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: 10/4/16
October 4, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Golf, tennis and soccer teams continued to claim league championships Monday, as some of the state’s best played their last local matches before the start of MHSAA tournaments later this week.
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.
Cross Country
Cedarville’s girls and boys teams, both ranked No. 4 in Upper Peninsula Division 3, swept the Eastern U.P. Conference second jamboree, the girls dominating and the boys edging UPD2 honorable mention Newberry by a point – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News
Girls Golf
Port Huron Northern followed Megan Randolph’s 79 to a St. Clair County championship with a 373 total, four strokes lower than runner-up Marysville – Port Huron Times Herald
LPD2 No. 6 St. Joseph shot a 349 to edge LPD4 No. 2 Kalamazoo Hackett by seven strokes and win the HawksHead Invitational in South Haven, the Bears' seventh tournament win in eight events this fall – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium
LPD1 No. 2 Traverse City West and Harbor Springs finished first and second, respectively, at the Traverse City Central Invitational, which doubled as the Big North Conference championship tournament – Traverse City Record-Eagle
Boys Soccer
St. Clair Shores Lake Shore got three second-half goals from Antonio Kazdaglis to down Warren Woods-Tower, and in doing so, clinch the Macomb Area Conference Gold title – Macomb Daily
Alpena’s Evan LeTourneau broke his school’s career goals record with his 42nd in a 5-1 win over Ogemaw Heights – Alpena News
Boys Tennis
LPD3 No. 7 Allegan claimed the Wolverine Conference championship with 72 points, three more than runner-up Sturgis – Sturgis Journal
Coldwater claimed its third straight Interstate 8 Athletic Conference championship by edging Parma Western by two points in the league tournament; both are tied for No. 10 in LPD3 – Coldwater Daily Reporter