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: 10/28/15
October 28, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Tuesday may have been the most eventful weekday of the 2015 fall season so far, with ranked teams matchup up all over the Boys Soccer Regional Tournament, league champions crowned in volleyball and two of the state’s major powers in swimming and diving matching up for a history-making finish. And be sure to also check out excellent coverage of the MHSAA’s concussion care efforts this fall.
Boys Soccer
Division 1 No. 10 Portage Northern shut out No. 16 Grand Haven; the shutout was the Huskies’ third straight during the playoffs – Kalamazoo Gazette
Division 1 No. 5 Detroit Catholic Central went to overtime with No. 20 Grand Blanc before scoring their game’s only goal – Mlive-Detroit
Division 2 No. 3 Mattawan edged top-ranked Holland Christian 1-0, handing the Maroons their first and only loss this fall – Kalamazoo Gazette
Reigning Division 2 champion East Lansing, ranked No. 5, edged No. 6 Spring Lake 2-1 as the teams faced off in the tournament for the third straight season – Mlive-Lansing
Division 3 No. 3 Williamston survived a tough challenge from unranked Freeland, knocking out the Falcons 1-0 on a penalty kick – Saginaw News
Division 3 No. 7 Paw Paw ended the season for No. 4 and reigning champion Hudsonville Unity Christian – Kalamazoo Gazette
Division 4 top-ranked Lansing Christian scored three first-half goals to down No. 4 Royal Oak Shrine – Lansing State Journal
Girls Swimming and Diving
Holland Christian, ranked No. 2 in Lower Peninsula Division 3, topped LPD2 No. 9 Holland for the first time in this sport in 15 years – Holland Sentinel
Volleyball
Utica Eisenhower earned a share of the Macomb Area Conference White championship with a win over New Baltimore Anchor Bay; both are honorable mentions in Class A – Macomb Daily
Class A No. 3 Grand Haven fell to unranked East Kentwood to start Tuesday, but came back to beat Holland West Ottawa and clinch the Ottawa-Kent Conference Red title, its first league title since 2012 – Muskegon Chronicle
Buchanan, a Class B honorable mention, tied a school record for victories with its 45th win Tuesday – Niles Daily Star
Niles, unranked in Class B, downed Class D No. 2 Battle Creek St. Philip before falling to Class A No. 9 Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central in four sets including two decided by two points – Niles Daily Star
Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart defeated Coleman in a matchup of undefeated teams in Mid-State Activities Conference play, but they could meet again at Saturday’s league tournament – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun
Good Read (and View)
The MHSAA has continued to take significant steps to provide the best possible care when concussions are suspected and treated, and WXYZ in Detroit reported on a few of this fall's developments – WXYZ.com