Today in the MHSAA: 10/23/15
October 23, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Notable milestones made headlines Thursday – among them, Rockford’s boys cross country team extending an incredible championship streak and one of Michigan’s best volleyball coaches being celebrated for 1,000 victories.
Cross Country
The Milford girls and White Lake Lakeland boys, both ranked No. 5 in Lower Peninsula Division 1, won Kensington Lakes Activities Association Lakes championships; Milford’s girls finished ahead of No. 4 Brighton and No. 12 Waterford Mott – Oakland Press
The Rockford boys, No. 1 in LPD1, won their 21st straight league title, claiming the Ottawa-Kent Conference Red; Rockford’s 10th-ranked girls added their third straight league title – Grand Rapids Press
Boys Soccer
Unranked Okemos edged No. 11 Portage Central in a Division 1 semifinal 2-1 after jumping out to a two-goal lead – Kalamazoo Gazette
Division 2 No. 14 Petoskey advanced despite three Cadillac comebacks, finally winning a 5-4 semifinal – Petoskey News
Division 3 No. 4 Hudsonville Unity Christian repeated as a district champion with a 2-1 win over No. 18 Grand Rapids Catholic Central – Grand Rapids Press
Volleyball
Unionville-Sebewaing, an MHSAA semifinalist in 2014, won its fourth straight Greater Thumb Conference West title by avenging an earlier loss to Bad Axe with a five-set win – Huron Daily Tribune
Class D No. 6 North Adams-Jerome needed to reach 31-29 to win its first set against Pittsford before finishing a sweep – Hillsdale Daily News
Good Reads
Battle Creek Enquirer sports editor Bill Broderick says what a lot of former high school football players have felt in his message to seniors playing their final games this week and over the next few – Battle Creek Enquirer
Longtime Midland Dow, Pinconning and now Bronson volleyball coach Jean LaClair won her 1,000th match last week; her team is ranked No. 1 in Class C and she was the 2015 MHSAA Women in Sports Leadership Award winner – Sturgis Journal
Today in the MHSAA: 10/30/15
October 30, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Thursday’s Boys Soccer Regionals saw another reigning champion and one more top-ranked team fall, and two of the top small-school volleyball teams in the state matched up as that regular-season for that sport rolled toward a close.
Boys Soccer
Division 1 No. 2 Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central shut out No. 10 Portage Northern to move to 21-0-3 – Grand Rapids Press
Division 2 No. 2 Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern downed No. 5 and reigning champion East Lansing in a shootout – Grand Rapids Press
Williamston, No. 3 in Division 3, eliminated top-ranked Flint Powers Catholic from the MHSAA Tournament for the second straight season – Lansing State Journal
No. 2 Grand Rapids South Christian earned a trip to the Division 3 Semifinals with a 1-0 win over No. 7 Paw Paw – Grand Rapids Press
No. 4 Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood reached the Division 2 Semifinals with a 1-0 win over No. 18 Ortonville-Brandon – Oakland Press
Division 4 No. 7 Kalamazoo Hackett scored twice during the second half to get past No. 10 Hartford – Kalamazoo Gazette
Volleyball
Class C No. 1 Bronson closed the regular season with three-set wins over Class D No. 2 Battle Creek St. Philip and Sturgis – Sturgis Journal
Whitehall finished 3-0 at the West Michigan Conference tournament to claim its eighth straight league title, with a little help from Shelby, which eliminated Class C No. 4 Montague – Muskegon Chronicle