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: 2/8/18

February 8, 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. Wrestling – Division 3 No. 2 Richmond got past No. 6 Algonac in the championship match to claim its 20th straight District title – Macomb Daily

2. Wrestling: Division 1 No. 6 Hartland also remains perfect in District competition this century after claiming its 18th straight title with wins over White Lake Lakeland and Highland-Milford – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

3. Boys Basketball: As fans packed full Michigan Tech’s arena to see two of the state’s best in Class D, Dollar Bay pushed to 12-0 by handing Ewen-Trout Creek a 51-42 loss, the Panthers’ first defeat of the season – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

4. Wrestling: No. 6 Stevensville Lakeshore earned its third win in a week over rival and No. 7-ranked Niles, this one 34-30 to claim a Division 2 District title – South Bend Tribune

5. Wrestling: With heavy hearts, Walled Lake Central won its Division 1 District two days after the death of a teammate – Oakland Press

6. Wrestling: Division 2 No. 8 St. Johns won its 10th straight team District title, downing Mount Pleasant and then Owosso – Lansing State Journal

7. Wrestling: Manistee, with its third coach in three seasons, won a Division 3 District title under former longtime Saginaw Swan Valley leader Darrell Burchfield – Manistee News Advocate

8. Wrestling: No. 3 Remus Chippewa Hills claimed its 14th straight District title, in Division 3 – Big Rapids News

9. Wrestling: Temperance Bedford came back late to get past Brownstown Woodhaven and win in Division 1, and Division 3 top-ranked Dundee got past No. 9 Ida – Monroe Evening News

10. Wrestling: Warren DeLaSalle won its first District title in wrestling, getting past Roseville in the Final – C&G Newspapers

Also of note …

Wrestling: Jonesville downed Hillsdale in Division 3 to claim a fourth straight District championship – Hillsdale Daily News

Wrestling: No. 8 Alma downed Ithaca and Portland to win its second District title in three seasons in Division 3 – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

Wrestling: Saline advanced in Division 1 with wins over Ann Arbor Pioneer and Huron – Saline Post

Wrestling: Coldwater repeated as a Division 2 District champ with wins over Marshall and Sturgis – Coldwater Daily Reporter

Wrestling: Midland edged rival Dow 39-34 to advance with a Division 1 District title – Midland Daily News

Wrestling: Grand Haven is a District champion for the fifth straight season, coming back to win in Division 1 – Grand Haven Tribune

Wrestling: No. 4 Gaylord clinched its Division 2 District title with a win over Bay City Central, setting up a possible Regional matchup with St. Johns – Gaylord Herald Times

Wrestling: Traverse City West downed rival Central to win its fourth straight team District championship, in Division 1 – Traverse City Record-Eagle

Wrestling: Dowagiac downed Constantine in their Division 3 District Final to advance – South Bend Tribune

Girls Soccer: Retired star Miami Dolphins kicker Pete Stoyanovich is taking over the South Lyon East girls soccer program – Observer & Eccentric