Today in the MHSAA: 10/2/15

October 2, 2015

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Thursday was girls golf and boys tennis league championship day for many across the state, and also saw the second Upper Peninsula Final in two days decided by a point.

Girls Golf

Hanover-Horton claimed the Cascades Conference championship, beating East Jackson by nine strokes in the league tournament and led by freshman Kristin Thompson’s 92 – Jackson Citizen-Patriot

The Kensington Lakes Activities Association is loaded this season, with Lower Peninsula Division 1 No. 6 Plymouth winning the overall championship ahead of No. 3 Brighton and Division 2 No. 3 South Lyon – Livingston Daily

Sturgis won its first league championship in 25 years, shooting a 380 to finish first in the Wolverine Conference – Sturgis Journal

Grand Rapids West Catholic edged Coopersville by five strokes, shooting 355 to clinch the Ottawa-Kent Conference Blue championship – Grand Rapids Press

Boys Soccer

Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern, No. 3 in Division 2, edged No. 17 Grand Rapids Northview to move into first alone in the O-K Bronze – Grand Rapids Press

Muskegon Reeths-Puffer avenged an early-season loss to Grand Rapids Union to move into a first-place tie with Union in the O-K Black – Muskegon Chronicle

Marcellus Howardsville Christian scored two goals to St. Joseph Lake Michigan Catholic’s one during the second half of overtime to win their game 3-2 and claim a share of the Berrien-Cass-St. Joseph Conference championship – Kalamazoo Gazette

Boys Tennis

Midland Dow won its 10th straight Saginaw Valley League title, finishing seven points ahead rival Midland – Saginaw News

Traverse City Central won seven of eight flights at the Big North Conference Tournament to claim the league title for the ninth season in a row – Traverse City Record-Eagle

Bloomfield Hills fell to Troy in their dual but came back to win the Oakland Activities Association Red Tournament and share the overall title – Oakland Press

Girls Tennis

For the second straight day, an MHSAA Final was decided by a point; this time, Negaunee was the victor in Upper Peninsula Division 1 – Second Half

Volleyball

Class A No. 2 Lake Orion downed No. 8 Clarkston in three sets to improve to 39-2 and end Clarkston’s chances at a ninth straight league championship – Oakland Press

Good Reads

Bay City John Glenn will celebrate not only Homecoming tonight, but also the 50th anniversary of its first football team which “would supply the school with its first identity.” – Bay City Times

River Rouge senior Aaron Vinson has seen things and experienced heartache no youngster should, including the deaths of two siblings. But football has been part of what’s pulled him through – Detroit Free Press

The Capital Area Activities Conference Blue has belonged to powerhouses Okemos and East Lansing for boys tennis, but Holt is contending for its first league title since 1980 – Lansing State Journal

Today in the MHSAA: 11/5/18

November 5, 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.

In addition to Lower Peninsula Cross Country and Boys Soccer Finals – see coverage all over Second Half – the rest of Michigan’s volleyball District title winners celebrated this weekend, as did a number of league swimming & diving champions including a few who prevailed against loaded state-ranked fields.

1. Volleyball: No. 10 Brighton Charyl Stockwell downed Whitmore Lake in Division 3 for its first District title in any sport – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

2. Girls Swimming & Diving: Holland West Ottawa, tied for No. 10 in Lower Peninsula Division 1, finished atop a field including No. 7 Rockford, No. 9 Grand Haven and T-No. 10 Hudsonville to secure the Ottawa-Kent Conference Red meet and outright titles – Holland Sentinel

3. Volleyball: No. 3 Mattawan swept No. 10 Portage Central to claim a Division 1 District title – WWMT

4. Volleyball: No. 9 Rochester Hills Stoney Creek repeated as a Division 1 District champ with a sweep of Macomb Area Conference Red title winner Utica Eisenhower – Macomb Daily

5. Volleyball: No. 2 Lake Orion won its first District title since 2015 with a sweep of honorable mention Clarkston – Oakland Press

6. Girls Swimming & Diving: LPD1 No. 4 Saline won the Southeastern Conference Red meet ahead of runner-up and No. 6-ranked Ann Arbor Skyline – Saline Post

7. Volleyball: Honorable mention Spring Lake won its first District title since 2013 with a sweep of No. 10 Whitehall in Division 2, with two of three sets decided by two points – Local Sports Journal

8. Volleyball: Onekama locked up its first District title since 2003, downing Bear Lake in Division 4 – Manistee News Advocate

9. Volleyball: Richland Gull Lake won its fourth straight District title, downing honorable mention Battle Creek Lakeview in Division 1 – Battle Creek Enquirer

10. Volleyball: Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart earned its sixth straight District title, sweeping McBain Northern Michigan Christian in Division 4 – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

Also of note …

Girls Swimming & Diving: LPD1 honorable mention Bridgman won the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference meet just ahead of LPD2 No. 9 Portage Central – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium

Girls Swimming & Diving: LPD2 No. 5 Midland Dow followed standout Claire Newman to its 13th straight Saginaw Valley League championship – Midland Daily News

Girls Swimming & Diving: Zeeland won big at the O-K Green meet – Holland Sentinel

Football: Boyne City coach Dave Hills stepped down after 21 seasons and with a 125-45 record – Traverse City Record-Eagle