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: 10/7/15

October 7, 2015

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

A record-setting cross country run tops today’s sampling of headline makers from across Michigan, and we finish the list with an intriguing boys basketball coaching hire.  

Cross Country

Mount Pleasant’s Mac LaBelle broke a school record set in 1983 by running a 16:07.3 to win the DeWitt Invitational earlier this season; he went 15:58.73 on Tuesday – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

The first-year Engadine cross country program, featured three weeks ago on Second Half, hosted its first home meet Tuesday – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News

Girls Golf

Adrian Madison, which debuted in the state poll this week at No. 2 in Lower Peninsula Division 4, won the Lenawee County Tournament by 51 strokes with a score of 364 – Adrian Daily Telegram

Boys Soccer

Division 2 No. 2 Mattawan defeated Division 1 No. 8 Portage Central in a matchup of one-loss teams and with a berth in the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference final on the line – Kalamazoo Gazette

Sixth-seeded and unranked Grand Ledge upset third-seeded and Division 2 No. 5 Mason 3-2 in the first round of Capital Area Activities Conference Gold Cup play – Mlive-Lansing

Volleyball

Class A No. 8 Birmingham Seaholm edged honorable mention Clarkston 3-2, defeating the Wolves in league play for the first time since 2005 – Oakland Press

Boys Basketball

Battle Creek Central has named former Albion coach Durant Crum as the program’s new leader; Crum led Albion teams to Class B Semifinals and Class C Quarterfinals over 11 seasons before that school closed in 2013 – Battle Creek Enquirer