Today in the MHSAA: 10/10/17

October 10, 2017

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Each weekday of the school year, we break down the top headlines courtesy of Michigan’s sports media.

Today's Top 10

1. Boys Tennis: Kalamazoo Christian, tied for No. 10 in Lower Peninsula Division 4, netted the championship at the combined Berrien-Cass-St. Joseph and Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium

2. Boys Tennis: Byron Center closed out an Ottawa-Kent Conference Green championship just ahead of LPD3 No. 9 Zeeland East – Holland Sentinel

3. Boys Tennis: LPD4 No. 8 Ludington closed out an outright Coastal Conference championship by finishing four points ahead of runner-up Whitehall at the league tournament – Ludington Daily News

4. Boys Soccer: Division 4 No. 3 Leland clinched the Northwest Conference championship with a 5-1 win over Northport, which went into an interesting attack mode late trying to get the win and stay in the race – Traverse City Record-Eagle

5. Girls Cross Country: Calumet freshman Clarity Gipp won the West Iron County Invitational just ahead of Chassell star Lela Rautiola; Chassell’s LPD3 No. 1 girls and Houghton’s LPD1 No. 1 boys won the team titles – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

6. Boys Tennis: LPD1 No. 10 Hudsonville also won an O-K league title, claiming the Red just ahead of Grandville – Grand Haven Tribune

7. Boys Soccer: Unranked Hartland won its seventh straight game, this time upsetting No. 9 Northville 1-0 – Livingston Daily Press & Argus 

8. Boys Soccer: Big Rapids moved into first place alone in the Central State Activities Association Gold with a 2-1 win over Newaygo, which had beaten Big Rapids earlier this season – Big Rapids News

9. Boys Soccer: Division 1 No. 17 Grand Haven improved to 10-3-3 with a 1-0 win over Rockford – Local Sports Journal

10. Track & Field: Livonia Churchill announced it will dedicate Friday its stadium field to first athletic director Larry Joiner and the track to successful coach Rick Austin – Observer & Eccentric

From High School to Olympic Swimming

July 11, 2012

Fans of U.S. Swimming already have plenty of reasons to cheer for Missy Franklin later this month at the Summer Olympics -- she's only 17, but qualified to compete in a U.S. women's all-time best seven events.

But fans of high school sports and what they provide athletes at all levels of ability can also support her for how she's chosen to compete when she's not racing against the best in the world.

Franklin, who lives in Colorado, has continued to swim for her high school team despite the financial rewards she could've earned by taking the elite swimmer's usual path of going pro.

A ton has been written about Franklin lately, for obvious reasons. Below is a link to a New York Times story from February that focused on her continued dedication to her high school team.

Before the Olympic Trials, There’s This Big High School Meet (New York Times)