Fifteen Metro Detroit seniors are competing in MLive's Fall Sports Stars poll as Michigan's fall postseason draws closer. Readers can choose among athletes from football, volleyball, swimming, soccer and other sports.
At the Sept. 26 Midwest Invitational, Northville runner Brandon Cloud won the 5K in 15:16.5. That result is part of the late-season form behind his nomination for MLive's Fall Sports Stars poll.
Fifteen Metro Detroit seniors are in the poll as October brings Michigan's fall state tournaments. Readers can choose the senior athlete they believe has stood out most during the regular season.
The nominees come from cross country, football, boys soccer, boys tennis, volleyball, girls golf and swimming. The group includes returning all-state players, state meet finalists, college-bound athletes and seniors who have set school records or helped championship contenders.
The field is broad.
The athletes attend schools across Oakland County and nearby Metro Detroit communities. For readers checking school and community affiliations, the City of Farmington portal and the Farmington Public Schools website offer official local reference points. Farmington Hills Mercy is in the City of Farmington Hills. The wider regional context includes Oakland County administration and public-school information maintained through Michigan Department of Education records. Those references help separate school names, municipal locations and athletic affiliations without changing the reader-vote format.
The leading contenders
Cloud, the Northville boys cross country runner, is the defending individual state runner-up in Division 1. He has won his last two invitationals, the James Cleverley Invitational in 15:20.91 and the Midwest Invitational in 15:16.5.
He won the 5K at the Sept. 26 Midwest Invitational by 0.2 seconds. The result strengthened his case as one of the field's strongest recent performers.
Football has two prominent nominees. Gideon Gash of Detroit Catholic Central is a Texas Tech commit and a returning all-state defensive back. He has also scored touchdowns as a wide receiver and special teams returner.
Dakota Guerrant of Harper Woods has been described in recent recruiting coverage as a five-star wide receiver prospect and Oregon commit. He scored in Harper Woods' 41-13 win over Groves on Sept. 26. That added to his profile as one of Michigan's most prominent young football players.
Guerrant's school listing needs a records check. Independent recruiting coverage in September called him a heavily recruited Oregon commit and the top-ranked 2027 prospect in that outlet's Michigan check-in. A MaxPreps database still listed him on the East English Village Prep football roster.
Those public listings do not settle the school-affiliation question. Readers should treat the poll's Harper Woods designation as the relevant nomination label. Online roster databases may lag or differ.
Warren De La Salle boys soccer senior Andrew Corder is another central name in the poll. He is expected to contend for the Mr. Soccer Award and became De La Salle's all-time leader in goals scored this month.
A MaxPreps page listed Northville at 8-0 overall and 5-0 in league play during the same period. That provides current-season context for Michigan high school soccer, but it is not a direct statistical record for Corder or Warren De La Salle.
Volleyball's deep senior class
Three Miss Volleyball finalists give the volleyball field unusual depth. Kate Kalcyznski is the senior leader at Farmington Hills Mercy. She is a returning first team all-state player and has committed to Penn State.
Mercy is pursuing its third Division 1 state title in four years. The program has another senior candidate in the poll.
Clarkston setter Marlie Smith is nearing 2,500 career assists and has committed to North Carolina. She was second team all-state in Division 1 last year.
Brighton outside hitter Cynthia Ockerman is a four-year player who has committed to Clemson. She is leading a young team as a senior.
The volleyball nominees reached this point in different ways. Kalcyznski combines individual honors with a championship program. Smith has built a substantial career as a setter. Ockerman has taken on a leadership role for a younger roster.
Farmington Hills Mercy also connects the City of Farmington Hills to a poll that includes schools from across the region.
State meet credentials
Detroit Country Day swimmer Quinn Norlander will continue her career at Penn. At last year's Division 3 state meet, she finished as the runner-up in both the 100 freestyle and 100 backstroke.
Her current 100 backstroke time is 56.82 seconds. That ranks second in the state.
South Lyon East boys tennis player Mason Crosby is trying to finish the job after reaching last year's Division 2 state tournament final at No. 1 singles. The Cougars' top singles player has lost only five matches in his career.
Macomb Dakota golfer Marissa Monteith made the all-state Super Team last year. She has kept that form as a senior and won medalist honors at the Macomb County tournament for the third straight year.
Monteith is heading into regionals in strong form. That changed the shape of her senior season.
Rochester Adams girls cross country runner El McMahan and Romeo girls cross country runner Annie Hrabovsky complete the cross country choices. The other nominees are Jabin Gonzales of Orchard Lake St. Mary's football, Campbell Shore of Farmington Hills Mercy swimming and Sophia Smith of Birmingham Marian volleyball.
The main candidate list identifies Smith with Bloomfield Hills Marian. That creates a location discrepancy in the supplied listings. The distinction should be checked against the school's own athletic records before publication of any final results.
Every nominee
The full list is El McMahan of Rochester Adams girls cross country; Brandon Cloud of Northville boys cross country; Andrew Corder of Warren De La Salle boys soccer; Mason Crosby of South Lyon East boys tennis; Gideon Gash of Detroit Catholic Central football; Jabin Gonzales of Orchard Lake St. Mary's football; Dakota Guerrant of Harper Woods football; Annie Hrabovsky of Romeo girls cross country; Kate Kalcyznski of Farmington Hills Mercy volleyball; Marissa Monteith of Macomb Dakota girls golf; Quinn Norlander of Detroit Country Day girls swimming; Cynthia Ockerman of Brighton volleyball; Campbell Shore of Farmington Hills Mercy swimming; Marlie Smith of Clarkston volleyball; and Sophia Smith of Bloomfield Hills Marian volleyball.
The poll comes at a busy point in the high school calendar. September is ending, October is beginning and the athletes are moving from regular-season performance into postseason competition.
Readers who followed earlier athlete polls, such as an earlier athlete poll, will recognize the format. The public gets the final say among a group selected for standout work.
This is not a replacement for state results or an official ranking. It is a reader vote based on what these seniors have accomplished before the postseason begins.
Readers may value records, state-meet performance, championship expectations, career production or leadership. With 15 candidates across seven sports, the poll offers a substantial field rather than a token contest.
