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: 11/12/15
November 12, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
We include today a couple additional notable stories from Tuesday’s Volleyball Regional Semifinals, plus a look at one of the top coaches in that sport.
Volleyball
Class C honorable mention Calumet handed Manistique its first and only loss this season in Tuesday’s Regional Semifinal – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette
Laingsburg came back after losing the first set to Delton Kellogg on Tuesday to advance in Class C; the Wolfpack has won a school-record 42 matches and will play for its first Regional title – Lansing State Journal
Good Read
Bronson is the top-ranked team in Class C – and although she’s the first to give all of the credit to her players, it’s hard to look past the impact of longtime coach Jean LaClair, who won her 1,000th match this fall and is a past MHSAA Women in Sports Leadership Award winner – Battle Creek Enquirer