Did you see that?
May 21, 2012
Track and field, tennis and lacrosse teams have begun their marches toward MHSAA championships, but a number of sports are making offseason news as well.
Here's our sampling of some of the most intriguing from all over the state last week.
Track and Field
Setting up a showdown: In perhaps the most notable race of last week’s Regionals, Birmingham Seaholm’s Aubrey Wilberding edged Southfield’s Latipha Cross in the 400-meter dash in Division 1 at Farmington. Wilberding ran the race in 56.48 seconds, 19 hundredths of a second faster than Cross, who set an all-Finals record in the race in 2011. Click the link next to each Regional site for results. (MHSAA)
Soccer
Shooting for 67: Lake Fenton sophomore Jordan Newman scored a combined eight goals in the semifinal and championship games of the Genesee Area Conference tournament to lead her team to the championship. She has 54 goals this season – only 13 shy of the MHSAA single-season record with Districts beginning next week. (Tri-County Times) (Flint Journal)
KVA belongs to Kalamazoo Christian: The Kalamazoo Valley Association soccer championship came down to two of the top teams statewide in Division 4 – and No. 2 Kalamazoo Christian edged No. 3 Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Central 1-0 in the final. The two were flip-flopped in the rankings heading into the game. (Kalamazoo Gazette)
Athletes of the Year
Pinning down a major award: St. Johns wrestler Taylor Massa and Rochester Hills Stoney Creek's Gabby Yurik received the annual Michigan Student-Athlete of the Year Awards from the Detroit Athletic Club, from a group of nominees including Holland's Courtney Bartholomew, Birmingham Marian's Jaynie Pulte, Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett's Madison Ristovski, Plainwell's Lauren Saar and Charlotte's Raychel Wolever, and Grand Blanc's Zachary Carroll, Saginaw Heritage's Evan Chiplock, Bay City Western's Matt Costello, Lowell's Gabe Dean and Oxford's Prescott Line.
Golf
Plymouth rocks: The Wildcats topped a field that included 17 state-ranked teams in claiming the East Lansing Invitational with a two-round score of 595. The tournament was played at Michigan State University’s Forest Akers West and East. Scroll to the bottom of link for full results. (Michigan Interscholastic Golf Coaches Association)
Tennis
Match points: Five of the top seven ranked teams in Division 2 emerged from two suburban Detroit Regionals to advance to the Division 2 Finals: No. 1 Birmingham Marian, No. 2 Bloomfield Hills Andover, No. 3 Birmingham Seaholm and co-No. 7s Bloomfield Hills Lahser and Farmington Hills Marcy. Click next to each Regional site to see who qualified for their respective Finals. (MHSAA)
Softball
Perfect, again: Breckenridge’s Sam Willman threw her fifth perfect game this season, striking out 18 and 64 for the day as her team won the Montrose Snowball Tournament on Saturday. She also threw a perfect game two days before. (Midland Daily News)
Stacking numbers: Decatur senior pitcher Erika Southworth won her 100th game last week, then notched her 1,000th strikeout two days later. (Kalamazoo Gazette)
Basketball
Detroit mourns coach: Southeastern High girls coach Lisa Blackburn died Saturday at the age of 52. She was a former Detroit Pershing star who went on to play at the University of Detroit. (Detroit News)
Stolz legacy ends: Longtime Okemos boys basketball coach Dan Stolz retired with a record of 428-99 and a winning percentage of .812 in 18 seasons at Okemos and five at Williamston. Stolz took over the Chieftains program from his father Stan, who coached the varsity from 1968-93. (Lansing State Journal)
Wrestling
New coach at St. Johns: The reigning three-time Division 2 MHSAA team champion now will be coached by assistant Derek Phillips, who was promoted last week to take over for the recently-resigned Zane Ballard. (Lansing State Journal)
Media
Longtime editor announces retirement: The state’s print media will wave good-bye to another valuable member when longtime Escanaba Daily Press sports editor Denny Grall retires in two months. He’s been putting pen to paper for 42 years and is especially legendary across the Upper Peninsula. (Escanaba Daily Press)
Editor's note: Did we miss something? Comment below and tell us about it. Is there an event coming up that we should make sure to note? Comment or e-mail [email protected].
Today in the MHSAA: 9/21/23
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
September 21, 2023
1. GIRLS GOLF Macomb Lutheran North – No. 2 in Lower Peninsula Division 3 – won its fourth-straight Macomb County championship, with senior Lauren Timpf the medalist for the third-straight season – Macomb Daily
2. BOYS SOCCER Division 2 No. 2 Holland Christian clinched the Ottawa-Kent Conference Blue regular-season championship with a 3-0 win over Division 3 top-ranked Hudsonville Unity Christian – FOX17
3. BOYS SOCCER Big Rapids clinched a share of the Central State Activities Association title with a 3-1 win over Howard City Tri County – Big Rapids Pioneer
4. BOYS SOCCER Division 3 No. 2 Detroit Country Day downed No. 5 Pontiac Notre Dame Prep 2-0 – Oakland Press
5. BOYS SOCCER Division 3 No. 8 Grosse Ile won another matchup of ranked teams, 1-0 over No. 9 Milan – Southgate News-Herald
6. VOLLEYBALL Gladwin defeated Sanford Meridian in a matchup of Jack Pine Conference leaders – Midland Daily News
7. GIRLS GOLF LPD4 No. 10 Traverse City St. Francis carded a 398 to win the Charlevoix Rayder Invitational – Traverse City Record-Eagle
8. GIRLS GOLF After finishing runner-up at its first three league jamborees, Muskegon Reeths-Puffer won one for the first time in five years in the O-K Green – Local Sports Journal
9. BOYS SOCCER Cadex Saxton and Tony Romero both scored four goals as Flint Kearsley downed Owosso – Mid-Michigan Now
10. VOLLEYBALL Stevensville Lakeshore won its Dig Pink match with St. Joseph in four sets – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium
Also of note …
BOYS BASKETBALL The Ecorse community is mourning the death of three-sport standout Dennell Kemp Jr., who was especially instrumental in the boys basketball team's successes the last two seasons and was expected to play Division I college baseball after graduation – MLIVE-Detroit
TENNIS Salem is mourning the death of longtime coach Bill Nelson, who led the Rocks for 28 years and then continued as an assistant – Hometown Life
FOOTBALL Zeeland is mourning the death of longtime athletic director Stan Jesky, who also served as football coach and was instrumental in the reorganization when Zeeland split into two high schools – Holland Sentinel