Today in the MHSAA: 10/23/17

October 23, 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. Girls Golf: Harbor Springs claimed its first MHSAA Finals championship, and Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern claimed its first since 1982 on Saturday; Traverse City West also won for the second time in three years and Macomb Lutheran North won for the second year in a row but in a new division – Second Half

2. Boys Tennis: Okemos finished undefeated to claim its first MHSAA Finals title in a decade, while Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood and Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett repeated and Bloomfield Hills High School locked down its second title in three seasons – Second Half

3. Boys Cross Country: New champions rose at the Upper Peninsula Finals as Houghton, Bessemer Gogebic and Brimley claimed titles – Second Half

4. Girls Cross Country: Marquette, St. Ignace and Chassell claimed the girls titles at the Upper Peninsula Finals, St. Ignace for the first time in Division 2 and ahead of three-time reigning champion Ishpeming – Second Half

5. Boys Soccer: Division 4 No. 3 Muskegon Western Michigan Christian claimed a District title with a 2-0 win over top-ranked Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian – Local Sports Journal

6. Boys Soccer: Division 2 No. 7 Coldwater claimed its first District title in boys soccer with a 3-2 overtime win over rival and No. 6-ranked Marshall, which had beaten Coldwater twice this fall – Coldwater Daily Reporter

7. Cross Country: The Traverse City West girls, No. 7 in Lower Peninsula Division 1, finished two points ahead of rival and No. 5-ranked Central to win the Northern Michigan Cross Country Championships; West also won the boys title, by 60 points – Traverse City Record-Eagle

8. Cross Country: The St. Clair boys, No. 7 in Lower Peninsula Division 2, finished off a Macomb Area Conference White championship and also won the overall MAC title finishing ahead of 35 others from the league’s various divisions – Port Huron Times Herald

9. Volleyball: Class D No. 10 Muskegon Catholic Central won its first volleyball league title, downing Ludington and Manistee to claim the Lakes 8 Conference tournament and overall championships – Local State Journal

10. Boys Soccer: Midland Dow improved to 22-3-1 with a 1-0 Division 1 District Final win over Traverse City Central after losing in District Finals the last two seasons – Midland Daily News

Also of note ...

Volleyball: Class C top-ranked Bronson moved into the Big 8 Conference this season and finishing the volleyball league season by winning the conference tournament and outright title – Coldwater Daily Reporter

Volleyball: Whitehall beat Hart and Class C honorable mentions Shelby and Ravenna at the West Michigan Conference tournament to claim the overall league title – Local State Journal

Today in the MHSAA: 10/17/17

October 17, 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. Boys Soccer: Division 1 No. 18 Novi scored the game’s lone goal to upset No. 9 Northville in a District opener – Observer & Eccentric

2. Boys Soccer: Manistee scored the winning goal on a penalty kick in overtime to upset No. 15 Whitehall 2-1 in a Division 3 first-round game – Manistee News-Advocate

3. Boys Soccer: Pontiac won its first District game in program history, downing Armada 3-2 in Division 2 – Oakland Press

4. Boys Soccer: DeWitt took East Lansing to overtime before the Trojans emerged with a 2-1 win in a Division 2 opener – Lansing State Journal

5. Boys Soccer: No. 12 Plymouth also survived a close Division 1 opener, clipping Salem 1-0 – Observer & Eccentric

6. Volleyball: Unranked Lapeer was the big winner of its tri-match, downing Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary and also Class B No. 9 Freeland in five sets – Saginaw News

7. Boys Soccer: Howell broke a tie with Pinckney late to emerge with a 2-1 win in Division 1 after playing the Pirates in overtime two of the last three seasons – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

8. Football: Coming off Farmington Hills Harrison coach John Herrington tying the MHSAA record for football wins (and since breaking it) held by Birmingham Brother Rice’s Al Fracassa, the Observer & Eccentric interviewed the legends together – Observer & Eccentric

9. Multi-Sport Athletes: Grand Haven athletic director Scott Robertson wrote a guest column for his local paper explaining the benefits of the multi-sport experience, citing a recent star at his school known well by fans statewide – Grand Haven Tribune

10. Mascots: We know our school’s mascot, but do we know why that mascot was chosen? The Tri-County Times dives into the backstories of four schools’ mascots in its area – Tri-County Times