Preview: Reunited Co-Champs, Title Streak Possibilities Headline Tennis Finals

Many of the strongest contenders are familiar heading into this weekend’s Lower Peninsula Girls Tennis Finals. But intriguing storylines could make all four tournaments especially memorable for the teams playing to finish on top.

Preview: 4 Team Championships, Many More Contenders at LP Boys Finals

There are a number of knowns entering Saturday’s MHSAA Lower Peninsula Boys Track & Field Finals, as a number of stars are returning and looking to add to their past achievements. What’s more difficult to forecast than usual is how the team competitions will finish. All four divisions appear to have multiple serious contenders, and many more possible outcomes.

Preview: Opportunities Await for Standouts to Join All-Time Greats

Winners of 26 individual titles from the 2021 Girls Track & Field Finals will be back at Saturday’s Lower Peninsula championship meets hosted by Rockford, Ada Forest Hills Eastern, Kent City and Hudsonville Baldwin Middle School. Here is a glance at team contenders and individuals to watch in all four divisions.

Preview: Past Champions Filling Upper Peninsula Girls Track & Field Finals

An extraordinary 16 individual champions from last season’s Upper Peninsula Girls Track & Field Finals will return to Kingsford this weekend seeking the same success and more. And only six of them are seniors. The star-studded meet will feature the final high school races for standouts like three-time champion Landry Koski from Rock Mid Peninsula and Houghton distance star Ingrid Seagren.

Preview: UP Boys Finals Feature Fierce Team Races, Statewide Headliners

There’s an excellent chance many statewide eyes turn to Saturday’s Upper Peninsula Boys Track & Field Finals at Kingsford High School. Start in high jump, where Menominee’s Brady Schultz is one of four athletes sharing the top performance in that event in Michigan this season.

Escanaba Edges Negaunee to Claim Anticipated Battle for Best in UPD1

All season long, the Escanaba Eskymos and the Negaunee Miners were the top two boys tennis teams in the Upper Peninsula, seemingly on a collision course to fight for the Division 1 championship for the second-straight year.

More from the Finals: Division 2

Repeat Medalist Autore Leads as Islanders Start Next Championship Tradition

The Cedarville girls golf team won the Upper Peninsula Division 3 championship last season, and DeTour took the top honor in 2017. So it was only logical that the first-year cooperative program comprised of two schools would be a formidable favorite Thursday at Highland Golf Club. True to expectation, Cedarville/DeTour fired a 420 to win by 43 strokes.

More from the Finals: Division 1 | Division 2

It’s Championship Time for Badker, While Houghton Holds On for Team Title

From the Division 3 boys basketball championship game at the Breslin Center to the Great Northern Conference golf final at Escanaba Country Club, the story of much of Brady Badker’s senior year has been second place. That changed Wednesday afternoon, as Menominee’s Badker won the individual championship at the Upper Peninsula Division 1 Final at Sage Run Golf Course in Bark River.

More from the Finals: Division 2 | Division 3

Performance of the Week: Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Brock Porter

One of Michigan’s most highly-regarded baseball talents in years, Porter continued his dominating senior season May 20 with his fourth no-hitter of the spring – this time in a 4-0 win over Detroit Catholic Central in the Catholic High School League Bishop semifinals at Comerica Park. He struck out 16 hitters, upping his season total to 87 with only 17 walks over 42 innings. He’s 6-0 and has allowed only one earned run – and three total – this season.

Title IX at 50: Mumford Sprinter’s Magnificent 2006 Final Remains Unmatched

Michigan’s illustrious track & field history is filled with legends who have achieved glory at every race distance and in every field event. But the sprints arguably remain the featured attraction at any meet – and Shayla Mahan’s Lower Peninsula Division 1 Finals performance on June 3, 2006, at East Kentwood remains among the most glorious and awe-inspiring over nearly a century of MHSAA history.

Self-Taught Lutzke Leaving Williamston with Decades of Memorable Lessons

If it were possible to string together all of the moments that made Mitch Lutzke into a Hall of Fame high school track & field coach, the first half of the video would look like a one-man pentathlon. At most, the now-longtime Williamston leader brought into coaching a season of mostly-junior varsity cross country experience as a student at Albion High, and some additional knowledge gleaned from marrying a college All-American runner.