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: 2/16/17

February 16, 2017

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

An action-packed Wednesday saw the final 32 wrestling contenders advance with Regional titles, including DeWitt for the first time and Hartland for the 16th straight.

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. 

Girls Basketball

The Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan has released its five finalists for this season’s Miss Basketball Award – Detroit Free Press

Boys Basketball

In a matchup of teams both now 12-3, Negaunee emerged as overtime winner over Gladstone 75-71 – Marquette Mining Journal

Bowling

Fruitport’s girls and Muskegon Mona Shores’ boys won Greater Muskegon Athletic Association championships – Muskegon Chronicle

Hockey

Chelsea downed Ann Arbor Skyline 5-4 to clinch its 10th straight Southeastern Conference title – Ann Arbor News

Hartland, ranked No. 2 in Division 2, added a win over Division 1 No. 2 Detroit Catholic Central 4-2 and has beaten all three of the top-ranked teams in Division 1 – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

Skiing

The East Grand Rapids boys and Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central girls won Division 2 Regional titles as both Cadillac teams also advanced – Cadillac News

Wrestling

Caro came back from a 24-point deficit in its Division 3 Regional Semifinal against Beaverton and went on to defeat the Beavers and Ogemaw Heights and win the title – Saginaw News

Division 2 No. 7 DeWitt won its first Regional title in wrestling, avenging an earlier loss to No. 10 Mason with a 48-17 win – Lansing State Journal

Division 1 No. 5 and reigning MHSAA champion Hartland earned a trip to the Quarterfinals for the 16th straight season, downing No. 8 Walled Lake Central and Warren Mott after losing to Central earlier this winter – Detroit Free Press

No. 3 Macomb Dakota edged No. 9 New Baltimore Anchor Bay 31-23 to also move on in Division 1 – Macomb Daily

No. 7 Carson City-Crystal downed St. Louis and Hart by a combined eight points to advance in Division 4 – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

Good Read

In the midst of ramping up to make a run at repeating as Class B champion, Marshall’s girls basketball team also has found itself in another fight after sophomore Maddie Reynolds was diagnosed recently with cancer – Battle Creek Enquirer