FRANKENMUTH, MI – When Eric Albright hoisted the Division 1 baseball district trophy, he knew that one trophy would lead to another.
The Midland High athletic director and baseball coach added the other trophy Tuesday at the Saginaw Valley League Recognition Dinner in Frankenmuth.
For the first time since the 2007-08 season, Midland High claimed the boys Richard Leach Sports Excellence Award, given to the top athletic program in the league for the 2021-22 school year. Grand Blanc won the girls Leach Award, named after the first executive director of the league.
“I knew we were close going into the spring, so I talked to our coaches,” Albright said. “It was partly in jest, but I told them to go get this. We can do this. Let’s go.”
It was also a self-motivational speech. Albright, who is also the baseball coach, helped secure the trophy with a 3-0 win over Bay City Western to win a Division 1 district championship.
“I knew then that we had won it,” Albrecht said. “I was proud of winning that district, but even then I knew that we had just clinched the Leach award. That was big. It was huge.”
The Midland boys program earned a third-place district finish in boys tennis in the fall, adding a wrestling conference title in the winter. The Chemics also won a wrestling team district, a boys basketball district, a hockey regional and a hockey quarterfinal.
In the spring, the Midland High/Midland Dow co-op team won league and regional titles in boys lacrosse for more “points” toward the title.
“It is huge for the coaches … they were extremely excited when they found out we won,” Albright said. “I’m absolutely proud of this. Winning the district to get it makes me doubly proud, but there were so many coaches who did so much to even get to that point.
“It speaks to the depth of our program and the breadth of what our coaches do. It’s finishing second instead of third at a meet. It’s just getting better every day. It means a lot to our coaches and says a lot about the job our coaches do.”
Grand Blanc won the girls title as the top program in the league. The Bobcats claimed a girls golf league title in the fall and a competitive cheer league title in the winter. Grand Blanc also shared the girls bowling title with Davison.
The Bobcats added district titles in competitive cheer and girls basketball, with a regional championship in cheer. The Bobcats’ competitive cheer team finished sixth in the state.
In the spring, Grand Blanc’s softball team won the league title and a district championship.
SVL Coaches of the Year 2021-22
Boys Tennis: Terry Schwartzkopf, Midland Dow
Boys Cross Country: Matt Ames, Davison
Girls Cross Country: Mike Nesbitt, Bay City Western
Volleyball: Tiffany Sayles, Davison
Girls Swimming: Chilly Smith, Midland Dow
Boys Soccer: Drew Emrich, Midland Dow
Football (South): Clint Alexander, Grand Blanc
Football (North): Jason McIntyre, Mount Pleasant
Girls Golf: Doug Bradford, Midland Dow
Boys Basketball: Eric Krause, Midland High
Girls Basketball: Kyle Theisen, Midland Dow
Boys Swimming: Claire Fries, Midland Dow
Competitive Cheer: August Jaynes, Bay City Western
Hockey: Dick Blasy, Midalnd Dow
Wrestling: Angel Rodriguez, Arthur Hill
Boys Bowling: Sam Brown, Bay City Western
Girls Bowling: Brian Sykes, Grand Blanc
Girls Tennis: Don Leavy, Grand Blanc
Boys Golf: Doug Bradford, Midland Dow
Boys Track: Leo Foley Sr., Flint Powers
Girls Track: Ashley Burr, Midland Dow
Baseball: Kevin Hubbs, Grand Blanc
Softball: Jami Neubecker, Grand Blanc
Boys Lacrosse: Joe Stadelmaier, Midland/Dow
Girls Lacrosse: Kassandra Cautoras, Davison
Girls Soccer: Spencer Sandow, Midland Dow
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