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: 6/15/16

June 15, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The first four girls soccer finalists and the 32 baseball and softball semifinalists were determined Tuesday across the state, with links below from all four soccer semifinals and some of the most dramatic diamond Quarterfinal finishes.

Baseball

New Lothrop scored six runs in the seventh inning to come all the way back and down Standish-Sterling 6-5 in Division 3 – Flint Journal

Gaylord St. Mary will play in a Semifinal for the first time since 1989 after downing Norway 6-2 – Traverse City Record-Eagle

Linden will be back in the MHSAA Semifinals for the first time since 2004 thanks to a 2-0 extra-inning win over Gaylord – Flint Journal

Dearborn Divine Child also needed extra innings to eliminate Detroit Country Day 4-3 in Division 2 – Oakland Press

Portland St. Patrick eliminated reigning Division 4 champion Muskegon Catholic Central 3-2 – Ionia Sentinel-Standard

Girls Soccer

Rochester Hills Stoney Creek dominated a 4-1 overtime shootout to come away with a 2-1 Semifinal win over Novi in Division 1 – Oakland Press

Canton dealt the first and only loss this season to Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central – Grand Rapids Press

Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett returned to the MHSAA Finals for the first time since 2005 with a 1-0 win over top-ranked Lansing Christian – MLive-Detroit

Montrose will play in its first MHSAA Final in girls soccer thanks to a 3-0 win over Muskegon Western Michigan Christian in Division 4 – Flint Journal

Softball

Vicksburg scored five runs in the first inning on the way to downing reigning Division 2 champion Wayland 14-2 – Grand Rapids Press

Macomb Dakota added to this season’s firsts with its first Semifinal berth, downing Garden City 6-0 in Division 1 – Macomb Daily

Midland made its first MHSAA Semifinals in 28 years with an 8-1 win over Rockford in Division 1 – Midland Daily News

Division 4 top-ranked Coleman fell to Holton in the Quarterfinals for the second straight season, this time 6-3 – Muskegon Chronicle

Farmington Hills Mercy got past Lake Orion 11-7 in Division 1 as the teams combined for 19 hits – Oakland Press

In Division 3, 42-1 Millington earned its first Semifinal berth with a 1-0 win over Shepherd – Saginaw News