East Lansing High’s Kentre Patterson, center, wins the 110-meter hurdles in front of Tshawn Kimbrough, left, and Sava las Morgan.

HUDSONVILLE – Athletes face injuries, but working through one and winning a state title the same day — in record fashion — was Anthony Owen’s signature sign-off to a high school career Saturday in the Division 1 state championship.

The senior from Jackson tweaked his left hamstring, a cramp he called it, during the preliminaries of the long jump.

“I was really trying to fight that and stretch that out, and it just wasn’t working for me,” Owens said. “Things weren’t going my way.”

But things changed. On his last attempt of the competition, Owens stayed airborne long enough to win the event, and do so with a Division 1 state-record jump of 24 feet, 1.25 inches. The former record was 24-01, by Jeff Kline of Flushing in 2009.

“This was a big deal for me, because I didn’t think I was going to be able to get 24 feet with my left hamstring pulling on me, but the fact that I fought through it meant a lot. I’m just glad to compete with those guys.

“I knew right then and there (right after the injury) that my speed was going to be a lot slower than usual. My coach told me to just calm down and relax, and leave it all out there. Don’t focus on the leg, focus on the jump and what I can do.”

Division 2 track: St. Mary’s and Waverly win titles

■What a throw: Grand Blanc’s Quiara Wheeler took up girls discus this season for the first time. She ended the year with a state title, tossing the discus 136 feet, 2 inches — 5 feet longer than second place.

Wheeler competed in the shot put last year but switched.

“I started getting better in discus and started concentrating more,” Wheeler said. “The technique is really critical, so I was concentrating on that and got better. This is very exciting. I didn’t expect this (in my first year). I just came in and did what my coach said, throw like you’re the only person in the ring, and I did.”

■Healthy hurdlers: Kentre Patterson of East Lansing couldn’t compete in regionals last year as a sophomore due to mononucleosis, so he missed the state tournament. He said it was tormenting to look at the results afterward and knowing he could have competed well.

With another chance, the junior won the state title in the 110-meter hurdles at 14.03.

“I had a good start, then got my rhythm going over the first few hurdles,” he said. “It was really hard last year, looking at the final results, and hard not being able to compete with the guys.”

Ann Arbor Pioneer’s Britten Bowen won the girls 100-meter hurdles in 14.08. It was her second best personally but good enough for the state title.

“In the finals, I hit a few (hurdles) but it didn’t slow me down,” she said. “I kept up my momentum, kept running through it. It was a good race overall. I’m really proud of my team for supporting me. I’m really blessed. It’s a good day.”

Bowen and her teammates bettered the state record in the 4×100 relay as well, but still took second to record-setting Oak Park (46.28).

State track and field: Northville’s Chloe Abbott makes kick count

■Fastest man: East Kentwood’s Khance Meyers won the 100-meter dash in 10.73, then ran the first leg of a state-record 4×200 relay team, which finished in 1:26.27 to best the school’s own Division 1 record set in 2011.

“When I hear fastest man in the state, I think of the hard work and dedication, I thank my coaches and give glory to God,” Meyers said about the individual race.

“First leg is not the leg I really like to do, but I accept it for our team. I’ll take it, and I’m glad that I can run the first leg. Our team worked really hard together and just got it.”

■A triple down: Oak Park doubled up the team trophies by winning the boys and the girls team state championships. For the girls, it was their third consecutive title.

Ann Arbor Pioneer, which was runner-up in the girls, was the last school to win both the boys and girls titles the same year (2007).

The Oak Park girls set a state record in the 4×200 relay at 1:36.66, almost 1 second faster than the record Detroit Mumford set in 2005. Freshman Janae Barksdale ran the first leg.

“I like the pressure of going first, knowing you have to do what you have to do to pop it off in order to put the team in a good spot,” she said. “All our exchanges were good. Exchanges count, no matter what. Exchanges matter because if you can’t get the baton that’s what really drops your time.”

■Tumbling down: During the boys 1600 run, feet got tangled in the second lap and at least two runners went to the track surface. But sophomore d

“I was feeling good all race,” Giannobile said. “I felt really rested, and I tapered really well, I think.”

Corey Malone-Hatcher, a defensive end from St. Joseph, talks after committing to Michigan on June 2, 2016.

Michigan earned a verbal commitment last week from four-star defensive end Corey Malone-Hatcher of St. Joseph.

But a sidenote of the news conference was Malone-Hatcher’s interesting fashion choice of a lei made out of crumpled dollar bills. It’s not a look you see every day, and drew a fair bit of criticism on social media, particularly from fans of teams jilted by Malone-Hatcher, such as Michigan State and Ohio State.

Today, Malone-Hatcher went on Twitter himself to defend his accessory.

“The fact that you reference a ‘cash necklace’ in order to determine what kind of person I am shows that you have no contact with staff,” he wrote in a tweet that later was deleted. “It’s a traditional lei and a hawaiian celebration but also no school that recruiting me will give you red flags in my personality.”

Screen grab from Twitter

He followed up those with a couple of tweets that weren’t deleted:

i just hit em with a nod and a #GoBlue now-a-days

—
Corey Malone-Hatcher (@CMH2017) June 06, 2016

you know if im breathing we gon get this class right. #BluePrint17 imma give @CoachCPartridge a run for his money on this recruiting thing

—
Corey Malone-Hatcher (@CMH2017) June 06, 2016

Washington Redskins and former Spartan quarterback Kirk Cousins talks with LSJ lead preps reporter Brian Calloway during the Lansing State Journal Greater Lansing Sports Awards Show show Tuesday, June 7, 2016 at the Lansing Center.

LANSING – Kirk Cousins flashed back to the trying moments of his early NFL days. He’d gone from an adored star starting quarterback in college to an often-criticized backup.

A phrase often used by both Mark Dantonio and Tom Izzo continued to flow through the former Michigan State quarterback’s mind.

“Tough times don’t last,” they’d tell him, “but tough people do.”

“I think for me, I had to live that reality the last couple of years,” Cousins told a room full of high school athletes Tuesday at the Greater Lansing Sports Awards banquet. “In my third year in the NFL, I got the chance to play. And I didn’t play very well, and I was benched.”

That was 2014. A year later, Cousins earned the starting quarterback job over Robert Griffin III and led Washington to a 9-7 record and the NFC East crown. That perseverance also landed Cousins a one-year, franchise-tagged contract of nearly $20 million for the upcoming season.

“I definitely feel a sense of urgency now as a starting quarterback to make good on that opportunity and have some sustained success,” said Cousins, who threw for a single-season franchise high of 4,166 passing yards and 379 completions.

“We talked about that at Michigan State. It feels very similar to my early years starting at Michigan State. We’re trying to build something. We had a taste of success last year. By no means was it as far as we want to go. Now, the challenge is, can we do it again?”

Cousins used his road from struggle to success as a message to the crowd of nearly 1,000 high school athletes.

“Understand that things aren’t always going to go your way,” he said. “When they do, accept it with humility and responsibility. And when they don’t, don’t just be a victim, choose to find a way to fix it. And that was my situation.

“If things didn’t go my way, I didn’t say, ‘Poor me,’ and blame the coaches or blame the situation or blame teammates. No. It’s take ownership for your mistakes, I’ve gotta fix it. And when you do that, usually good things happen in the long run.”

Cousins spoke for about a half hour to the crowd of athletes and their parents at the event, sponsored by the Lansing State Journal. Here are some excerpts:

On the reaction to his ‘You like that?’ outburst

“Was I surprised of how that comment blew up? I was shocked. To tell you the story, it happened, I go into the locker room, I talk to the media, I head out to the car. I had several family and friends at the game, and they said, ‘Your video’s everywhere, it’s all over social media.’ I said, ‘What video? What did I do?’ And they said, ‘Well, your You Like That thing.’ And I said, ‘That was on camera?’ I didn’t even know that was being taped. … I got home and assumed like many things on social media that, in a matter of hours, this is going to die. And it didn’t. And the next day it was still going and still going.”

On MSU players in the NFL

“It’s been a thrill to watch teammates play in the NFL, watch Le’Veon Bell become THE player in the NFL – which is no surprise. I had a front-row seat to watch him do that when he was back at Michigan State. When I arrived at Michigan State in 2007, they hadn’t been a bowl game in several years. And coach Dantonio just instantly kind of turned the program in the right direction. It took time, but it’s very gratifying to see that success and watch from a distance. Every Saturday, I turn on the Spartans and watch the whole afternoon and cheer them on. Just to see the success and the consistent winning and a program that’s doing it the right way, it’s so gratifying. I’m so proud to say I’m a Spartan. Believe me, around the NFL – I’m talking coaches, scouts – when you say you’re from Michigan State, it’s instant respect. They know the program coach Dantonio has built, from the strength staff to the academic staff to the coaches themselves. It really says a lot to say you’re a Spartan around NFL circles. That’s the kind of respect I think coach and myself and many of the people involved in it were trying to build.”

On his biggest advice to athletes

“I think it’s very important as an athlete to remember that, while sports are a big part of your life and it’s a big part of what you do, it’s not your identity. It’s not who you are at the end of the day. I think it’s helped me tremendously, even as a professional athlete now, to understand that playing football and playing quarterback is what I do, but it’s not who I am. One day, football is going to end, and my life is going to be about so much more than just how many touchdown passes did I throw and did we beat Michigan and things like that.”

On advice for students headed to college

“I challenge you to be a great decision-maker. What I mean by that is to understand that every decision you make has consequences. There’s a tomorrow for every today, and you have to live with the consequences of the decisions that you make – good or bad. You can’t do it all in college. For me, I made a decision that school and football were going to become the ultimate priorities for me. I wanted to excel at both, and as a result, at times, my social life got put on the shelf. I’ve absolutely at times regretted that. I look back and say, ‘Man, I probably didn’t have as much fun in college as I wish I did.’ I didn’t socialize as much or have as many of those life-long friends from college. But, football and school were the priorities. I made a decision to focus on that, and I knew there was going to be a consequence for that.”

Contact Chris Solari at (517) 377-1070 or csolari@lsj.com.

Orchard Lake St. Mary’s wide receiver KJ Hamler celebrates his touchdown at Ford Field in Detroit on Nov. 28, 2015.

KJ Hamler, a star receiver at Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, announced today that he will transfer to IMG Academy in Florida for his senior season.

“I would like to thank St Mary’s and the coaches for the three years I have had with them,” Hamler wrote, in part, on Twitter. “I appreciate everyone who has supported me my last three years at OLAKE, and the brotherhood I gained. But this is a opportunity that I feel is best for me at this time and I hope my brotherly bond continues as I begin my new journey. Please respect my decision and thank you.”

Hamler is considered a three-star recruit in the 2017 class by rivals.com. He’s listed at 5-feet-9 and 152 pounds and reportedly has scholarship offers from Michigan, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Missouri, Nebraska, Oregon, Penn State and Wisconsin, among others.

Recruiting: Top 10 prospects in Michigan for 2017

Freyja Garbaccio, Girls Swimmer of the Year, from Okemos High School reacts to meeting former Spartan and current Washington Redskins Kirk Cousins backstage during the LSJ Sports Awards at the Lansing Center on Tuesday, June 7, 2016.

The red-and-white lights illuminated the Lansing Center stage like a clear night.

Yet the brightest stars inside the center Tuesday were the hundreds of area high school athletes who came together for the Lansing State Journal’s inaugural Greater Lansing Sports Awards Banquet.

“Well, this is a pretty cool event, huh?” said Charlotte’s Alex Reinbold, beaming as he accepted his award for LSJ Boys Tennis Player of the Year and gazing around the near-sellout crowd of about 1,000 athletes, parents, coaches and supporters.

Indeed, it was.

Reinbold was one of 28 athletes named the best in their respective sports in mid-Michigan at the red-carpet gala. Lansing Catholic’s Tony Poljan and Williamston’s Renee Sturm were named the LSJ’s Male and Female Athletes of the Year, respectively, as the top senior multisport athletes in mid-Michigan.

Sturm, who arrived late after the Hornets’ home regional semifinal soccer victory over Allen Park Cabrini High, accepted her award while still wearing her shorts and Williamston t-shirt. She joked that, “I didn’t get the dress-up memo.”

“It’s special and really awesome to be surrounded by all of these athletes and be selected for the award,” said Sturm, who will play basketball at Ferris State University in the fall. “It’s just cool to see hard work pay off.”

• The full winners list: LSJ Greater Lansing Sports Awards

MSU Federal Credit Union and Sparrow Health System sponsored the event. Dean Transportation and Lansing Community College provided supporting sponsorships.

With the new format also comes a number of new awards. The Courage Award posthumously went to Mason’s Brendan Brown, a bowler who died in April after an 18-month battle with cancer. Lansing Catholic’s boys cross country team was named the Sparrow Team of the Year. Charlotte’s Lindsey Carlson earned the MSUFCU Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Holt’s Kamrin Reed earned the Comeback Player of the Year Award, and Mason boys soccer coach Nick Binder earned Coach of the Year.

Fan awards also were given to the Marching Band of the Year (Eaton Rapids), Student Section of the Year (Charlotte), Video of the Year (Clay Soule of Dansville) and Mascot of the Year (Pirate Pete from Pewamo-Westphalia).

Former Michigan State University quarterback Kirk Cousins answered questions from State Journal lead high school sports reporter Brian Calloway, giving advice to the high school athletes about how to find success on and off the field.

“My challenge to all of you is to understand that things aren’t always going to go your way,” said Cousins, the starting quarterback of the Washington Redskins. “When they do, accept it with humility and responsibility. And when they don’t, don’t just be a victim, choose a way to try and fix it.”

Many of the athletes thanked their parents, coaches, teammates and teachers as they accepted their awards. East Lansing’s Taryn McCutcheon, the girls basketball Player of the Year, thanked God and her family first, then “the community for accepting me when I came” to mid-Michigan from West Virginia in January.

“And,” the future MSU women’s player added, “I want to thank whoever made the cheesecake. It was great.”

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One of the top players on the Michigan State recruiting board for the class of 2017 is Orchard Lake St. Mary’s wide receiver Kahlee Hamler. The 5-foot-9, 155-pound prospect was offered by MSU nearly two years ago after he had an impressive performance at camp. Since that time, a host of other BCS teams have jumped on board and extended him a scholarship including Michigan, Nebraska, Penn State and Wisconsin.

Kahlee Hamler

Rivals.com recently elevated Hamler to four stars after he was voted the MVP at the Rivals Camp Series. Hamler was also invited to attend The Opening in July.

Hamler has starred for the Eaglets on both the football field and the track. On Wednesday, he announced on Twitter that he would be attending IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., for his senior year. IMG Academy has been known as one of the top sports training schools in the nation and recently they began to focus on football. In just a few shorts years, they have become arguably the No. 1 talent producing football school in the nation.

The fact that Hamler is moving to Florida will not dissuade the Spartans from recruiting him. The MSU staff have been frequent visitors to IMG Academy over the past year and have developed a good rapport with that coaching staff. Current MSU tight commitment Jack Camper already attends IMG as does top Spartan offensive tackle recruit Robert Hainsey.

MSU coaches making the camp rounds

Spartans coaches have been all over the Midwest this week attending various camps. On Wednesday, Mark Dantonio was at Lake Park (Ill.) High School. That is the high school of 2017 commitment Jacub Panasiuk and 2016 signee Mike Panasiuk.

Later that day, Dantonio was spotted at Midwest Gridiron Showcase Camp that was held at Wayne High School just outside of Dayton, Ohio. Wayne is where 2016 quarterback commitment Messiah deWeaver attended and the Spartans have already offered elite 2018 wide receiver L’Christian Smith from there.

The MSU staff will be out in full force for the Sound Mind Sound Body Camp at Wayne State beginning today. The camp will feature around 700 football prospects and likely more college coaches than any other camp in the nation. A host of current and former Spartans are alums of the Sound Mind Sound Body Camp including Lawrence Taylor, Aaron Burbridge, Malik McDowell, Jon Reschke and Donnie Corley.

Matt Dorsey is a recruiting analyst for SpartanMag.com and Rivals.com.

“I love the exposure,” Jaylen Kelly-Powell said. “Even if you don’t do well, you still learn.”

Jaylen Kelly-Powell and a couple of his football buddies went for a run Saturday and came home with a track state title.

The four-star junior safety from Detroit Cass Tech teamed up with senior Savalas Morgan and juniors Donovan Johnson and Donovan Peoples-Jones to win the Division 1 400-meter relay in 42.26 seconds.

“I popped it off,” Kelly-Powell said. “I gave us a lead. It was kind of a surprise because it was a lot of competition. My team and I did well. We finished hard. It was speed everywhere. Our whole team is really fast.”

There will be speed everywhere today and Friday at the Sound Mind Sound Body football academy at Wayne State University. Kelly-Powell has been timed at 4.49 in the 40-yard dash and has played every defensive backfield position at Cass Tech.

Kelly-Powell announced on his Twitter account Wednesday morning that he had accepted an invitation to play in the 2017 Under Armour All-American game, an honor that has gone to many Technicians in recent years.

The 6-foot, 180-pounder doesn’t fear the spotlight or the competition he faces at these types of camps. After all, one of his best friends is Peoples-Jones, arguably one of the best athletes in the country. Both are on the national radar and in the sights of teams like Michigan and Michigan State.

“Donovan and I have a great relationship,” he said. “We kick it all the time, go to colleges most of the time together. We have fun.”

For college coaches, fun would be getting both to commit together.

Meanwhile, Kelly-Powell will show his wares Friday when the players hit the field.

“I just try to compete and show everybody I’m the best,” Kelly-Powell said. “I keep it plain and simple. Actually I do learn because you have a lot of different coaches coming from all over the country come to this one area and teach us, so you learn a lot from the coaches. I love the exposure. Even if you don’t do well, you still learn. That’s the important thing. You learn from a college coach.

“Safety is my natural position because I started off there. Coach (Thomas) Wilcher and Coach (Jermaine) Crowell trusted me, and they moved me down to nickel to give me a feel for that. I’m all over the field, so it doesn’t matter.”

When Kelly-Powell arrived at Cass Tech, he already had played defensive end, guard, quarterback, running back and defensive back.

Wilcher shortened the list. “I told him and his father he was going to be a running back or defensive back,” Wilcher said.

While Peoples-Jones is considered a five-star talent, Wilcher doesn’t let the media or critics forget about Kelly-Powell. He trusts him and his work ethic.

“Jaylen is a unique person because he has an attitude that perseveres,” Wilcher said. “He is going to make it, he is going to be successful. He personifies the word work. He personifies the word effort. He personifies the meaning of team. He believes in his team. He does whatever it takes for his team. He’s a great person to help motivate a team.

“He will uplift any team he goes to because of his academic work ethic and because of his weight-room work ethic.”

Contact Perry A. Farrell: 313-222-2555 or pafarrell@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @farrellperry.

Sound off

What: Sound Mind Sound Body football academy.

When: 3-8:15 p.m. today; 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Friday.

Where: Wayne State.

Noteworthy: Top Michigan recruits from the classes of 2017-20 are expected to attend. More than 25 major college coaches are scheduled to make an appearance, including U-M’s Jim Harbaugh, MSU’s Mark Dantonio and Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly.

Full Michigan high school track and field results

Jim Harbaugh has insisted for the duration of his nationwide satellite camp tour he’s not in it for the recruiting benefits. Harbaugh says it’s about what’s best for football and what’s best for the student-athletes — not what’s best for Michigan.

Western Michigan coach P.J. Fleck

Thursday in Detroit, other coaches at Sound Mind Sound Body had no problem admitting the two aren’t mutually exclusive.

“Remember, we’re in a recruiting period,” said Western Michigan coach P.J. Fleck. “We’re in a camp period, so when we do attend camps, one of the main objectives is to evaluate young people. But when we’re doing that, we’re educators, we’re teachers, we’re coaches. Our job, why we chose this, is to educate. So if we can do that beyond football, it’s a win-win.”

The two-day football academy at Wayne State, attended by roughly 600 high-school players, certainly went beyond football. Players spent the first afternoon learning about the risks that follow from not practicing safe sex, financial irresponsibility, head injuries, and other issues aspiring athletes often face.

“What I love about this camp is they’re educating kids way more than just football,” Fleck said. “The whole day today has nothing to do with football.”

Other coaches who attended a parents-only informational seminar Thursday included Central Michigan coach John Bonamego and Lou Esposito, the coach of Michigan’s newest program at Division II Davenport in Grand Rapids. Harbaugh, Mark Dantonio, Urban Meyer, and Brian Kelly are part of the long list of coaches scheduled to be in attendance today.

Participating in an evening panel discussion, Thursday’s slate of coaches struck a balance between their own needs and fielding questions from parents about the recruiting process, and what they look for in high-school prospects.

Presenters, including Western Michigan coach P.J. Fleck (white shirt) and Central Michigan coach John Bonamego (second from right) talk during a session in the Sound Mind Sound Body camp Thursday at Wayne State.

Bonamego made it clear to parents he was on a quest for character above all else. Esposito echoed the sentiment and went a step further, saying he and his coaching staff often check in with security guards and cafeteria workers on high-school campuses to learn a prospect’s reputation within a community.

Beyond describing the quality of athlete he’s looking for, Bonamego cautioned parents to look for consistency in the programs they pursue opportunities with, likening established programs to fast-food restaurants.

“The reason McDonald’s has made billions and billions of dollars is you can always know what you’re going to get,” Bonamego told a fixated lecture hall full of parents. “If you go into a McDonald’s down the street here and order a Big Mac or go into one in Tokyo, Japan, it’s going to be exactly the same.”

Fleck said he’s impressed by athletes who attend camps like Sound Mind Sound Body in part because of the dedication they display by simply showing up. The other side of the equation is Fleck’s own story.

“I’m a 5-foot-9 receiver, which doesn’t impress anybody,” Fleck said during the Q&A. “But I will say this: I went to a camp. And what the camp provided me was (the opportunity) to show myself my heart, my passion, my soul, my will, the way I could compete, my character, the way I respond to adversity. That’s what made me different from everybody else.”

Cranbrook sophomore Isabella Scane has 115 goals this year. “She’s big, she’s strong, and she’s fast,” East Grand Rapids coach Rich Axtell said.

In an alarming development at East Grand Rapids, there have been no state titles this school year.

The school with 126 state titles has been stuck on that number since the girls lacrosse team beat Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood in last year’s final.

“We get two chances on Saturday,” East Grand Rapids girls lacrosse coach Rich Axtell said Wednesday. “We beat Okemos to advance to the finals, and our boys team beat Okemos, so we both made it to the state finals.”

Saturday’s girls Division 2 final will be a rematch, but maybe not a repeat of last year’s contest when East Grand Rapids beat Cranbrook-Kingswood, 19-6, for the Pioneers’ fourth straight state title. They’ll be gunning for a fifth, but it won’t be easy because “both teams are different from last year,” Axtell said.

Cranbrook has one of the most prolific scorers in the state in sophomore Isabella Scane. She has 115 goals and 26 assists.

“Isabella Scane is their strongest player, and I think the best player in the state, quite honestly,” Axtell said. “She’s big, she’s strong, and she’s fast. She has great hands. She’s a complete player.

“We’ll have our work cut out. Cranbrook we’ve seen a lot of times, but their coach has only been there two years. They’re very athletic, very fast up and down the field.”

On the East Grand Rapids side, Axtell and his team experienced growing pains this season because of its youth, but relies on defense.

“The teams have different personalities,” Axtell said. “We are different because we lost a couple of first-team All-Americans (Liza Elder and Jane Goodspeed) and graduated seven starters. We’re actually a very young team. I have only two senior starters this year, Kelley Malewitz on defense and Julia Surman on attack.

“We’re juniors, freshmen and sophomores for the most part. We’re a little more balanced. We typically have more scorers. Last year, Liza Elder had 100 goals and 140 points. She was just the best player in the state. We don’t have that superstar anymore, but we have good players who play well together.”

While East Grand Rapids doesn’t have anyone to match the gaudy scoring totals of Scane, Auden Elliott leads the Pioneers with 59 goals, followed by freshman Audrey Whiteside’s 55, Lindsay Duca’s 22 and Surman’s 18.

“Having played with a great player like Liza and having great players in the program, I think we’ll have an idea of how to guard Isy Scane,” Elliott said. “We know she’s a great player, and we’ve heard a lot about her.”

Malewitz said a midseason team meeting helped.

“We weren’t really into it, mentally,” she said. “We needed to increase our attitude and, no matter what happened, to keep encouraging each other. We had to readjust mentally. We lost a decent amount of people last year. Auden and I have been working together to keep a positive attitude and keep us in the game mentally.”

Elliott said Whiteside has great energy and already is a leader on the field.

“We had basically the same team for two years, and with the transition, we knew we’d have a couple of stumbles and some difficulties replacing some of the missing players in our lineup,” Elliott said. “We were able to gain back our focus and concentrate on the things we do well, like moving the ball and defense and having confidence.”

As far as the state title drought, Malewitz said: “The Class of 2016 has to come through.”

Contact Perry A. Farrell: 313-222-2555 or pafarrell@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @farrellperry.

State finals

When: Saturday.

Where: Brighton.

Schedule: Div. 1 — Birmingham United (14-6) vs. Rockford (19-2), 2 p.m.; Div. 2 — Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood (17-6) vs. East Grand Rapids (16-4), 4:30 p.m.

Chase Lebster is one of four senior starters for Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern. Freshmen Noah and Andrew Kolar share the fifth.

“Familiarity breeds contempt” is an old proverb — one that the golf teams at Ada Forest Hills Eastern and Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern seem to be disproving despite a competitive rivalry all season.

Eastern and Northern, confined within the same school district boundaries, have been ranked No. 1 and No. 2 statewide, respectively, in Division 2 the past six weeks.

Northern coach Brian Telzerow has known Eastern coach Bryan Hoekstra since Hoekstra was in high school. Hoekstra later became the Northern junior varsity golf coach before taking over at Eastern.

“It’s a very unique situation,” Telzerow said. “There’s a real sense of connection between both teams. We practice at the same place; Bryan has even had all my guys in his class where he teaches at the middle school. I know his players well, too. One of their boy’s families went to my church.”

Telzerow explained how the teams interact with each other daily, and at any tournament, both teams’ players often are seen sitting at the same table when scores are being posted.

“This is not an angry rivalry where we want to beat each other,” Telzerow said. “Well, they do want to, but it’s a much more friendly rivalry, much like you see on the (PGA) Tour — where guys there are good friends and hang out together. They go to the beach together, but when they get on the golf course, they do want to win.”

Both teams have climbed the rankings this spring. Eastern began the season ranked No. 10, and Northern was unranked. After maintaining the top spots since late April, Eastern (312) won the regional by two strokes over Northern (314), but that followed Northern’s six-stroke win at districts.

Eastern is anchored by two-time all-stater Zach Robbins (73 average), Marc Gerst (75), Brad Smithson (just qualified for Michigan Open), Max Yentz and Grant Trisch. Three others have battled for the No. 5 spot all season with Trisch, but he has solidified the position for the postseason. The team has won five tournaments this year.

Northern has won four tournaments this season, including the two-day Traverse City Invite. Phil Lodzinski averages 75, Spencer Schab 76, Brian McHale 79 and Chase Lebster 80. All are seniors. Freshman twins Noah and Andrew Kolar have filled the fifth starting position at different times.

“It’s a friendly rivalry,” Hoekstra said in agreement. “Obviously we want to win and we hate losing to them, but I don’t think there’s any bad blood between the teams. And you want to be relaxed in golf. If you’re angry, I don’t see that as helpful too often, not like football where players can channel that into hitting a guy harder.”

While regional scores alone are not a true indicator for state finals predictions — each host course has varying degrees of difficulty and regionals were played in different weather conditions — it should be noted that three teams topped both Forest Hills’ scores — No. 5 East Lansing shot 293 at regionals, No. 4 Pontiac Notre Dame Prep scored 302, and No. 8 Chelsea had a 304. Additionally, St. Johns (316) is ranked No. 3.

“We’re very aware we’re not the only two teams going for the state title,” Telzerow said. “We have to come Friday ready to play, no letdown. Bedford Valley is a great track; it’s a quality track. A true state champion will come out of this field with this golf course. It doesn’t lend itself to easy golf, so you have to be a good player to play well at that course.

“I think it’s going to be a very tight finish. It should be a one- or two-shot victory for whoever comes out on top.”

State finals

When: Today-Saturday.

Where: Division 1 — Grand Valley’s The Meadows,

Division 2 — Battle Creek’s Bedford Valley, Division 3 — Michigan State’s Forest Akers East, Division 4 — MSU’s Forest Akers West.

Novi Detroit Catholic Central coach Dave Wilson addresses players at practice Thursday. The Shamrocks face Birmingham Brother Rice on Saturday.

Really, Novi Detroit Catholic Central has nothing to lose.

The Shamrocks know if they can beat Birmingham Brother Rice in the Division 1 boys lacrosse state final Saturday, they will make history. But if Brother Rice beats Catholic Central, it will be business as usual, since the Warriors have won the title all 11 seasons since the MHSAA has sanctioned the sport.

So the CC players hardly are fazed over Saturday’s circumstances.

“We’re playing in the state championship game … we may as well try to win it, right?” said Rocco Mularoni, Catholic Central’s leading scorer. “I think a lot of us seem to realize that it’s just a lacrosse game, and that even though we’re playing Brother Rice in the final, we just need to go out and play how we know we can. We just have to bring our best effort, I guess. That’s pretty much it.”

If Mularoni’s response seems a bit nonchalant, coach Dave Wilson says it’s consistent with the team’s even-keeled, low-key nature.

“This is a really mellow group,” Wilson said. “Earlier in the year, I kept trying to find ways to get them excited about coming out and playing, because they always looked flat. Each team each year has its own personality, and for us, that’s just the way it is. I haven’t pushed it because we don’t want anything insincere or fabricated. If this is their mentality of being a very relaxed group, I’m totally fine with it, as long as they come out on the field and perform.

“They’ve played Rice two, three, four, six, eight times, you know, and it’s not that big of a deal to them anymore.”

Girls lacrosse: E. Grand Rapids seeks 5th straight title vs. Cranbrook

This will be the third straight time — sixth overall — that the Catholic League rivals have met for the state championship.

“I think we’re tired of second place,” Wilson said. “There’s the old Olympic adage — do you say I won the silver or I lost the gold? It just depends on your approach. I think our community is ready for a championship. I think the kids are ready, there’s not a whole lot of scheming to do now. It’s a matter of taking care of the ball.”

Someone eventually will break Rice’s championship string, Wilson said, and the Shamrocks have more of an opportunity than most.

Senior attack Rocco Mularoni scored 5 of Catholic Central’s 7 goals in the 2015 Division 1 final game.

“I wouldn’t say there’s pressure on us to do that, even though there may be some people who say it’s time to get over the hump or break the bubble,” he said. “It’s not a Catholic Central problem; it’s a state of Michigan problem. It’s not like everyone else is beating them and we’re not. I always think getting to this point is a wonderful accomplishment. I’m not sure how many people will appreciate how difficult it is to win some of those games, but we’re certainly not satisfied just to show up on Saturday.”

Catholic Central (17-4) is led by Mularoni, a Hope College signee who scored five of CC’s seven goals in last year’s final. He’s joined on the front line by juniors Cole Gingell and Nicholas Capatina. The midfielders include Kyle Gaines, Alex Jarzembowski, Brennan Kamish (a junior committed to Detroit Mercy) and Peter Thompson (a sophomore committed to Georgetown). Captains Nick Bazany and Andrew Caris (Hope) anchor the defense in front of goalie Hunter Braun.

But can they keep pace with Brother Rice (19-2), which has at least 10 players committed to college and has lost to an in-state rival once the past 11 seasons?

“Last year we were just kind of not really on top of our game. We were worried because we were playing Brother Rice in the finals, and I think we just got too anxious about it,” Mularoni said. “As long as we stay level-headed, we should play fine.”

What would happen should the mild-mannered Shamrocks pull off the upset?

“Well, they’d go bananas,” Wilson said. “And they’d deserve to.”

State finals

When: Saturday.

Where: Parker Middle School, Howell.

Schedule: Div. 2 — Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central (18-2) vs. East Grand Rapids (15-5), 2 p.m.; Div. 1 — Birmingham Brother Rice (19-2) vs. Novi Detroit Catholic Central (17-4), 4:30 p.m.

Players listen during the Sound Mind Sound Body presentation on Thursday in Wayne State.

About 600 high school football players, some of the best in Michigan, arrived with eager anticipation Thursday at the Sound Mind Sound Body football academy at Wayne State.

After negotiating the crush of humanity at Wayne State’s General Lectures building and receiving their jerseys and backpacks, the players got something else — a healthy dose of reality from some of the nearly 40 scheduled speakers.

Kevin Vickerson, who played at Detroit King, Michigan State and eight seasons as an NFL defensive tackle, was brutally honest as he showed the players statistics and showered them with tough love.

Vickerson emphasized the need for players — who also came from Ohio, Pennsylvania, California, New York and Canada — to get a meaningful college education after he pointed to the dire prospects of NFL careers that average 31/3 years.

“Where do you stand?” Vickerson asked the players. “What are you when this game’s over? All of you guys are going to be former football players soon. Some sooner than others. What will you fall back on then?”

Vickerson said 59% of college football players graduate. Again, he stressed the players — who will be intensely scouted and scrutinized today during meetings and on-field drills with college coaches — need to make their education a priority.

“They’re going to use you up,” he said. “They will do it. They will empty that bucket till there’s nothing left. Use them by getting your education.”

WMU coach loves that Sound Mind Sound Body start has no football

But the SMSB academy, in its 12th year in the Detroit area, remains an invaluable resource for high schoolers beginning their journey toward elite competition.

“Sound Mind Sound Body is basically based on the concept where we are providing young men with life-skill sessions,” camp director Deon Johnson said. “We talk about them having transferable skills, trying to take skills they learn in football and transfer them out there into the workforce and in college and being a man, fatherhood, all those type of things. We talk to them about sexual awareness.”

The players will have a session on NCAA eligibility and recruiting rules. They will hear lectures today and then receive 3 hours of on-field instruction from some of the country’s top coaches like Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh, Ohio State’s Urban Meyer, Michigan State’s Mark Dantonio and Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly.

“I’m just excited to see all the coaches and showcase my skills,” said DeAndre Square, an incoming junior linebacker at Detroit Cass Tech. “It’s fun, it’s a little intimidating. I’ll pull through.”

Johnson said the top-flight coaches always are at the forefront of players’ minds.

“Everyone wants to see the big-name coaches,” he said. “They want to perform in front of the big-name coaches. A lot of the kids when they were writing … sending e-mails … they were excited about having an opportunity to perform in front of so many head coaches.”

That attention from coaches should be easier to get this year for the players, since the SMSB academy has been cut in half from last year’s 1,200 players in order to improve the quality of the event, Johnson said.

Ultimately, the goal of the academy is to make the students better football players by teaching them all aspects of the sport. And maybe have a little fun, said Cass Tech incoming sophomore cornerback Xavier Goldsmith, who is attending his third SMSB academy.

“I’m just ready to compete against everyone in the country,” he said, “and get coached up by some of the coaches and just have fun.”

Contact Carlos Monarrez: cmonarrez@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @cmonarrez.

Sound off

What: Sound Mind Sound Body football academy.

When: 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m. today.

Where: Wayne State.

Noteworthy: Top Michigan recruits from the classes of 2017-20 are expected to attend. More than 25 major college coaches are scheduled to make an appearance, including U-M’s Jim Harbaugh, MSU’s Mark Dantonio and Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly.

Senior Will Shriver of Manistee watches his drive off the 14th tee, Friday. He shot 72 for the first round.

EAST LANSING – Scott Sparks did it once before.

He hopes to do it again.

The Macomb Lutheran North senior shot a 67 in the Division 3 finals during his sophomore year and went on to win the state title by seven strokes.

Friday at Michigan State’s Forest Akers East, he also shot 67 in his final high school event. And like in 2014, he could be very hard to catch.

“I knew I needed to shoot under par,” Sparks said. “I’ve had the best year of golf in my life this year. I know you need a really low score out here to win it so I put myself in contention, with a five-shot lead. I’ll sleep well on it, I’ve been in similar positions. I want to enjoy my last run as a senior.”

Sparks will play next week in the Michigan Open against Michigan’s top amateurs and pros, then will skip the Michigan Amateur in favor of the national tournament at Red Run, the Western Junior.

“I’m bummed that I’ll miss the Michigan Am, but when you get an invite to the Western you don’t turn it down,” Sparks said. “Winning a state title here would give me a big confidence boost going into those summer tournaments. My confidence is at an all-time high right now.”

In team scoring, Tawas Area and Jackson Lumen Christi (which won four straight titles in 2009-12) are tied at 303, followed by Grand Rapids Northpointe at 309 and Essexville-Garber at 310. Three-time defending champ Lansing Catholic is eighth at 318.

“This is the first time we’ve ever been in this position, yet Lumen Christi is kind of here all the time,” said Tawas Area coach Keith Martin. “I’m kind of glad we’re not (alone) in the lead. I think it will help focus us a little bit, to have to go out and win it instead of going out to protect a lead. I like the position we’re in.”

Martin said if anyone had spotted the team a 303 before the day began he’d take it, especially after a poor performance at regionals.

“It was good for the kids to bounce back today, and under a lot of pressure,” he said in reference to regionals. “We limped in a little at the end today. We could have gone lower, but still I’m really pleased.”

Allen Park Cabrini’s Katie Logan watches her tee shot on the 17th hole. She out-drove her two playing partners, and finished the first round with 76.

A female competitor in the field, Katie Logan of Allen Park Cabrini, shot a 76, good for T-14 with Saturday’s round remaining.

DIVISION 4: Clarkston Everest shot 317 for a slim two-stroke lead over Kalamazoo Christian across the street at Forest Akers West.

“The kids shot really well today,” said coach David Smith. “My top three guys are in the 70s so it’s our four and five guys who we kind of count on to keep us in things, and they did well today.

“Today we only had two birdies as a team, which is not a lot for us. I’m hoping we can make a lot more tomorrow that will make up for the bogeys that happen. But today was a great score and I think we can shoot it again or better tomorrow.”

Despite the second round coming up Saturday, West Bloomfield Frankel is done.

Due to the Sabbath Saturday, Frankel played a round on Thursday with several scorers and an official watching every hole. That round will be posted Saturday as the teams’ second-round score. Friday the team shot 352, good for a seventh-place tie heading into the final round.

Prep boys golf: Forest Hills squads from Grand Rapids top Division 2

Saturday’s state finals

Boys golf

Where: Div. 1 — Grand Valley’s The Meadows; Div. 2 — Battle Creek’s Bedford Valley; Div. 3 — Michigan State’s Forest Akers East; Div. 4 — MSU’s Forest Akers West.

Boys lacrosse

Where: Parker Middle School, Howell. Div. 2 — Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central (18-2) vs. East Grand Rapids (15-5), 2 p.m.; Div. 1 — Birmingham Brother Rice (19-2) vs. Novi Detroit Catholic Central (17-4), 4:30 p.m.

Girls lacrosse

Where: Brighton. Div. 1 — Birmingham United (14-6) vs. Rockford (19-2), 2 p.m.; Div. 2 — Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood (17-6) vs. East Grand Rapids (16-4), 4:30 p.m.

Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio, left, and Ohio State coach Urban Meyer talk Friday during the Sound Mind Sound Body camp at Wayne State.

What was Mark Dantonio doing at the Sound Mind Sound Body football camp Friday?

Didn’t Michigan State board up its football program and close up shop, forever condemned to competitive purgatory because there isn’t enough room within the state’s football bubble with Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh and his Summer Satellite Circus consuming all the media oxygen?

“We’re fine,” Dantonio said with a wink of the eye and a devilish smile.

Harbaugh dominates the headlines, perfectly meshing into an evolving communicative culture predicated more on social-media sniping than thought-provoking discourse. But the Michigan coach shared top billing with the Michigan State coach at the summer football camp at Wayne State.

Dantonio was as much of an attraction. There were a number of young players who shouted their congratulations to him while walking past him, praising him for making the playoffs last season.

How often does a coach accept accolades for losing, 38-0?

Then Ohio State coach Urban Meyer walked onto Tom Adams Field. He got there late. It was like Elvis walking onto the stage. Many stopped in their tracks, mesmerized by what they saw.

Several camp participants followed him, hoping for a quick word of encouragement. But Meyer was very careful in his responses, far more low-key than he was at last year’s Sound Mind Sound Body camp.

The NCAA is watching these camps much more closely. Who’s to blame? That’s a matter of preference. Is it Harbaugh’s fault for calling out the NCAA for ignoring the needs of young people? Is it the SEC’s fault for questioning Harbaugh’s motives? Or it is simply a sport that has grown into a ravenous monster feasting on its own hypocrisies?

U-M’s Jim Harbaugh steals show at Wayne State’s Sound Mind Sound Body

Sound Mind Sound Body does a tremendous job. The camp creates access, opening doors once closed.

But big-name coaches such as Meyer, Dantonio and Harbaugh are not interested in camps like these because they offer a chance for a young man to get a scholarship to Eastern Michigan or Bowling Green. They care only about how these camps help them. And that’s why the NCAA should take a more serious look at these camps.

Meyer wouldn’t take questions when approached Friday. He told the Free Press that the NCAA told him he couldn’t pose for pictures, sign autographs or talk to the media. When told that Dantonio and Harbaugh spoke with reporters earlier, Meyer shrugged his shoulders.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I normally would love to answer a couple of questions, but I’m going to follow what I’ve been told.”

Those looking for more back-biting Friday between Harbaugh and everybody else were disappointed.

“I can’t turn a show on, a talk show now, whether it’s political or sports, and it looks to be a template,” Harbaugh said. “OK, what’s going to be the topic? What side are you taking? OK, you talk about it being positive and you talk about it being negative. They banter back and forth, and then they’ve filled up 10 minutes of airtime. … It seems that these days every last single topic has fallen into that TV show, radio show template.”

But hasn’t Harbaugh willingly contributed to that perception?

“I’m stating the truth as I know it and believe it,” he said. “We’re going to stand our ground on that. You can play the devil’s advocate. That’s what we’re doing here.”

Harbaugh is a breath of fresh air who knows, in the absence of winning many big games so far, to deliver some big talk. But his closest competitors don’t seem terribly worried that he has dominated college football’s spring and summer.

Since the actual games are played in the fall.

Contact Drew Sharp: dsharp@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @drewsharp. To read his recent columns, go to freep.com/sports/drew-sharp/.  

Dantonio: LB Ed Davis must graduate to return for MSU

Historically, June is when Michigan State picks up a significant number of commitments. With Lake Park (Ill.) defensive lineman Jacub Panasiuk picking MSU on June 2, the Spartans are already off to a quick start. Below is a look at some of the players that are high priority recruits for the Green and White.

Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio talks to student athletes during the Sound Mind Sound Body football camp held at Wayne State Friday.

Cincinnati Moeller TE Matt Dotson

The 6-foot-5, 226-pound Dotson is one of the top players in the Midwest for the class of 2017. Rivals.com ranks him the No. 9 tight end in the nation, which might be low when you consider he has offers from MSU, Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan and a host of other Big Ten and SEC programs.

The Spartans are viewed as a strong contender for Dotson. A trip to Penn State two weeks ago moved the Nittany Lions to the forefront. Penn State has a commitment from Cincinnati St. Xavier High School quarterback Sean Clifford, a close friend of Dotson. MSU has a strong track record of success with Moeller players and the stability and success of the program cannot be overlooked.

Huntington (W.Va.) Spring Valley OL Riley Locklear

The 6-5, 285-pound prospect was offered during the May evaluation period and the Spartans could be a serious contender for his services as he has family in East Lansing and has also spent a lot of time in Michigan. Locklear has over two dozen offers offers from programs such as Florida State, Penn State, Tennessee, Virginia Tech and West Virginia.

“My mom was very, very excited for me,” he told Spartan Magazine editor Jim Comaproni. “We have driven by Michigan State multiple times, I mean hundreds of times. Whenever we go to visit our family that live in East Lansing, we have driven by the stadium. We have been by there before but I have never been there on a visit, but I definitely plan on taking a visit very, very soon. I love being up there. I love being around my family and I feel like Michigan State has a great football atmosphere.”

A few years ago, MSU received a commitment from Texas offensive lineman Tyler Higby after he stopped in East Lansing while visiting family in the area. The Spartans hope that situation repeats itself.

U-D Jesuit DB Scott Nelson

Nelson has flown under the radar of some recruiting services due to the fact he has not been one who attends all of the off-season camps and combines due to his basketball schedule. College coaches are very bullish on Nelson’s ability and that is why he has scholarship offers from MSU, Michigan, Iowa, Nebraska and Penn State among others.

Nelson has indicated that he grew up following MSU and the Spartans have made it clear to him that he is a priority recruit. Last fall, Nelson starred on both sides of the ball for U-D Jesuit piling up 1,955 all-purpose yards and 21 touchdowns playing quarterback and wide receiver. On defense, he had 55 tackles with five interceptions, returning two of them for touchdowns. He had some of his best games when U-D Jesuit faced elite competition such as Detroit King and Brother Rice.

The MSU staff is looking forward to having the above players back on campus this month.

Matt Dorsey is a recruiting analyst for SpartanMag.com and Rivals.com.

Southfield sophomore Sam Johnson goes through quarterback drills Friday during the Sound Mind Sound Body camp.

He already has a fancy nickname: SJ3.

Samuel Johnson III is now a veteran of the Sound Mind Sound Body camp held at Wayne State University.

The sophomore turned in his second strong performance at the camp in two years.

There were fewer quarterbacks from a year ago, but Johnson’s size at 6-feet-4 and about the 10 pounds of muscle he has put on from a year ago were evident.

“There were less quarterbacks and less people, which meant more reps for me,” he said after throwing footballs all over the field Friday.

“The competition was just as good as last year. I think so. There were a lot of class of 2017 players out here.”

Johnson’s not in that group — he’s in the class of 2019 and already getting attention.

Last season at the camp, before even playing a game at Southfield High, he won the youth MVP award and then captured the quarterback challenge over the likes of Messiah deWeaver (Michigan State) and Tony Poljan (Central Michigan) in the field.

Scouts hail Johnson as having a strong arm and good accuracy. Last season with Michigan assistant Jedd Fisch running the accuracy drill, Johnson emerged as the most accurate passer.

U-M’s Jim Harbaugh steals show at Wayne State’s Sound Mind Sound Body

Friday afternoon, the quarterbacks seemed to have a hard time getting in sync with the receivers, but it’s obvious the ball flies accurately out of Johnson’s young hands.

“I think I did good,” he said. “I made it to the top six quarterbacks. Today I learned to keep a good base and always be ready to throw the ball. We watched a few clips of Peyton Manning and took notes and learned some things from him.”

Even with veterans like Rodney Hall of Detroit Cass Tech and charismatic and talented Jairus Grissom of River Rouge on the field, Johnson’s ability stood out.

He bounced to the music as the quarterbacks went through passing drills, hamming it up with Grissom, a star in his own right as a 2017 prospect.

“The drills helped me quite a bit, especially learning how to throw the ball in tight windows,” Johnson said.

Being at the camp, “helps my recruiting prospects,” he said. “It gives me more opportunities. It hasn’t gotten too crazy yet, but I’ll just keep working and hopefully get more offers and keep grinding with my team.”

He has been to Notre Dame and has offers from Temple and Bowling Green, with the list growing.

As a returning starter, Johnson is now the clear leader of the Bluejays’ offense. Losing talented running back Matt Falcon to injury before the start of last season didn’t give Johnson a veteran in the backfield to help, but he held his own.

“I thought I did pretty well for a freshman on varsity, but we should be way better this year,” he said. “We have a lot more seniors. I’m good with the speed of the game and I know what’s going on now. Losing Matt was tough, but everything’s not perfect and it’s the next man up. We have some guys coming over from (Southfield) Lathrup with nice speed and nice size.”

Contact Perry A. Farrell: 313-222-2555 or pafarrell@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @farrellperry.

Preps!

With the bases loaded in the top of the fifth inning Saturday, Saline centerfielder Zach Schwartzenberger turned on a pitch, lifting it toward rightfield. The ball carried over the wall but was just foul, eliciting gasps of disappointment from the crowd.

Schwartzenberger settled back in the box and waited for the next offering from Temperance Bedford pitcher David Jeffers.

On the ensuing pitch, the Hornet took another huge cut. This time, though, the ball stayed fair, and dropped over the rightfield wall for a grand slam which broke a 4-4 tie and propelled host Saline (ranked No. 2 in Division 1) to a 13-7 win over Temperance Bedford.

With the victory, the Hornets moved on to the state quarterfinals Tuesday. They will face Portage Northern at 4 p.m. at Michigan’s Ray Fisher Stadium.

Similar to its 4-3 win over Allen Park in the semifinals earlier Saturday, Saline had to come back from an early deficit.

“This team is starting to learn how to battle through some difficult situations,” Saline coach Scott Theisen said. “That’s something we didn’t do a good job of during the year, and I’m just so proud to see them get into tough situations in both games and to never give in and keep clawing. To be fortunate enough to be on the winning end in both games is a great feeling.”

The Hornets struck first in the top of the opening frame off a two-out RBI single from third baseman Jacob Finkbeiner.

But Bedford tied things right back up in the bottom of the inning when Saline pitcher Richard Hovde surrendered two consecutive doubles before getting lifted in favor of Josh Nelson, who induced a double play to end the inning.

In the bottom of the second, Bedford tallied another two runs off two doubles and an infield single. Then, in the following frame, the Kicking Mules stretched their lead to three when centerfielder Joey Wiemer raced home off a wild pitch that ended Nelson’s day.

The Hornets, though, stayed patient at the plate, and scored three runs to tie things up at four apiece in the fourth inning.

After Schwartzenberger’s grand slam, Bedford countered with a three-run homer in the bottom of the inning.

But though Saline’s pitchers gave up a total of seven runs, the offense stayed hot, tacking on five more insurance runs in top of the sixth, and the bullpen kept the Kicking Mules quiet over the final two innings to emerge with the victory.

“Nothing changes in terms of our preparation,” Theisen said. “We’ve just got to make sure we continue to battle if we get in tight spots and swing the bats like we’ve been (doing). Whoever goes on the mound, I think we’ve got a chance because of the way they’re battling.”

Saline 4, Allen Park 3: With Saline down to its final out and losing, 3-2, to Allen Park, outfielder Cole Daniels laced a double. Michael Schuby then singled to tie the game for the Hornets, and pinch-hitter Kellen Huang followed with another single to give his team its first and only lead of the game. Allen Park was in control for most of the game, taking an early 3-0 lead off a couple of Saline mistakes. Allen Park threatened once in the bottom of the seventh, loading the bases with only one out. Saline responded by bringing in pitcher Paul Kiyabu, who struck out a Jaguar before inducing a game-ending flyout.

State finals

Baseball and softball

Quarterfinals: Tuesday.

Semifinals and finals: Thursday-Saturday, Michigan State.

Girls soccer

Semifinals: Tuesday-Wednesday.

Finals: Friday-Saturday, Michigan State.

Orchard Lake St. Mary’s receiver K. J. Hamler decided earlier this week to move to IMG Academy in Florida for his senior season.

It was something of a farewell performance for KJ Hamler when he ran pass patterns, caught passes and did push-ups at the Sound Mind Sound Body camp at Wayne State.

Earlier this week the 2017 wide receiver from Orchard Lake St. Mary’s announced he will not be a senior at St. Mary’s in the fall.

Instead, Hamler, 5-feet-9, 155-pounds, will be a senior wide receiver at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.

And why not? The tuition for a boarding school student — Hamler will probably not make the commute from Farmington every day — is a mere $72,900 a year.

That’s right — $72,900!

“I ain’t paying that,” Hamler said emphatically Friday afternoon. “I don’t know what I’m paying, but I’m not paying that.”

But he will be enrolling at IMG, something that he has been thinking about for some time, spurred by former Michigan receiver Devin Funchess, who is with the Carolina Panthers.

“It came up at the beginning of this (school) year, but I said I was staying here,” he said. “In the middle of the year school year it started coming up again. My God-brother, Devin Funchess, kept mentioning it to me: ‘Hey, KJ I need you to go down there.’

“I didn’t really want to go down there at first — I’m leaving my family, I’m leaving my friends — but at the end of the day I took a visit. I just got back Monday.”

When he returned to Michigan he had his mind made up, although his family certainly played a role in his decision-making process.

“My mom, she wanted me to go down there,” he said. “My dad had a little hard time with it, I’m his only son. They took this risk and they took the sacrifice because they want to make me better. They want to put me in a position where I can be great.

“I told my pops when I was 4-years-old, I want to be the greatest in the world.”

Hamler may not be the greatest in the world, but he was certainly one of the better wide receivers at the camp.

He did not catch every pass thrown his way, which is where the push-ups came in. Whenever he didn’t catch a ball that hit his hands, Hamler — unprompted — dropped to the ground and did 10 push-ups.

“I probably did 30 push-ups,” he estimated.

But he did show amazing quickness and excellent cutting ability that has made him popular with college coaches. This week he picked up an offer from Oregon, which gives him 26 offers.

Among the colleges that have extended offers are Michigan, Michigan State, Arizona and a bevy of other schools from power five conferences and many of the schools are not limiting him to receiver.

Sound Mind Sound Body: Southfield QB Samuel Johnson III shines again

“A lot of people want me to play both ways as well,” he said. “Louisville and Michigan were talking about playing me both ways. Kentucky wants to play me both ways. Penn State may want to play me both ways.”

But he will not be playing both ways at St. Mary’s this year as the Eaglets attempt to win their third consecutive state title.

That was one of the minuses in accepting the offer to play at IMG this fall.

“I’ll probably miss out on the three-peat in the state championship,” Hamler said. “I believe Orchard Lake still has a chance to win the state championship. I’m just a little piece of the puzzle, I’m not the whole team. You all can’t rely on one person. Orchard Lake still has a sweet team in my opinion and they can go three-peat.”

Hamler insisted there was nothing that drove him away from St. Mary’s. It was more of a business decision.

“It wasn’t nothin’ personal with my school, it was just they offered me an opportunity and I took it,” he said. “It was a better opportunity for me. They’re going to get me mentally, physically ready for college. Plus, being far away from home, if I make a decision to go out of state, it’s just better for me.”

Contact Mick McCabe: 313-223-4744 or mmccabe@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mickmccabe1.

Big Rapids High School’s Branden Childress goes through drills during the Sound Mind Sound Body football camp at Wayne State University on Friday.

The quarterbacks at this weekend’s Sound Mind Sound Body camp at Wayne State University would tell you Braeden Childress made an inviting target.

The 6-foot-4, 220-pound sophomore from Big Rapids High School projects as a tight end at the next level and is just starting to draw interest with Central Michigan and Toledo already offering.

However, when schools venture to the western part of the state he’ll be under center throwing passes instead of catching them.

“I was playing QB last year, but I like tight end,” he said after Friday’s workout. “There’s something about the position, playing free and playing with swag. I’ll be playing QB. Coach said I’ll be playing some tight end. I practice in the offseason at tight end and I’m going to a lot of camps playing tight end. I’m doing drills and running routes every day at school at tight end.”

Asked whether he was hurting his recruiting prospects by playing quarterback instead of tight end, Childress said: “Well, every time I talk to a coach they just say they’re looking at me athletically. They see my highlights at tight end. The first three games I played tight end, then I switched to quarterback and played the rest of the season there. They see my highlights from the first three games and when I come here I’m at tight end. The regular season they’ll see me at QB.’’

He hoped his first trip to SMSB increases his interest.

A gifted athlete, Childress helped both the football and basketball teams to banner seasons.

Childress and company won their Division 4 pre-district football game against Escanaba, but fell to Chippewa Hills in the district championship game to finish at 7-3.

As a reserve forward, the basketball team advanced to the Breslin Center for the first time, losing to Stevensville Lakeshore in a heartbreaker, 61-60, in the Class B semifinal. He scored six points and pulled down four rebounds.

“It was our best year ever,” said Childress. “We played a lot of good competition down the road. We wanted to get that win and get to the championship game, but it didn’t happen. Hopefully we can get back.

“It was a whole other atmosphere that I’ve never experienced before and the whole school hadn’t. The school was behind us and it just felt great. It was a great experience being there.”

However, his love is football.

WR KJ Hamler has mixed feelings on leaving Orchard Lake St. Mary’s

“The competitive nature in football,” he said. “There’s more competitiveness in football then basketball. There’s a different mentality.”

One of his biggest fans is cousin Ira Childress, the athletic director at Okemos High School. He was in the stands for the loss to Stevensville Lakeshore and served as a staff member for SMSB.

“He’s a tremendous athlete and a great young man,” said Ira Childress. “A kid who is really grounded. He’s getting a lot of attention in recruiting, but he has stayed focused and stayed grounded. I’m proud of him. Obviously a big kid. Anytime you’re 6-4 and 220 playing tight end and quarterback you’re going to get some attention. The other part of him is he has over a 3.0 grade-point average as well. It’s good being the total package. He’s a heck of a basketball player and it was good to see him on the big stage.”

Young Childress said he learned valuable lessons on and off the field during his two days at Wayne State.

“I learned that the biggest thing is to stay humble,” he said. “Separating yourself by staying humble to God and staying academically fit and doing everything you’re supposed to do when eyes are on you.”

Contact Perry A. Farrell: 313-222-2555 or pafarrell@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @farrellperry.

Cranbrook sophomore Isabella Scane has 115 goals this year. “She’s big, she’s strong, and she’s fast,” East Grand Rapids coach Rich Axtell said.

East Grand Rapids and Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood have become quite familiar with each other over the past 12 months.

East Grand Rapids beat the Cranes, 19-6, in last year’s Division 2 lacrosse championship. The teams played twice during this year’s regular season, with East Grand Rapids claiming 15-12 and 9-8 victories.

Title-rich East Grand Rapids hadn’t won a state title in any sport since last year’s victory over Cranbrook. With the boys team losing to Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central earlier in the day, the girls brought home school title No. 127 (and fifth in girls lacrosse) with a 13-11 victory over the Cranes.

Freshman Mary Schumar led the scoring with six goals and Lindsay Duca racked up eight assists for the winners.

“Mary’s such an amazing player,” said East coach Rich Axtell. “She actually is one of our success stories. She played on our JV squad the whole season. She got moved up to varsity six games ago. The fun thing is she got a lot of playing time and she stepped up and has blossomed as a player. It has been fun to watch her.

“Lindsay Duca has been our leading assist person all year long and she quarterbacks the defense from down below. Auden Elliott is our captain from up top. She calls our sets.”

Said Duca: “We had a little rough patch, but once we started assisting each other and being unselfish it all came together and it was awesome.”

The Cranes came out firing, scoring the first three goals by Betsy Saylor, scoring whiz Isabelle Scane and Grace Giampetroni less than four minutes into the game. Scane finished with five goals and 120 for the season.

“We’re hoping this becomes a common event,” said Cranbrook coach Greg Courter. “Today the name of the game was turnovers. They did a good job of possessing the ball and we turned it over. They play a really nice zone defense which is designed to stop an individual. (Scane) still managed to find some seams. She’s a fierce competitor. I’m not surprised she beat some triple-teams.”

East Grand Rapids responded with goals from Elliott and Julia Surman before Giampetroni scored her second to make it 4-2.

Schumar started the second half with her third goal of the game to make it 7-5 East with 22:14 to play. Cranbrook finally ended a 17:37 scoring drought on Giampetroni’s third goal to make it 7-6. Schumar struck again with her fourth goal to make it 8-6.

Schumar tacked on her fourth goal to open up a 9-6 lead with 18:20 left. Scane scored to make it 9-7.

Elliott scored her third goal to make it 12-7, forcing Courter to call a timeout.

“We were excited to pull this out especially when we were supposed to have a rebuilding year this year,” said Elliott. “I’ve been a part of three of the five championships and it’s amazing.”

Contact Perry A. Farrell: 313-222-2555 or pafarrell@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @farrellperry.