SPORTS SECTION ⚫ MOST READ RECENT HEADLINES

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BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor

LINDEN  (CCN) — It was billed as a "homecoming" for the boxing Spencer brothers of Linden.

Joey Spencer, 24, went to 18-1 in his pro career with a 5th round knockout and younger brother Mickel needed only 1:20 to win by knockout in his fight to stay unbeaten in his pro career at 4-0.

Joey Spencer's 5th round KO gave him the National Boxing Association Intercontinental title by beating champion Janer Gonzalez in the main event of the first pro boxing card ever held at Linden High School’s football field.

Mickel Spencer defeated Keaton Gatzmer by knocking him down three times and earning the TKO before the first round was over.

 Carnell Giles won an entertaining heavyweight fight by decision over Victor Jones; Brazil’s Ricardo Candido delivered a 1st round knockout over Antoine McCullough; David Fecteau won by knockout over Breidis Prescott at the 2:51 mark of the 2nd round; and Justin Johnson won by decision victory against Dennis Reid.

 Joey Spencer issued a Facebook post afterward, saying, "Got the job done in my hometown ... and got my 12th professional stoppage win. The first Spencer Promotions event was an absolute dream come true, and I couldn’t be more thankful to my community for all of their support."

Younger brother Mickel Spencer also took to Facebook to thank fans, saying, " WHAT A NIGHT!!!!! Coming and fighting at home was a surreal experience that I will never forget. The energy was electric and the LOVE was real!!!!  Thank you to every single person who came out and streamed the fight. Your support is amazing and truly makes this whole fighting thing a lot more enjoyable."

The young Spencer, now 20, took the opportunity to also pitch another project he has been working on, saying, "I talked a little bit about this after the fight but thank you to my Lord And Savior Jesus Christ. The most important thing in my life is faith and it has been tested this last year without boxing as well as starting Sic Ministries.  I held onto hope that somehow and some way God would prevail and he did in his own timing. Even in my doubt God continued to be with me and even in my pain I had immense comfort in Christ.  SIC Is currently looking for a consistent place to meet! We have been meeting at John Wentworth III's  office since the winter but are looking for a more intimate setting. If you would like to open up your home or have spare land that you want to be used for a bible study reach out!!! Once again thank you for all of your support and I cannot wait to be back in action. Thank you too all of my sponsors. Your support has been amazing and cannot wait to keep working with you all in the future.

The sponsors for Mickel Spencer included Wentworth Real Estate Group, Ponsse North America, Shouse Tool Company, Homezone Windows, Premier Private Jets, Patrick Widing Custom Built Homes, Ultimate Athlete Performance and America's Most Wanted 4X4.

Joey Spencer's sponsors include Ponsse North America,  Shouse Tool Company, Wentworth Real Estate Group, LaFontaine Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Fenton, America's Most Wanted 4X4, Canlas Brothers, Dr. Wax Orthodontics, Patrick Widing Custom Built Homes, Buffalo Wild Wings, SERVPRO of Fenton / SERVPRO of NW Genesee County, The State Bank, Premier Private Jets, Broad Street Rentals, Stanley Firearms, Chicago Light Lager, High Octane Screen Printing, ARMR UNLMTD, Hall’s Culligan of Ann Arbor/Detroit, Jts carpentry Inc, Walkin’ Paws In-Home Dog Boarding and Funtastic Inflatables.

 Joey Spencer added: "Thank you to my family, team, sponsors, and all of the fans who came out! You guys made this possible. And most importantly I’d like to thank God that all of the fighters made it out of the ring safe."

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story are brothers Joey and Mikel Spencer who won pro boxing matches in Linden on Saturday night.

You can't blame Kristin Haynie if she is rooting for an off weekend or for Flint's Kendyl Smith to get sick after last weekend's impressive performance in Louisville, Kentucky. (See Related Story at right if you are reading on a laptop or PC, or scroll down if you are reading on a mobile device)

Haynie took over as the new head coach of Central Michigan University's women's basketball team last year. Landing Kendyl Smith to go to CMU would help her rebuilding project there since the junior-to-be at Flint Powers Catholic is sure to attract interest from Big Ten schools and other top Division 1 programs as a potential Miss Basketball winner before she's done.

CMU was the first Division 1 school to offer Kendyl Smith a full ride scholarship (when she was an 8th grader with two national championships on her resume in lower level AAU brackets) and Coach Heynie has been showing up often at her games during the last high school season and on the AAU trail this summer.

Only one more summer event remains with an invitation only tournament for top players from around the country on tap this weekend in South Carolina. Smith will get to show off her skills there against top 16u stars from around the USA.

She has been doing that all summer, too, around the midwest with the Legends U 16u team of prep all-stars from Michigan and Ohio. The Columbus-based program features five all-star AAU teams at the 17u, 16u, 15u and 14u brackets. They went a combined 33-1 with four national championships last weekend in Louisville.

"She's being seen by college coaches everywhere," Kevin Smith said about his daughter. "It has been such a great experience playing in this program."

We honored Kendyl Smith for her big weekend with The Morning Gazette Radio Show's Bouquet of Roses for spreading a little Metro Flint pride in Louisville. Listeners immediately complained via a flood of texts that high school athletes never get such a distinction from our radio show. I guess that really makes it more special what a big accomplishment it was for the young Smith girl.

In fact, she's not the first local prep athlete to get such an individual honor. A number of local prep teams contending for state championships have been given the special salute as a "team" but only one other local prep player has been given the honor in an individual fashion. . We gave Monte Morris of Flint Beecher our Bouquet of Roses on a show with the late Flint City Councilman Eric Mays on the morning we found out he won Mr. Basketball en route to leading the Bucs to their second straight Class C state championship.

Morris went on to a great collegiate career at Iowa State before making it big in the NBA where he has now played for four teams  — the Denver Nuggets, Washington Wizard, Detroit Pistons and Minnesota Timberwolves. 

Could a career in the WNBA be ahead for Smith?

CMU's head coach certainly would be one with connections to help get her there. Haynie has WNBA pedigree, including a championship in 2005 while playing at Sacrament with the  Monarchs. She also played in the WNBA with the Atlanta Dream and Detroit Shock as well as playing professionally overseas afterward in Italy, Lithuania, Russia and Greece. She has also been an assistant coach in the WNBA with the  Minnesota Lynx.

You can bet Haynie has Kendyl Smith's dad rooting for her to win the recruiting sweepstakes because Mount Pleasant would be within driving distance from Flint for friends and family to see her play. Her grandpa (Craig Smith) is a CMU grad, too. Older sister Amaya Smith is also in the fold at CMU for next season as one of five top freshman recruits Haynie landed in her rebuilding project with the Chippewas.

 Amaya Smith was first team all-Saginaw Valley League this past winter with younger sister Kendyl while leading Powers to a deep run in the state tournament. Powers won a Division 2 regional championship.

Now that Coach Haynie has had an up close experience with Amaya Smith, I'm sure she is impressed with the work ethic. She's a gym rat who has been shooting 1,000 3's every day in her workout routine since she was in grade school. That's why she's deadly from outside but it's her defense and leadership that makes her one of the area's best I've ever seen in local girls' basketball circles.

In a radio conversation with the legendary Eric Mays, he once classified Bryan Rison of Beecher as the best ever he had seen in local boys' hoops while I went with Flint Central's Eric Turner. When the subject turned to the best girl ever, I went with Goodrich's Taylor Gleason who was all-state four times and led the Martians to back-to-back state championships her last two years with tenacious defense along with averaging over 21 points per game as a senior. Mays paused and made a prediction about a then 5-year-old.

"You might think I'm crazy but I saw this little white girl playing against older boys, making them cry she was so much better than everyone out there," Mays said about Kendyl Smith. "Her and her sister were the only two white girls in the gym, and I'm telling you  —  they were dominating! I don't know their names but they are the girls of Kevin Smith who is a Flint cop. That little one is gonna be something special  — maybe the best ever from this area for sure. Ask Mateen Cleaves. She made his kid cry."

I'd put her in a class with Goodrich's Gleason, the old twin towers of Flint Northern (Pamela and Paula McGee who went on to play professionally after All-American careers at USC followed back-to-back titles with the Vikings in 1979 and 1980), Deanna Nolan who also won two state titles at Northern as a Miss Basketball winner her senior in 1995 before eventually going on to WNBA stardom, Goodrich's Tania Davis who was a  Miss Basketball winner in 2015, Powers Catholic’s Lisa Negri who led her school to a fourth straight Final Four appearance in 1991, Flint Hamady's Laurie Byrd who completed a brilliant career with the Hawks in 1978 before going on to star at Eastern Michigan and play professionally and current Mott Community College Coach  Letitia Hughley who never lost a game in high school basketball when helping lead Flint Northern to three straight state titles prior to leading the Vikings to two state titles as a coach before landing the Mott job in 2005.

I'd complete my all-time top 10 in the Metro Flint regional area with the Smith sisters.

Younger sister Kendyl is flashy in a Magic Johnson mold and obviously has more talent than Amaya, but I'm not so sure my first pick in a draft wouldn't be the big sister. Her defense stands out but best of all  —  she's a winner who inspires everyone around her.

Look for big things out of her at CMU.

The biggest prize of all may be luring sister Kendyl to the CMU campus.

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

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY (CCN) — Kendyl Smith of Flint brought home some special hardware last weekend with an AAU national championship in Louisville, Kentucky.

The junior-to-be at Flint Powers Catholic is playing this summer with the Legends U — a high level AAU program out of Columbus with top prep stars from Michigan and Ohio.

Smith was praised by her coaching staff in a tweet via X (formerly known as Twitter)  for "dropping five 3-point bombs" during a key victory in the AAU 16u quarterfinals. The junior-to-be at Flint Powers Catholic was more proud of shutting down the opponent's top star after assigned to guard her, according to her dad (Kevin Smith).

The Legends U went on to coast to easy victories in the semifinals and finals to win it all after a close game in the quarterfinals.

 Coach Keith Wayne's tweet said "she hit five bombs from deep, walked up on the wall of showing big time leadership." 

Smith has been able to perform in front of top NCAA coaches in the country while playing this summer for the Legends U club.

They finished with an impressive 46-1 record in top tournaments around the midwest.

The Legends U program features five all-star AAU teams at the 17u, 16u, 15u and 14u brackets. They went a combined 33-1 with four national championships last weekend in Louisville.

Smith was all-Saginaw Valley League at Powers as a sophomore this past winter. Her sister and teammate, Amaya Smith, was also first team as the Smith sisters led Powers to a Division 2 regional championship.

Amaya Smith has signed to play next season at Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant. 

CMU offered a full ride scholarship to Kendyl Smith as an 8th grader after winning two national championships in summer AAU ball under the coaching of her dad — Kevin Smith.

She nailed a last-second, game-winning shot as a freshman at Lake Fenton in front of a huge crowd in the Metro League championship game against Goodrich. She and her sister then transferred to Powers last year when her family moved to Flint.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is Kendyl Smith bringing the ball up court as the floor general point guard for the Legends U all-star team of prep stars from Michigan and Ohio that won last weekend's national AAU championship.

BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor

ETROIT (CCN) — Boxer Claressa Shields of Flint stepped up to the heavyweight division on Saturday night (July 27, 2024) at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit to win another world title.

She made quick work of her latest bout at Little Casars in front of more than 12,000 fans.  Shields made history by taking down WBC heavyweight champion Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse by technical knockout in the 2nd round.

She became the first female boxer with five titles. Shields, also a two-time Olympic gold medalist, entered Saturday's fight as a middleweight, junior middleweight and super middleweight champion. Beating Lepage-Joanisse gave her the WBC heavyweight title as well as the previously vacant WBO light heavyweight title — eight world title belts five weight classes.

She's 15-0 in her career as a professional boxer. 

The two-time Olympic champion from Flint was already the reigning WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO Middleweight World Champion and is the only women’s boxer in history to hold undisputed world titles in two divisions. She's also a professional mixed martial artist in the Professional Fighters League.

Shields defended her middleweight belts by scoring a unanimous 10-round decision over Maricela Cornejo in June 2023 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. The wildly successful event was the first boxing match ever held there, until Saturday's return bout.

 Lepage-Joanisse is a 29-year-old from Canada who was 8-0 for her career as WBC World Champion in the Heavyweight division.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is boxer Claressa Shields of Flint.

 BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor

MT. MORRIS (CCN) — Andre Weathers is the new prep football coach in Mt. Morris after Mike Miller stepped down. 

Miller had back-to-back 2-7 campaigns after going 4-4 during his debut season of 2021 with the Panthers. He's the father of three boys who are young athletes in multiple sports, and many had praised Miller's progress in building the  varsity program but friends say he needed more family time with his own boys.

The school hasn't had a winning season since 2008 when going 7-4 and losing in the first rounds of the state playoffs.

Many projected 2024 as the year Mt. Morris would take a major step forward. In fact, many believe last year's 2-7 finish didn't indicate how the Panthers would have likely been title contenders if they played in the Genesee Area Conference instead of the Mid-Michigan Activities Association (MMAA).

MMAA super powers Montrose and New Lothrop own more state championships than any other teams in the entire Metro Flint regional area. Chesaning, Durand and Ovid-Elsie have pretty strong football traditions, too.

Mt. Morris began last season with a back-to-back strong non-league showings against Metro League members Clio and Owosso. The Panthers beat arch vial Clio 7-0 in the Vehicle City Classic at Flint's Atwood Stadium and then went to Owosso to lose a hard-fought 34-32 decision.

A 56-15 romp at home over LakeVille was the only victory for the Panthers in 2024 though once it was time to begin MMAA play.

With improving the culture already under way in Mt. Morris, Weathers is positioned to have the best year ever of his prep coaching career.

He's a strong football man with NFL pedigree and a national championship experience under his belt at UM where he was a star defensive back. (See Related Story in Today's Tri-County News)

Weathers was 0-9 last year with the Jaguars of Flint Southwestern, and he was 6-38 since being hired there in 2018. He led Burton Bentley before that and departed after the Bulldogs were 1-8 in 2017 for the second season in a row since he took the job there.

The losing ways of an 8-56 varsity head coach do not bother the folks at Mt. Morris who are excited about adding a leader with NFL experience who won a 1997 national championship at the University of Michigan with the Wolverines.

He was a defensive back at UM and went on to play in a Super Bowl with the New York Giants.

Mt. Morris Athletic Director Jeff Kline recently announced the hiring of Weathers with a Facebook post of Weathers in his Michigan Wolverines uniform, saying, "This is our new coach!"

The reactions to his post on Facebook were positive ones. Ray Assencio said, "Should be a fun year. I'm pumped to watch the Panthers."

Larry Clontz called it an "outstanding" hire for his alma mater and Darren Kinder added: "Great job Jeff!"

Tim Phipps, Kearsley's former varsity baseball boss and a prep football official, praised Weathers on Kline's post, writing: "Great man great coach. I love doing his games (when) he is a coach. He tried to make boys into men. (I) loved it when he was on my sidelines."

Scott Wise said, "(I) worked with him for a couple of years. Really cool guy."

Weathers, a Flint Central grad who is in the Greater Flint Sports Hall of Fame, has five active children and works as an engineer at WGS Global Services in Grand Blanc.

 “What people don’t understand about Flint is that there is so much more to it than what they hear in the news," Weathers said for the Crim Fitness Program a few years ago.

"One of the customers that we work for is located in Mexico. When he came here, I took him through downtown Flint as a ‘Welcome to Flint’. He said, “

'Wow, this is not what I thought it was, this is nice, I have a different impression now.' Flint was a hub of athletes, and coaches wanted to come to Flint.

 One of the biggest priorities we are working toward is to become a pipeline of athletes again. 

Chrishaun Verdun has been hired to replace Weathers as varsity boss at Flint Southwestern.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is a file photo from the Genesee Valley Press of Andre Weathers during his playing days.

BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor

DETROIT (CCN) — Boxer Claressa Shields of Flint stepped up to the heavyweight division on Saturday night (July 27, 2024) at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit to win another world title.

She made quick work of her latest bout at Little Casars in front of more than 12,000 fans.  Shields made history by taking down WBC heavyweight champion Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse by technical knockout in the 2nd round.

She became the first female boxer with five titles. Shields, also a two-time Olympic gold medalist, entered Saturday's fight as a middleweight, junior middleweight and super middleweight champion. Beating Lepage-Joanisse gave her the WBC heavyweight title as well as the previously vacant WBO light heavyweight title — eight world title belts five weight classes.

She's 15-0 in her career as a professional boxer. 

The two-time Olympic champion from Flint was already the reigning WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO Middleweight World Champion and is the only women’s boxer in history to hold undisputed world titles in two divisions. She's also a professional mixed martial artist in the Professional Fighters League.

Shields defended her middleweight belts by scoring a unanimous 10-round decision over Maricela Cornejo in June 2023 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. The wildly successful event was the first boxing match ever held there, until Saturday's return bout.

 Lepage-Joanisse is a 29-year-old from Canada who was 8-0 for her career as WBC World Champion in the Heavyweight division.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is boxer Claressa Shields of Flint.

FLINT (CCN) — Flint United owner Kevin Mays announced that NBA star Miles Bridges will host an ice cream and community resource giveaway on Saturday (July 27, 2024) in Flint.

Mays noted that Bridges,  the pride of Flint and standout forward for the NBA's Charlotte Hornets, is set  to give back to his hometown community. The giveaway event will be from 5-7 pm at Wayne's Barbershop which is located at 111 West Second Street in Downtown Flint. 

Mays said the event "aims to bring joy and support to the local community, offering free ice cream treats alongside essential resources and information for residents of Flint."

Bridges is committed to making a positive impact in is hometown, celebrating the spirit of unity and resilience that defines Flint. "I’m just excited to be able to give back to the place that shaped me," he said. Bridges went on to a great career at Michigan State after playing his high school ball in Flint at Southwestern Academy as a freshman. He transferred to  Huntington Prep School for his sophomore, junior and senior seasons in Huntington, West Virginia.

Bridges was the 12th overall selection in the 2018 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers who promptly traded him to the Charlotte Hornets.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is Miles Bridges of the Charlotte Hornets.

LINDEN (CCN) — The Spencer brothers from Linden are bringing pro boxing action to their hometown on Aug. 17.

Joey Spencer and Mickel Spencer will make their first fights ever in Linden as a "homecoming" of sorts at the Linden High School football field.

Joey Spencer was 16-0 since his pro debut as an 18-year-old boxer. The action in Linden will be only his third fight since losing in March 2023 to Jesus Ramos on a TKO that improved Ramos to a perfect 19-0.

Joey Spencer, now 17-1, has won 8 times by knockout and twice by TKO. He has fought several times on national TV.

Mickel Spencer is 3-0 since starting his pro career in 2021 after four national championships as an amateur. He has not fought in over a year since a head clash led to a "no contest" when the referee stopped his fight against Lyle McFarlane.

The gates at Linden's football facility will open at 6 pm and the fight card will start at 7 pm.

General admission bleacher seats and ringside floor seats are both available by going online to Buy Here.

Floor seats will only be available for purchase online before the fight, and will not be sold at the door on fight night. 

Joey Spencer posted on his Facebook page: "Thank you so much to all those who have bought tickets already, and we're looking forward to seeing everyone there! It’s gonna be a great nigh."

BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor

FLINT (CCN) — The Flint Fury semi-pro football team has been a labor of love since 2003 for Charles Lawler.

He's been described as head coach, general manager, owner and head popcorn salesman at halftime for his football family.

To say Lawler does it all is an understatement.

But one thing he has never done with the Fury is take them to a championship.

They are one victory away from winning it all this year in the Great Midwest Football Conference. After beating the Lansing Lightning 24-6 this past weekend at Flint Hamady in the GMFC semifinals, Flint now focuses on the GMFC championship game Saturday, Aug. 3 against the Jackson Battlehawks.

The game will be at home on the turf at Flint Hamady. 

Tickets are $10 and on sale now via the team's Web Site.

"(The) job is not done," Lawler posted on social media after beating Lansing. "Nice win," Lawler added. "We are on to the next.  See everyone Aug 3 at Hamady for the GMFC Championship game."

Groups of 5-10 can get discounts at $7 per ticket if buying in advance.

Defensive back Rafael Woods of New Lothrop scooped up a fumble near mid-field and raced in for a long touchdown run tp put the Fury on the board against Lansing. Shamonte Neal added a two-point conversion run to make it 8-0, and the Fury never looked back.

It was one of two touchdowns on defense for Woods who also had big hits all night to help stifle Lansing's offense.

The dominant performance was quite a contrast from a June 1 visit to Lansing when the Lightning narrowly escaped with a 20-18 victory. The Fury rebounded two weeks later to beat them 24-20 at home en route to an 8-1 record on the year.

Next week's championship game opponent Jackson Battlehawks were 24-0 losers on their home field to the Fury on May 18.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is Charles Lawler who is owner, General Manager and Head Coach of the Flint Fury semi-pro football team.

PHOENIX (CCN) — Flint Beecher's Monte Morris is headed to the Phoenix Suns of the NBA.

National media reports say Morris has agreed to a one-year contract worth $2.8 million.

He finished last season with the Minnesota Timberwolves after starting the campaign in Detroit with the Pistons. An injury delayed his debut in Detroit and he was traded only 6 games after getting back on the floor.

Morris played his first four full NBA seasons with the Denver Nuggets after a great career at Iowa State.  He came to the Pistons after spending one season in Washington with the Wizards.

Morris led the Beecher Bucs to back-to-back Class C state championships after a final four appearance as a sophomore.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is Flint Beecher's Monte Morris who has signed with the Phoenix Suns of the NBA.

 BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor

FLINT  (CCN) — Tom Dutkowski has been named Division 2 high school baseball Coach-of-the-Year after leading Flint Powers Catholic to the state championship two weeks ago.

The announcement was revealed via a Facebook post by the school. The statement read in part: "This incredible achievement is a testament to his exceptional leadership and coaching skills, which were instrumental in guiding the Chargers to a historic victory, clinching their first state title since 1980. Congratulations to you, Coach! Well deserved!"

The Michigan High School Athletic Association posted a story on its web site about Dutkowski's title-winning feat which came after 42 years and 872 victories at Powers. He not only finally got to coach in a state championship game for the first time as a head coach but his Chargers delivered victory No. 873 and his long-awaited first state championship with an 11-0 romp over Spring Lake in the Division 2 final at McLane Stadium. Powers beat defending state champ Trenton 4-3 in walk-off fashion in extra innings to reach the state finals. Senior Gavin Darling drove in the winning run.

Senior Fisher Hendershot, his team's winning pitcher in the finals, is one of three pitching staff members headed to college with Division 1 scholarships. The others are senior Grant Garman to Oakland University who beat Trenton in the semis and sophomore  Isaac Sturgess has signed to play at MSU. Hendershot is headed to Eastern Michigan University next year.

“We just made Flint Powers history, and to be a part of that is amazing,” winning pitcher Fischer Hendershot said after his team completed a 37-6 record for 2024 that included its first outright championship in the Saginaw Valley Conference since joining the league. Powers lost to Trenton last year in the state semifinals.

“We have a lot of alumni and a lot of alumni on the coaching staff," Hendershot added. "To do it for the coaching staff, everyone here, everyone in Powers, every alumni and everyone who cares about us is a great feeling.”

After accepting the championship trophy at MSU and raising it triumphantly into the air, Dutkowski reflected on the journey and long wait when interviewed by MHSAAA.

It was the third championship in Powers Cagtholic baseball history —   joining the 1974 and 1980 championships. Dutkowski was an assistant on the 1980 team.

“I played in ’73 here, and my joke for that was that I taught the ’74 guys everything they knew and then they won a state championship the next year,” Dutkowski said. “We won it in ’80 with just a gritty team. My third year as a head coach, we got to the final four in Class A, and I figured this was going to happen every three years. And then it was a 39-year drought in terms of that.”

Two Related Stories in Genesee Valley Press

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is veteran Flint Powers baseball boss Tom Dutkowski.

BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor

ANN ARBOR (CCN) — The Michigan Wolverines have announced that Grand Blanc's All-American baseball pitcher (David Lally) has transferred from Notre Dame to wear the Maize and Blue next year.

Lally, who has been clocked at 97 mph with his fastball at Notre Dame,  led Grand Blanc's 2022 prep baseball team to a Division 1 state championship.

Lally had a 9.22 earned run average at Notre Dame as a sophomore in 13 2/3 innings of work in only 13 appearances for the Fighting Irish. He started 6 games in 9 appearances as a freshman in 2023. Lally logged 17 total innings when posting a 5.22 ERA in his collegiate debut year.

His best moment at Notre Dame probably came as a freshman when striking out 4 batters in 3 innings against Western Michigan.

The 6-foot-4, 210-pounder was offered $1.1 million to sign out of high school when multiple teams had an interest in him for the Major League Baseball draft in June 2022, but he turned it down to go to Notre Dame.

Lally was one of 118 high school prospects invited to the MLB Draft Combine in San Diego after a senior season at Gland Blanc that saw him go 9-1 on the mound with a 0.42 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 50 innings of work. Playing shortstop for the Bobcats when he wasn't on the mound, Larry also hit  an impressive .430 at the plate with 7 home runs and 44 RBI. 

"I learned I could compete at that level," Lally told the South Bend newspaper about the MLB Draft Combine experience. "I pitched very well out there. I like matching myself against other people to see where I compare and how successful I can be... The money had to be life-changing... ,My number was $1.5 million. I was offered $1.1, but I denied it.... My dad and I joke about it sometimes. I turned down $1.1 million. It's kind of funny, but crazy to think about that I literally just graduated high school and I'm making that type of decision." 

The next big decision was to leave the Notre Dame campus and enter the uncertainty of the transfer portal.

It paid off when UM came calling.

The Wolverines are hoping to bounce back from a 28-32 campaign but they tied for fourth in the Big Ten Conference with a 14-10 record.

Notre Dame had a 27-25 overall record in 2024 and the Fighting Irish finished sixth in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) with a 9-21 record.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is pitcher David Lally who was an All-American in prep baseball when leading the Grand Blanc Bobcats to a Division 1 state championship.

Saturday, June 23, 2024 Column

Now that  out-of-state media giant Townsquare Media has shut down 1470 AM, Metro Flint News/Talk Radio is left as the only local radio station presenting high school football and basketball broadcasts.

We will keep in mind that we're the only game in town for prep athletes to get such recognition as we prepare for another prep season.

We will kick off our 2024 broadcasts on Thursday, Aug. 29th when Davison takes on Warren De La Salle Collegiate in the Xenith Prep Kickoff Classic at Wayne State University. The two-day event is sponsored by the Detroit Sports Commission.

Davison plays  in the second game of an opening night doubleheader at 7 pm. A second team from the Metro Flint regional area (Clarkston) will also play in the 12th annual kick-off event at Wayne State University.

The Thursday opener pits Southgate Anderson against Trenton at 4 p.m. 

Action on Friday, Aug. 30 will will feature Belleville taking on Clarkston at 4 pm and Detroit King facing Cleveland Heights at 7 pm.

We will feature some of our veteran broadcasters and we're still looking for new talent to expand our presentation of game broadcasts. If you want to apply, call us at (810) 771-8421 to leave a message or go to our CCN Jobs Page to apply.

We pay only $50 for play-by-play announcers and $35 for color commentators who must have previous experience. Candidates without experience may be able to win a chance to join one of our veteran broadcasters on the air for on-the-job training if you want to win a paying position.

Who knows? You may have what it takes to someday move into a big time media job as a broadcaster or move up to the state college ranks.

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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

DETROIT (CCN)  —  The Detroit Sports Commission has announced its high school football matchups for the 19th annual Xenith Prep Kickoff Classic.

This fall's event will take place for the 12th straight year at Tom Adams Field on the campus of Wayne State University. The two-day event will be staged on Thursday, Aug. 29 and Friday, Aug. 30.

Two teams from The Daily Gazette coverage area will be featured in this year's event that began with six seasons in a row at Eastern Michigan University until the Detroit Sports Commission attracted it to Downtown Detroit.

The Xenith Prep Kickoff CLassic returns after seeing record-breaking attendance in 2023 with more than 14,700 fans at Wayne State which plays Division II college football in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Activities Conference (GLIAC). Wayne State only attracted 13,732 fans for its entire season — averaging 2,285 per game.

Since 2005, the event officials have focused on providing a "bowl game" atmosphere for participating teams, school bands, and cheer squads from across the Midwest.

Since the event's inception, Detroit Sports Commission officials have focused on an inclusive approach to team and match-up selection by inviting more than 90 schools from Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio to play in the signature event.

"The Detroit Sports Commission is proud to once again kick off the high school football season in Michigan with an exciting lineup of games in the city of Detroit," said Marty Dobek, Detroit Sports Commission Deputy Director. "This year's event will feature a tremendous collection of prep football programs, and also the colorful pageantry of school bands and cheerleaders for fans to experience at this signature event in Detroit."

The 2024 event will transpire over two days  with Davison playing  in the second game of an opening night doubleheader at 7 pm and Clarkston playing in Friday's opener at 4 pm against 2023 Division 1 state runner-up Belleville.

The Thursday opener before the Davison-De La Salle matchup pits Southgate Anderson against Trenton at 4 p.m. Action on Friday will feature Detroit King facing Cleveland Heights at 7 pm after the Clarkston-Belleville game.

The Davison Cardinals rolled to a perfect 9-0 regular season record last fall and made it all the way to the Division 1 state semifinals. They finished 12-1 on the year. Davison's Aug. 29 opponent — Warren De La Salle Collegiate — lost 31-26 to Davison in last year's opener at the Vehicle City Gridiron Classic at Flint's historic Atwood Stadium. De La Salle rallied from 2023's opening night loss to Davison with 11 straight victories before losing 33-21 to Muskegon in the Division 2 state championship game at Ford Field.

The Clarkson Wolves  lost a 21-20 nail-biter last season in the regional finals to West Bloomfield to finish with un-Clarkstonlike 6-6 record. Clarkson lost 24-10 to Northville in last year's opener which was in the Battle of the Big House event at Michigan Stadium on the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor. Belleville's 2023 run to the state finals in Division 1 featured a 13-1 record before losing 36-32 to Southfield Arts & Technology.

Among the other competitors in the Xenith Prep Football Kickoff Classic, Southgate Anderston was  7-3 last season, Trenton was 5-5, Cleveland Heights 11-2 and  Detroit King 7-6 although making a run to the Division 3 state semifinals where losing an exciting 26-20 affair to Mason..

 
Tickets are $12 and are available for purchase at detroitsports.org/pkctickets. A portion of the proceeds from tickets will benefit each school. One ticket will grant admission to all games on that particular day. 

BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor

EUGENE, OREGON (CCN)  —  Runner Grant Fisher of Grand Blanc is going back to the Olympics.

Fisher, now 27, won the 10,000 meters in 27 minutes, 49.47 seconds at the U.S. Olympic track trials in Eugene to earn a spot on Team USA's 2024 squad going to Paris later tis summer. As an added bonus, he and two others from his event (No. 2 finisher Woody Kinkaid and No. 3 man NCAA record-holder Nico Young)  became the first three who were able to sign the base of a miniature Eiffel Tower that was on display at Hayward Field.

Fisher is also hoping to again qualify in the 5,000 meters. His chance come next week in Eugene.

The Grand Blanc High School product, who was an all-stater and prep all-American, placed fifth in the 10,000 at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and fourth at the 2022 World Athletics Championships.  He holds the American record at both 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters. 

Fisher told NBC after the event: "It feels really good,. There’s a lot of anticipation going into the trials. You never know what’s going to happen."

No American  has won an Olympic medal in the 10,000 since Galen Rupp in 2012 

 The former University of Michigan star added: "It’s going to be really, really hard out there,. There are a lot of good athletes this year. Anything can happen. I want to get in there and mix it up. 10k is a straight final so I just need to have one good day. I’ve been close to the medals before and it never gotten them. Hopefully this is my time." 

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is Grand Fisher of Grand Blanc who now trains  with Team Arizona. Fisher is going back to the Olympics  after qualifying at 10,000 meters Friday, June 21.