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: 1/14/16

January 14, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Gymnastics seasons gets rolling once the new year begins, and two teams that should be in the hunt for this season’s MHSAA championship met Wednesday with the result one of the closest finishes in recent memory.

Girls Basketball

Onsted got down 18-0 by the end of the first quarter – and somehow came back to beat Hudson 52-50 – Adrian Daily Telegram

Frankenmuth’s Kelsie Kujat sank a school-record eight 3-pointres to lead the one-loss Eagles past previously-undefeated Birch Run 69-46 – Saginaw News

Boys Basketball

Big Rapids’ Kenny Davis made 11 3-pointers on the way to 43 points in leading his team to a 71-35 win over Morley Stanwood – Big Rapids Pioneer

In a key matchup of top Upper Peninsula teams, undefeated Negaunee upended rival Ishpeming 66-44, handing the Hematites their first loss – Marqutte Mining Journal

Gymnastics

Arguably the top two teams in Michigan met for the second time in five days; after reigning MHSAA champion Rockford won its invitational Saturday with Forest Hills United second, Forest Hills came back to win a dual by the slimmest of margins, 143.05-142.9 – Grand Rapids Press

Ice Hockey

Farmington scored three unanswered second-period goals to down previously-ranked Berkley, 6-3 – Oakland Press

After trailing 1-0 early, Portage Northern came back to down rival Portage Central 4-2 – Kalamazoo Gazette

Wrestling

Midland scored a pair of memorable wins Wednesday, first over rival Dow 42-21 and then over No. 8 Bay City Western 39-27; the Chemics hadn’t beaten either in at least five seasons – Midland Daily News