There were 132 team titles handed out in the 2025-26 high school sports season, so there were plenty of memorable performances by teams throughout the state.
Some teams made history by winning titles for the first time, while others continued a standard of excellence that other squads around the state continue to try and emulate.
Here are the top five boys teams from this past prep sports season.
1. Charlevoix golf
This was arguably the biggest feel-good story of the preps season around the state. A year after seeing its coach and several players get seriously injured in a car accident, Charlevoix persevered through the near-death experience, went through the healing process and then won the Division 4 state tournament at Michigan State’s Forest Akers West.
It was the first state championship in program history for Charlevoix, and capped off the ultimate redemption story.
At the state tournament, four players who were involved in the accident scored, led by a two-day score of 149 (77-72) by senior Bryce Boss.
It delivered a second state title in the school year for head coach Doug Drenth, who has spent the last year doing physical therapy while recovering from the accident, but was able to coach Charlevoix’s boys cross country team that won the Division 3 state title in the fall.
2. Dearborn Divine Child football
Divine Child celebrated like it was 1985 back in November, claiming its first state football championship in 40 years in Division 4 and finishing off an incredible run of close victories spearheaded by an elite defense that shutdown prolific offenses.
Divine Child earned a 10-6 win over a Harper Woods team featuring one of the state’s top wideouts in Dakota Guerrant, a 10-7 win over a high-powered Goodrich team in a semifinal and then prevailed, 23-22, in the state championship game over Hudsonville Unity Christian in what was another slugfest.
Divine Child was led by AP Division 4 Player of the year Marcello Vitti, who seemingly made every tackle in the secondary and helped finish games late with tough yards running the football.
3. Freeland basketball
Freeland might have been viewed as simply a sleeper team by many entering the state boys basketball tournament, but Freeland proved it was more than that. Behind seniors Tristan Comer and Wilson Huckeby, Freeland won its first state title in school history.
Freeland played a tough schedule that featured several good Division 1 teams during the regular season and it paid off.
Featuring a group of 12 seniors who had been on varsity since they were freshman and sophomores, Freeland advanced to East Lansing and first knocked off No. 1 Romulus Summit Academy in a semifinal, 57-47.
In the championship, Freeland grinded out a 42-32 win over a tall and lengthy Hudsonville Unity Christian team.
Freeland finished the season 26-3.
4. Grand Haven volleyball
Just like Ann Arbor Pioneer’s girls field hockey team, Grand Haven boys volleyball will forever be known as the initial Division 1 state champion in boys volleyball, winning the title in the first year the sport was sanctioned by the Michigan High School Athletic Association.
A program that has been the gold standard in recent years while the sport was sanctioned by the coaches association, Grand Haven finished 41-1 after beating Lake Orion in the championship game.
Grand Haven earned a 25-19, 25-11, 29-31, 25-18 triumph over Lake Orion after earning a straight-set win over Macomb Dakota in a semifinal.
Grand Haven also had the initial Mr. Volleyball winner, senior Caleb Cryst.
5. Byron Center swimming and diving
It’s hard to crack the traditional group of powerhouses in boys swimming and diving, but after U-D Jesuit did so by winning the Division 2 title in 2025, Byron Center did the same in March by winning its first title in program history at the Division 2 meet. Byron Center was 22 points better than U-D Jesuit after finishing second to U-D Jesuit in 2025.
Byron Center was first in four events, with senior Carter Nelson in the 500 freestyle (4:31.06) and junior Ryder Nichols (55.56) int he 100 breaststroke providing individual wins.
Keith Dunlap is a freelance writer.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: A look back at the top 5 Michigan boys high school teams from 2025-26
Reporting by Keith Dunlap, Special to The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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By Keith Dunlap, Special to The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
