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: 9/28/15

September 28, 2015

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

This weekend’s highlights included elite swimming competitions and a cross country race so fun that a football team came out to run.

Cross Country

The Cadillac girls, No. 6 in Lower Peninsula Division 2, and the unranked Middleville Thornapple Kellogg boys won championships at the Muskegon Oakridge Invitational – Cadillac News

LP Division 1 No. 4 Brighton took the top five places to win the Monroe Jefferson Invitational with a perfect score – Livingston Daily

The LP Division 1 No. 6 Bay City Western boys and No. 12 Midland Dow girls won Division 1-2 races at the Delta College Invitational – Midland Daily News

Boys Soccer

Unranked Warren DeLaSalle upset Division 1 No. 3 Utica Eisenhower on Saturday, 2-1, on two goals by Aleks Vushaj – Macomb Daily

Girls Swimming & Diving

Midland Dow won the Tri-City Invitational for the fifth straight season, edging Saginaw Heritage after falling to the Hawks in a dual earlier this fall – Saginaw News

LP Division 3 No. 2 Holland Christian won its invitational ahead of No. 1 Grand Rapids Catholic Central and No. 5 Grand Rapids Christian – Grand Rapids Press

Volleyball

Brooklyn Columbia Central swept Concord in two sets to win the 41st Jackson County Tournament, played at Spring Arbor University – Jackson Citizen-Patriot

Good Reads

St. Louis volleyball player Brooke Courter is deaf, but she and her teammates have learned to communicate well while cheering each other on – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

Rochester Adams boys tennis coach Al Must earned his 400th victory in 32 seasons earlier this month, and for him, continuing to coach at the high school level remains an honor – Oakland Press

Frankenmuth and Millington are the fiercest of rivals and met again on the football field Friday – but with the experience of working together during a meaningful day this summer – Saginaw News

The Old Skool Classic Cross Country Race puts the “country” back in cross country, according to one of the host coaches, with two river crossings, muddy areas, a corn field and wooded trails – Macomb Daily