Today in the MHSAA: 10/14/16

October 14, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The first MHSAA Lower Peninsula Finals begin today, in golf and tennis, and Thursday featured a few more local championship events as teams in those sports began pointing toward the end of their regular seasons.

Each weekday during the school year, we’ll gather and post media links covering the most significant and intriguing high school events from all over the state.

Cross Country

The Houghton boys and girls teams swept West Peninsula Athletic Conference championships at the league meet, the boys (who are tied for the No. 1 ranking in Upper Peninsula Division 1) continuing a recent string and the UPD1 No. 5 girls winning for the first time in at least five years – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

Anna Fischer finished the Rock ‘N’ Run Invitational in Dowagiac in 18:48, more than a minute ahead of the field, as St. Joseph swept the girls and boys races; the Bears' girls are No. 12 in LPD2 – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium

Boys Soccer

Midland Dow downed Midland 3-0 to complete a Saginaw Valley League title run and move to 16-0-4 heading into next week’s District – Midland Daily News

Good Read

We salute the many programs statewide that play games to benefit a variety of causes. Battle Creek Central’s football team will play a “Gray/Pink” game tonight with a teammate in mind, helping to raise money for the treatment of freshman player Michael Miller as he battles brain cancer – Battle Creek Enquirer

Today in the MHSAA: 10/16/15

October 16, 2015

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

First-time champions are always worth noting, and we found a few in checking out today’s media reports of Thursday action statewide.

Cross Country

The Calumet girls, ranked No. 4 in Upper Peninsula Division 1, and the unranked Houghton boys won the Western Peninsula Athletic Conference finals at Chassell – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

Boys Soccer

Grand Rapids Union clinched its first league title since moving from the Grand Rapids City League to the Ottawa-Kent Conference, downing Muskegon 3-0 – Grand Rapids Press

Manchester edged Hillsdale Academy 2-1 to claim its first Independent Soccer League championship after winning only one league game in 2014 – Jackson Citizen-Patriot

Volleyball

Class B honorable mention Buchanan downed Class C’s top-ranked team, Bronson, in five sets, and also Class D No. 6 Mendon in five – Niles Daily Star

Class B No. 6 Mount Morris avenged a five-set loss to No. 5 Goodrich in September by sweeping the Martians to improve to 55-5-1 – Flint Journal

Zeeland West claimed its first conference title in this sport, defeating Holland Christian in five sets to claim a share of the O-K Green championship – Holland Sentinel

Good Reads

Longtime Burton Atherton leader Mary Down will become the third volleyball coach inducted into the Greater Flint Area Hall of Fame, having impacted a generation of players and more as a number of former players went on to coach as well – Flint Journal