Did You See That? (April 8-14)
April 30, 2013
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Near-constant rain – and for our northern schools, plenty of snow – has stalled many teams during this spring season.
But there still were plenty of notable performances as most schools returned last week from spring break and battled the elements to get back into the swing.
Below is a look, with links to coverage, of some of news and results that stuck out most:
Softball
Lake Orion mourns longtime coach: Former Lake Orion softball coach Denny Davis, who retired in 2009 with 503 wins and more than 30 seasons in the dugout, died after a heart attack on April 7. His funeral was Thursday. (Oakland Press)
Strong start: Sturgis opened its season with a no-hitter by pitcher Dominique Beach over Three Rivers in a 7-0 win. (Sturgis Journal)
Girls Tennis
Strong start II: Traverse City Central – a top team in Division 2 last season – beat Division 1 powers Midland Dow and Saline on Thursday at the Midland Tennis Center. Traverse City Central will play in Division 1 this spring. (Traverse City Record-Eagle)
Golf
Rockford rules Winding Creek: Through snow, wind and freezing temperatures, Rockford went low against 16 other teams to win Saturday’s Zeeland East Invitational with a score of 314. Junior A.J. Varekois shot a one-under 70 to finish as medalist. (Grand Rapids Press)
Soccer
Gull Lake golden: The Blue Devils beat rival Plainwell 2-1 on Friday in a game that likely gave Gull Lake some added push for the first Division 2 state rankings released today. Gull Lake is ranked No. 5 and Plainwell sits No. 6. (Kalamazoo Gazette)
MHSAA
Minter honored with Norris Award: Longtime MHSAA official and former assistant to the director Tom Minter has been named the Vern L. Norris Award winner for this year and will be honored at the MHSAA’s Officials’ Awards & Alumni Banquet on May 4 in East Lansing. Minter has officiated MHSAA games for 48 years and continues to serve as a clinician at training sessions all over the state. (Second Half)
Football
Mifsud heads to Parma Western: After 16 seasons leading a strong Dearborn program, coach Dave Mifsud was hired as the new leader of Parma Western’s last week. He led Dearborn to eight playoff berths over the last nine seasons – with 11-win finishes in 2004 and 2006. He is taking over a program seeking its first playoff appearance and coming off a 1-8 finish. (Jackson Citizen Patriot)
Monroe Jefferson’s Cisco steps down: After 47 seasons and more than 400 games leading Jefferson’s program, coach Marc Cisco announced his retirement last week. Including three more seasons as an assistant, he coached in the program for a half century. (Monroe Daily News)
Boys Track and Field
Northern wins Port Huron matchup: The boys track meet between Port Huron and Port Huron Northern came down to the day’s final event, the 1,600-meter relay. Northern finished seven seconds faster and a little more than four points better. (Port Huron Times-Herald)
Girls Lacrosse
Chargers survive Saline: Flint Powers Catholic, which missed last season’s Division 2 Semifinals via a one-goal loss to eventual runner-up Okemos, held off a comeback attempt by Saline to earn a 15-14 win Saturday. (Mlive.com)
Boys Lacrosse
Defining win: That’s how the Grand Haven Tribune defined the Buccaneers’ 12-7 victory over three-time Division 2 champion East Grand Rapids – which also has finished MHSAA runner-up in its division three times. (Grand Haven Tribune)
Linked Up: 11/15/11
December 16, 2011
We're heading into the final two weeks of the MHSAA fall season, which means playoffs for a few more sports, first practices for many others, and some catch-up on good stories that have made their way into my e-mail or onto my desk. Here are five more I've run across this week.
And again, if you see something high school sports-related that you think others would find valuable, send me a link at [email protected].
Walled Lake Central's Zac Leimbach stands strong after father's death (Detroit Free Press)
Walled Lake Central quarterback Zac Leimbach led his team to the playoffs this fall (WLC lost last weekend). He also is the oldest of three sons and now the man of his house in the wake of the summer death of their father after a battle with cancer. Mick McCabe's passage about Leimbach's final conversation with his father really struck me -- incredible.
Being in the pool makes Zeeland swimmer Becky Taylor feel like equal (Holland Sentinel)
Taylor was born with spina bifida -- "a hole in her back" -- and paralysis from the hips down. But she can leave her wheelchair behind when she takes to the pool as a member of the Zeeland swim team. Dan D'Addona tells us this inspiring story that has made waves on the west side of the state this season.
Mercy's Maddy Doyle takes home Miss Volleyball award (Oakland Press)
Doyle was the spokesperson for her team to the media after tough losses ended their last two seasons. But she was able to stand in once more -- joyfully tearful this time -- in accepting the Miss Volleyball award for 2011. Matthew B. Mowery wraps up her great career.
East Grand Rapids' win over Holland was the Pioneers' 28th straight in postseason play. That's a story unto itself, of course. But another big one for West Michigan high school sports fans was the return of the Press' Jane Bos, who is back in the press box after nearly a year working through medical issues. This is her return column, and I'm sure a loyal reader base is thankful to have her back.
From a standout player, a different sort of care basket (Los Angeles Times)
This is a little old, but came back into the light this week with the start of college basketball season. It's a college story, but also a high school story, of a star hoops player who won $40,000 in scholarship money in a free-throw shooting contest -- and then gave it to the seven runners-up. You'll probably hear about Cal State-Northridge's Allan Guei at some point over the next few years. Here's why.