Did you see that? (10/29-11/4)
November 5, 2012
We had champions upon champions upon champions last week, whether they were winners of MHSAA Finals in cross country and soccer, Districts in volleyball or league champs in swimming and diving.
Girls cross country
Favorites make good: Reigning individual champions Erin Finn of West Bloomfield, Julia Bos of Grand Rapids Christian and Kirsten Olling of Breckenridge all repeated Saturday at Michigan International Speedway, with Macomb Lutheran North's Gina Patterson joining the group. Second Half talked to all four. (Division 1) (Division 2) (Division 3) (Division 4)
Boys cross country
Taking two titles: Highland Milford and Concord won both the MHSAA Lower Peninsula team championships in their respective divisions Saturday and also had the top individuals in those races. Second Half provided same-day coverage from every race. (Division 1) (Division 2) (Division 3) (Division 4)
Soccer
Headed west: A year after Detroit-area teams claimed all four MHSAA LP boys soccer championships, Grand Rapids area teams took back three. East Kentwood, Hudsonville Unity Christian and Grand Rapids South Christian won titles, while Hamtramck Freedom International kept one on the east side of the state with its first Finals win. Second Half covered them all. (Division 1) (Division 2) (Division 3) (Division 4)
Volleyball
Hang that banner: Bay City John Glenn won its first volleyball District championship in the 47-year history of the school, beating Essexville-Garber in four sets to claim a Class B title. John Glenn had to come back after dropping the first game. (Bay City Times)
Hang that banner, part II: Three Rivers also won its first volleyball District championship, downing Vicksburg in four games to claim the Class B championship. (Sturgis Journal)
Copper Kings, once again: After finding itself only two points from the District championship in 2011, and then giving up the final five to lose it, Calumet defeated rival Houghton in three games to take back the trophy after two straight Houghton wins. The Copper Kings are ranked No. 4 in Class C. (Houghton Daily Mining Gazette)
West Iron ends near-decade of dominance: Iron River West Iron County had last won a District title in 2002, before nine straight by rival Iron Mountain. But the Wykons knocked out the Mountaineers in a Semifinal and came back from match point to score the final five and beat Ironwood for a Class C championship. (Escanaba Daily News)
Swimming and Diving
Holland still rules: Coming off their first MHSAA championship in 2011, the Dutch continue to roll and piled up seven O-K Green records in winning that league championship meet. Cassie Misiewicz and Holly Morren each set two individual marks. (Holland Sentinel)
Double Dow: Midland Dow won the Saginaw Valley League championship meet with 638 points, more than double that of the runner-up. The title was Dow's seventh straight. (Midland Daily News)
Wrestling
Longtime Napoleon coach steps down: Todd Anderson announced his resignation after running the program since 1990-91. His father Don Anderson started the program in 1967. (Jackson Citizen-Patriot)
Tennis
Forman is Mr. Tennis: Troy senior Brett Forman, the MHSAA Division 1 champion at No. 1 singles as a sophomore and runner-up this fall, was named Mr. Tennis by the Michigan High School Tennis Coaches Association. He finished his career with a 77-8 record. (Oakland Press)
Story of the Week
Kirsten fights on: A little more than a year ago, doctors found cancerous tumors throughout Kirsten Longstreth's body, including multiple in her lungs. But the Beaverton senior had fought back to nearly knock the cancer completely out, and while continuing to play sports including volleyball this fall. (Midland Daily News)
Today in the MHSAA: 10/12/20
October 13, 2020
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
This weekend was bolstered by league and county cross country competition all over the Lower Peninsula – but the biggest headliners came from the pool as Metro Detroit and Ann Arbor-area powerhouses squared off.
1. Girls Swimming & Diving: Farmington Hills Mercy – No. 5 in Lower Peninsula Division 1 – edged LPD3 top-ranked Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood to claim the Oakland County Invitational title – Oakland Press
2. Girls Swimming & Diving: LPD1 top-ranked Ann Arbor Pioneer earned another impressive win, this time over No. 2 Saline – We Love Ann Arbor
3. Cross Country: The LPD2 No. 7 St. Johns, Alma, LPD3 No. 5 St. Louis and LPD4 No. 2 Webberville boys and Okemos, LPD2 No. 12 Lansing Catholic, LPD3 No. 3 Ithaca and LPD4 No. 1 Lansing Christian girls all won Greater Lansing Invitational championships – Lansing State Journal Girls/Boys
4. Cross Country: The LPD2 No. 2 Pinckney boys edged No. 5 Chelsea 23-34 – Livingston Daily
5. Volleyball: Kingsley sent coach Dave Hall over 1,000 career wins during the Suttons Bay quad – MI Sports Now
6. Cross Country: The LPD1 No. 3 Clarkston girls and No. 8 Milford boys were champions at the Oakland County Invitational – Oakland Press Girls/Boys
7. Cross Country: The Grand Blanc, LPD2 No. 4 Frankenmuth and New Lothrop girls and Davison, Lake Fenton and LPD3 No. 11 New Lothrop boys won Greater Flint championships – Flint Journal
8. Cross Country: Clinton continued its surge with a sweep of Lenawee County Athletic Association finals – Adrian Daily Telegram
9. Cross Country: Romeo’s LPD1 No. 8 girls and top-ranked boys swept championships at the Macomb County Invitational – Macomb Daily Girls/Boys
10. Cross Country: Sault Ste. Marie swept titles at its Elks Invitational; the boys team is No. 3 in UPD1 – Escanaba Daily Press