By John Raffel
MaxPreps.com
Michigan's largest division for girls soccer has been dominated in recent springs by Novi, which has won three straight Division I state championships.
Later this month when the postseason starts, the Detroit-area school will be making a serious bid for its fourth straight title.
Coach Brian O'Leary said his team's string of state championships has not come by accident.
“What happened to us is that each senior class has done a good job of showing the other classes, freshmen through juniors, what needs to be done,” O’Leary said. “Every year, our seniors have done a great job of being role players.”
Novi entered this week with a 10-2-2 record and will enter the postseason later this month with hopes of advancing to the state title game on June 14.
“I tried to put together the toughest schedule for our regular season as I could,” O'Leary said. “We're ranked fifth in the state right now. We've got just as good of a chance for the title as anyone else. But our division is wide open. I can think of up to 15 teams that would have a chance of winning it.”
Senior Jenna Carosio is sparking the Novi attack with eight goals and eight assists for far this season. Junior goalie Erin Zerio is having a standout season. As a freshman on the varsity she had 14 shutouts. As a sophomore, she had 18 shutouts. So far this season, she has seven shutouts.
More Girls Soccer
Another team that has won three straight state girls soccer titles is Hudsonville Unity Christian, whose coach Randy Heethuis believes four in a row is possible. His team last year beat Flint Powers Catholic 3-2 in the Division 2 state title game.
“Last year's team had a lot of experience,” Heethuis said. “We had a lot of girls who have played on previous state championship teams. We had a lot of experience which was the key to our success. But last year, we graduated 10 seniors. We only have five seniors this year but three of the girls have been on three state championship teams. We have a good blend of senior leadership and good players.”
Unity Christian entered this week with a 14-0-1 record. But despite this, “the whole season has been a learning process,” Heethuis said. “We've been fortunate but we've always been able to find a way to win. Our games are close this year, but we're finding ways to win.”
The team's leading scorer has been senior Laura Heyboer, who has 20 goals and 16 assists.
It's possible to to win another state title, but it won't be easy Heethuis said.
“Everyone plays their best game against us,” he said. “They always give us their best shot. We still have some tough games coming up.”
Girls Tennis
It's the first season in Michigan for girls tennis since the fall of 2007. Boys and girls seasons were switched by the state to comply with a court order mandating having gender equity.
Tom Pullen is in his 18th year at Ann Arbor Pioneer, which has won state titles and finished runner-up in previous seasons with cross-town rival Ann Arbor Huron being an archrival.
“We're doing well this season,” Pullen said. “We're ranked No. 2 in the state. Another strong team we're facing is Grosse Pointe South. They've got three very strong players. We have a chance to win the state finals. But who knows? There will be a lot of challenges.”
Jennifer Liu at No. 4 singles is undefeated at 21-0. Emily Paup and Christina Smith at No. 1 doubles are 20-0. Sarah Kennedy and Vivien Reece at No. 2 doubles are 21-0. The No. 3 and 4 doubles teams haven't lost much either.
“We have some excellent records,” Pullen said.
Boys Golf
The state championship meets for boys golf will be June 6-7 and Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central is hoping to be in the mix for the Division I title.
FHC entered this week ranked No. 2 in the state and didn't hurt itself any on Monday when it defeated Greenville 142-164. Drew Peterson led the Rangers with a nine-hole score of 34 on a par 35 course. Also for FHC, Christian Huempner had a 35, Jared Dalga a 36 and Evan Hyma and Peter Brown had 37s.
“My No. 1 golfer, Drew Peterson has been shooting the lights out this season,” FHC coach Paul TenEyck said. “His 34 is something that has become a common occurrence as of late. But I also had all my guys in the 30s and that is great. This was by far our best team round of the season.”