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: 9/17/15
September 17, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Today’s know-your-sports checklist includes catching up on impressive feats by some of the state’s top-ranked girls golf teams and enjoying a pair of inspirational stories about leading soccer scorers.
Girls Golf
Lower Peninsula Division 1 No. 4 Lake Orion won the Oakland County Division 1 Tournament for the second straight season, edging No. 6 Novi by one shot and No. 1 Rochester by two – Oakland Press
Three Spring Lake golfers carded three birdies apiece to lead the LP Division 3 No. 1 Lakers to a 53-stroke win in the Lakes 8 jamboree on their home course – Muskegon Chronicle
Boys Soccer
Freeland improved to 11-1 with its first win over Saginaw Swan Valley in three seasons, also handing the Vikings their first loss this fall – Saginaw News
Boys Tennis
Midland Dow, No. 1 in Lower Peninsula Division 2, fell to No. 3 Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central at the Midweek Classic, but still won the tournament thanks to No. 6 Detroit U-D Jesuit’s win over FHC – Midland Daily News and Saginaw News
Volleyball
Ionia swept reigning Capital Area Activities Conference White champion Williamston, beating the Hornets for the first time under sixth-year coach Jeanna Kraatz – Ionia Sentinel-Standard
Niles emerged as the biggest winner from the SMAC 6-Pack Tournament on its home floor with victories over Battle Creek Lakeview, Battle Creek Central and Richland Gull Lake, all in two games – Niles Daily Star
Bay City John Glenn improved to 9-1 with a win over Tawas, opening North East Michigan Conference play as the reigning champion and with nearly the same lineup as in 2014 – Bay City Times
Good Reads
We’re big fans of athletes who play multiple sports, and Port Huron’s Jon Miller is one of the latest – he’s the soccer team’s leading scorer and the top field goal kicker in school history, plus one of the football team’s leading receivers. A great line from the story: “But if there’s one kid that can take this on, it’s the kid that’s loading his senior year with as many memories as possible.” – Port Huron Times-Herald
Andrew Shippell is Marshall’s leading scorer this season, and after three years of fighting is preparing to celebrate a milestone – the end of his chemotherapy in February – Battle Creek Enquirer