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: 3/2/20
March 2, 2020
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Four MHSAA team wrestling champions were celebrated Saturday – find coverage of all four Finals to the right – while Regional competitive cheer and bowling and league meets in boys swimming & diving added to an otherwise loaded basketball weekend across Michigan.
1. Boys Swimming & Diving: Holland West Ottawa – tied for No. 2 in Lower Peninsula Division 2 – locked up its seventh-straight Ottawa-Kent Conference Red championship, finishing just ahead of No. 4 Hudsonville at the league meet – Holland Sentinel
2. Competitive Cheer: Allen Park edged Gibraltar Carlson in a Division 2 Regional that likely previewed the top contenders at this week’s Final – Southgate News-Herald
3. Boys Swimming & Diving: LPD2 honorable mention Pinckney won its first league championship, sharing the Southeastern Conference White title with No. 8 Dexter thanks to a league meet win – Livingston Daily Press & Argus
4. Bowling: The Essexville Garber girls won their first Regional title, topping runner-up Ovid-Elsie in Division 3 – Bay City Times
5. Girls Basketball: Charlevoix defeated Traverse City St. Francis to finish a Lake Michigan Conference title run, while welcoming back all-stater Elise Stuck after she missed the majority of the regular season with a knee injury – Petoskey News-Review
6. Boys Basketball: Riverview Gabriel Richard locked up its first Detroit Catholic League Tournament title since 1999 with a 63-56 win over Marine City Cardinal Mooney in the Cardinal division – State Champs Sports Network
7. Bowling: The Vandercook Lake boys and No. 7 Quincy girls won competitive Division 4 Regionals that featured the reigning team champions from Bronson; the Vikings girls are ranked No. 2 – Coldwater Daily Reporter
8. Boys Basketball: Central Montcalm clinched a share of the Central State Activities Association Gold title, its first since 2002, with a 70-48 win over Howard City Tri County – Greenville Daily News
9. Competitive Cheer: Rochester Adams outpaced Plymouth, Utica Eisenhower and Rochester to win their Division 1 Regional – Oakland Press
10. Boys Swimming & Diving: LPD1 honorable mention Zeeland won the O-K Green title by finishing first at the league meet after tying with LPD3 No. 2 Holland Christian during the dual season – Holland Sentinel
Also of note …
Boys Basketball: The Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan announced its Mr. Basketball Award finalists: Detroit Cass Tech’s Tyson Acuff, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Lorne Bowman, Benton Harbor’s Carlos Johnson, Clarkston’s Matt Nicholson and Flint Beecher’s Jalen Terry – MLive-Detroit
Girls Basketball: Ishpeming Westwood locked up both the Western Peninsula Athletic Conference East and Mid-Peninsula Conference titles with a 38-27 win over Gwinn – Marquette Mining Journal
Girls Basketball: Parma Western downed Battle Creek Harper Creek 51-35 to clinch the Interstate 8 Athletic Conference title – JTV
Boys Basketball: Orchard Lake St. Mary’s won its first Detroit Catholic League Tournament title since 2008 with a 61-54 Bishop victory over Detroit U-D Jesuit – State Champs Sports Network
Boys Basketball: Pickford edged Rudyard 71-65 to claim the Eastern Upper Peninsula Conference championship – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News
Girls Basketball: Kinde-North Huron netted a share of the North Central Thumb League Stripes title with a big win over Akron-Fairgrove – Huron Daily Tribune
Boys Basketball: Unionville-Sebewaing clinched a share of the Grater Thumb Conference West title with a 65-53 win over Bad Axe – Huron Daily Tribune
Girls Basketball: Big Rapids downed Grant 41-34 to lock up a shared CSAA Gold title with Fremont – Big Rapids News
Boys Basketball: Ovid-Elsie locked up the outright Mid-Michigan Activities Conference title with a 52-36 win over second-place New Lothrop – Mid-Michigan Now
Boys Basketball: Muskegon Western Michigan Christian and Ludington finished as co-champs in the Lakes 8 Activities Conference – Grand Haven Tribune
Girls Basketball: Alycia Patterson became Niles’ all-time leading scorer during a 28-point performance in a big win over Stevensville Lakeshore – Niles Daily Star
Boys Basketball: Brennen McNeil went over 1,000 career points with 14 in a win over Colon – Hillsdale Daily News
Football: Former Grand Rapids West Catholic coach Dan Rohn has been hired to take over Warren De La Salle Collegiate – Detroit Free Press