Today in the MHSAA: 10/1/15
October 1, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
A pair of neat stories on three-sport athletes are worth your time today as we prepare for another full weekend and celebrate our first MHSAA champions.
Girls Golf
Lower Peninsula Division 2 top-ranked Midland Dow captured the first of what it hopes will be multiple championships this fall, winning its third straight Saginaw Valley League title – Saginaw News
St. Joseph, No. 7 in Division 2, claimed the Southwest Michigan Athletic Conference championship by 31 strokes with a score of 338 – Kalamazoo Gazette
Boys Soccer
Ortonville Brandon, No. 19 in Division 2, notched its ninth shutout of the season and sixth straight win by blanking Linden 2-0 – Flint Journal
Girls Tennis
Munising clinched its first MHSAA title, edging Iron Mountain by a point to win Upper Peninsula Division 2 in the first postseason final of this school year – Second Half
Volleyball
Tri-County Conference rivals Clinton and Adrian Madison played five sets Tuesday, none decided by more than four points in Clinton’s win to stay undefeated in the league – Adrian Daily Telegram
Good Reads
Since joining the Sanford Meridian varsity during Week 2 of 2012, four-year quarterback Christian Petre has a 25-9 record and has the Mustangs off to a 5-0 start. He also plays baseball and is a reigning MHSAA champion in the 100 meters – Midland Daily News
The Dean family is synonymous with Lowell football (and wrestling too), with Noel Dean the longtime football coach and Zeth Dean on the team now – along with his sister, Darby, the kicker this fall – Grand Rapids Press
Today in the MHSAA: 1/11/16
January 11, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The first full sports weekend of 2016 included notable performances in a number of sports, highlighted by one of the top swimming and diving meets of the regular season.
Girls Basketball
Ithaca girls basketball coach Bob Anderson earned his 700th win as his team beat Carrollton 66-40; he’s coached both girls and boys teams to success over 27 seasons – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun
Durand handed Goodrich its first league loss in seven years while staying undefeated this season in the Genesee Area Conference Red – Flint Journal
DeWitt remained undefeated at 8-0 after handing Lansing Waverly its first loss this season in a matchup of two of the Lansing area’s top teams – Lansing State Journal
St. Joseph moved to 6-1 with a 72-35 win over Benton Harbor, a semifinalist in Class B last season – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium
Saranac was missing its leading scorer, but still managed to get past annual Class D power Portland St. Patrick 41-33 – Ionia Sentinel-Standard
Boys Basketball
Okemos handed Holt its first loss this season and won its first game on the Rams’ home court since 2010 – Lansing State Journal
Ice Hockey
Portage Central earned a win that could boost it into the state rankings, downing Division 1 No. 10 East Kentwood 2-1 on Saturday in Muskegon – Kalamazoo Gazette
Boys Swimming & Diving
Division 2 No. 1 Dexter scored 409 points to beat No. 4 Warren DeLaSalle by 33 at the annual Spartan Invitational at Battle Creek Lakeview, with the field also including reigning champion Birmingham Seaholm and Division 1 contender Ann Arbor Skyline – Battle Creek Enquirer
Lower Peninsula Division 1 honorable mention Grand Rapids Forest Hills defeated a field that included LPD2 No. 6 Midland Dow at the Forest Hills Invitational – Midland Daily News
Wrestling
Unranked Westland John Glenn got past Division 1 No. 9 New Baltimore Anchor Bay to win the Michigan Duals at Bay City Western over a field that also included No. 8 Western and Division 3 No. 5 Remus Chippewa Hills – Mlive-Detroit
Division 2 No. 9 Sparta won the Dave Dunneback Tournament with 247 points, ahead of Lake Odessa Lakewood, Belding and Division 3 No. 6 Grand Rapids Catholic Central – Grand Rapids Press
Football
Mike McDowell returned four seasons ago for his second stint coaching Morenci and led the program to its best finishes in nearly two decades. He recently resigned – Adrian Daily Telegram
Good Reads
Longtime coach Keith Haske remains cancer-free after fighting Stage 4 throat cancer only a year ago – and he’s added significantly to his day, becoming the girls basketball coach in addition to leading the boys program at Traverse City St. Francis. The Record-Eagle’s Brett Sommers documented a typical Haske day – Traverse City Record-Eagle
Carleton Airport senior Jessica Book is her school’s Homecoming Queen this year – and a cheerleader – and a wrestler – and plans to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps and defuse bombs – Monroe Evening News