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].

MHSAA.tv Schedule Filled with 400+ Live Events

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

September 14, 2021

More than 400 events will be broadcast live this week on MHSAA.tv and the NFHS Network, including a season high of nearly 170 football games. 

Highlighting this week’s Network football schedule are a pair of Division 1 matchups with potential league title implications. In the Saginaw Valley League Red, reigning champion Davison hosts Grand Blanc, while in the Macomb Area Conference Red reigning co-champion Macomb Dakota hosts Clinton Township Chippewa Valley.

The Bally Sports Detroit broadcast team this week will travel to Thirlby Field in Traverse City for the annual “Patriot Game” between Central and West. The game regularly draws more than 10,000 fans and honors U.S. military veterans, active-duty military, first responders and more area heroes who have died serving our country. Bally will present the game live at 7 p.m. on its Bally Sports Detroit PLUS cable channel and also on its website and app.

A pair of Thursday (Sept. 16) volleyball matches feature recent state powers, as reigning Division 1 champion Bloomfield Hills Marian takes on 2019 champ Farmington Hills Mercy, and reigning Division 2 champ Grand Rapids Christian faces last season’s Division 1 runner-up Lowell. In boys soccer, undefeated Grand Rapids South Christian hosts Ada Forest Hills Eastern also on Thursday, with Novi also looking to stay unbeaten while welcoming Plymouth.

Online viewers should keep in mind that the only sites that livestream MHSAA events are the NFHS Network (MHSAA.tv), Bally Sports Detroit (one game per week), State Champs! Sports Network (one game per week), or a school-controlled website (on a school YouTube or Facebook page, for example). There are many scams that advertise livestreams and are phishing for personal information. Some even attempt to install malware on computers or devices. If viewers see a link to a game that is not on one of the providers listed above, it is fake. If unsure, viewers should contact the host school or MHSAA before providing personal information.

Below are listings and links to just a few of the events of note this week on MHSAA.tv:    

VOLLEYBALL
Sept. 16: Lowell at Grand Rapids Christian, 6 p.m.: MHSAA.tv
Sept. 16: Farmington Hills Mercy at Bloomfield Hills Marin, 7 p.m.: MHSAA.tv
Sept. 16: Centreville at Bloomingdale, 7 p.m.: MHSAA.tv
All volleyball matches this week (170+ matches): MHSAA.tv

BOYS SOCCER
Sept. 16: Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central at East Grand Rapids, 6:45 p.m.: MHSAA.tv
Sept. 16: Ada Forest Hills Eastern at Grand Rapids South Christian, 6:45 p.m.: MHSAA.tv
Sept. 16: Plymouth at Novi, 7 p.m.: MHSAA.tv
All soccer games this week (80+ games): MHSAA.tv

FOOTBALL
Sept. 17: Traverse City Central vs. Traverse City West at Thirlby Field, 7 p.m.: Bally Sports Detroit PLUS, BSD Website and app
Sept: 17 Davison at Grand Blanc, 7 p.m.: MHSAA.tv
Sept. 17: Clinton Township Chippewa Valley at Macomb Dakota, 7 p.m.: MHSAA.tv
Sept. 17: St. Louis at Hemlock, 7 p.m.: MHSAA.tv
Sept. 17: Kingsford at Marquette, 7 p.m.: MHSAA.tv
Sept. 17 Brighton at Novi, 7 p.m.: MHSAA.tv
All football games this week (170+ games): MHSAA.tv

NFHS Network subscriptions begin at $10.99 per month. Subscribers have access to all live video and streaming statistics across the country. School Broadcast Program participants benefit as a portion of every subscription sold by a school goes to benefit its program.

More than 400 MHSAA member schools are participants in the School Broadcast Program, now in its 13th year, producing games using traditional hands-on student crews or via Pixellot cameras installed at stadiums and gymnasiums across the state. A complete list of participating schools can be found on the School Broadcast Program page of the MHSAA Website.