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: 2/20/17

February 20, 2017

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

League titles … District titles … Regional titles … and we even crowned our first MHSAA Finals champions of the winter during a weekend of celebrations. Check out this sizable collection of links to find out more.

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. 

Girls Basketball

Marshall won the outright Interstate 8 Athletic Conference title with a 50-29 win over rival Jackson Northwest – Battle Creek Enquirer

DeWitt earned a share of the Capital Area Activities Conference Red title with a 54-43 win over Haslett – Lansing State Journal

Farmington Hills Mercy clinched the Detroit Catholic League A-B championship with a 45-36 win over Bloomfield Hills Marian – Detroit Free Press

Battle Creek Lakeview finished an outright Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference East title with a 72-32 win over Kalamazoo Loy Norrix – Battle Creek Enquirer

Sault Ste. Marie downed Newberry 45-34 to clinch its first Straits Area Conference title since 2007-08 – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News

Ludington repeated as champ of the Lakes 8 Athletic Conference with a 60-40 win over Manistee – Ludington Daily News

Warren Cousino clinched the Macomb Area Conference Red-White tournament title with a 53-34 win over Port Huron Northern – Macomb Daily

Royal Oak Shrine downed Waterford Our Lady 52-49 in the Detroit Catholic League C-D Final to clinch its first league title in 23 years – Oakland Press

Detroit Martin Luther King clinched its sixth straight Detroit Public School League tournament title by downing Mumford 56-33 – Detroit News

Boys Basketball

East Lansing clinched a share of the Capital Area Activities Conference Blue title with a 66-61 win over Holt – Lansing State Journal

Kinross Maplewood Baptist won the Northern Lights League tournament by downing Mackinac Island in the final – Escanaba Daily Press

A game-winning 3-pointer gave Sturgis a 52-51 upset of Benton Harbor – Sturgis Journal

Detroit Cass Tech won its first Detroit PSL title in more than 20 years with a 55-47 win over King – Detroit News

Bowling

The St. Charles boys – No. 1 in Division 4 – won their fourth straight Tri-Valley Conference championship and placed three of the top five in singles – Saginaw News

Gaylord’s girls claimed the Northern Michigan Bowling Conference championship – Petoskey News-Review

Grand Haven’s boys, ranked No. 8 in Division 1, capped a dominating run through the Ottawa-Kent Conference Red – Grand Haven Tribune

Cheer

Division 1 honorable mention Southgate Anderson clinched its ninth straight District championship – Southgate News-Herald

Top-ranked Gibraltar Carlson made it nine straight Division 2 District titles, finishing four points ahead of No. 3 Dearborn Divine Child and also ahead of No. 2 Allen Park – Southgate News-Herald

Gymnastics

Northville won a close race for the KLAA league meet title, edging Plymouth by fewer than two points – Observer & Eccentric

Hockey

Division 1 top-ranked Brighton downed Division 2 No. 2 Hartland to claim the overall Kensington Lakes Activities Association title – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

Swimming & Diving

Brighton’s boys earned a share of the KLAA West championship with Howell and Grand Blanc by winning the league meet – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

Marquette’s boys claimed their fourth straight Upper Peninsula Finals championship – Second Half

Houghton’s girls outlasted a competitive field to claim the Upper Peninsula Finals title – Second Half

Wrestling

Lowell advanced 13 to the MHSAA Individual Finals in Division 2, including five Regional champions – Grand Rapids Press

Davison is sending 12 wrestlers to the Division 1 Individual Finals, including six who won titles Saturday – Flint Journal