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: 8/24/17

August 24, 2017

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

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

Today's Top 10

1. Volleyball: Mendon repeated as St. Joseph County Tournament champion, downing Three Rivers in two sets in the title match to move to 10-0-1 this season – JoeInsider.com

2. Boys Cross Country: Concord made another strong early-season move to the front of the pack with a Pittsford Early Bird Invitational win – Hillsdale Daily News

3. Girls Tennis: Escanaba took the top two singles flights, but Iron River West Iron County took the rest in an early-season dual win – Iron Mountain Daily News

4. Cross Country: The Berrien Springs boys and Bridgman girls won championships at the Bridgman Invitational – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium

5. Boys Soccer: Petoskey moved to 2-1 against a loaded schedule to start this season, downing Elk Rapids 2-1 – Petoskey News-Review

6. Volleyball: Saline emerged 2-1 from a quad featuring some of the southeast’s most intriguing teams – also Monroe, Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central and Dexter – Saline Post

7. Football: Like some other communities have experienced in moving from 11-player to 8-player football, Bay City All Saints has worked through a little bit of misunderstanding while making the switch this season – but the program is relishing the new opportunity – Bay City Times

8. Boys Soccer: Adding a little Throwback Thursday into the mix, Muskegon Western Michigan Christian is celebrating its 50th year of playing the sport – Muskegon Chronicle

9. Football: There are 616 football teams suiting up in Michigan this fall – the same as the last two seasons – including two that didn’t field teams last year, Suttons Bay and Benzie Central – Traverse City Record-Eagle

10. Volleyball: Grand Haven again will host its outdoor “Battle on the Boardwalk” on Friday, with Spring Lake, Fruitport and Muskegon Mona Shores also in the field – Grand Haven Tribune

Also of note:

Boys Soccer: From Tuesday, Brighton’s 18-game regular-season unbeaten streak was ended by Jackson as the Vikings won 2-1 – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

Boys Cross Country: From Tuesday, Niles' Devin Tomlinson won his second invitational this fall, taking the Three Rivers Big Hill race in 17:51 – Niles Daily Star

Girls Cross Country: Also from Tuesday, Remus Chippewa Hills finished ahead of a strong field to claim the Big School championship at its Early Season Warrior Invitational – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun