Today in the MHSAA: 10/12/16
October 12, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Ranked teams matched up in cross country, soccer and volleyball Tuesday all over the Lower Peninsula with league trophies – with top-ranked teams in all three sports among those that won championships.
Each weekday during the school year, we’ll gather and post media links covering the most significant and intriguing high school events from all over the state.
Cross Country
Pinckney’s Catherine Stone won the second race of her four-year varsity career to lead her team, ranked No. 5 in Lower Peninsula Division 1, to its first Kensington Lakes Activities Association West championship since 2010 – Livingston County Daily Argus & Press
The LPD3 No. 7 Saugatuck girls clinched their 10th straight Southwestern Athletic Conference title, while the top-ranked boys won their fifth straight championship – Holland Sentinel
Ithaca swept the Tri-Valley West Conference championships, the boys by a slim margin over St. Louis and the LPD3 No. 11 girls for the fourth straight season – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun
Boys Soccer
East Lansing, the top-ranked team in Division 2, avenged an opening-night loss to Haslett by defeating the No. 18 Vikings 2-0 in the Capital Area Activities Conference Gold Cup championship game – Lansing State Journal
Shelby clinched a share of the West Michigan Conference title, its first league championship since 2000, by avenging an earlier loss to Division 4 No. 2 North Muskegon 2-1 – Muskegon Chronicle
Division 4 No. 16 Adrian Lenawee Christian downed Manchester 4-2 to clinch the Independent Soccer League East championship and will face No. 7 Hillsdale Academy on Thursday for the overall title – Adrian Daily Telegram
Division 1 No. 5 Rochester Adams got past No. 4 Troy Athens 2-0 to guarantee an outright Oakland Activities Association Red championship – Oakland Press
Volleyball
Class A top-ranked Novi finished its third straight KLAA Central title with a sweep of No. 4 Northville – Oakland Press
Class D No. 3 Leland won a match of top-10 teams, downing No. 9 Suttons Bay in three sets – Traverse City Record-Eagle
For the second straight season, Marcellus clinched the Southwestern Athletic Conference Central title with a win over Decatur – Sturgis Journal
From Monday, St. Joseph downed Class B No. 3 Buchanan in five games in a significant upset; the Bears are 9-22 and the Bucks are 34-4 – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium
Today in the MHSAA: 1/20/16
January 20, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Buzzer beaters and milestone basketball victories made headlines all over Michigan today, and check out as well a moving video that tells of the importance of our national anthem.
Girls Basketball
Reigning Class C champion Calumet added another accomplishment to the long list with its first win over Houghton since 1999, 44-31 – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette
Three Rivers’ sophomore Arionne Fowlkes went baseline to baseline for a last-second layup to give her team a 43-41 win over Niles – Niles Daily Star
Class A favorite Saginaw Heritage remained undefeated with a 53-38 win over rival Midland Dow, also ranked in Class A – Saginaw News
One-loss St. Ignace handed Newberry its first defeat of the season, 64-57 – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News
Cedar Springs also knocked a team from the unbeaten ranks, with Sam Taylor’s 3-pointer in the closing seconds ending Kent City’s perfect run, 50-47 – Grand Rapids Press
Muskegon edged East Kentwood 50-47 after trailing by 10 and on the strength of 26 points and 22 rebounds by senior Mardrekia Cook – Muskegon Chronicle
Boys Basketball
Despite being outscored 30-22 in the fourth quarter, Southfield Christian held on for an 82-79 win over Southfield – MLive-Detroit
Merrill earned its first win since 2013 by downing Coleman 49-36 – Midland Daily News
One-loss Alma handed previously-undefeated Ithaca its first, 56-53, as Dylan Carl hit 3-pointers to send the game to overtime and then win it – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun
Muskegon Oakridge’s Brady Luttrull drilled a 3-pointer during the final seconds to push his team past Scottville Mason County Central 67-66 – Muskegon Chronicle
Cassopolis followed a strong third quarter by Deoin Gatson to hand Niles Brandywine its first loss, 61-47 – Niles Daily Leader
One-loss Clarkston also handed out a first loss Tuesday, to Rochester Adams, in a matchup of top Class A teams – Oakland Press
Caleb Brown’s only basket for Northport was the game winner during the final seconds of a 51-49 victory over Central Lake – Traverse City Record-Eagle
Nate Dugener’s sixth 3-pointer of the game gave Muskegon Western Michigan Christian a 52-49 win over Holland Christian – Grand Haven Tribune
Boys Swimming & Diving
In a matchup of top teams on the west side of the Lower Peninsula, Division 1 No. 6 Zeeland got past Division 2 honorable mention Holland 104-73 – Holland Sentinel
Worth Watching
We ran across and were moved by Virginia Tech’s honoring of veterans at the start of this men’s basketball season. Check out this meaningful presentation and how it relates to providing proper respect during The Star-Spangled Banner.