Today in the MHSAA: 10/20/17
October 20, 2017
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. Football: Bellevue is having an incredible first season of 8-player football, and quarterback Gino Costello is building on an already impressive effort with a heavy heart after his mom died after a fight with cancer at the start of this month – Battle Creek Enquirer
2. Football: West Bloomfield kicker Nick O’Shea lost his father unexpectedly from a heart attack just 10 days ago. But how he and West Bloomfield’s coaches and players have rallied is also truly inspiring – Detroit Free Press
3. Volleyball: Harbor Springs Harbor Light Christian finished a perfect run through the Northern Lakes Conference with a sweep of Vanderbilt – Petoskey News-Review
4. Volleyball: Class B No. 8 Spring Lake clinched a share of the Ottawa-Kent Conference Blue title with a win over Comstock Park – Grand Haven Tribune
5. Boys Soccer: No. 7 Coldwater earned a rematch with No. 6-ranked Marshall by getting past perennial power Mason 2-0 to advance in Division 2 – Coldwater Daily Reporter
6. Volleyball: Class C No. 8 Unionville-Sebewaing clinched its sixth Greater Thumb Conference West title in seven seasons with a four-set win over Reese – Huron Daily Tribune
7. Cross Country: The Highland Milford girls (No. 10 in LPD1) and White Lake Lakeland boys (No. 5 in LPD1) clinched the inaugural Lakes Valley Conference championships – Observer & Eccentric Girls | Boys
8. Boys Soccer: Walled Lake Northern dealt rival Division 1 No. 15 Walled Lake Central a draw this year as the Vikings finished 15-0-1 in the Lakes Valley Conference, but Central avenged that tie with a 3-0 Division 1 win – Oakland Press
9. Volleyball: Houghton claimed the Copper Spike traveling trophy for the fourth straight season with a sweep of rival Hancock – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette
10. Conference realignment: The Western Peninsula Athletic Conference is set to expand significantly with most of the Upper Peninsula’s 11-player football schools filling out the league – Marquette Mining Journal
Today in the MHSAA: 1/20/16
January 20, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Buzzer beaters and milestone basketball victories made headlines all over Michigan today, and check out as well a moving video that tells of the importance of our national anthem.
Girls Basketball
Reigning Class C champion Calumet added another accomplishment to the long list with its first win over Houghton since 1999, 44-31 – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette
Three Rivers’ sophomore Arionne Fowlkes went baseline to baseline for a last-second layup to give her team a 43-41 win over Niles – Niles Daily Star
Class A favorite Saginaw Heritage remained undefeated with a 53-38 win over rival Midland Dow, also ranked in Class A – Saginaw News
One-loss St. Ignace handed Newberry its first defeat of the season, 64-57 – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News
Cedar Springs also knocked a team from the unbeaten ranks, with Sam Taylor’s 3-pointer in the closing seconds ending Kent City’s perfect run, 50-47 – Grand Rapids Press
Muskegon edged East Kentwood 50-47 after trailing by 10 and on the strength of 26 points and 22 rebounds by senior Mardrekia Cook – Muskegon Chronicle
Boys Basketball
Despite being outscored 30-22 in the fourth quarter, Southfield Christian held on for an 82-79 win over Southfield – MLive-Detroit
Merrill earned its first win since 2013 by downing Coleman 49-36 – Midland Daily News
One-loss Alma handed previously-undefeated Ithaca its first, 56-53, as Dylan Carl hit 3-pointers to send the game to overtime and then win it – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun
Muskegon Oakridge’s Brady Luttrull drilled a 3-pointer during the final seconds to push his team past Scottville Mason County Central 67-66 – Muskegon Chronicle
Cassopolis followed a strong third quarter by Deoin Gatson to hand Niles Brandywine its first loss, 61-47 – Niles Daily Leader
One-loss Clarkston also handed out a first loss Tuesday, to Rochester Adams, in a matchup of top Class A teams – Oakland Press
Caleb Brown’s only basket for Northport was the game winner during the final seconds of a 51-49 victory over Central Lake – Traverse City Record-Eagle
Nate Dugener’s sixth 3-pointer of the game gave Muskegon Western Michigan Christian a 52-49 win over Holland Christian – Grand Haven Tribune
Boys Swimming & Diving
In a matchup of top teams on the west side of the Lower Peninsula, Division 1 No. 6 Zeeland got past Division 2 honorable mention Holland 104-73 – Holland Sentinel
Worth Watching
We ran across and were moved by Virginia Tech’s honoring of veterans at the start of this men’s basketball season. Check out this meaningful presentation and how it relates to providing proper respect during The Star-Spangled Banner.