Today in the MHSAA: 10/15/15

October 15, 2015

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Championship are won on a seemingly daily basis in October, and plenty were earned and celebrated Wednesday – but please also check out some great reads at the bottom of this list, including a look at why specialization is increasing as a nationwide concern.

Cross Country

The Saugatuck girls, ranked No. 2 in Lower Peninsula Division 4, won their ninth straight Southwestern Athletic Conference title with 12 runners earning all-league honors – Grand Rapids Press

Boys Soccer

LP Division 2 No. 5 East Lansing capped an impressive run through the Capital Area Activities Conference Gold Cup by winning the final 3-1 over Grand Ledge – Lansing State Journal

LP Division 1 No. 15 East Kentwood secured its 12th Ottawa-Kent Conference Red title in 13 seasons with a 1-0 win over Grandville, helped in part by a pair of players whose ties the program go back to the early years of the run – Grand Rapids Press

LP Division 1 No. 7 Utica Ford shut out No. 14 Fraser to clinch the Macomb Area Conference Red championship – Macomb Daily

Unranked Birmingham Brother Rice stunned LP Division 1 No. 3 Detroit Catholic Central 2-1 in the championship game of the Detroit Catholic League A-B tournament – Oakland Press

LP Division 4 No. 11 Charlevoix clinched a share of the Lake Michigan Conference title with a 3-0 win over Grayling, thanks to a hat trick by Walker Drost – Charlevoix Courier

Saginaw Heritage scored the first goal Flint Powers Catholic had given up since Sept. 12, but the Chargers emerged with a 2-1 win and the overall Saginaw Valley League championship – Flint Journal

Volleyball

Lansing Catholic won the first volleyball league championship in its long history, beating Fowlerville in three sets to claim a share of the CAAC White title – Lansing State Journal

Good Reads

Single-sport specialization has become a topic of national focus and concern, and MHSAA Executive Director Jack Roberts was among association directors talked to for this report on why it’s a health-related issue and how states are working to promote multi-sport participation instead – NFHS.org

Vandercook Lake is enjoying its best football season in 45 years and plays for a league title this weekend, and is led by a three-sport athlete who has been on a long road back after Crohn’s disease led to his shedding 90 pounds only two years ago – Jackson Citizen-Patriot

The Christmas tree standing tall in front of the Capitol in Lansing this winter will come from Wakefield thanks to a donation by Florence Daniels in honor of her husband Jim, who coached Wakefield High's boys basketball team to 355 wins, 12 district the five regional titles in 28 seasons. He also was a member of Channing High’s Upper Peninsula championship team in 1944 and coached Al Inkala, who went on to become an MHSAA championship-winning girls tennis coach at Okemos – Lansing State Journal

Today in the MHSAA: 2/9/18

February 9, 2018

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Each weekday of the school year, we break down the top headlines courtesy of Michigan’s sports media.

Today's Top 10 

1. Cheer: Division 2 No. 2 Gibraltar Carlson won its fifth straight Downriver League championship, edging reigning Division 2 champion and top-ranked Allen Park by two tenths of a point – Southgate News Herald

2. Wrestling: Allen Park won its first District championship in wrestling since 2003, downing Riverview in the title match – Southgate News Herald

3. Wrestling: Mancelona claimed its first wrestling District title since 2003 with wins over Traverse City St. Francis and Frankfort in Division 4 – Traverse City Record-Eagle

4. Boys Basketball: North Muskegon claimed a share of its first league title since 2003 with a 48-41 win over Whitehall in the West Michigan Conference – Muskegon Chronicle

5. Girls Bowling: Tecumseh clinched a 12th straight Southeastern Conference championship with a win over Ypsilanti – Adrian Daily Telegram

6. Cheer: Division 3 No. 2 Richmond won the Blue Water Area Conference for the 13th straight season, while Port Huron won the Macomb Area Conference Gold title – Port Huron Times Herald

7. Wrestling: St. Louis won its third straight Division 4 District title, downing Blanchard Montabella – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

8. Wrestling: No. 3 Warren Woods Tower won its third straight District title, downing Warren Lincoln in a Final in Division 2 – C&G Newspapers

9. Girls Basketball: Fruitport Calvary Christian finished a sixth straight Alliance League title with a win over Wyoming Tri-unity Christian – Local Sports Journal

10. Wrestling: Cass City repeated as a Division 4 District champion, defeating Bad Axe and Ubly – Huron Daily Tribune

Also of note …

Wrestling: Memphis got past New Haven in a championship match to win a Division 4 District title – Macomb Daily

Boys Skiing: Brighton clinched the outright Mt. Brighton High School Ski Association championship by winning the league meet – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

Girls Basketball: Harbor Springs Harbor Light Christian clinched its second straight Northern Lakes Conference title with a 47-30 win over Ellsworth – Petoskey News-Review

Wrestling: After tie-breaking criteria was needed to decide a winner in their December match, Iron Mountain won a bit more comfortably 39-24 over Kingsford to claim a Division 3 District title – Iron Mountain Daily News

Girls Basketball: Gaylord St. Mary captured a share of the Ski Valley Conference title with a big win against Indian River Inland Lakes – Gaylord Herald-Times

Wrestling: Bronson downed Reading and Camden-Frontier to win a Division 4 District title – Coldwater Daily Reporter

Wrestling: Coloma repeated as a Division 3 District champ with a final match win over South Haven – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium

Wrestling: Auburn Hills Avondale downed Orchard Lake St. Mary’s to claim a Division 2 District title – Oakland Press

Wrestling: No. 7 Leroy Line River downed Manton and Fife Lake Forest Area to win a Division 4 District title – Cadillac News

Wrestling: No. 9 Addison and No. 2 Clinton earned Division 4 District titles – Adrian Daily Telegram

Wrestling: No. 3 Mendon also claimed a Division 4 District championship – Sturgis Journal

Wrestling: Mattawan downed Three Rivers in the championship match of their Division 2 District – Three Rivers News

Wrestling: Three Oaks River Valley and Bloomingdale also clinched Division 4 District titles – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium