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: 10/23/15

October 23, 2015

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Notable milestones made headlines Thursday – among them, Rockford’s boys cross country team extending an incredible championship streak and one of Michigan’s best volleyball coaches being celebrated for 1,000 victories.

Cross Country

The Milford girls and White Lake Lakeland boys, both ranked No. 5 in Lower Peninsula Division 1, won Kensington Lakes Activities Association Lakes championships; Milford’s girls finished ahead of No. 4 Brighton and No. 12 Waterford Mott – Oakland Press

The Rockford boys, No. 1 in LPD1, won their 21st straight league title, claiming the Ottawa-Kent Conference Red; Rockford’s 10th-ranked girls added their third straight league title – Grand Rapids Press

Boys Soccer

Unranked Okemos edged No. 11 Portage Central in a Division 1 semifinal 2-1 after jumping out to a two-goal lead – Kalamazoo Gazette

Division 2 No. 14 Petoskey advanced despite three Cadillac comebacks, finally winning a 5-4 semifinal – Petoskey News

Division 3 No. 4 Hudsonville Unity Christian repeated as a district champion with a 2-1 win over No. 18 Grand Rapids Catholic Central – Grand Rapids Press

Volleyball

Unionville-Sebewaing, an MHSAA semifinalist in 2014, won its fourth straight Greater Thumb Conference West title by avenging an earlier loss to Bad Axe with a five-set win – Huron Daily Tribune

Class D No. 6 North Adams-Jerome needed to reach 31-29 to win its first set against Pittsford before finishing a sweep – Hillsdale Daily News

Good Reads

Battle Creek Enquirer sports editor Bill Broderick says what a lot of former high school football players have felt in his message to seniors playing their final games this week and over the next few – Battle Creek Enquirer

Longtime Midland Dow, Pinconning and now Bronson volleyball coach Jean LaClair won her 1,000th match last week; her team is ranked No. 1 in Class C and she was the 2015 MHSAA Women in Sports Leadership Award winner – Sturgis Journal