Big Year in Sports Capped by Canton's Soccer State Title

It's been an exciting year for sports in Plymouth-Canton, not the least of which was the Canton Chiefs' boys soccer state championship.

Here is a rundown of some of the top sports stories of 2011. Comment and vote to let us know which was your favorite!

Former Whaler Tyler Seguin Wins Stanley Cup

Former Plymouth Whaler Tyler Seguin hoisted the Stanley Cup as a member of the National Hockey League's Boston Bruins.

The Plymouth Whalers had a strong showing in the first round of the National Hockey League Entry Draft on Friday at Xcel Center in St. Paul, MN. The Whalers' Stefan Noesen and Rickard Rakell were selected in the first round of the seven-round draft.

Canton's Kevin Buford will play Big Ten football after committing to the Iowa Hawkeyes, breaking a verbal commitment with Toledo.

On the same day its football team lost to Detroit Catholic Central, the Chiefs' boys soccer team won the state championship.

Anthony Abro won a state wrestling title for Canton, making history in the process.

Just weeks after allowing a late lead to slip away in a loss to the Plymouth Wildcats, the Canton Chiefs rebounded in a rematch, this time in the state playoffs. This time it was the Chiefs who came out on top with a last-second field goal.

In a hotly contested showdown of Plymouth-Canton Educational Park schools, the Plymouth Wildcats came out on top with a late 10-point rally to win the game with two seconds remaining in an absolute nail-biter of a finish.

Canton High School seniors Kari and Sara Schmitt are bound for Columbus, OH, this fall after accepting scholarship offers to play hockey at Ohio State University.

Canton Girls Advance to Semifinals

The Canton Chiefs girls basketball team advanced to the semifinals at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, where they eventually lost to Inkster.

Canton Gymnasts Win State Finals Trip

The Canton High School girls gymnastics team took first place in the MSHAA regionals to advance to the state finals.

Canton Wrestling Falls in Regional Final

Despite victories from seniors Anthony Abro and Ben Poirier, Canton was outmatched and fell to Detroit Catholic Central, 69-13.

Wildcats Football Wins Showdown at EMU

The Plymouth Wildcats won the Big Day Prep Showdown at Eastern Michigan University to kick off a stellar season that ended in a first-round heartbreak in the playoffs.

Miracle League Opens Baseball Diamond

The Miracle League, a nonprofit organization sponsored by The Rotary Club of Plymouth A.M., worked for three years to . The field opened this year.

Outdoor Salem Hockey Game Moved Indoors

Scheduled this past August, the Livonia-Salem contest was originally supposed to be played on a sheet of ice in Detroit’s Clark Park, but was moved indoors.

Also: Nominate your top athlete of 2011