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: 6/12/17
June 12, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
MHSAA champions in Lower Peninsula boys golf and girls and boys lacrosse were crowned Saturday as the 2016-17 school year turned into its final week. The final eight spots in the Girls Soccer Semifinals also were determined Friday, with 32 quarterfinalists in baseball and softball earning their way in Saturday Regionals.
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
Corunna claimed its first Regional title since 2005, downing No. 12 Fowlerville in Division 2 after the Gladiators had eliminated No. 5 DeWitt earlier in the day – Owosso Argus-Press
Rochester scored eight runs during the seventh inning to win a Division 1 Regional Final over No. 5 Birmingham Brother Rice – C&G Newspapers
No. 10 Gaylord St. Mary scored most in an offensive shootout, downing No. 9 Maple City Glen Lake 13-10 in a Division 4 Regional Final – Gaylord Herald-Times
No. 12 Saginaw Heritage shut out No. 7 Midland 3-0 to finish a Division 1 Regional title run – Midland Daily News
Macomb Lutheran North hit three home runs in upsetting No. 2 Detroit Country Day 19-5 in a Division 2 Regional Final – Macomb Daily
No. 4 Homer put up five runs in the sixth inning to get past Michigan Center 7-6 in Division 3 – Jackson Citizen Patriot
No. 14 Holt downed Howell 3-1 and then No. 17 Grand Ledge 5-4 to claim its first Regional title, in Division 1 – Lansing State Journal
Boys Golf
Detroit Catholic Central claimed its third straight Division 1 title, St. Johns repeated in Division 2 and Clarkston Everest Collegiate repeated in Division 4, and Jackson Lumen Christi returned to the top of Division 3 at Saturday’s Lower Peninsula Finals – Second Half
Boys Lacrosse
Birmingham Brother Rice won its 13th straight Division 1 title, again over rival Detroit Catholic Central, while East Grand Rapids won the Division 2 title over rival Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central – Second Half
Girls Lacrosse
In one of the all-time thrillers in MHSAA lacrosse history, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood downed East Grand Rapids in overtime for the Division 2 title, while Rockford added its fifth straight championship in Division 1 – Second Half
Girls Soccer
Top-ranked Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central jumped out to a three-goal lead and didn’t look back in a 3-1 Semifinal win over No. 2 Brighton in Division 1 – Grand Rapids Press
No. 7 Linden edged reigning Division 2 champion and current No. 3 Pontiac Notre Dame Prep to advance to this week – Flint Journal
Saline and No. 11 Plymouth went into a shootout scoreless, but the Hornets emerged victorious in Division 1 – Saline Post
Top-ranked Flint Powers advanced in Division 3 with a 5-0 win over No. 16 Lansing Catholic – Flint Journal
No. 8 Macomb Lutheran North also advanced in Division 3 with a shootout win over No. 5 Grosse Ile – Southgate News Herald
No. 3 Freeland won a fourth straight Regional title, downing Charlevoix 5-0 in Division 3 – Saginaw News
Top-ranked Lansing Christian won its fifth straight Regional title, downing No. 14 Manchester 4-1 in Division 4 – MLive-Lansing
Top-ranked Bloomfield Hills Marian remained undefeated with a 2-0 Division 2 win over No. 6 Dexter – Observer & Eccentric
Softball
Shepherd downed Pinconning and then beat No. 8 Beaverton 8-7 in a Division 3 Regional Final – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun
Reigning Division 2 champion and current No. 2 Richmond needed nine innings but downed honorable mention Detroit Country Day 2-1 in a Division 2 Regional Final – Port Huron Times Herald
Twice No. 6 Holton rallied in seventh innings Saturday, the second time in an 8-7 win over Beal City, to claim a Division 4 Regional title – Muskegon Chronicle
No. 5 Mattawan downed No. 2 Howell in a Division 1 Regional for the third straight season – Livingston Daily Press & Argus
Alicia Ascencio’s three-run walk-off homer pushed Garden City past Grosse Pointe North in a Division 1 Regional Final – Observer & Eccentric
No. 6 Stevensville Lakeshore gave up two runs total in wins over No. 4 Vicksburg and Edwardsburg to claim the Division 2 title – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium
No. 5 Coleman advanced to a third straight Division 4 Quarterfinal with a 12-6 win over honorable mention Morrice – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun
Mendon won its first Regional title since 1992, downing Camden-Frontier, after entering the postseason with a sub-.500 record – Sturgis Journal