Blog Archives - Flint Metro League

Four Metro League Bowling Teams Advance to MHSAA State Finals

2/28/2015

Four bowling teams from the Flint Metro League, two boys' teams and two girls' teams, finished in the top three at MHSAA regional competition to qualify for the MHSAA state finals on March 6. The defending state champion boys' and girls' teams from Kearsley each won their Division 2 regional, the boys by 312 pins over Owosso (3971 to 3659) and the girls by 288 pins over Owosso (3490 to 3202). Swartz Creek's girls finished second in a Division 1 regional to Jackson, their 3503 pins trailing Jackson's 3690. Brandon's boys joined Kearsley's as regional champs by winning the Westland regional with a 4043 pin total.

Brandon and Kearsley were tri-champions of the Flint Metro League in boys' bowling this season along with Swartz Creek, which narrowly missed qualifying for the state finals with a fourth-place regional finish. Kearsley's girls won their sixth consecutive league title this season with Swartz Creek's Lady Dragons as league runners-up.

Metro League Boys' Swim Meet Expected to be Closest in Years

2/25/2015

Fenton's boys' swim/dive team enters this weekend's Flint Metro League Swim/Dive Meet with the advantage of a 4-0 dual meet record, but its three-year hold on the solo league championship faces a serious challenge from the Swartz Creek/Flushing cooperative team. The league overall championship is determined on a 50/50 basis between league dual meet records and the league meet, giving the Creek/Flushing team a chance at a co-championship if it outscores Fenton in Saturday's finals. Swartz Creek/Flushing's only dual meet loss was to Fenton, 98-88, but the cooperative team outscored the Tigers at the Genesee County Boys Swim/Dive Championships in January, 283-261. Swartz Creek/Flushing was runner-up to Grand Blanc in the county meet while Fenton finished fourth.

The Flint Metro League Meet, held at Fenton High School, will begin with diving prelims on Thursday, February 26, at 6 p.m., followed by swim prelims on Friday at 5 p.m. The meet finals will begin at 11 a.m. on Saturday.

The first three finishers in each event will be named to this year's all-league team.

Genesee County Boys Swim Meet Results

20 Flint Metro Wrestlers Advance to MHSAA Individual Finals

2/23/2015

20 individual wrestlers from seven Flint Metro League schools will compete at the MHSAA Individual wrestling finals March 5-7 at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Among the top-four finishers at regional competition, the league had five regional champions, led by Clio with four champions.

Qualifiers for the state finals and their regional finishes were:

Brandon: Bryan LaVearn 125 (Champion), Brendan Ladd 125 (Runner-up), Thor Wardell 160 (Runner-up), and Peter Nicaj 285 (3rd)

Clio: Drew Hutchinson 112 (3rd), Mason Smith 135 (Champion), Chase Smith 152 (Champion), Dalton Ballantine 160 (Champion), and Kane Williams 171 (Champion)

Fenton: Scott Becker 189 (3rd)

Flushing: Connor Boike 130 (3rd)
R
Kearsley: Andy Ruhstorfer 103 (3rd), Jacob Chapman 119 (Runner-up), Travis Wildfong 135 (Runner-up), Dylan Terrance 152 (Runner-up), James Davis 171 (Runner-up), and Reese Harburn 189 (4th)

Linden: Luke Zimmerman 112 (4th) and Austin McNeill 215 (Runner-up)

Swartz Creek: JT Mullins, 130 (4th)

Swartz Creek is a Division 1 school in MHSAA wrestling competition; all other FML schools are Division 2.

Brandon Cheer Wins District, Clio and Kearsley Also Advance

2/21/2015

Brandon's competitive cheer team, the 2015 Flint Metro League champions, held off a challenge from Bay City Central to win the MHSAA competitive cheer district held at Brandon High School. Brandon scored 766.22 points to Bay City Central's 751.78, winning rounds one and two before Central edged them on round three by 1.8 points. Clio finished third with 736.58 points and Kearsley was fourth with 732.58 points; the top four teams in MHSAA districts advance to the regional round. Holly will host Brandon, Bay City Central, Clio and Kearsley on February 28 along with teams advancing from the districts at Romulus and Warren Woods Tower.

League Boys Swim/Dive Dual Season to Conclude Monday

2/20/2015

Record-setting dangerous cold temperatures that cancelled school all over Southeast Michigan caused the postponement of the final dual swim/dive meets of the 2015 Flint Metro League season. Both meets will be made up on Monday, February 23.

Fenton will travel to Swartz Creek Middle School to face Swartz Creek/Flushing, with both teams entering the meet with identical 3-0 league dual records. The meet will begin at 5:00 p.m.

Holly will host Kearsley in the other league swim/dive dual on Monday at 6:30 p.m.

The league swim/dive meet will be hosted by Swartz Creek at Fenton High School beginning with diving prelims on Thursday, February 26, swim prelims on Friday, and finals on Saturday February 28 at 11:00 a.m.

League Bowling Season Concludes With Singles Tournament

2/20/2015

The 2014-15 Flint Metro League bowling season will conclude with its annual singles tournaments at Clio Bowling Arcade on Saturday, February 28. Girls will bowl at 10:00 a.m. and boys will begin at 1:00 p.m.

The singles tournament is the final chance for individual bowlers to improve their league averages before the selection of the all-league teams. Each bowler's best 19 games from the season, including the first three from the singles tournament, are used to determine his or her league average. The bowlers with the 15 best averages are named all-league, with the top 5 considered first team all-league, the next 5 second team, and the next 5 third team.

The team competition for the league titles turned out to be a study of contrasts: Kearsley's girls won their sixth consecutive league title, going undefeated for the sixth consecutive year. Kearsley's girls' bowling team is 62-2 in league competition since bowling became a league sport in 2008-09. On the boys' side, this year's title is shared by three schools, Brandon, Kearsley and Swartz Creek (all with 11-3 records), giving the league six different boys' champions over seven years. Co-champions have been declared in boys' bowling four times out of the seven years bowling has been a league sport, with this year being the first with tri-champs. This is Brandon's boys' first league title; the third for Swartz Creek; and the fourth for Kearsley's boys.

KBH United Clinches League Hockey Title

2/19/2015

KBH United, the cooperative hockey team made up of players from Kearsley, Brandon and Holly High Schools, clinched the 2015 Flint Metro League hockey championship with an 8-0 win over Flushing. KBH United finished its league season with a record of 4-1-1 and 9 points, one point better than the Fenton/Linden Griffins (3-1-2). KBH, currently the only league team with a winning overall record (11-9-1), outscored league opponents 32-21 over the league season. Its only league loss was to Swartz Creek/Clio, 5-1 on January 28; KBH tied the Griffins 3-3 on February 11.

KBH United previously shared the league championship with Swartz Creek/Clio in 2011-12. Before declining numbers led it to form a coop, Kearsley won the Metro championship in 2008-09; Brandon won three consecutive championships from 2004-05 to 2006-07.

Kearsley Wrestlers Win Team Regional

2/19/2015

After narrowly missing out on a piece of their first Metro League championship, the Kearsley wrestling team will represent the league in the MHSAA team wrestling quarterfinals after nipping Metro rival and league co-champ Brandon in the regional final by a score of 37-36. Kearsley advanced to the regional championship match by defeating Marysville 40-27 in its semifinal match, while Brandon made it to the regional final by overcoming Linden 29-27.
League co-champion Clio came close in its regional, narrowly losing to Gaylord 38-34 in its regional final after defeating Escanaba in the semifinal 42-39.
Kearsley will next wrestle in the team quarterfinal match versus Gaylord, Comstock Park or Lowell on Friday evening, February 27 at 7:45 p.m. at Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek. The match will be screened live on MHSAA.TV. The winner of the quarterfinal advances to the state team semifinal at 11:45 a.m. Saturday the 28th, with the state final match at 4:00 p.m. Saturday.

From MLive: Flint Kearsley takes on Marysville, to the left, as Linden takes on Ortionville-Brandon, to the right, during the MHSAA Division 2 Team Wrestling semi-regional match on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2015, at Linden High School in Linden. Kearsley went on to win against Ortionville-Brandon in the regional match and will be heading to the Division 2 Quarterfinal round on Friday, February 27, 2015, at 6:15 p.m. at the Kellogg Arena.

Linden's Andrew Bennett Named MHSAA Scholar-Athlete Award Winner

2/17/2015

Andrew Bennett, a three-sport athlete from Linden High School, was named one of 14 athletes from Class A schools to receive the prestigious MHSAA Scholar Athlete Award for 2015. The award, underwritten by Farm Bureau Insurance, recognizes athletes who excel in their sport, in the classroom, and in their community with $1000 college scholarships.

Andrew's biography posted on mhsaa.com states:

Andrew Bennett, Linden
Ran two years of varsity cross country and is in his second of varsity skiing, and will run his third of track and field this spring; also played soccer as a freshman. Serving as captain of ski team after serving as captain in the fall of the cross country team that finished seventh at the LP Division 2 Final and earned an academic all-state award. Qualified as part of 3,200 relay for the LP Division 2 Track and Field Final. Participated all four years as part of the Southern Lakes Youth Advisory Committee including as chair, and also has participated throughout high school in Boy Scouts, earning the rank of Eagle Scout. Participating in National Honor Society for the second year. Volunteered for Salvation Army and as part of local, national and international mission trips. Will attend Northern Michigan University to study nursing. Essay Quote: “The general acceptance and supportiveness of every athlete struck me. This is the true meaning of sportsmanship. It isn’t following some instinctual etiquette taught from childhood; it is the acknowledgement by every individual that they are here like everyone else to make memories and build friendships.”

43 Flint Metro Wrestlers Qualify for Individual Wrestling Regionals

2/16/2015

Every Flint Metro League school has at least one wrestler moving on to the MHSAA individual regional round, the final step before qualifying for the state individual wrestling finals held on March 5-7 at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

Kearsley leads the way with 10 individual qualifiers from the district round of competition, followed by league co-champions Brandon and Clio with 8 each. Linden qualified 7 wrestlers for regionals, while Flushing, Holly, and Swartz Creek had 3 each and Fenton one.

The league's regional qualifiers include:

Brandon: Jack Olson (103 pounds), Bryan LaVearn and Brendan Ladd (125), Ethan Douglas (135), Amarae Kittles (140), Thor Wardell (160), Wyatt Wilson (215), and Peter Nicaj (285). LaVearn, Wardell and Nicaj were district champions.

Clio: Drew Hutchinson (112), Garrett Nyswaner (119), Mason Smith (135), Chase Cross (140), Matt Dewyer (145), Chase Smith (152), Dalton Ballantine (160), and Kane Williams (171). Mason Smith, Chase Smith and Kane Williams won their weight class at districts.

Fenton: Scott Becker (189)

Flushing: Connor Boike (130), Ben Cushman (189) and Harrison Waiters (285). Cushman was district champion.

Holly: Carsen Cuthbert (112), Trever Hatfield (130) and Jimmy Gray (189)

Kearsley: Andy Ruhstorfer (103), Aaron Ruhstorfer and Zachery Elizondo (112), Jacob Chapman (119), Travis Wildfong (135), Malik Davis (145), Dylan Terrance (152), James Davis (171), Reese Harburn (189), and Merrick White (285). Aaron Ruhstorfer, Chapman, Wildfong, Terrence and Davis were district champs.

Linden: Luke Zimmerman (112), Dawson Blank (135), Patrick Kerr (140), Bryce Davis (145), Cade Dickson (160), Aaron Steedman (171), and Austin McNeill (215). McNeill was district champion.

Swartz Creek: JT Mullins (130), Chase Bates (135) and Brandon Gilson (140).

Four Flint Metro Wrestling Teams Win Their Team Districts

2/13/2015

Four out of the eight Flint Metro League wrestling teams brought home MHSAA team wrestling trophies in the first round of the MHSAA tournament. FML co-champion Clio won the district hosted at North Branch by defeating North Branch 47-31 in the district final match. Kearsley won its district by defeating FML rival Flushing 45-30. League co-champion Brandon won the district held at Pontiac Notre Dame Prep by defeating Pontiac 67-9 in the semi-final and Avondale 62-15 in the district final. At Fenton, Linden claimed the district crown, besting Holly in the championship match 55-24.

Brandon, Kearsley and Linden will be joined by Marysville in a regional hosted by Linden on Wednesday, February 18. Brandon will wrestle Linden in one semifinal with Kearsley taking on Marysville in the other semifinal. Clio will travel to a regional at Mt. Pleasant on the 18th to wrestle Escanaba in a semifinal match, with the winner facing the winner of the other semifinal that pairs Gaylord and Bay City Western.

Regional winners advance to team finals weekend at Battle Creek on February 27 (quarterfinals) and 28 (semifinals and state championship match).

MHSAA individual wrestling districts begin on Saturday February 14.

Brandon's Hendershott and Linden's McNeill Are Metro League Athletes of the Month for February

2/12/2015

Katelyn Hendershott, a three-sport athlete from Brandon, and Austin McNeill, Flint Metro League wrestling champion from Linden, have been named the Flint Metro League's Athletes of the Month for February.

Katelyn has lettered in cross country, basketball and softball for the Blackhawks while maintaining a 3.82 cumulative GPA. She is in her fourth year on the Brandon varsity basketball team, having won second team all-league honors as a freshman and sophomore and first team as a junior. She was a first team All State pitcher last year as well as all district and all region in softball. Katelyn plans to attend Lake Superior State University and study exercise science while playing basketball and softball.

Austin has lettered in football and wrestling for the Eagles while keeping a 3.5 GPA. He was named a first team all league offensive lineman as a junior and senior, and completed an undefeated league wrestling season at 215 pounds by winning the league meet championship. Austin is currently ranked 8th in the state in his weight class.

Katelyn and Austin are now eligible for the Flint-area Athlete of the Month honors, a program sponsored by the Flint Kiwanis Club. The FML's January athletes of the month, Kayla Emmendorfer (Kearsley HS) and Austin Landis (Fenton HS) were named Flint-area Athletes of the Month for January and now qualify as candidates for the Flint-area Male and Female Athlete of the Year awards.

Katelyn Hendershott, Brandon HS

Austin McNeill, Linden HS

Brandon Wins 8th Consecutive League Cheer Title

2/12/2015

The Brandon Blackhawks clinched their eighth consecutive Flint Metro League competitive cheer title by winning the third of three league competitions in convincing fashion. Brandon's 767.42 points was its highest total of the three meets used to determine the league champion. Clio was the runner-up in all three competitions, and its second place finish was its highest ever in FML cheer.

The Flint Metro League determines its league standings for competitive cheer by allotting points for how each team stands in each of three competitions held throughout the winter season; each of the first two meets counts 25% towards the overall standings, with the third meeting counting 50% towards the overall order of finish.

Clio Wins League Wrestling Tournament, Ties Brandon for Overall Championship

2/9/2015

The Clio Mustangs nipped Brandon at the Flint Metro League wrestling tournament by 5 1/2 points to claim a share of the 2015 FML championship with the defending champion Blackhawks. Brandon came into the league meet with a 6-1 dual match record, needing a top two finish to repeat, while Clio finished its dual season at 5-2. Kearsley also entered the league meet with a 6-1 dual record and took third at the tournament, 9 1/2 points behind Brandon.

Clio medaled in 10 out of 14 weight classes, taking four firsts, four seconds and two third places. Mason Smith (135), Matt Dewyer (145), Chase Smith (160) and Kane Williams (189) were gold medalists for Clio on the day. Brandon was only able to claim one individual champion (Bryan Lavearn at 125 pounds), but used five second and three third places to finish high enough for their co-championship.

Mason Smith's victory at 135 pounds, winning all three bouts by fall, placed him on the exclusive list of four-time Flint Metro League individual wrestling champions. Mason Smith previously won league championships at 103 pounds as a freshman and 119 pounds as a sophomore and junior. Only 11 other wrestlers have claimed four league crowns since 1969.

Clio's Mason Smith won his fourth individual Flint Metro League wrestling championship

February 04th, 2015

2/4/2015