Today in the MHSAA: 10/14/15

October 14, 2015

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

With Lower Peninsula golf and tennis heading into the MHSAA Finals this weekend, it’s cross country, soccer and volleyball teams’ turns to claim league championships.

Cross Country

Lower Peninsula Division 3 No. 5 Shepherd won its sixth straight Tri-Valley Conference Central girls championship with the top four finishers at the final league jamboree – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

Boys Soccer

Hillsdale Academy won the Hillsdale Cup and clinched a league title with a shootout win over Hillsdale High – Hillsdale Daily News

Division 2 No. 6 Spring Lake and No. 9 Fruitport will split the Lakes 8 Conference title thanks to the former’s 4-1 victory over Division 3 No. 11 Ludington on Tuesday – Muskegon Chronicle

Girls Swimming and Diving

LP Division 1 No. 6 Brighton opened its new pool by handing honorable mention Grand Blanc its first loss this season – Livingston Daily

Volleyball

Lake Odessa Lakewood, No. 7 in Class B, stayed undefeated in Greater Lansing Activities Conference play with a three-set win over Class D No. 5 Lansing Christian – Ionia Sentinel-Standard

Class B No. 7 Chelsea clinched its second straight Southeastern Conference White championship with a sweep of Tecumseh – AnnArbor.com

West Bloomfield unseated two-time reigning champion Farmington Hills Harrison in the Oakland Activities Association White, coming back from a first-set loss to claim the deciding match – Oakland Press

Ortonville-Brandon continued a 13-3 run coming off a 3-7 start this fall with a 3-1 win over Flushing – Flint Journal

Good Reads

The MHSAA Finals preview of Port Huron-area boys tennis teams kicks off with a look at 50-year Armada coach Dave Fredette – Port Huron Times-Herald

The origins of the unique Ann Arbor Huron River Rat mascot are tough to lock down, but this report looks at a few theories – AnnArbor.com

Today in the MHSAA: 8/27/18

August 27, 2018

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Each weekday of the school year, we break down the top headlines courtesy of Michigan’s sports media. 

1. Cross Country: Adelyn Ackley led the Hart girls to another fast start with a championship finish ahead of Northville and Ann Arbor Pioneer at the Benzie Invitational; other notable champs included Spring Lake’s boys and McBain with a sweep of small-school titles – Athletic.net

2. Boys Tennis: Traverse City St. Francis won the Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett Invitational, defeating reigning Division 4 champion Liggett in the finale – Traverse City Record-Eagle

3. Boys Tennis: Grosse Pointe South downed Midland Dow 6-2 in a matchup of top-10 Finals finishers from 2017 – Midland Daily News

4. Volleyball: Rain forced teams to leave the “boardwalk,” but Grand Haven went inside to win the Battle on the Boardwalk for the sixth time – Grand Haven Tribune

5. Cross Country: Fowlerville’s boys won the Laingsburg Invitational with three freshmen scoring – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

6. Volleyball: Niles went 7-0 to win the Kalamazoo Loy Norrix Invitational, at one point winning 14 straight sets – Niles Daily Star

7. Volleyball: Centreville swept all five opponents in winning the East Jackson Invitational – Sturgis Journal

8. Boys Tennis: Grand Haven edged Petoskey by two points to win the Holland Invitational – Grand Haven Tribune

9. Cross Country: The Holland girls and Sparta boys won Muskegon Catholic Central Invitational titles – Holland Sentinel

10. Cross Country: Mancelona’s boys and Boyne City’s girls won Mancelona Invitational titles – Petoskey News-Review

Also of note …

Officials: Deerfield’s Bill Gomoluch, a past girls and boys basketball coach at southeastern Michigan high schools and four-time MHSAA Softball Finals official, was named the National Pro Fastpitch Umpire of the Year – Adrian Daily Telegram