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: 2/27/17
February 27, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The MHSAA postseason is fully in motion, as girls basketball and boys hockey teams begin postseason play tonight and we look back on the Team Wrestling Finals, Bowling and Cheer Regionals and league swimming & diving meets from the weekend.
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.
Boys Basketball
Sault Ste. Marie completed a perfect run through the Straits Area Conference with a 54-34 win over Rudyard – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News
Carney-Nadeau fell to Crystal Falls Forest Park 51-38, but Wolves standout golfer Hunter Eichhorn scored his 1,000th basketball point – Escanaba Daily Press
Detroit U-D Jesuit won a record fifth straight Catholic League A-B title, downing Warren DeLaSalle 63-56 in the championship game – Macomb Daily
Macomb Lutheran North got past Riverview Gabriel Richard 70-62 to claim the Catholic League C-D title – C&G Newspapers
Bowling
The Ithaca boys may be in Division 3 this season instead of Division 4, but the success is the same as the No. 4 Yellowjackets won their Regional ahead of reigning MHSAA champion and top-ranked Saginaw Swan Valley – Saginaw News
Coldwater’s boys, ranked No. 4 in Division 2, won their third straight Regional championship, this time by 72 pins – Coldwater Daily Reporter
Bad Axe’s Melissa Steinbis added a Regional title to her league championship while competing as one of only a few bowlers on her team – Huron Daily Tribune
Cheer
Top-ranked Richmond has finished first or second in Division 3 five of the last six seasons, but won its first Regional title Saturday since 2013 – Port Huron Times Herald
Swimming & Diving
Ludington won its first Coastal Conference championship since 2008, finishing only 12 points ahead of runner-up Manistee – Ludington Daily News
Midland Dow won its 15th straight Saginaw Valley League title, edging Saginaw Heritage by 32 points; both are honorable mentions in the Lower Peninsula Division 2 rankings – Midland Daily News
Wyandotte Roosevelt won the Downriver League meet to claim the overall league title ahead of Allen Park, and LPD2 honorable mention – Southgate News Herald
Wrestling
Detroit Catholic Central won a matchup of the top seeds in Division 1, downing second seeded Davison – Second Half
Lowell became the fifth program in 30 years of Team Finals to win four straight, downing Warren Woods Tower in Division 2 – Second Half
Richmond got past rival Dundee on tie-breaker criteria to claim another Division 3 title – Second Half
After falling to New Lothrop in the Division 4 Final the last three seasons, Hudson won Saturday’s rematch and the championship – Second Half