Today in the MHSAA: 10/19/16

October 19, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

District soccer continued Tuesday and league champions were crowned in volleyball and cross country all over the Lower Peninsula – but the must-see stories are a pair of “good reads” coming out of the Jackson and Alpena areas.

Each weekday during the school year, we’ll gather and post media links covering the most significant and intriguing high school events from all over the state.

Cross Country

The Caro boys – No. 4 in Lower Peninsula Division 3 – and the No. 6 Shepherd girls won championships at the Tri-Valley Conference all-division final – Saginaw News

The Ubly girls and boys teams repeated as East champions at the Greater Thumb Conference championship race (Ubly's girls are No. 9 in LPD4), and the Reese girls and LPD4 honorable mention Cass City boys repeated as West winners – Huron Daily Tribune

Traverse City West swept the final Big North Conference jamborees, the West boys earning the league title and the Central girls finishing as overall league champion for the 14th straight season. The Central girls are No. 4 in LPD1 and the West girls are an honorable mention – Traverse City Record-Eagle

Harbor Springs’ boys (No. 2 LPD4) kept their undefeated season going with a third straight Lake Michigan Conference final championship, and Traverse City St. Francis (No. 2 LPD3) clinched the girls title – Petoskey News-Review

Boys Soccer

Division 1 No. 2 Portage Northern moved on with a 4-1 District win over Lansing Everett thanks to three goals by Ryan Melgar – Kalamazoo Gazette

Adrian Lenawee Christian freshman Zach Riordan set his school’s scoring record of 36 goals in an 8-0 Division 4 win over Clinton – Adrian Daily Telegram

Girls Swimming & Diving

LPD1 No. 2 Saline got past No. 10 Brighton 112-74 in a matchup of top Division 1 teams – Saline Post

Volleyball

Walled Lake Central repeated as Lakes champion in the Kensington Lakes Activities Association with a five-set win over Brighton – Livingston Daily Argus & Press

Class A top-ranked Novi swept Canton to win its fourth straight KLAA Kensington championship – Oakland Press

Marine City improved to 8-1 in the Macomb Area Conference Gold and clinched a share of the league title with a three-set win over Warren Mott – Port Huron Times Herald

Good Reads

The story of Brooklyn Columbia Central standout running back Micah Raby is captivating, if not from this passage alone about how his adopted parents found him: “Inside the missionary’s hut, on an ordinary table lay an ordinary bible box containing an extraordinary sight, and it caught Doug and Sandy Raby’s eyes and hearts immediately. Inside that bible box – no bigger than a size 10 shoebox – was a 1-month-old boy named Joseph, one of two surviving triplets. His brother did not survive the birth and the birth parents decided to keep the other one, believed to be a girl, because it was the biggest and had the greatest chance of surviving.” – Jackson Citizen-Patriot

Lincoln Alcona announcer Don Franklin first gave voice to the school’s athletic events in 1967, and will retire at the end of this school year with 50 years on the microphone announcing football and a number of other sports over a half century – Alpena News

Today in the MHSAA: 2/9/18

February 9, 2018

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Each weekday of the school year, we break down the top headlines courtesy of Michigan’s sports media.

Today's Top 10 

1. Cheer: Division 2 No. 2 Gibraltar Carlson won its fifth straight Downriver League championship, edging reigning Division 2 champion and top-ranked Allen Park by two tenths of a point – Southgate News Herald

2. Wrestling: Allen Park won its first District championship in wrestling since 2003, downing Riverview in the title match – Southgate News Herald

3. Wrestling: Mancelona claimed its first wrestling District title since 2003 with wins over Traverse City St. Francis and Frankfort in Division 4 – Traverse City Record-Eagle

4. Boys Basketball: North Muskegon claimed a share of its first league title since 2003 with a 48-41 win over Whitehall in the West Michigan Conference – Muskegon Chronicle

5. Girls Bowling: Tecumseh clinched a 12th straight Southeastern Conference championship with a win over Ypsilanti – Adrian Daily Telegram

6. Cheer: Division 3 No. 2 Richmond won the Blue Water Area Conference for the 13th straight season, while Port Huron won the Macomb Area Conference Gold title – Port Huron Times Herald

7. Wrestling: St. Louis won its third straight Division 4 District title, downing Blanchard Montabella – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

8. Wrestling: No. 3 Warren Woods Tower won its third straight District title, downing Warren Lincoln in a Final in Division 2 – C&G Newspapers

9. Girls Basketball: Fruitport Calvary Christian finished a sixth straight Alliance League title with a win over Wyoming Tri-unity Christian – Local Sports Journal

10. Wrestling: Cass City repeated as a Division 4 District champion, defeating Bad Axe and Ubly – Huron Daily Tribune

Also of note …

Wrestling: Memphis got past New Haven in a championship match to win a Division 4 District title – Macomb Daily

Boys Skiing: Brighton clinched the outright Mt. Brighton High School Ski Association championship by winning the league meet – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

Girls Basketball: Harbor Springs Harbor Light Christian clinched its second straight Northern Lakes Conference title with a 47-30 win over Ellsworth – Petoskey News-Review

Wrestling: After tie-breaking criteria was needed to decide a winner in their December match, Iron Mountain won a bit more comfortably 39-24 over Kingsford to claim a Division 3 District title – Iron Mountain Daily News

Girls Basketball: Gaylord St. Mary captured a share of the Ski Valley Conference title with a big win against Indian River Inland Lakes – Gaylord Herald-Times

Wrestling: Bronson downed Reading and Camden-Frontier to win a Division 4 District title – Coldwater Daily Reporter

Wrestling: Coloma repeated as a Division 3 District champ with a final match win over South Haven – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium

Wrestling: Auburn Hills Avondale downed Orchard Lake St. Mary’s to claim a Division 2 District title – Oakland Press

Wrestling: No. 7 Leroy Line River downed Manton and Fife Lake Forest Area to win a Division 4 District title – Cadillac News

Wrestling: No. 9 Addison and No. 2 Clinton earned Division 4 District titles – Adrian Daily Telegram

Wrestling: No. 3 Mendon also claimed a Division 4 District championship – Sturgis Journal

Wrestling: Mattawan downed Three Rivers in the championship match of their Division 2 District – Three Rivers News

Wrestling: Three Oaks River Valley and Bloomingdale also clinched Division 4 District titles – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium