went to 9-3 by winning its Regional crown 48-3 over Macomb Lutheran North.

Goodrich and Harper Woods were ranked 4-5 in the last regular season ratings.

No. 5 Millington easily disposed of unranked Pewamo-Westphalia 28-0 in Millington in a great Saturday atmosphere that began with a community tailgate party.

The Cardinals stayed perfect, going to 11-0 on the season to win the Division 7 Regional title and punch their ticket to the state semifinals. They play Saturday (Nov. 23, 2024) at 1 pm in Lansing against North Muskegon. The game will be at Quaker Stadium inside the Eastern Athletic Complex.

North Muskegon was ranked right behind Goodrich in the last regular season poll, so it's a battle of the 5-6 teams in the state.

North Muskegon is 11-1 on the season after shocking No. 2 ranked Menominee 23-0 to win its Regional championship. Keeping the spirits of Millington's fans extra high is the fact that North Muskegon's only loss was to the same team that Coach Jason German's Cardinals steamrolled over on Saturday —Pewamo-Westphalia.

It was an 8-7 loss but way back on opening night.

BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor

ANN ARBOR (CCN) — Flint's Amaya Smith had family and friends in the stands Thursday night (Nov. 14, 2024) for her college basketball debut.

She got into the game as the fifth player off the bench for Central Michigan's Chippewas at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor in a 99-62 loss to the Michigan Wolverines.

CMU lost last week in its opener at home — 65-62 to Coastal Carolina. Smith didn't get to play. 

She was 0-for-1 with two fouls in 3 minutes of playing time in Thursday's debut at UM.

Smith is a freshman guard at CMU.

She also got playing time in CMU's season-opening exhibition game at home earlier this month against Saginaw Valley State. 

She led Flint Powers Catholic to the state quarterfinals a year ago when the Lady Chargers were one of the top teams in the Saginaw Valley League. She was first team all-Valley along with sister Kendyl Smith after they transferred to Powers from Lake Fenton.

Amaya Smith led Lake Fenton to back-to-back titles in the Metro League before transferring away with her younger sister. Kendyl Smith, now a junior at Powers, has also committed to go to CMU to join her big sister after her senior year.

The Smith sisters are daughters of former college star Kevin Smith who is well known as the former long-time union president of the Flint Police Department. They got their competitive spirit by playing against boys in Flint's PAL program as youngsters when their dad ran the program.

Mom Amanda Smith posted on Facebook: "A dream come true for my #6!" She also posted a photo of her daughter Amaya's 19-point effort in a youth game as a 9-year-old on the same Crisler Center floor where she made Thursday's Division 1 college debut.

Her grandfather, Craig Smith of Davison, posted the photo above on his Facebook page as well as the photo on today's Front Page. He's especially proud as a graduate of CMU.

PHOTO CAPTION: CMU's Amaya Smith lets fly with a 3-pont bomb that missed Thursday at UM.

BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor

(CCN) — Four schools from the Metro Flint regional area will go for Regional championships on Friday night (Nov. 15, 2024) in prep football's state playoffs.

Frankenmuth in Division 5 and Millington in Division 7 will put undefeated records on the line. Grand Blanc and Goodrich  were last week's other local winners.

 Linden, Clarkston Everest Collegiate, Corunna and Clarkston High saw their seasons come to an end last week after being among 8 opening week survivors among 18 state playoff qualifiers from the Metro Flint regional area.

Frankenmuth rolled 37-7 over a 9-1 Belding team that was averaging 465 points per game. Coach Phil Martin's Eagles continued to shine on defense where they've allowed under 10 points per contest this fall. Frankenmuth has reached the state finals twice during a four-year run which includes four straight Final Four appearances.

Frankenmuth, now 10-0 overall including a Tri-Valley Conference Red title, was ranked No. 2 in the Oct. 31 poll for Division 5 by the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association.

Next up for the Eagles will be unranked Gladwin which upset No. 9 Ogemaw Heights 28-19 last week. The game will be in Frankenmuth.

Gladwin (8-3) not only avenged last year’s District opener loss to Ogemaw Heights but also a 12-7 Week 3 loss earlier this season.

The top ranked team in Division 5, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, clobbered Corunna 56-7.

Corunna finished at 8-3 after last year's run to the Division 5 finals at Ford Field.

Millington, No. 5 in the last Division 7 rankings, went to 10-0 on the season Friday night by beating Cass City 34-7.

Millington gets another home game this week to face its toughest opponent yet — Pewamo-Westphalia. The Pirates (9-2) are unranked but repeated as District champions by beating No.4 ranked and previously unbeaten Ithica 17-14.

Coach Jason Germain's Millington club reached the state semifinals for the first time in school history last year before losing to eventual state champion Jackson Lumen Christi.

Lumen Christi isn't back to defend its Division 7 itle after opting to move up one division (where the perennial power is ranked No. 1 this fall in Division 6).

Goodrich had its first close test since opening night. The Martians won 27-21 over a Freeland team that was 9-1 with its only loss coming to Frankenmuth in the Tri-Valley West title game.

It was a 21-20 thriller for Freeland in its loss to Frankenmuth compared to 22-0 in Goodrich's game one loss to the Eagles.

Goodrich won its next 9 games n a row by putting more than 40 points on the board every time until Freeland came to Goodrich on Friday night.

Goodrich is at home again this week against Haslett. Kick-off is 7 pm Friday.

Grand Blanc spotted Oxford a 7-0 lead in the opening quarter but rallied to win 29-7.

Oxford, champions of the Oakland Activities Association Red Division, was coming off a dramatic second half comeback at Davison. The host Cardinals led 14-7 at halftime but Oxford advanced with two second half touchdowns.

The Saginaw Valley League's Blue Division champion Bobcats (9-2 and ranked No. 9 in Division 1) were led back against Oxford by quarterback Jake Morrow running for one TD and connecting with Matthew Evans on another. Nik Lemons ran for the other TD in the victory for Coach Kaleb Forr's club.

Next up for Grand Blanc will be Rochester Adams which was beaten 18-17 by Oxford en route to its OAA Red title. 

Friday's kick-off will be 7 o'clock at Rochester Adams.

Rochester Adams advanced by beating Clarkston big on Friday night — rolling up a 41-0 romp to move to 9-2 overall on the season.

Clarkston finished with a 7-4 record.

Linden finished 5-6 overall by losing 45-14 at Mason after its 42-14 upset a week earlier at Fenton to avenge a 27-24 regular season loss when the two arch rivals were playing for first place in the Metro League's Stripes Division.

Clarkston Everest Collegiate lost 37-7 to Harbo Beach in Division 8 after disposing of Burton Bentley 52-0 in the opening round.

The Mountaineers, who have qualified for the tate playoffs nine straight years since starting their football program, finished 9-2. The only other loss was 17-14 in overtime to Macomb Lutheran North in the CHSL Prep Bowl after winning their division in the Catholic High School League this fall.

 Harbor Beach went to 11-0 overall by beating Clarkston Everest Collegiate after opening the sate playoffs by knocking off defending state campion Ubly 35-0.

Local Schedule & Results in Prep Sports Section

See Statewide Scores in My AM Advantage

BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor

 (CCN) — And then there were 8. That's the simple summary of what's next locally in the 2024 state playoffs for prep football.

Grand Blanc and Clarkston won Friday night (Nov. 1, 2024) and must win again this week to set up a neighborhood showdown in the Region 2 championship game in Division 1; Linden knocked off arch rival Fenton to advance in Division 3; Goodrich kept rolling in Division 4; Corunna and Frankenmuth prevailed in Division 5; Millington stayed perfect in Division 7; and Clarkston Everest Collegiate advanced in Division 8.

The season ended on Friday night for Davison and Chesaning who each had high hopes of sticking around on the 2024 state playoff scene.

It was also the end of line for Fenton, Lake Fenton, Flushing, Flint Hamady, Ortonville Brandon, Montrose, Burton Atherton and Burton Bentley.

Chesaning was 9-0 overall this fall and champion of the Mid-Michigan Activities Conference (MMAC) but lost a 36-29 heartbreaker to Lansing Catholic on its own turf.

Davison lost 21-14 at home to Oxford for its second loss in three weeks after a terrific start.

Coach Jake Weingardz led Davison's Cardinals to six straight victories after a season-opening loss to perennial Division 2 power Warren De La Salle in the Xenith Kick-off Classic at Wayne State University in Detroit. They dropped a 55-49 barnburner to Grand Blanc in the Saginaw Valley League's Blue Division championship game three weeks ago before beating Lapeer in the regular season finale to finish 7-2.

Flushing's season ended at Midland. The Raiders (7-2 going into the Division 2 battle there) dropped a 34-7 decision. They were making their first state playoff appearance since 2020 under new Coach Austin Cook.

Lake Fenton's season ended 51-14 at Freeland which will now go to Goodrich for the District 2 championship game in Region 3 of District 4. 

They have identical 9-1 overall records.

Goodrich, which made it back to the state's Final Four in 2023 after making the finals at Ford Field for the first time in school history in 2022, scored more than 40 points for the 9th straight game by thumping Ortonville Brandon 49-7.

Freeland lost the Tri-Valley Conference's Red Division title game 21-20 to Frankenmuth.

The Eagles blanked Goodrich 22-0 on opening night to get revenge for its only loss in 2023 when reaching the state semifinals. They went to 10-0 on the season by opening sate playoff action with a 62-6 romp over Howard City Tri-County.

Linden got revenge for a 24-21 loss at home to Fenton two weeks ago by winning 42-14 at Fenton Friday night. The Tigers took a 7-2 record into the tilt while Linden barely qualified with a 5-4 record. 

Coach Chad Williams will now take Linden's Eagles to Mason to play for the District 1 championship in Region 3 of Division 3. Mason has an impressive 8-2 record that included rolling to a 59-18 romp over Jackson in its state playoff opener. Mason was champion of the Red Division this fall in the Capital Area Activities Conference.

Frankenmuth's next opponent will be local rival Corunna which whipped Flint Hamady 35-8 to advance. Corunna is 8-2 this fall after a perfect 9-0 regular season campaign a year ago when rolling all the way to the Division 5 finals at Ford Field.

Frankenmuth has reached the state finals twice during a four-year run which includes four straight Final Four appearances.

Grand Blanc's Bobcats thumped Lapeer 42-21 to move to 8-2 on the year. Next up is Oxford which went to 7-3 overall by winning at Davison in its state playoff opener.

Clarkston's Wolves advanced by taking an impressive 34-16 decision at Lake Orion which had spoiled its bid for a share of the title in the OAA-Red earlier in the season.

Montrose and Burton Atherton lost big in their playoff openers in Division 7 while unbeaten Millington stayed perfect with a 42-14 pounding of Elkton-Pigeon-Bayport Laker.

Millington, which made it to the state semifinals a year ago for the first time in school history, will be at home again this week to host a 7-3 Cass City club in the District 2 championship game in Region 2 of Division 7.

Montrose's Rams were beaten 42-2 by  Pewamo-Westphalia while Atherton's season ended 49-7 at  Leslie. 

It was only the second state playoff game in school history for Randy Young's Wolverines Atherton won its first Genesee Area Conference championship this fall in its return to 11-man football after five seasons of 8-man football.

Burton Bentley, making the state playoffs for the second season in a row, lost 52-0 in Division 8 at 

Clarkston Everest Collegiate.

The Mountaineers went to 9-1 in a strong rebound performance after losing 17-14 in overtime a week earlier to Macomb Lutheran North in the CHSL Prep Bowl after winning their division in the Catholic High School League this fall.

They play again at home this week against a Harbor Beach club that went to 10-0 overall by beating defending state campion Ubly 35-0 in its opener.

Local Schedule & Results in Prep Sports Section

See Statewide Scores in My AM Advantage

EUGENE, OREGON (CCN) — Flushing's Sara Rambus reached double figures in the first game of her sophomore season at the University of Oregon Monday night as the Lady Ducks whipped California Baptist  93-63 in a non-conference game in Eugene, Oregon.

Rembus was the second player off he bench for Oregon and she logged 14 1/2 minutes of playing time. She scored 10 points and grabbed 3 rebounds.

Oregon won in front of 4,141 fans at home.

Monday's season opener was one of 9 non-league contests before Oregon opens Big 10 Conference play on Dec. 7 against USC. Rambus and her Lady Ducks come to our state for Big 10 action on Jan. 30 in East Lansing to face Michigan State's Spartans and on Feb. 2 in Ann Arbor to face the Michigan Wolverines.

Rambis was an all-state selection as a junior at Flushing High when helping the Lady Raiders win the Metro League's Stripes Division championship. She transferred to IMG Academy in Florida for her senior season to get more exposure.

The 6-foot-3 Rambus was in ESPN's top 100 as the No. 66 overall in the nation in the Class of 2022. ESPN classified her as a four-star recruit and the 11th-ranked forward in the class. She was ESPN's  top-rated player in the state of Michigan.

Rambus got minutes in all 32 games last season as a freshman at Oregon. She made one start and averaged 3.2 points per game, 2.1 rebounds and 0.3 assists while shooting 41.4% from the floor and 61.8% from the free throw line. 

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is Sarah Rambus of Flushing.

 BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor

MOUNT PLEASANT (CCN) — Freshman Amaya Smith of Flint Powers Catholic made her Division 1 college debut Wednesday night.

The 5-foot-7 guard got 8 minutes of playing time 

during a season-opening exhibition game in Mount Pleasant on the campus of Central Michigan University.

She did not score but did not commit a turnover as she helped CMU defeat Saginaw Valley State University 71-64.

Smith was a first-team all-Saginaw Valley League selection for Powers Catholic last season after playing her first three prep seasons at Lake Fenton before transferring to Powers.

She led the Lady Chargers to the 2024 state quarterfinals after a so-so 15-8 campaign a year earlier before Smith and her younger sister transferred there. They led last year's squad to an impressive 23-3 record until losing a 50-45 heartbreaker in the state tournament to  Negaunee High. Negaunee lost in the state semifinals to eventual Division 2 state champion Detroit Edison.

Kristin Haynie, who took over CMU's program as head coach last season, signed Smith originally as a preferred walk-on, but was so impressed by her attitude and work ethic that she awarded her a full scholarship earlier this fall. Haynie has also been recruiting Smith's younger sister, Kendyl, who announced a few weeks ago that she plans to join Amayaat CMU. She's only a junior right now at Powers where she, too, was all-Valley first team last winter in addition to being an all-state selection.

 
Amaya Smith is among 11 newcomers to the 14-player roster for Coach Haynie.

Wednesday's exhibition game at McGuirk Arena will now be followed by the regular season season opener at home against Coastal Carolina on Monday (Nov. 4, 2024). CMU plays its second game on Nov. 14 in Ann Arbor against the Michigan Wolverines. Tip-off for that one at Crisler Arena is 7 pm. The Mid-America Conference opener comes after an 11-game stretch of non-league games. It will be Jan. 1 in Buffalo.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is Amaya Smith who is a freshman guard on the Central Michigan University basketball team.

BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor

EUGENE, OREGON (CCN) — Flushing's Sara Rambus helped the University of Oregon beat Warner Pacific of Portland in its women's basketball exhibition opener Friday night (Nov. 1, 2024) in Eugene, Oregon.

More than 4,000 fans watched the Lady Ducks roll to a 110-21 romp as all 14 players got into the scoring act. The Oregon squad had eight players making their college debuts on its 15-player roster.

Everybody on the roster scored at least 4 points.

 The Lady Ducks officially begin their 2024-25 season on Monday (Nov. 4, 2024) with a 4 pm tip-off against California Baptist. The game will be streaming on the Big 10 Network's B1G+. 

Monday's opener is one of 9 non-league contests before Oregon opens Big 10 Conference play on Dec. 7 against USC.

The Lady Ducks come to our state for Big 10 action on Jan. 30 in East Lansing to face Michigan State's Spartans and on Feb. 2 in Ann Arbor to face the Michigan Wolverines.

Rambis was an all-state selection as a junior at Flushing High when helping the Lady Raiders win the Metro League's Stripes Division championship. She transferred to IMG Academy in Florida for her senior season to get more exposure.

The 6-foot-3 Rambus was in ESPN's top 100 as the No. 66 overall in the nation in the Class of 2022. ESPN classified her as a four-star recruit and the 11th-ranked forward in the class. She was ESPN's  top-rated player in the state of Michigan.

She shot an amazing 49.5% from the field and averaged 16.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.0 blocks, 1.7 steals and 1.4 assists per game en route to earning Associated Press Division I all-state first team accolades as a junior at Flushing High where she was a three-year starter before departing for Florida to complete her prep career.

Rambus got minutes in all 32 games last season as a freshman at Oregon. She made one start and averaged 3.2 points per game, 2.1 rebounds and 0.3 assists while shooting 41.4% from the floor and 61.8% from the free throw line. Her best game was against Nevada when she tallied 17 points, 6 rebounds and 3 blocks. She was 6-for-6 from the floor in 25 minutes off the bench against Nevada.

Her next best effort was against Arizona State when she scored 8 points and grabbed 6 rebounds.

Oregon Coach Kelly Graves said her sophomore star has a "great competitive spirit" and added: "She’s a versatile player who can play inside and out with great length, which is always a positive. She can be a defensive presence and is a good shot blocker. She’s an amazing teammate, always supporting her teammates and she has huge upside."

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is Sarah Rambus of Flushing who began her sophomore season of women's basketball at the University of Oregon Friday night.

BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor

(CCN) — Three unbeaten teams lead a strong contingent of 18prep football teams from The Daily Gazette coverage area to qualify for the 2024 state playoffs.

The pairings were announced Sunday on FanDuel Sports Network's Selection Sunday Show.

Frankenmuth and MiIllington were one victory shy of making it to Ford Field for last year's state finals event for all eight divisions.

Millington is back hoping for a Division 7 title and won't need to worry about defending champ Jackson Lumen Christi which opted to move up and play Division 6 where the Titans were ranked No. 1 in last week's poll by the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association.

Millington's 8-0 record includes winning the White Division championship in the Big Thumb Conference this fall under Coach Jason Germain's leadership.

Frankenmuth won eight in a row after losing its 2023 opener at the Big House in Ann Arbor to Goodrich before making it all the way to the Division 5 final four.

Coach Phil Martin's 2024 Eagles repeated as Tri-Valley Conference Red Division champion by beating Freeland 21-20 two weeks ago. They are ranked No. 2 in the state in Division 5 behind only Pontiac Notre Dame Prep with a perfect 9-0 record this season after opening with a 22-0 revenge blanking of Goodrich.

Goodrich also made it to the state semifinals a year ago in Division 4. The Martians had an 8-1 regular season record that saw its only loss come to eventual Division 5 state finalist Corunna which beat out the Martians for the Stars Division title in the Metro League.

Goodrich is 8-1 again, and has won big with more than 40 points every game since losing at Frankenmuth on opening night.

Veteran Coach Tom Alward's Martians were rated No. 4 in Division 4 last week.

Chesaning's 9-0 regular season campaign included winning the Mid-Michigan Activities Conference (MMAC) championship. The Indians were ranked No. 3 in Division 6 last week.

Other local qualifiers around the Metro Flint regional area included Grand Blanc, Davison and Clarkston in Division 1, Fenton, Linden and Flushing in Division 2, Goodrich, Ortonville Brandon and Lake Fenton in Division 4, Flint Hamady and Corunna in Division 5, Montrose in Division 7 and a trio of teams qualified in Division 8 — Clarkston Everest Collegiate, Burton Bentley and Burton Atherton.

All the local teams have Friday (Nov. 1, 2024) dates to open state playoff action with 7 pm kick-offs.

Frankenmuth (9-0) hosts Howard City Tri County in its Division 5 state playoff opener.  

Chesaning (9-0), ranked No. 6 last week in Division 6, opens sate playoff action on its home turf against  Lansing Catholic (6-3).

Millington (8-0) hosts Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker (5-4) to start its Division 7 action. The Cardinals were ranked No. 3 in the state last week behind only Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central and Menominee.

Saginaw Valley League Blue Division champion Grand Blanc (7-2) was ranked No. 8 last week while neighboring rival Davison (also 7-2 overall) was No. 10.

Jake Weingardz has his Cardinals eyeing revenge against the Bobcats after losing 55-49 two weeks ago in a battle for the Valley's Blue title.

A rematch would come next week if Grand Blanc beats Lapeer this week and Davison knocks off first round opponent Oxford. Both local Valley schools will have home field advantage.

Oxford is 6-3 while Lapeer is 5-4.

Unranked Clarkston goes to Lake Orion. The Wolves are eyeing revenge, too, after Lake Orion beat them to cost Coach Kurt Richardson's troops a share of the OAA Red Division championship.

Clarkston has reached post-season play five seasons in a row and the Wolves have now made it 20 times in the last 22 years. They've made it 26 times in school history which is fourth-most among teams in the Metro Flint regional area.

Only Montrose, Millington and Frankenmuth have had more success. Montrose's 15th straight time reaching post-season play this fall gives the Rams 32 appearances all-time. This year marks its 21st year in a row to make the state playoffs for Millington and its total number of appearances is  now at 31. Frankenmuth's 14th straight trip to the state playoffs gives the Eagles 30 appearances.

Linden has made it 25 times in school history, Grand Blanc is making its 24th appearance with a current streak of nine years in a row, Fenton made it for the 23rd time, Goodrich's eighth straight year in post-season play is its 21st trip all time, Chesaning is in for the 17th time, Lake Fenton qualified for the 15th time, Ortonville Brandon's 10th straight year in the state playoffs gives the Blackhawks 14 total appearances in school history, Corunna has also now qualified 14 times, Davison's ninth trip in the last 10 years gives the Cardinals 13 total appearances, Flint Hamady is in for the 12th time and Clarkston Everest Collegiate made the state playoffs for the 11th consecutive season since its program began in 2009. 

Bentley and Atherton gave the City of Burton its first multiple qualifiers in the same season. Bentley made it for the second year in a row and for only the seventh time in school history. Atherton got in for only the second time in school history. Bendle, which missed out on making it this year, leads Burton's schools with 15 appearances all-time in the state playoffs.

Flushing (7-2) plays at Midland (8-1) which won the Valley's Red Division championship. The Raiders are led by rookie Coach Austin Cook who rebounded them from a 14-13 homecoming loss to Linden, to face Fenton at home with a chance to create a three-way tie for the Stripes Division title in the Metro League.

Fenton (7-2) beat Flushing for the Stripes Division title but lost the Metro League championship game to Goodrich.

Coach Jeff Setzke's TIgers open on the state playoff trail against arch rival Linden. It's a rematch of their 24-21 barnburner two weeks ago.

Coach Chad Williams has the Linden community exited to qualify for the playoffs for the third time in a row with high playoff points despite a 4-5 record. The Eagles have now made it four years out of the last five after a streak of making it 19 times in a 20-year period.

Fenton is also on a three-year streak in the state playoffs with its 16th appearance in the last 17 years.

Goodrich (8-1) hosts Ortonville Bandon (6-3)

 this week in Division 4 action while Lake Fenton (6-3) goes to Freeland (8-1).

Flint Hamady (5-4) goes to Corunna (7-2) in its Division 5 battle this week. Gary Lee's Hawks, going an independent team this fall, made it for the ninth time in the last 10 years. Corunna is looking to make it back to the state finals where the Cavaliers lost a year ago.

Montrose (6-3) hosts Pewamo-Westphalia (7-2) in a Division 7 opener.

Clarkston Everest Collegiate (8-1) hosts Burton Bentley (5-4) in Division 8 play. Coach Michael Pruchnicki's Mountaineers are coming off a 17-14 overtime loss in the CHSL Prep Bowl to Macomb Lutheran North after winning a division title in the 

Catholic High School League (CHSL) to get there.

 Burton Atherton (7-2) goes to Leslie (8-1) in its Division 8 opener. Coach Randy Young's Wolverines won their first Genesee Area Conference (GAC) championship in their return to 11-man football after five seasons in the 8-man game due to low numbers.

More in-depth stories on state playoff qualifiers are in our local editions of M-15 Connection, Tri-County News, West Valley Voice, County Line Press, Grand Blanc Press and The Burton Banner.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is a photo of Millington's football family watching the Selection Show Sunday at on Fanduel Sports Network

 BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor

MOUNT PLEASANT (CCN) — Amaya Smith will make her college basketball debut tonight (Oct. 30, 2024) at 6:30 pm in Mount Pleasant on the campus of Central Michigan University.

The freshman from Flint Powers Catholic will be hoping to get into the action in a season-opening exhibition for the Division 1 Chippewas against Division 2 Saginaw Valley State University.

Smith was a first-team all-Saginaw Valley League selection for Powers Catholic last season.

She played her first three prep seasons at Lake Fenton before transferring to Powers.

She led the Lady Chargers to the 2024 state quarterfinals after a so-so 15-8 campaign a year earlier before Smith and her younger sister transferred there. They led last year's squad to an impressive 23-3 record until losing a 50-45 heartbreaker in the state tournament to  Negaunee High. Negaunee lost in the state semifinals to eventual Division 2 state champion Detroit Edison.

Kristin Haynie, who took over CMU's program last season, signed Smith originally as a preferred walk-on, but was so impressed by her attitude and work ethic that she awarded her a full scholarship earlier this fall.

Haynie has also been recruiting Smith's younger sister, Kendyl, who announced a few weeks ago that she plans to join Amaya there. She's only a junior right now at Powers where she, too, was all-Valley first team last winter in addition to being an all-state selection.

Amaya Smith is among 11 newcomers to the 14-player roster for Coach Haynie.

In media day interviews, Haynie said she likes what she's seen as her Chippewas prepare for their Oct. 30 exhibition game at McGuirk Arena and their season opener at home against Coastal Carolina on Monday (Nov. 4, 2024).

CMU plays its second game on Nov. 14 in Ann Arbor against the Michigan Wolverines. Tip-off for that one at Crisler Arena is 7 pm.

The Mid-America Conference opener comes after an 11-game stretch of non-league games. It will be Jan. 1 in Buffalo.

 "This team is special," said Haynie who previously served five years as an assistant for CMU after she played in the WNBA.

 "They started in the summer bonding with each other," Haynie added about her Lady Chippewas.

 "They went to Cedar Point together, for 4th of July they went to Houghton Lake. They did a lot of bonding and it was player led. That's really good to see. That's an ingredient of success, that chemistry, that camaraderie. For us to have it already is pretty special."

Haynie expects to implore a full court press style and said: "They're adaptable, they have a growth mindset, they're open to learning. The depth is really important with the pressing, and we look for that when we recruit. We watch how they play, if we like them, we talk to their coaches and ask if they're coachable, are they a team player, are they selfless. You can see that on the court. Character is huge for us. The No. 1 thing we look for is their character. Sometimes when you're on a team, you sub and there's a fall off; but I feel like there's a lot of starters on the bench who could start. Our goal is to tire a team out by the fourth quarter."

Amya Smith was praised throughout her high school career for her strong defensive style.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is Amaya Smith who makes her Division 1 college basketball debut on Oct. 30 in Mount Pleasant.

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