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: 11/9/16
November 9, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The second week of the MHSAA volleyball tournament began Tuesday as a number of teams ranked or honorable mention in final state polls matched up in Regional Semifinals.
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.
Volleyball
Unranked Fenton continued its run in Class A with an upset of No. 10 Utica Eisenhower – Macomb Daily
Class A No. 2 Clarkston advanced with a sweep of honorable mention Macomb Dakota – Oakland Press
Also in Class A, No. 9 Grand Haven swept honorable mention East Grand Rapids – Grand Haven Tribune
Goodrich swept Marysville in a match of Class B honorable mentions – Flint Journal
In another match of Class B honorable mentions, Holland Christian came back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat Fruitport – Holland Sentinel
Class B No. 5 Buchanan avenged two straight Regional losses to Battle Creek Harper Creek with a four-set win over the No. 6 Beavers – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium
Unranked Haslett swept Class B No. 8 Grand Rapids South Christian in another upset – Lansing State Journal
Class C No. 5 Traverse City St. Francis also survived a 2-0 deficit, downing No. 10 McBain – Traverse City Record-Eagle
In a match of Class C honorable mentions, Calumet swept Munising – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette
Class D No. 2 Mendon swept honorable mention and reigning MHSAA Finals runner-up Battle Creek St. Philip – Sturgis Journal
Class D top-ranked Plymouth Christian also moved on, downing No. 10 North Adams-Jerome – Hillsdale Daily News