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Thoughts on regions and seeding for the boys playoffs

This week a working document surfaced describing an alternative to the status quo for how seeding and regions are managed in the boys high school playoffs.

Currently, teams are divided into two divisions based on enrollment, and then within each division almost all teams are placed into a region based on geography. The “almost” qualifier is necessary because in each division the top eight teams are seeded pre-season so that each of those top eight can be placed in a different region…an attempt to avoid a match-up between top teams happening before the quarterfinals. Because the top teams are not evenly distributed across Michigan’s geographic regions, ensuring that only one of the top eight is located in each region can result in teams being placed in a region very far from their geographical location.

To take an example from 2024 in my neck of the woods, Division 2 Region 13 included teams from the the Midland/Bay City/Flint areas…with the exception of East Grand Rapids…which as a pre-season seeded top-eight team was placed in a different region than their actual geography to avoid placing them in the same region as another top-eight team.

For the upcoming 2025 season, the pre-season seeded top eight in each division were ranked according to the following criteria based on the results from 2024:

  • Overall Win - Loss Record for games between MHSAA tournament teams

  • Performance in MHSAA tournament possibly in a former division or as a cooperative program

  • Michigan Power Ratings (MPR)

  • Strength of schedule for games involving MHSAA tournament teams

  • Head-to-Head competition and common Opponents against MHSAA tournament teams

  • Professional Judgment of the Committee

Later in the season (this year the late-season seeding meeting will happen on May 5), the teams in each region are seeded. The top-eight pre-season seeded teams are kept in the region they were assigned to in the pre-season. This year the late-season seeding within regions will be done according to:

  • 2025 Season Performance against MHSAA tournament teams only

  • Michigan Power Ratings (MPR) for games involving MHSAA tournament teams only

  • Strength of schedule for games involving MHSAA tournament teams only

  • Head-to-head competition & common opponents against MHSAA tournament teams during the season

  • Discretion of the Committee including the possible use of a blind draw

One quirk that sometimes happens…because the pre-season seeding is an inexact science…is that the late-season seeding can result in the pre-season top-eight team in a region ending up as a lower seed if their season didn’t go as well as expected.

Anyway, back to the example from my neck of the woods…last year Bay City John Glenn was the 8th seed in Division 2 Region 13 and traveled to #1 seed East Grand Rapids for the first-round playoff game (a 150+ mile, 2+ hour drive one-way). EGR won that game 24-1. Because the regional semi-finals and finals are held at a regional location (in this case in Midland), for their next two games (18-0 and 18-3 victories) EGR had to travel to Midland (a 120 mile, 2+ hour drive one-way). I imagine it might have been a cool experience for John Glenn to play a game on Memorial Field on Lakeside Drive in Grand Rapids (a scenic location), but perhaps some might have seen the time and expense of that long trip to be less than ideal.

The working document I mentioned earlier envisions eliminating the pre-season top-eight seeding so that the placement of all teams into regions is done purely based on geography and thereby (the document suggests) accomplishing things like:

  • eliminating teams playing outside of geographic region (leading to “fairer” competition and limited travel)

  • easier tournament administration and planning

  • more transparent seeding process

  • increased significance of the regional championships and growth of the sport

One consequence of the current system is that the best team from a less-traditionally-strong region can be routinely shut out of winning a regional championship because a top-eight team is placed in their region from outside. Basically, you have to get lucky and have an especially good season the same year that a team on the lower-end of the top eight is selected for your region and itself has a down season. In a perfect world, the best team in a geographic region should be the favorite to win that region’s championship.

I don’t have a strong opinion about sticking with the current system versus making adjustments. We have to balance several competing concerns including some that are often mutually exclusive. There is more than one reasonable position regarding the relative importance of the various issues and how best to balance them. I see the logic of the pre-season top-eight seeding, but personally I don’t necessarily see it as an essential element of having a good tournament. Of course, it is preferable if the best two teams meet in the state finals game…and the pre-season seeding makes that somewhat more likely (but not guaranteed). That benefit needs to be judged relative to the down sides mentioned previously. For the top eight teams, holding high the championship trophy at the end of the season is the goal, and that can only be accomplished by defeating every team you face in the playoffs, regardless of the round that you face them. Given the decent amount parity among the top teams these days, I think we can expect to have an exciting and competitive championship game most years regardless of the arrangement of the bracket. Note that the working document suggests that “Using MPR data and tournament results from the past three years to create simulated tournaments, there would be essentially NO CHANGE…in the State Championships matchups or the eventual state champion if the tournament was conducted using the proposed format…“ (of course, those simulations assume that MPR is an accurate predictor of game outcomes while in reality your mileage may vary ). That format is summarized by these three bullets:

  • Purely geographic Regionals

  • Placing teams on the Regional brackets using MPR only

  • Seeding by committee after the Quarterfinal round

The possibility of the boy’s side considering a move towards purely-geographic regions is somewhat ironic given that there has been a groundswell of interest on the girl’s side to move more towards the direction of the boy’s system (currently the girl’s side has four purely geographic regions in each division but only seeds two teams in each region…prompting an interest to seed all teams in each region). Of course, it may be true that neither side has currently arrived at the optimum system given the particulars of its sport and may benefit from moving towards each other in this way.

MHSAA Working Document on Boys Lacrosse Playoff Regions and Seeding

The following Michigan High School Athletic Association seeding document, prepared by associate director Cole Malatinsky, was presented to the organization's lacrosse committee. The document covers the history of team seeding and looks at history, rankings and tendencies. This is not an MHSAA proposal, but rather a working document.

MHSAA Prop Seeding.pdf

Michigan High School Lacrosse Coaches Association 2025 Hall of Fame - Spring Lake’s Doug Sharp

Press Release

Attention: Brian Kaminskas, HOF Committee Chair

Saturday, February 1, 2025

CLARKSTON – A New Jersey trained adolescent, who made his way back to the Mitten state after his high school career, is being honored for a lifetime commitment and achievement to the sport he loves, lacrosse.

Spring Lake’s Doug Sharp is the lone recipient for the Michigan High School Lacrosse Coaches Association’s (MHSLCA) Hall of Fame Class of 2025, said Brian Kaminskas, the association’s Hall of Fame committee chair.

Sharp is being inducted for an outstanding coaching career that spanned more than a quarter century and influenced a large body of student-athletes, Kaminskas said.

“I was shocked when Brian called me last week and honestly humbled by such an honor,” Sharp said. “To join this class of coaches here in Michigan is a big honor and I can’t thank the association and the HOF committee enough.”

In addition to Sharp being inducted into the 2025 MHSCLA HOF, he is also being honored by the Michigan High School Coaches Association (MHSCA) this year as that organization’s 2025 Lacrosse Coach of the Year. The MHSCA is an association that represents 32 Michigan High School Athletic Association individual sport organizations. Sharp will be honored during the MHSAA’s lacrosse state finals in June at the University of Michigan.

The likeable Sharp recently retired from the head lacrosse post at Spring Lake with a record of 134-120 and hopes to keep his hand in the sport potentially as a referee, something he did during his coaching career 15 years ago.

Sharp grew up in Flemington, New Jersey and played four years of high school lacrosse at Hunterdon Central High School, in the middle of a lax hot bed area. He began playing in the fifth grade and finished his senior year after his family had moved to west Michigan during the previous summer.

Sharp said after high school he entered the service, the US Army, and ended up spending four years before leaving military duty. Upon leaving the Army, Sharp found himself still interested in the sport and quickly picked up a job as a volunteer assistant at West Fredrick Middle School in Fredrick, Maryland. It wasn’t too long after his stint as a volunteer coach, he migrated back to west Michigan, where his family had settled.

And again, the lacrosse bug came calling as Sharp took an assistant coaching position at Forest Hills Central, before eventually landing the head spot at Caledonia. Since Sharp lived in Spring Lake and had children, he made the decision to start a program in Spring Lake after only one year at Caledonia.

“Driving from Spring Lake to Grand Rapids for work and coaching and back to Spring Lake, I made the decision to start a program in my hometown,” he said.

Sharp started the program, which flourished under his direction and management until he recently retired. He said his wife, Jessica (Jessie) and this three children Lauren, 23, Paige 21 and Rob, 19, were always a part of the lacrosse family, something he thoroughly appreciated.

“None of this would have happened if my family didn’t allow me the time and patience it takes to coach….a lot of the kids in Spring Lake are part of our extended family,” he said.

Sharp, who spent five years as an MHSAA lacrosse official, said he will keep his hand in the game and mentioned “individual awards like these are shared by all those who have contributed to our family, our Spring Lake program and west Michigan. I am really proud and appreciative of the award and want to thank the MHSLCA board.”

Six Mitten State College Lax Championship Games on Tap this Weekend

There are five conference championships and one national championship (Lawrence Tech WLAX) on the line in games this weekend. Here is the schedule and links to the live streams:

Men

Women

Northwood names Redal and Radners as men's and women's lacrosse coaches

On Monday afternoon Northwood announced their new men's and women's lacrosse coaches at a press on campus. Northwood had a men's varsity team from 1992 to 2000 and a club team for some years in the interim, but this will be the first women's lacrosse team for the Timberwolves. According to an October 31 press release, the teams will focus on recruiting and will compete in scrimmages and exhibition games during 2023-24 before beginning competition in NCAA Division II during 2024-25.

The men's head coach will Jacob Fredal.

A native of Bloomfield Hills in Michigan, Jake was a 2015 graduate of Utica Eisenhower where he was an honorable mention all-state defender in 2014 and 2015.

He then played three seasons as 6'4" 205 lbs defender for Le Moyne College in Syracuse, NY. He won a NCAA Division II national championship with Le Moyne in 2016 and graduated in 2019 with a Bachelor's in Finance.

Since 2021 Jake has been a coach (defensive coordinator) at Detroit Country Day (2022 MHSAA division 2 state runners up) and for the Cherries travel program (an elite Michigan/Midwest travel lacrosse program).

The women's head coach will be Morgan Radners.

A native of South Lyon in Michigan, Morgan played for South Lyon United and the Cyclones club team while in high school. In college she was a defender on the club team at Ferris State where she earned a degree in Music Industry Management and Film Studies. She was an assistant coach and interim head coach at NCAA Division III Olivet from November 2018 until the program was dropped in 2019.

Morgan has spent time playing and coaching in England as well as coaching for South Lyon United, the South Lyon Pumas, and Cyclones club teams in Michigan. She was named an assistant coach at NAIA Concordia in Ann Arbor this past September.

Mitten State D1 Men's Players' Highlights for Apr 5-Apr 11, 2021

Clay


Reaume


Majick


Potter


Shamblin


Beals


Shepard

Mitten State D1 Men's Players' Stats for Mar 29-Apr 4, 2021

Logan Shamblin (Detroit, #2, G, SR, Troy)

  • saved 14 of 19 shots in a 13-5  win over Canisius

Joey Kamish (Loyola, #16, A, SO, Detroit Catholic Central)

  • 2 G on 7 shots, 2 A, 1 GB, 2 TO, and 1 CTO in a 14-10 win over Navy

Luke Majick (Detroit, #12, M, SO, Forest Hills Central)

  • 1 G on 2 shots, 1 A, and 2 TO in a 13-5  win over Canisius

Ryan Genord (Drexel, #28, M/A, SR, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep)

  • 2 G on 8 shots, 2 GBs, and 2 CTOs in a 12-11 win over UMass

Griffin Fenech (Vermont, #33, M, FR, Haslett-Williamston)

  • 1 G on 2 shots, 3 A, and 2 TOs in a 10-8 loss to UMBC

Cole Gellatly (Detroit, #37, A, FR, Brother Rice)

  • 1 G on 3 shots in a 13-5  win over Canisius

Cam Kostus (Detroit, #23, M, JR, Rockford)

  • 1 G on 4 shots in a 13-5  win over Canisius

Nick Harvath (UMass-Lowell, #1, M, SO, South Lyon)

  • 1 G on 4 shots, 2 GBs, and 3 TOs in a 17-6 loss to Albany

Jordan Hyde (Utah, #4, A, FR, Brother Rice)

  • 1 G on 3 shots, 2 GBs, and 3 TOs in a 11-10 win over Boston

Alex Jarzembowski (Detroit, #21, FOGO, GR, Detroit Catholic Central)

  • won 12 of 20 faceoffs and had 1 G on 1 shot and 3 GBs in a 13-5  win over Canisius

Jake Lining (UMass-Lowell, #13, M, SR, Troy Athens)

  • 2 G on 4 shots, 6 GBs, and 1 TO in a 17-6 loss to Albany

Nick Polydoras (Cleveland St., #48, M, JR, Canton)

  • 2 G on 3 shots, 2 GBs, 3 TO, and 1 CT in a 16-4 win over VMI

Ryan Birney (Detroit, #7, M, SO, Detroit Catholic Central)

  • 1 G on 3 shots, 1 GB, and 2 TO in a 13-5  win over Canisius

Bryce Clay (Michigan, #3, A, JR, Forest Hills Central)

  • 1 G on 4 shots, 1 A, and 2 TO in a 13-10 win over vs Johns Hopkins

Peter Thompson (Georgetown, #11, M, JR, Detroit Catholic Central)

  • 1 G on 2 shots, 1 GB, and 1 TO in a 20-7 win over St. John's

Jack Kelly (Georgetown, #26, M, SR, Brother Rice)

  • 1 G on 2 shots in a 20-7 win over St. John's

Alec Stathakis (Denver, #37, FOGO, SO, Culver)

  • won 7 of 12 faceoffs and had 4 GBs and 1 shot in a 16-6 win over Marquette

Evan Moskwa (Cleveland St., #40, FOGO, FR, Muskegon Reeths-Puffer)

  • won 9 of 15 faceoffs and had 7 GBs and 1 shot in a 16-4 win over VMI


Jacob Sposita (Colgate, #10, M, FR, Detroit Catholic Central)

  • 1 A, 1 shot, 2 GBs, and 1 TO in a 10-9 win over Bucknell

Owen Bruinius (Detroit, #34, D, SO, Forest Hills Northern)

  • 1 GB and 1 CTO in a 13-5  win over Canisius

Michael Cosgrove (Michigan, #21, M, SO, Brother Rice)

  • 1 GB and 1 CTO in a 13-10 win over Johns Hopkins

Sam McClain (Detroit, #93, D, GR, Orchard Lake St. Mary's)

  • 3 GBs, 1 TO, and 1 CTO in a 13-5  win over Canisius

Paul Manuszak (Detroit, #18, LSM, SR, Warren De La Salle)

  • 1 shot and 3 GBs in a 13-5  win over Canisius

Matt O'Connor (Mercer, #41, M, SO, Mercer)

  • 2 GBs and 1 CTO in a 15-13 win over Air Force

WIll Ronan (Bryant, #32, M, FR, Rochester Adams)

  • 1 GB in an 11-10 loss to Hobart

Sean Richard (Marquette, #72, G, FR, U of Detroit Jesuit)

  • saved 15 of 29 shots in a 16-6 loss to Denver

Max Christides (UMass-Lowell, #21, G, SO, Cranbrook)

  • saved 11 of 27 shots in 3 quarters of a 17-6 loss to Albany

Connor Beals (Canisius, #30, FOGO, SO, Detroit Catholic Central)

  • won 7 of 19 faceoffs and had 4 GBs and 1 CTO in a 13-5 loss to Detroit

Reece Potter (Towson, #30, M, SO, Hartland)

  • 2 GBs in an 8-7 loss to Hofstra

Kyle Love (UMass-Lowell, #11, LSM, SO, Detroit Catholic Central)

  • 1 GB and 1 TO in a 17-6 loss to Albany

James Donaldson (Georgetown, #43, D, SO, Brother Rice)

  • 1 GB in a 20-7 win over St. John's

Brennan Kamish (Rutgers, #44, M, SR, Detroit Catholic Central)

  • 2 shots in a 10-9 win over Ohio St.

Dan Reaume (Penn St., #26, M, JR, Brother Rice)

  • 1 shot and 1 TO in a 17-10 loss to Maryland

Ethan Zupko (UMass-Lowell, #16, D, FR, Detroit Catholic Central)

  • 1 GB in a 17-6 loss to Albany

Kyle Loken (Detroit, #33, M, SO, Lake Orion)

  • 1 GB in a 13-5 loss to Detroit

Justin Petouhoff (Detroit, #17, D/LSM, SO, Detroit Catholic Central)

  • had 1 CTO in a 13-5  win over Canisius

Morgan Macko (Marquette, #24, A, GS, Brother Rice)

  • 2 shots in a 16-6 loss to Denver

Patrick English (Marquette, #21, M, FR, Forest Hills Central)

  • 1 TO in a 16-6 loss to Denver

Mitten State D1 Men's Players' Stats for Mar 22-28, 2021

Ryan Genord (Drexel, #28, M/A, SR, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep)

  • 4 G on 6 shots, 1 A, and 1 GB in a 24-8 win over Lafayette
  • 4 G on 10 shots, 2 A, 1 GB, 1 TO, and 1 CTO in a 19-13 win over Robert Morris

Logan Shamblin (Detroit, #2, G, SR, Troy)

  • saved 12 of 21 shots and had 3 GBs in an 11-9 win over Siena (his team-record 21st win in goal)

Ryan Birney (Detroit, #7, M, SO, Detroit Catholic Central)

  • 2 G on 9 shots and 2 TOs in an 11-9 win over Siena

Joey Kamish (Loyola, #16, A, SO, Detroit Catholic Central)

  • 2 G on 5 shots and 2 GBs in a 7-6 loss to Towson

Kyle Loken (Detroit, #33, M, SO, Lake Orion)

  • 2 G on 4 shots, 4 GBs, and 1 TO in an 11-9 win over Siena

Jake Lining (UMass-Lowell, #13, M, SR, Troy Athens)

  • 2 G on 8 shots, 1 A, and 3 GBs in a 14-10 loss to NJIT

Alex Jarzembowski (Detroit, #21, FOGO, GR, Detroit Catholic Central)

  • won 17 of 22 faceoffs and had 1 G on 2 shots and 5 GBs

Alec Stathakis (Denver, #37, FOGO, SO, Culver)

  • won 11 of 15 faceoffs and had 6 GBs in a 19-11 win over Providence

Luke Majick (Detroit, #12, M, SO, Forest Hills Central)

  • 1 G on 5 shos, 1 A, 1 GB, and 1 TO in an 11-9 win over Siena

Jacob Sposita (Colgate, #10, M, FR, Detroit Catholic Central)

  • 1 G on 5 shots and 1 GB in a 15-10 loss to Lehigh

Brennan Kamish (Rutgers, #44, M, SR, Detroit Catholic Central)

  • 1 G on 2 shots and 2 GBs in a 13-9 loss to Maryland

Jordan Hyde (Utah, #4, A, FR, Brother Rice)

  • 1 G on 5 shots, 2 A, and 1 GB in a 15-10 loss to Mercer

Nick Harvath (UMass-Lowell, #1, M, SO, South Lyon)

  • 1 G on 5 shots and 2 A in a 14-10 loss to NJIT

Nick Polydoras (Cleveland St., #48, M, JR, Canton)

  • 1 G on 4 shots, 1 A, and 1 CTO is a 10-5 loss to Marquette

Paul Manuszak (Detroit, #18, LSM, SR, Warren De La Salle)

  • 1 shot, 7 GBs, and 1 CTOs in an 11-9 win over Siena

Max Christides (UMass-Lowell, #21, G, SO, Cranbrook)

  • saved 6 of 17 shots in 3 quarters in a 14-10 loss to NJIT

Brendan Higgins (Wagner, #42, D, JR, Brother Rice)

  • won 0 of 4 faceoffs and had 1 shot, 4 GBs, and 2 CTOs in a 18-13 loss to Long Island

WIll Ronan (Bryant, #32, M, FR, Rochester Adams)

  • 2 GBs in an 11-10 win over Merrimack

Dan Reaume (Penn St., #26, M, JR, Brother Rice)

  • 2 GBs and 1 TO in a 11-8 win over Johns Hopkins

James Donaldson (Georgetown, #43, D, SO, Brother Rice)

  • 1 GB and 1 CTO is an 8-7 win over Villanova

Cam Kostus (Detroit, #23, M, JR, Rockford)

  • 1 A, 6 shots, 1 GB, and 2 TO in an 11-9 win over Siena

Matt O'Connor (Mercer, #41, M, SO, Mercer)

  • 1 A in 15-10 win over Utah

Ivan Progar (Detroit, #16, M, SO, Brighton)

  • 1 G on 3 shots in an 11-9 win over Siena

Bryce Clay (Michigan, #3, A, JR, Forest Hills Central)

  • 1 G on 5 shots, 4 GBs, and 4 CTOs in a 14-6 loss to Ohio St.

Kyle Love (UMass-Lowell, #11, LSM, SO, Detroit Catholic Central)

  • 1 shot and 1 GB in a 14-10 loss to NJIT

Evan Moskwa (Cleveland St., #40, FOGO, FR, Muskegon Reeths-Puffer)

  • won 12 of 19 faceoffs and had 2 GBs and 1 TO in a 10-5 loss to Marquette

Sam McClain (Detroit, #93, D, GR, Orchard Lake St. Mary's)

  • 1 shot, 1 GB, and 1 CTOs in an 11-9 win over Siena

Morgan Macko (Marquette, #24, A, GS, Brother Rice)

  • 2 shots and 2 GBs in a 10-5 win over Cleveland St.

Noah Verlinde (Marquette, #26, D, FR, Spring Lake)

  • 2 GBs and 1 TO in a 10-5 win over Cleveland St.

Reece Potter (Towson, #30, M, SO, Hartland)

  • 2 GBs in a 7-6 win over Loyola

Owen Bruinius (Detroit, #34, D, SO, Forest Hills Northern)

  • had 1 GB in an 11-9 win over Siena

Peter Thompson (Georgetown, #11, M, JR, Detroit Catholic Central)

  • 3 shots in an 8-7 win over Villanova

Griffin Fenech (Vermont, #33, M, FR, Haslett-Williamston)

  • 3 shots and 1 TO in a 14-9 win over Hartford

Mitten State Men's College Lax for Apr 2-8, 2021

Fri Apr 2

Sat Apr 3

Sun Apr 4

Mon Apr 5

Tue Apr 6

Wed Apr 7

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