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: 2/24/2020
February 24, 2020
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
A championship-filled weekend saw Regional champs celebrated in wrestling, District winners hoist trophies in competitive cheer and league title earners rise in basketball, hockey and bowling.
1. Competitive Cheer: Allen Park finished first and Dearborn Divine Child in a power-packed Division 2 District – Southgate News-Herald
2. Boys Basketball: River Rouge downed Benton Harbor 58-52 in a matchup of title hopefuls in two divisions – MLive-Detroit
3. Boys Basketball: Mason Wojtusik went over 1,000 career points as Mount Pleasant defeated Saginaw 64-53 to clinch the Saginaw Valley League North title – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun
4. Wrestling: Six champions led 12 Brighton wrestlers total to qualify for the Division 1 Individual Finals at Saturday’s Regional – Livingston Daily Press & Argus
5. Girls Basketball: Farmington Hills Mercy downed Bloomfield Hills Marian 51-40 to win the Detroit Catholic League Bishop championship – State Champs Sports Network
6. Girls Basketball: Ann Arbor Huron clinched the Southeastern Conference Red title with a 60-47 win over Ann Arbor Pioneer – We Love Ann Arbor
7. Hockey: Muskegon Mona Shores scored two third-period goals to get past Hudsonville 3-2 and clinch the Ottawa-Kent Conference Fischer championship – Local Sports Journal
8. Hockey: A big win over Lenawee United gave Dexter its second-straight Southeastern Conference White title – Chelsea Sun Times News
9. Bowling: The Traverse City Christian girls and Cadillac boys clinched Great Northwest High School Bowling Conference championships – Traverse City Record-Eagle
10. Girls Basketball: Byron claimed its first outright league title in this sport since 1990 with a 57-25 win over New Lothrop – Mid-Michigan Now
Also of note …
Basketball: The Big Bay de Noc girls and Kinross Maplewood Baptist boys won Northern Lights League Tournament championships – Escanaba Daily Press
Basketball: Reagan Rose set a Decatur scoring record against Hartford, and Marcellus’ Kaeler Stafne and Bloomingdale’s Tyler Starbuck both went over 1,000 career points in Marcellus’ win – WWMT
Girls Basketball: Kent City clinched the Central State Activities Association Silver title with a big win over Hesperia – Local Sports Journal
Girls Basketball: Flushing earned a share of the Flint Metro League Stripes title with a 45-20 win over Swartz Creek – Mid-Michigan Now
Girls Basketball: Deckerville clinched a share of the North Central Thumb League Stars title with a big win over Mayville – Huron Daily Tribune
Hockey: Jackson Lumen Christi clinched its league title with a 2-0 win over Mattawan – Jackson Citizen Patriot
Boys Basketball: Owen Franklin went over 1,000 career points for Oscoda in its win over Hale – WBKB
Girls Basketball: Negaunee defeated Ishpeming Westwood 43-33, and Westwood’s Tessa Leece went over 1,000 career points – Marquette Mining Journal
Girls Basketball: Algonac fell to Croswell-Lexington, but Algonac’s Emily Nugent went over 1,000 career points – Port Huron Times-Herald
Girls Basketball: From Thursday, Mackinaw City downed Burt Lake Northern Michigan Christian to clinch a second-straight Northern Lakes Conference title – Petoskey News-Review