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: 10/5/15
October 5, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
One of the final weekends of the regular season included a record-setting performance in tennis and another in boys soccer, plus elite county-wide competition in swimming and diving.
Cross Country
Unranked Grand Haven finished ahead of Lower Peninsula Division 1 No. 10 Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central and Division 2 No. 5 Cadillac to win the large-school girls race at the Allendale Invitational – Grand Haven Tribune
Boys Soccer
Josh Busscher scored what would go down as the fastest goal (once confirmed) off the opening kickoff in MHSAA history, sending a shot into Division 4 No. 5 Muskegon Western Michigan Christian’s net four seconds in as Division 2 No. 1 Holland Christian went on to a 4-1 win – Grand Rapids Press
Girls Swimming and Diving
Battle Creek Lakeview won its All-City championship meet for the 12th straight season – Battle Creek Enquirer
Utica Eisenhower won the Macomb County Championships for the second straight year, setting a number of meet records in the process – Macomb Daily
Farmington Hills Mercy won the Oakland County meet for the 11th straight year and set meet records in the opening and closing relays – Oakland Press
Boys Tennis
Midland Dow’s Michael Szabo set what would be the MHSAA record for career singles wins, earning his 142nd and 143rd to surpass former Dow standout Johnathan Gurnee – Midland Daily News
LP Division 4 No. 6 Ludington and No. 5 Whitehall tied for the Coastal Conference tournament championship, with Ludington winning the overall league title thanks to a perfect dual match record – Muskegon Chronicle
Volleyball
Mount Morris, down to No. 6 in Class B, could jump back up the poll after beating Class A honorable mention Farmington Hills Mercy in its tournament final and finishing first ahead of a field including Class A No. 1 Novi and No. 2 Lake Orion – Flint Journal