Did you see that?
June 4, 2012
Saturday annually is the busiest high school sports day on the MHSAA calendar.
The Spring Finals match began with Girls and Boys Track and Field and Girls Tennis Finals at sites all over both peninsulas. There were Regionals for both boys and girls lacrosse, which finish up this weekend. And, of course, there were Districts galore for softball, baseball and girls soccer.
Here's our sampling of some of the highlights:
Girls Track and Field
19 records fall: It was quite day across the seven MHSAA Girls Track and Field Finals, with 19 records broken, and two athletes – Reed City’s Sami Michell and Norway’s Dani Gagne – winning four individual events apiece. (Second Half)
Coast to coast: The Grosse Pointe South 3,200 relay was responsible for one of two all-Finals records, and ran a time of 8:48.29 that also surpassed the national record for that event (but may or may not stand as the national record, depending on what other times were run and will be submitted after this spring.) (Detroit Free Press)
Boys Track and Field
LP filled with first-time champs: Lake Orion in Division 1, Auburn Hills Avondale in Division 2 and Lansing Catholic in Division 3 won their first MHSAA team championships. Also, nine records fell across the state. (Second Half)
Quite a comeback: Marquette trailed Gladstone by 27 points at the Upper Peninsula Division 1 Final with four events to run. But the Redmen outscored Gladstone 42-0 over those events to win their third straight championship. (Marquette Mining Journal)
Girls Tennis
Southeast sweep: Detroit suburban schools claimed all four MHSAA Lower Peninsula team championships – Grosse Pointe South in Division 1, Birmingham Seaholm in Division 2, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood in Division 3 and Bloomfield Hills Academy of the Sacred Heart in Division 4. (Second Half)
Freshman reigns: Utica freshman Davina Nguyen beat both the first and second seeds on her way to claiming the individual championship at No. 1 singles in Division 1. Nguyen was seeded fifth. (Macomb Daily)
Boys lacrosse
Cranbrook comes out on top: Cranbrook-Kingswood, ranked No. 3 in Division 2, emerged from a Regional that also included No. 4 Haslett/Williamston and No. 5 East Grand Rapids, beating the latter 8-4 in the Final. (Bloomfield Patch)
Girls lacrosse
EGR plays to top ranking, again: Rivals East Grand Rapids and Grand Rapids Catholic Central met in one of the multiple close Regional Finals, with the top-ranked Pioneers downing No. 2 GRCC one more time, 11-9. (Grand Rapids Press)
Baseball
It’s Holt, again: The Rams claimed their second championship in a week over rival Grand Ledge – both have been ranked in Division 1 this season. Two weeks ago, Holt split with the Comets to win the Capital Area Activities Conference Blue. Standout Justin Alleman gave up two hits and struck out 18 as Holt also won Saturday to claim a District title. (Lansing State Journal)
Softball
In the end, it’s Mattawan: The season-long battle for statewide Division 1 and Kalamazoo-area supremacy was decided in part at Saturday’s District at Portage Central. Reigning MHSAA champion Mattawan emerged as the winner from a field that included top-ranked Portage Central – which was upset by Kalamazoo Loy Norrix in a semifinal. (Kalamazoo Gazette)
Soccer
AAGR moves on: Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard, No. 8 in Division 3, shut out No. 7 Jackson Lumen Christi 3-0 in the Division 3 District final at Brooklyn Columbia Central (AnnArbor.com)
Story in Photos: 2023 Volleyball Division 1 & 4 Semifinals
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
November 17, 2023
All four MHSAA Girls Volleyball Finals are set as Division 4 and 1 title contenders locked up the final spots in the championship lineup with Semifinals victories Friday.
All four title matches, including the Division 2 and 3 finales determined Thursday, will conclude this season at Battle Creek’s Kellogg Arena.
10 a.m. – Division 4 – Clarkston Everest Collegiate (31-4-2) vs. Leland (41-16-2)
Noon – Division 1 – Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern (45-7-1) vs. Farmington Hills Mercy (31-15-3)
2:30 p.m. – Division 2 – Grand Rapids West Catholic (38-9-6) vs. North Branch (55-4-1)
4:30 p.m. – Division 3 – Kalamazoo Christian (42-6-3) vs. Traverse City St. Francis (38-9-1)
Hockey Weekly Action Photos captured the following from Friday’s Semifinals:
Forest Hills Northern senior Kendall Hopewell (9) attempts to send a kill through the block of Northville juniors Mallory (10) and Molly Reck (8) in Division 1. Hopewell had nine kills in the 22-25, 25-11, 25-23, 25-19 win for the Huskies (45-7-1), while the Recks both had 14 kills for No. 2 Northville.
Elana Erickson (12) connects for No. 5 FHN, while Ella Craggs (9) and Ashley Krahe (14) put up a block. Erickson had 19 kills and 20 digs, while Craggs had 34 assists and 16 digs for the Mustangs (49-3).
Farmington Hills Mercy junior Campbell Flynn (28) sets to her oncoming teammates during the Marlins’ 25-23, 25-13, 25-20 Semifinal win over No. 3 Clarkston (34-4). Flynn had 23 assists, eight kills and nine digs for Mercy, which entered the postseason an honorable mention in Division 1.
Sophomore Ava Fitzgerald (39) and senior Angie Butler (11) set up to block a Clarkston kill attempt. The Marlins (31-15-3) finished with 10 blocks.
The No. 10-ranked Mountaineers (31-4-2) get over the net with a block during their Division 4 Semifinal win over the top-ranked Cougars 17-25, 19-25, 25-19, 25-16, 15-11.
Everest Collegiate junior Erica Walker (6) sets to her teammates while Lenawee Christian seniors Whitney Lilly (2) and Allyson Day (4) await the attack. Walker had 45 assists, while Lilly had 10 kills and eight digs and Day had 24 digs for the Cougars (46-6-1).
Senior Kelsey Allen (6) and junior Kally Sluiter (10) put up a block for Leland (41-16-2) as Forest Park’s Ema Stepien goes for a kill in the Comets’ 25-17, 17-25, 25-18, 21-25, 15-9 victory in Division 4. Stepien had 12 kills and 18 digs for the No. 9 Trojans (34-3), while Allen had 15 kills and Sluiter had 11 digs for No. 4 Leland.
TOP PHOTO Leland celebrates its five-set win over Crystal Falls Forest Park on Friday at Kellogg Arena.