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: 10/20/15
October 20, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
MHSAA Boys Soccer District play kicked off Monday across the Lower Peninsula, and we also catch up with a pair of big Saturday events, one from each side of the bridge.
Cross Country
From Saturday, the East Lansing girls and Corunna boys won the annual Greater Lansing Invitational against fields loaded with ranked teams; Corunna’s boys were No. 3 in Lower Peninsula Division 2 last week and East Lansing’s girls were unranked – Lansing State Journal
Boys Soccer
Detroit Catholic Central, No. 5 in Division 1, opened district play with a 1-0 win over No. 14 Novi – Oakland Press
Muskegon Orchard View continued a five-game winning streak that’s pushed it past .500 by downing Grant 2-1 in a Division 3 opener – Muskegon Chronicle
Hartland scored to tie Howell with less than two minutes to play in regulation, then won their Division 1 opener in overtime – Livingston Daily
Midland scored just more than a minute into its Division 1 game against Bay City Western and hung on for the 1-0 district victory – Bay City Times
Volleyball
Also from Saturday: Host Houghton defeated Class C honorable mention Calumet in three sets to win the Houghton Invitational, which featured 10 teams from the western half of the Upper Peninsula – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette
Girls Basketball
Ann Arbor Pioneer is mourning the loss of girls coach Crystal Westfield, who died Monday after a fight with cancer and only four months after her father, legendary cross country and track and field coach Bryan Westfield, died after fighting another form of the disease. Westfield had coached the basketball team at her alma mater since 1994 and also coached field events under her dad – AnnArbor.com