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: 6/14/17
June 14, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
After one of the most momentous days of the 2016-17 school year, we tracked down coverage of nearly all 32 baseball and softball Quarterfinals and four soccer Semifinals – and be sure to check out as well the announcement that a longtime coach and official will receive the Medal of Honor.
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.
Baseball
Division 1: Northville earned its first Semifinal berth since 1972 with a 9-5 win over Rochester – Observer & Eccentric
Division 1: Reigning runner-up Saline edged Holt 3-2 to return to the Semifinals – Saline Post
Division 1: Grand Haven continued its longest run ever with a 2-0 win over Saginaw Heritage – Grand Haven Tribune
Division 1: Reigning Division 3 champ Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett continued its run through Division 1 with a 6-0 win over Sterling Heights Stevenson – Detroit News
Division 2: Dearborn Divine Child will return to McLane Stadium for the second straight season thanks to a 6-2 win over Macomb Lutheran North – C&G Newspapers
Division 2: Stevensville Lakeshore rode a Quarterfinal shutout into the final weekend of the season – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium
Division 2: Chelsea scored all of its runs in the first inning and hung on to down Corunna 5-4 – Ann Arbor News
Division 2: Bay City John Glenn advanced to its second Semifinal with an 11-1 win over Sault Ste. Marie – Bay City Times
Division 3: Madison Heights Bishop Foley will return to the Semifinals after an 8-0 win over Riverview Gabriel Richard – Oakland Press
Division 3: Two pitchers combined on a no-hitter to get Traverse City St. Francis past Grand Rapids West Catholic – Traverse City Record-Eagle
Division 3: After a Quarterfinal loss last year, Schoolcraft returned and downed Homer 6-1 – Kalamazoo Gazette
Division 3: Caro won a pitchers dual 2-0 over Hemlock – Midland Daily News
Division 4: Gaylord St. Mary will play at MSU for the second straight season thanks to a win over Rudyard – Gaylord Herald Times
Division 4: Unionville-Sebewaing returned to the Quarterfinals after losing last season, but this time downed Royal Oak Shrine 4-3 – Huron Daily Tribune
Division 4: Portland St. Patrick shut down annual power Muskegon Catholic Central to return to the Semifinals – Lansing State Journal
Division 4: Hudson edged St. Joseph Lake Michigan Catholic 3-2 – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium
Girls Soccer
Division 2: Top-ranked Bloomfield Hills Marian moved on to the Final with a 2-0 win over Linden – Oakland Press
Division 2: Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern remained undefeated with a 4-1 win over Holland Christian – Grand Rapids Press
Division 3: Flint Powers Catholic fended off one of its few tests this season, downing Macomb Lutheran North 2-1 – Flint Journal
Division 3: Freeland stunned three-time reigning champion Hudsonville Unity Christian 3-2 – Saginaw News
Softball
Division 1: Reigning runner-up Macomb Dakota got past Garden City 6-5 – Macomb Daily
Division 1: Clarkston scored the lone run in the seventh inning to down Walled Lake Northern – Oakland Press
Division 1: Grandville will play in a Semifinal for the first time since 1982 thanks to a win over Midland – Grand Rapids Press
Division 1: Mattawan also will return to the Semifinals thanks to a 9-4 win over Monroe – 13ABC
Division 2: Stevensville Lakeshore will make the trip back to the Semifinals after shutting down Spring Lake – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium
Division 2: Reigning champion Richmond got one step closer to playing for a repeat with a win over Dearborn Divine Child – Port Huron Times Herald
Division 2: Escanaba shut down Saginaw Swan Valley in a Quarterfinal for the second straight season – Saginaw News
Division 2: Ida downed Flint Powers Catholic 8-0 to earn a Semifinal berth – Flint Journal
Division 3: Shepherd’s Haley Peska threw a perfect game in her team’s win over Millington – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun
Division 3: Gladstone came back to down Grandville Calvin Christian 2-1 – Grand Rapids Press
Division 3: Napoleon downed Coloma 9-7 to make the Semifinals for the first time – Jackson Citizen Patriot
Division 3: Reigning champion Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central advanced, downing University Liggett 5-0 – 13ABC
Division 4: For the third time in four seasons, Kalamazoo Christian earned a Semifinal berth – Kalamazoo Gazette
Division 4: Coleman reached its first Semifinals since 2005 with a win over Holton – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun
Division 4: Top-ranked Indian River Inland Lakes secured its return to the Semifinals with an 11-1 win over Rogers City – Alpena News
Division 4: Ottawa Lake Whiteford pulled a win closer to playing for its first championship since 1987 by downing Unionville-Sebewaing 1-0 – Bay City Times
Good Read
Longtime Michigan high school coach and wrestling official James C. McCloughan will receive the Medal of Honor for risking his life on nine occasions to rescue wounded comrades while serving in Vietnam – USA Today