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: 9/3/15

September 3, 2015

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Exciting soccer finishes, plus news from volleyball, girls golf and cross country top today’s headlines from media across the state.

Cross Country

The biggest school at the Battle Creek All-City Invitational swept the team titles, with Lakeview’s boys and girls both winning; the top racers from the smallest school, Battle Creek St. Philip’s Ava Strenge and Jack Greenman, won the individual titles – Battle Creek Enquirer

Girls Golf

Same players, new coach, and Muskegon Mona Shores is back among the elite with a win in the Ottawa-Kent Black on Wednesday after finishing second in the first league jamboree – Muskegon Chronicle

Boys Soccer

Portage Central won a battle of undefeated teams from the Kalamazoo area, downing Mattawan 1-0 with a second-half goal – Kalamazoo Gazette

Ludington scored three goals over a 10-minute second-half span to win a high-scoring 5-3 matchup with Whitehall – Ludington Daily News

Saginaw Heritage freshman keeper Joseph Horwath became a wall over the final two minutes as the Hawks edged Valley Lutheran 3-2 – Saginaw News

Volleyball

Camden-Frontier came back from two sets down to beat Hillsdale Academy, claiming the deciding game 15-13 – Hillsdale Daily News

New Baltimore Anchor Bay improved to 12-1-2 this fall under first-year coach Brittany McGinnis, a former standout at Fraser, by beating her alma mater and two others – Macomb Daily

Good reads

Most of the competitors at Frankenmuth’s Patriot Cup girls golf tournament were toddlers or only a little older on Sept. 11, 2001, so the Eagles will host 21 teams in remembrance of the victims of attacks and those who continue to serve – Saginaw News

Charlevoix dedicated its recently purchased football scoreboard Friday to late coach Don Carey, who led multiple teams at the school over nearly three decades – Charlevoix Courier