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: 10/15/15
October 15, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Championship are won on a seemingly daily basis in October, and plenty were earned and celebrated Wednesday – but please also check out some great reads at the bottom of this list, including a look at why specialization is increasing as a nationwide concern.
Cross Country
The Saugatuck girls, ranked No. 2 in Lower Peninsula Division 4, won their ninth straight Southwestern Athletic Conference title with 12 runners earning all-league honors – Grand Rapids Press
Boys Soccer
LP Division 2 No. 5 East Lansing capped an impressive run through the Capital Area Activities Conference Gold Cup by winning the final 3-1 over Grand Ledge – Lansing State Journal
LP Division 1 No. 15 East Kentwood secured its 12th Ottawa-Kent Conference Red title in 13 seasons with a 1-0 win over Grandville, helped in part by a pair of players whose ties the program go back to the early years of the run – Grand Rapids Press
LP Division 1 No. 7 Utica Ford shut out No. 14 Fraser to clinch the Macomb Area Conference Red championship – Macomb Daily
Unranked Birmingham Brother Rice stunned LP Division 1 No. 3 Detroit Catholic Central 2-1 in the championship game of the Detroit Catholic League A-B tournament – Oakland Press
LP Division 4 No. 11 Charlevoix clinched a share of the Lake Michigan Conference title with a 3-0 win over Grayling, thanks to a hat trick by Walker Drost – Charlevoix Courier
Saginaw Heritage scored the first goal Flint Powers Catholic had given up since Sept. 12, but the Chargers emerged with a 2-1 win and the overall Saginaw Valley League championship – Flint Journal
Volleyball
Lansing Catholic won the first volleyball league championship in its long history, beating Fowlerville in three sets to claim a share of the CAAC White title – Lansing State Journal
Good Reads
Single-sport specialization has become a topic of national focus and concern, and MHSAA Executive Director Jack Roberts was among association directors talked to for this report on why it’s a health-related issue and how states are working to promote multi-sport participation instead – NFHS.org
Vandercook Lake is enjoying its best football season in 45 years and plays for a league title this weekend, and is led by a three-sport athlete who has been on a long road back after Crohn’s disease led to his shedding 90 pounds only two years ago – Jackson Citizen-Patriot
The Christmas tree standing tall in front of the Capitol in Lansing this winter will come from Wakefield thanks to a donation by Florence Daniels in honor of her husband Jim, who coached Wakefield High's boys basketball team to 355 wins, 12 district the five regional titles in 28 seasons. He also was a member of Channing High’s Upper Peninsula championship team in 1944 and coached Al Inkala, who went on to become an MHSAA championship-winning girls tennis coach at Okemos – Lansing State Journal