Today in the MHSAA: 10/16/15

October 16, 2015

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

First-time champions are always worth noting, and we found a few in checking out today’s media reports of Thursday action statewide.

Cross Country

The Calumet girls, ranked No. 4 in Upper Peninsula Division 1, and the unranked Houghton boys won the Western Peninsula Athletic Conference finals at Chassell – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

Boys Soccer

Grand Rapids Union clinched its first league title since moving from the Grand Rapids City League to the Ottawa-Kent Conference, downing Muskegon 3-0 – Grand Rapids Press

Manchester edged Hillsdale Academy 2-1 to claim its first Independent Soccer League championship after winning only one league game in 2014 – Jackson Citizen-Patriot

Volleyball

Class B honorable mention Buchanan downed Class C’s top-ranked team, Bronson, in five sets, and also Class D No. 6 Mendon in five – Niles Daily Star

Class B No. 6 Mount Morris avenged a five-set loss to No. 5 Goodrich in September by sweeping the Martians to improve to 55-5-1 – Flint Journal

Zeeland West claimed its first conference title in this sport, defeating Holland Christian in five sets to claim a share of the O-K Green championship – Holland Sentinel

Good Reads

Longtime Burton Atherton leader Mary Down will become the third volleyball coach inducted into the Greater Flint Area Hall of Fame, having impacted a generation of players and more as a number of former players went on to coach as well – Flint Journal

Today in the MHSAA: 3/2/16

March 2, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Snowstorms didn’t stop all of the action Tuesday night, as a basketball team continued to make history and a hockey team enjoyed a comeback that should be talked about for years to come.

Boys Basketball

Grand Rapids Christian earned an impressive 82-62 win over reigning Class B champion Wyoming Godwin Heights – Grand Rapids Press

Johannesburg-Lewiston followed Logan Huff’s 32 points and 10 rebounds to come back from five down in the fourth quarter for a 66-62 win over Mio – Gaylord Herald Times

Hazel Park finished an outright championship with a 64-60 win over Birmingham Groves in the Oakland Activities Association Red; the title was Hazel Park’s first since 1996 – Oakland Press

Ice Hockey

Portage Central scored nine seconds into its Pre-Regional game against rival Portage Northern and continued on for a 4-2 win – Kalamazoo Gazette

After trailing by three goals with a period to play, Utica came back to beat Fraser 6-5 in a Division 2 Pre-Regional game – Macomb Daily

Good Read

It’s impossible not to root for North Muskegon’s Olivia Duncan, who will take the floor in a District Semifinal tonight and play a significant role despite also being on the waiting list for a kidney transplant – Muskegon Chronicle