SPORTS SECTION ⚫ THE LATEST HEADLINES

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Friday, September 12, 2025

BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor

(CCN) — Nine high school football teams in the Metro Flint regional area stayed perfect by winning their Friday night (Sept. 12, 2024) games.

The nine teams continuing their perfect ways one-third of the way through regular season action are Davison and Grand Blanc from the Saginaw Valley League; Goodrich, Owosso and Linden from the Metro League; Frankenmuth from the Tri-Valley Conference Red Division; Millington from the Big Thumb Conference White Division; Burton Bendle from the Genesee Area Conference (GAC); and Montrose from the Mid-Michigan Activities Conference (MMAC).

Davison and Grand Blanc from the Saginaw Valley League won non-league games, Davison winning 31-14 at Traverse City Central and Grand Blanc knocking off xxxxx xx-xx at home.

Mike Jerisk's Bendle Tigers have now swept the 2025 season series over Burton's other two high school varsity football programs. They beat Bentley 22-17 Friday night on enemy turf after beating Atherton 28-15 last week at Bendle when rallying to win when  falling behind 7-6 at halftime.

Montrose 

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BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor

BIG RAPIDS (CCN) — Corunna native and former Montrose Rams football Coach Tony Annese won't sneak up on any opponents in 2025.

His Ferris State Bulldogs won their third Division 2 national championship in five years by taking the 2024 crown with a dozen players on the roster from the Metro Flint regional area.

Coach Annese again has 12 players from around his old stomping grounds in Montrose where he is best remembered for leading the Rams to six consecutive 9-0 seasons.

Davison's Caleb Smith graduated after a four-year career for the Bulldogs but two ex-Cardinals have joined the FSU lineup to replace Smith and another graduating senior — big 6-foot-5, 302-pound defensive lineman Deron Irving-Bey of Flint Southwestern Academy.

The new Davison blood for Ferris State comes from A.J. Hill and Warren Cain.

Cain is a 6-foot-4, 230-pound defensive end who initially committed to Western Michigan of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) after getting other D1 offers from MAC schools Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Toledo and Bowling Green. He chose to go D2 with Ferris State over an offer from Saginaw Valley State University. 

Hill was Davison's Mr. Everything for the past four seasons as a starter since his freshman campaign.

The speedy tailback was the Saginaw Valley League's first team selection at running back last fall and was also a first team all-state selection in Division 1-2 by both the Associated Press and the Michigan Sports Writers. He ran for more than 4,000 yards for his career, going over 1,000 rushing in each of his last two seasons. He was among 10 finalists for Mr. Football as one of Davison's greatest athletes along with Smith and his teammate quarterback Brendan Sullivan who played four years in the Big 10 Conference before transferring this fall to Tulane. 

MAC schools Eastern Michigan and Miami of Ohio made Hill offers and he chose the Bulldogs over D2 offers from Saginaw Valley State and Grand Valley State. 

Hill brings a two-way threat to the Ferris State offense as a pass catching threat out of the backfield in addition to his rushing prowess. He averaged 23.6 yards per catch on 7 receptions a year ago at Davison when averaging just over 9 yards per carry on the ground. The 5-9, 175-poounder scored 20 TD's on the ground as a junior.

Coach Annese hasn't yet announced how much playing time his former Davison stars will be getting in their freshman campaigns but neither was given a red-shirt distinction, meaning they will likely see at least limited action if they can't win starting jobs..

The Bulldogs open their title defense on Thursday (August 28, 2025) in Big Rapids against Pittsburgh State of Kansas. They're ranked No. 9 in the D2 pre-season poll which has FSU rated No. 1.

The game broadcast will be at 6 pm on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio with veteran FSU play-by-play man Rob Bentley and his sidekick Sandy Gholston returning to offer color commentary for a fifth season. This is Bentley's 25th season at FSU. Metro Flint News/Talk Radio is again an affiliate of 

 The Bulldog Sports Network and local flagship station Sunny 97.3 FM in Big Rapids.

Along with the Davison newcomers to the FSU roster from the Metro Flint regional area, other local talent back to suit up for the 2025

 campaign are Flint foursome Tae Boy, Jaylin Townsend, Timothy Ormond II and Dakari Neely, Corunna twins Wyatt and Tarick Bower who co-led the 2023 Cavaliers to their first state title game appearance in school history,  Jaden Edington who was also on that same Corunna team, Grand Blanc's Anthony Perdue, Swartz Creek's Sincer Boyd and Linden's Michael Bush. 

Boyd is so far looking sharp in pre-season camp and the former Grand Blanc High wide receiver is a 6-foot-4, 190-pound sophomore target. He caught  only one touchdown pass as a freshman.

Townsend is also a sophomore wide receiver. The Flint Beecher grad caught 4 passes last fall as a freshman for the Bulldogs but saw action in 11 of the 14 games. He's a 6-foot, 175-pound target.

Ormond is another sophomore wide receiver from Flint. He's a graduate of  American Collegiate Academy  and goes 5-11, 170 pounds.

Neely is also a wide receiver. The 6-foot, 170-pound product of Flint Kearsley has been red-shirted for his freshman season.

The Bowers brothers from Corunna were red-shorted a year ago and both are battling for starting jobs this fall — Wyatt at quarterback and Tarick at wide receiver. The twins each go 6-foot-2, 220 pounds.

Edington is a 6-1, 245-pound freshman running back from Corunna.

Boyd is a 6-2, 205-pound running back from Swartz Creek.

Perdue is a 6-3, 190-pound red-shirted freshman defensive back from Grand Blanc who is looking forward to collegiate action this season and so, too, is Bush who is a 6-2, 225-pounder out of Linden. 

Wyatt Bowers is joined in the quarterback competition by sophomore Chase Carter of Orlando, Florida, junior Carson Gulker of Zeeland,   sophomore Leeshaun Mumpfield of Detroit Cass Tech,  junior Charlie Spencer from Thousand Oaks, California, freshman Jordan Sims of Roseville  and red-shirt freshmen Kyle Cottee from Brazil, Indiana and Sante Gasperoni from Warren De La Salle.

 They are competing to replace junior Trinidad Chambliss who transferred away after the D2 national championship to play D1 ball at Ole Miss. Chambliss accounted for 51 total touchdowns in 2024, including 26 through the air while racking up 2,925 yards passing. He also ran for 25 more TD's while rushing for 1,019 yards.

Chambliss finished third overall in the Harlon Hill Trophy voting as the nation's Division II Player of the Year for 2024.

He isn't the only loss via the transfer portal after winning it all in D2 a year ago.

All-American offensive tackle Bryce George is a 6-foot-5, 315-pound Michigan native who moved to Iowa to play D1 ball in the Big 10 Conference this fall.  Offensive linemanLawrence Hattar went to the University of Michigan, linebacker Sefa Sainala went D1 with Western Michigan and wide receiver Tyrese hunt-Thompson chose North Texas after a standout campaign for Ferris State that included  88 receptions for 1,639 yards and 14 TD's.

The Bulldogs also have five grads competing for roster spots on NFL teams as opening day approaches next week.

Despite all the losses, everyone in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Conference  (GLIAC) has circled Coach Annese's squad in Big Rapids as the team to beat in GLIAC play. Arch rival Grand Valley State was the second-place pick in the pre-season poll by GLIAC coaches. 

The Lakers gave the GLIAC a second top 10 team in the pre-season national poll. Grand Valley State was picked No. 4. 

The Lakers have a half dozen local stars from the Metro Flint regional area. They include junior Harrison Unger of Davison who transferred in from Air Force, junior Andy Hartman of Grand Blanc who transferred in from Michigan State, freshman Colton Bila from Corunna, freshman Cooper Pyle of Hartland, sophomore Sean Byrd from Flint Hamady and red shirt freshman Cross Dobbs of Grand Blanc.

Unger is a 6-foot-2, 255-pound tight end, Hartman is a 6-6, 300-pound offensive lineman, Pyle is a 6-1, 275-pounddefensive lineman, Bila is a 5-10, 200-pound long snapper, Dobbs is a 6-1, 225-pound linebacker and Byrd is a 6-4, 240-pound wide receiver

Saginaw Valley State, picked to finish third by GLIAC coaches, has seven local players this year from our coverage area. They include Flint pair Christian Ellison and Michael Jamerson, Davison duo Jayden Lockhart and Tray Haido, JT Webber from Grand Blanc, Grayson Orr from New Lothrop and Brayden Florian from Chesaning.

Ellison is a junior defensive back who played at Flint Carman-Ainsworth. Jamerson is a senior running back who played at Grand Blanc High School. Lockhart is a 6-4, 300-pound freshman defensive lineman and his fellow former Davison Cardinals teammate Haido is a 6-2, 195-pound freshman. Weber is a 5-9, 185-pound red-shirt freshman. Oorr is a 6-3, 255-pound red-shirted freshman defensive lineman. Florian is a 5-11, 205-pound freshman running back and kicker.

 FLINT (CCN) — Mark Larson, Director of Football Training for the Genesee County Coaches & Officials Association (GCCOA), reminds that a meeting for all officials will take place at 7 pm on Tuesday (August, 19, 2025) at Flint Kearsley High School in Genesee Township.

The meeting will be held in the media room at the high school building on Underhill Drive, off Genesee Road.

You can enter through the main entrance in the front of the building.

The featured speaker will be Sam Davis from the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA).

BY ERIC THOMPSON

CCN Sports Writer

SEATTLE (CCN) — The Flint City Bucks moved on to the conference playoff finals in USL League Two Central Conference soccer by beating Minneapolis City 2-1 on Saturday night (July 26, 2025) in Seattle.

The Bucks beat Fort Wayne 2-0 last Sunday (July 20, 2025) in the conference semifinals.

They are now 15-3-1 overall on the season.

Dozens of dedicated fans staged a lively watch party for Saturday's Seattle action at Luigi's Pizza at the historic East Side Flint restaurant on Davison Road. 

The Bucks will next play their conference championship game on the friendly turf at Flint Kettering University's Atwood Stadium.

The Bucks franchise is eyeing a fifth North American Championship in its history. The team ownership shifted their home location to Flint in 2018. The Bucks last won it all in their inaugural season in Flint when beating Reading United AC on Aug. 3, 2019 at Flint's historic Atwood Stadium when a league record 7,198 fans packed into the place. 

The club was founded in 1995 as the Mid-Michigan Bucks in 1996. They became the Michigan Bucks when moving to Plymouth in 2004. They moved to Pontiac in 2008 before coming to Flint in 2018.

As one of the most successful amateur soccer franchises in America throughout their existence, the Bucks have made it to 11 U.S. Open Cups and won 11 divisional championships in addition to the four national crowns.

The Bucks became the first USL League Two (then known as the Premier Development League) team to defeat an MLS team in the US Open Cup when beating  the New England Revolution at Foxboro Stadium. 

BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN News Executive Editor

PHOENIX (CCN) — The most famous Flintstone basketball star of all is back in the NBA!

The story was reported as breaking news Friday (July 11, 2025) by The Morning Gazette Radio Show which airs weekdays at 8 am on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio.

Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Radio in Phoenix first reported the news that Mateen Cleaves has been hired for the coaching staff of the Phoenix Suns.

The Suns are owned by Mat Ishbia who was a college teammate of Cleaves on the 2000 national championship team at Michigan State. He now works for Ishibia at United Wholesale Mortgage which made Ishibia into a mult millionaire.

Cleaves has not yet issued a statement.

Ishbia added Cleaves to his company in 2019 as a leadership development coach and he was promoted in 2021 to be the leader of the leadership development team.

Cleaves capped off a four-year career in East Lansing as the greatest point guard at MSU since Magic Johnson in the 1979 national championship season by earning All-American honors when leading the rush to the national title in 2000.

He was the No. 1 draft choice of the Detroit Pistons in the summer of 2000.

Cleaves spent six seasons in the NBA with the Pistons, Sacramenton Kings, Cleveland Cavaliers and Seattle SuperSonics. 

He was a college basketball analyst for several years after his NBA career with CBS and worked on the pre-game shows, halftime show and post-game shows of broadcasts for the Detroit Pistons on the old Fox Detroit Sports Network, now Fan Duel Sports Network.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above is Mateen Cleaves who has joined the coaching staff of the NBA's Phoenix Suns wo are owned by is former MSU teammate, Mat Ishiba.

Wednesday, April 16, 2025

Per the norm, and before I hear "This is too long" from anyone, I just want to add that I have no idea how long or short this blog will be. My bad if it ends up being long! 

 *Side note. I finished writing the post. It's long! Lol. My bad but it's informative and slightly entertaining! I broke it up into two parts!  Here is Part 1:

Welcome to the new era of college basketball, where the Transfer Portal and NIL deals have transformed the game faster than a Kentucky one-and-done player heads to the NBA. 

The Transfer Portal, for me, is simply college basketball's version of free agency. 

Before 2018, transferring between schools was a nightmare for basketball players. 

Enter the Transfer Portal! The NCAA's attempt at modernizing transfers. Imagine a digital doorway where players simply enter their name and "swish!" — they're eligible to be recruited by other programs. Yup, it's as simple as that.  

I like to add that this is player empowerment at its finest. The portal gives basketball players control over their careers. If their coach's system doesn't showcase their skills or if their role diminishes, they can simply add their name to the portal and leave. Did the coach who recruited you take another job? No problem! Portal entry granted. You can leave! A player can leave for a new school every season, and be eligible for the following season if s/he chose to do so.

Crazy, huh? Former bench players can become stars in the right system. Just ask Mac McClung, who bounced from Georgetown to Texas Tech before finding prominence or Kentucky's Antonio Reeves, who transformed from Illinois State role player to SEC scoring machine.  

Programs with player gaps can add experienced players rather than waiting for freshmen to develop.   

Now coaches have some serious accountability issues to adhere to. Coaches known for poor player development or toxic environments quickly find their rosters emptying into the portal. They no longer can treat a player like trash and expect a player to stay. The power dynamic has shifted dramatically from the Bobby Knight era.  

Now don't get me wrong, the portal is not all slam dunks. The first thing that I noted was that there is major roster instability like never before. Teams can lose five players and gain seven in a single offseason. 

Programs like Arkansas and USC sometimes feature almost entirely new starting lineups each season.  The iconic four-year players who embodied their schools, think Mateen Cleaves at Michigan State, Dallas Comegys at DePaul or Grant Hill at Duke, are becoming basketball unicorns.

  And let's not forget about the mid-major talent drain! The Portal has become a farming system where smaller schools develop players only to see them snatched away by power conferences. Max Abmas starred at Oral Roberts before finishing at Texas; Hunter Dickinson went from mid-major recruit to Michigan star to Kansas transfer.

 It happens more often than not. The Portal makes it easy and it's now a legitimate transfer.  When a coach leaves, it often triggers a mass exodus. Just look at what happened when Porter Moser left Loyola Chicago or Eric Musselman departed Nevada. Those rosters evaporated into the portal overnight. They were decimated. There is no loyalty to a school or the program anymore.

The Portal, coupled with NIL deals has totally changed how kids and families approach college basketball.   For decades, college basketball players created tremendous value without seeing a dime. Their March Madness performances drove billions in television revenue, their jerseys sold in bookstores, and their likenesses appeared in video games, all while they remained "amateurs" who couldn't accept so much as a free meal from a fan.  

I recall vividly that after we lost an NCAA game,  Coach Ray said to us after the game, "You guys just lost the university $250,000.00 dollars." WE lost it. But, all of those number one ranked games on NBC and ABC  earned how much? Our pay? The scholarship! That has never left me after all of these years but as a coach, he had a six figure deal with Adidas. We never got a dime but the university and the coaching staff always benefitted from US winning. 

I'm ecstatic to see the current athletes benefitting from a well structured NIL deal.   When was the actual birth of NIL, which means Name, Image and Likeness? This goes back to Ed O'Bannon vs. NCAA. Yup, all of you yun'guns'  can thank Ed for you all getting NIL deals! 

READ MORE MARTY EMBRY COLUMNS

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Marty Embry is a former administrator in the Flint school district. He was the star center on two of the old Flint Central's state championship teams under legendary Coach Stan Gooch, then went on to star at DePaul University before playing professionally overseas.

BY ERIC THOMPSON

CCN Sports Writer

DETROIT (CCN) — Flint native Claressa Shields stayed unbeaten Saturday night (July 26, 2025) by winning an unanimous decision in defense of her women's heavyweight boxing title at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.

She defeated Lani Daniels of New Zeland. She was 11-2-2 coming into the fight.

Shields defeated  Danielle Perkins in her last fight in Flint. That one also went the distance in February with Shields scoring a victory by unanimous decision from all three judges.

Shields was later suspended from boxing for failing a dug test before fighting Perkins, but was later proved to be innocent of the accusations and the suspension was overturned.

Saturday's fight with Daniels was in front of a sellout crowd in the home state of Shields who grew up in Flint.

Training out of Berston Field House, she won two gold medals for Team USA — the first boxer, male or female, to do it. She improved her record Saturday night to 17-0 as a professional after winning the 2012 and 2016 gold medals at the Olympics.

The fight went the distance and Daniels went toe-to-toe with her best round in the 10th and final round.

There were no knockdowns in the fight for either boxer. Shields has only had three knockouts in her professional career although fans were yelling for a KO nearly all night in the electric atmosphere at the packed house at Little Caesars Arena.

Claressa posted the next morning on social media: "I’ll make a believer out of you! 17-0. SOLD OUT ... 15,639." A few hours after the fight, she had posted: "These (***) mad that I'm icy. Yeah 17-0! I can’t be (**’d) with! ... And in a sold out 15,639 Litttle Caesars Arena!"

She's believed to be the first woman boxer to ever sell out a major arena.

The only previous woman to come close may have been Laila Ali, daughter of former world champion Muhamad Ali. She retired 18 years ago with a perfect record of 24-0.

Despite being age 47, there has been talk of Ali coming out of retirement to face Shields.

A promoter for Shields has offered to put up a $15 million payday that Shields had talked about before her latest fight.

Shields has already become the first female boxer in history to get a million payday to fight.

Ali had 21 KO's in 24 pro fights and takes exception with Shields' self-proclaimed title as "GWOAT" in women's boxing as the greatest woman of all time. Most boxing fans give that title to Ali. She never lost a single fight and knocked out all but three opponents, compared to only three pro KO's for Shields in her 17 bouts.

Ali held the WBC, WIBA, IWBA, IWBF and IBA women's  titles as a super middleweight and IWBF light heavyweight title.

Along with a knock against Shields for her lack of knockout prowess, Shields also lost once as an amateur during a 77-1 career before turning pro. That lone loss was to British fighter Savannah Marshall in the 2012 world championships. Marshall was one of the most feared punchers in women's boxing and undefeated as a professional until Shields beat her for the undisputed middleweight championship in 2022.

Now 13-1 with 10 knockouts, Marshall has been chasing Shields for a rematch.

"I want that rematch, I really want that rematch," she told Sky Sports in late May. " I'm starting to come to terms with maybe it's never going to happen through her not wanting it. She gets the most money fighting me and maybe one day she'll turn (around) and she might want that rematch but let's just hope it's not too late."

Shields beat Marshall in London. She won by unanimous decision in 10 rounds to unify the WBC, WBA, IB and WBO middleweight titles.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is an action photo of Saturday's fight posted on social media by Claressa Shields.

BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor

CLAYTON TWP. (CCN) — Genesee County is getting an expansion team next season in the Michigan Independence Hockey League. Known as the MIHL, the league is a Senior A, semi-pro level league with a mix of players with experience in juniors, college and the pros. 

The newest MIHL team will be known as the Flint Shadow. This expansion brings the league to five teams, with plans for further growth in the near future.

The new Flint Shadow franchise plans to play out of the 810 Sports Complex on Elms Road in Clayton Township which was formerly Flint Iceland Arenas. 

The arena was sold earlier this year.

It's the first hockey franchise there since a Junior A team called the arena home from 1998 until 2014. The Flint Junior Generals club began in the  in the Central States Hockey League (CSHL) and later shifted from the CSHL to the NAHL2 as an affiliation was strengthened with the North American Hockey League which has sent hundreds of players on to collegiate careers and 37 into the NHL, including current Detroit Red Wings star Patrick Kane who won a Stanley Cup with the Chicago Black Hawks.

The era of Junior A hockey ended after Rolf Nielson brought the Major Junior brand to our region. Nielson bought the old Plymouth Whalers OHL club and moved them to Dort Financial Center Arena in Flint. The Flint Firebirds have been successful at the gate since 2015 but use mostly Canadian talent.

Fenton's Gale Cronk subsequently sold his franchise to a group in Wisconsin who renamed the Junior Generals as the La Crosse Freeze.

The Elms Road arena often packed in crowds of about 500 fans per game while hosting the Flint Junior Generals.

A press release says the new team will be operated by Black Ops Consulting LLC but no such business name yet exists in Michigan corporation records and names involved in the ownership group were not identified.

MIHL Commissioner Scott Brand expressed enthusiasm about the league’s expansion, stating, "Flint has a rich hockey history, and we are confident this will be a strong addition to our league. Black Ops Consulting has demonstrated impressive expertise in player development and the sports business. Their commitment, along with their partnership with Eight Ten Sports Complex, makes this an ideal fit. We expect to add one or two more teams before next season."

The Flint Shadow will compete alongside the Muskegon Voyagers, Waterford Sharks, Detroit Warhawks and Alpena 45ers. 

A press release quoted the ownership group as saying, "Black Ops Consulting is very excited to bring the MIHL brand of hockey to the Flint area. Our goal is to provide a high level of competition for our players while also creating an affordable and successful hockey experience for the community. We are already building our team for next season and have our sights set on bringing a league championship to Flint."

Clayton Township Supervisor Ted Henry could not be reached for comment.

EAST LANSING (CCN) — Genesee Christian took a 24-1 record to East Lansing on March 20, 2025 for the Final Four in girls' basketball but didn't have enough firepower to slow down Fowler. A 25-point loss sidelined the tiny school on Belsay Road in Burton after its first trip ever to the state semifinals. Frankenmuth made it the Breslin Center in East Lansing on the campus of MSU but blew a 10-point lead midway through the third quarter and lost 52-43 to  Tecumseh. (See Stories in Prep Sports Section) 

PLYMOUTH (CCN) — Flint Powers Catholic's hockey team won its second state championship in three years by beating Livonia Stevenson 3-2 in overtime in the Division 2 state finals at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth. Ethan Haley became was the hero when scoring the dramatic game winner 1:53 into overtime on a blast from the point.  

 (See Finals Game Story in Prep Sports Section) 

Read Editor Mike Killbreath "Sports Thoughts"

Dramatic victories en route to winning it all bring back fond memories for Powers hockey fans

FLINT (CCN) — Dean Tondreau of the Genesee County Coaches & Officials Association (GCCOA) has announced that a long-time local basketball referee from Flint is hanging up his whistle.

Latrelle Holmes revealed via a social media post on Facebook that he's done as an official after 28 years of patrolling courts around Genesee County.

Tondrea said, "Latrelle Holmes has announced he is retiring from officiating after 28 varsity years of service... I wanted to personally on behalf of the GCCOA congratulate Latrelle on his wonderful service and that he will most definitely be missed, not only by our officiating community, but by coaches and players as well. Latrelle is one of the nicest men you will ever meet. A wonderful official who gave his best each time he stepped on the court. Equally, he is a great partner. Never an unkind word to say about anyone. The years I have worked with Latrelle, I do not recall him ever raising his voice to players, coaches and definitely not his fellow officating colleagues. And he always had your back."

Holmes is Finance Director in Mount Morris Township and the former Former Senior Pastor at Greater Galilee Baptist Church in Flint

Tondrea added: "As officials, it is our goal to have a positive impact in some way, however small, to student athletes, coaches, administrators, volunteers, and fans alike each time we take the field or court. I have no doubt Latrelle accomplished that each and every time he stepped out on the court. We wish you all the best Latrelle. You will be sorely missed on the basketball court. Above all, we congratulate on your excellent years of service."

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this photo is Latrelle Holmes who has announced he's stepping away after 28 years as a basketball referee.

BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor

LINDEN (CCN) — Pro boxer Joey Spencer of Linden made an announcement Tuesday (Feb. 25, 2025) on social media, saying, "I’m excited to announce that I’ll be headed to New Castle, Australia to take on the former world champion, Tim Tszyu, on April 6th."

Tszyu has lost his last two fights after a 24-0 start.

Spencer is 19-1 for his career. The 24-year-old has won three straight fights since his first loss which came in Las Vegas to unbeaten Jesus Ramous after a 16-0 start. Spencer's last two fights have been his only ones in his hometown Genesee County. He won on a card with brother Michael Spencer last summer on the football field at Linden High School where the Spencers graduated. His last fight was the co-featured one on the Salita Promotions card at Flint's Dort Federal Event Center with fellow local fighter, unbeaten Ardreal "Bossman" Holmes Jr. of Flint. 

It was announced last month that Pro Box TV outbid Salita Promotions by just $5,000 to win the rights to the IBF-ordered junior middleweight title eliminator with Holmes against Erickson Lubin of Orlando, Florida. ProBox submitted a $225,000 offer.

Salita Promotions, founded by former 140-pound contender Dmitry Salita, has previously promoted all 17 fights by unbeaten Flint fighter Holmes since 2017. He's also the promoter for Flint champion Claressa Shields.

While Flint's Holmes is 17-0 with 6 KO's — Lubin, 26-2 with 18 KO's, is due $135,000 from his entitled 60% share of the purse as the higher-ranked contender. He is the IBF’s No. 3 junior middleweight. Holmes is ranked Number 7 and his 40 percent amounts to a $90,000 payday. The winner of the ordered fight will become the mandatory challenger for Russian Bakhram Murtazaliev who is 23-0 with 17 KO's.

It's not known if Spencer or Holmes will be on national TV with their next fights.

Salita Productions has regularly showcased Holmes on the company’s Big Time Boxing USA series on the DAZN streaming network, and both Holmes and Spencer appeared on national TV last time they fought from the Dort Federal in Flint. 

BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor

ANN ARBOR (CCN) — Grand Blanc's David Lally may pitch in Ann Arbor for the first time on Friday (March 14, 2025) as the Michigan Wolverines host USC in Big 10 Conference baseball action.

Lally led the Grand Blanc Bobcats to a Division 1 state championship in 2022, turned down an offer to go pro and signed to pitch at Notre Dame, entered the transfer portal after two seasons of limited action, signed with Michigan and pitched well in a college wooden bat league last summer with a team known as the Royal Oak Leprechauns in the Northwoods League.

A scouting service known as D1 Baseball warned UM's opponents in advance when watching Lally's dominating performances for the Leprechauns that the prospect identified by them out of high school as a "premier pitching talent" was ready to impress Wolverines' fans, saying in a tweet on X, formerly known as Twitter, as follows: "If he continues improving at Michigan baseball, watch out for a breakout season."

As the Big 10 season is now in full swing, Lally is doing exactly that so far on the young season.

Lally has so far pitched 18 1/3 innings this spring with 17 strikeouts.

He has started four games since pitching in relief in UM's opener when winning against the then No. 2 ranked team in the USA — Virginia.

Lally holds a sparkling 1.96 earned-run average and a 0.98 WHIP through his four appearances. 

His first start of the season came against Villanova when pitching 5 scoreless innings en route to a combined shutout. His next start came against Long Beach State, carrying a no-hitter through 5 innings and striking out 5. His most recent start was on Saturday (March 8, 2025) against Big 10 rival Illinois when he allowed one unearned run on one hit through 5 innings and struck out 6 with 4 Illini batters going down looking. 

The Trojans are in town for a 3-game series. Game 2 is Saturday at noon and the finale is on Sunday at noon.

All three of this weekend's games will be televised on the Big 10+ streaming network.

The Wolverines won their home opener 6-4 over Toledo a day earlier at Fisher Stadium inside the Wilpon Complex in front of 644 cold fans.

They used a four-run outburst in the the 7th inning to beat Toledo in a non-conference contest. The big blow was by junior Mitch Voit of Milwaukee with a three-run homer.

UM beat arch rival Michigan State 11-7 on Wednesday (March 12, 2025) in East Lansing to go to 2-1 in Big 10 play. They're in a six-way tie for second place behind 3-0 Oregon.

USC is so far 0-3 in the Big 10 but 9-7 overall.

UM is 10-6 overall.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is Grand Blanc's David Lally who has a sparkling 1.98 ERA for the Michigan Wolverines in 4 appearances so far in 2025.

BY ERIC THOMPSON

CCN Sports Writer

DAVISON (CCN) — A long-time youth sports coach and referee at both the high school and college levels has passed away. Raymond Kubani died unexpectedly from natural causes on Monday (Feb. 10, 2025) at Hurley Medical Center in Flint. He was 59.

Dean Tondreau of the Genesee County Coaches and Officials Association made the announcement via a news release to GCCOA members.

Kubani was a star athlete at Clarkston High School. He graduated in 1983 and went on to play basketball collegiately at Kent State University.

An obituary said that in his free time, Kubani volunteered as a youth sports coach and mentor, worked as a high school and collegiate basketball referee, created and maintained a golf green in his backyard and easily made friends with anyone he met.

Kubani made his home in Davison for 30 years where he raised a family with wife Sue.

They got married after meeting at Kent State.

He is survived by his wife, formerly Sue DeLeone; sons Kent and Drew, of Seattle and Chicago, respectively; father Vic; sister Mary Pacitto (Dave); brother-in-laws Joe DeLeone (Barb), Jim DeLeone (Kathleen), Mike DeLeone (Carm); sister-in-law Lisa DeLeone; nieces and nephews Regina, Julia, Garrett and Maria Pacitto, Tony, Victor, Ben, Nick, and Lizzie DeLeone, Jeannie DeLeone Ward, and Joanna Cammel; and many beloved aunts, uncles, cousins, and extended family.

Kubani worked for Independence Township Parks and Recreation, Rock Bottom Stone Supply, Michigan Electric Supply Co. and most recently, he proudly worked on the Business Development Team for The Davey Tree Expert Company.

Kubani, who was married 30 years ago after college, was was born at Holy Cross Hospital in Detroit to Victor Kubani and the late Sally (McGowan) Kubani on August 19, 1965.  

He was also preceded in death by brother Gary in 1992; mother-in-law Wilma DeLeone in 2023; and brother-in-law Tony DeLeone in 2021. His mother Sally died in 2020.

The obituary said Kubani and his wife recently "found themselves in a new phase of their lives as empty nesters, cherishing their time together as a couple." Ray enjoyed golfing, keeping up with collegiate sports, specifically Ohio State football, and he treasured his family and friends. He loved being involved in his sons’ elementary education, spending time reading to their classrooms, chaperoning field trips and attending class holiday parties. He was also an active supporter and volunteer for Special Olympics.

Friends may visit Lewis E. Wint & Son Funeral Home in Clarkston on Thursday (Feb. 20, 2025) from 3-8 pm. There will be memorial mass a day later at Our Lady of the Lakes Catholic Church in  Waterford with visitation at the church from 9:30am until the service at 10 am.

Inurnment will be at Lakeview Cemetery in Clarkston.

Memorials may be made to My Brothers Keeper of Genesee County.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is Ray Kubani who passed away on Monday (Feb. 10, 2025). He was a star basketball player at Clarkston who went on to play collegiately at Kent State. He was a youth sports coach and worked as a referee at both the high school and collegiate levels.

BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor

OWOSSO (CCN) — A Metro League Athletic Director has resigned after an incident at a volleyball game where he escorted students out of the building for what he called inappropriate behavior.

Owosso High School AD Steve Irelan resigned on Jan. 10 after negotiations between his lawyer and district officials, according to a report by WNEM CBS TV 5 on its Friday (Jan. 24, 2025) 11 o'clock newscast.

After two weeks of rumors about Irelan's absence on Owosso's campus, Superintendent Steve Brooks issued a statement to the public on the district's Facebook page after the school day on Friday. The incident at the volleyball game happened in October.

Superintendent Brooks said, "We felt it was important to set the record straight, given some of the inaccurate information being spread on social media and on other platforms."

Irelan's job as AD and assistant principal at Owosso was posted by district officials on Jan. 21.

The letter with a statement by Brooks read in part: "We received a report that Mr. Ireland had removed a group of students from a high school (girls') volleyball game at Owosso High School, and eventually from the campus entirely. The students had reportedly been obnoxiously yelling from the student section, causing a disruption. A parent of one of the students involved accused Mr. Ireland of bullying and targeting one of the students, an allegation we take seriously. Mr. Ireland declined multiple requests to meet with specific parents to discuss the incident ... Mr. Ireland’s actions concerning one of the parents of the students involved in the incident created the appearance of retaliation, and the district then sought legal counsel to adhere to our school policies and procedures. We then placed Mr. Ireland on administrative leave on October 31, 2024, while an investigation was conducted by the district legal counsel, inclusive of video footage review and detailed interviews of several students, coaches, spectators administrators including Mr. Ireland and school staff who witnessed the incident in the gym."

Irelan did not respond to our request for a comment. WNEM CBS TV 5 also reported that Irelan did not respond to its request for a comment.

Irelan has been with the Owosso district since 2015, according to his Linked-in page.

Superintendent Brooks also wrote in his letter to district residents: "The investigation found no evidence that Mr. Irelan bullied or targeted a student. However, his actions pertaining to one of the parents of the students involved in the incident created the appearance of retaliation. The appearance of retaliation toward the parent is a violation of our board policy and it was recommended Mr. Irelan receive an appropriate discipline to avoid recurrence of these actions. And no time were any criminal investigations brought forth. Mr. Irelan disagreed with the recommended discipline and appealed the proposed disciplinary action. During the appeal, Mr. Irelan‘s attorney and the district attorney negotiated the resignation agreement acceptable to Mr. Irelan and the district."

No school board members in the Owosso district have yet responded to our request for comments.

PHOTO CAPTION: Steve Irelan has resigned his position as Athletic Director at Owosso High.

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