Today in the MHSAA: 10/26/18

October 26, 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.

The top two ranked teams in Division 4 soccer faced off in a Regional Final on Thursday, and the Division 1 reigning champion saw its season come to a close as well as upsets reigned on the pitch.

1. Boys Soccer: No. 2 Leland topped No. 1 Muskegon Western Michigan Christian in a shootout to claim a Division 4 Regional championship – MI Sports Now

2. Boys Soccer: Unranked Grand Blanc upset reigning Division 1 champion and current No. 5 Detroit Catholic Central to win a Division 1 Regional title – WJRT

3. Boys Soccer: Unranked Richland Gull Lake stunned No. 2 Grand Rapids Christian to win a Division 2 Regional Final, and No. 3 Kalamazoo Hackett earned another Semifinal berth in Division 4 – WWMT

4. Boys Soccer: No. 9 Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood downed No. 8 Dexter to claim a Division 2 Regional title – Oakland Press

5. Boys Soccer: Unranked but reigning Division 4 champion Ann Arbor Greenhills claimed the shootout to get past No. 6 Adrian Lenawee Christian in a Regional Final – Adrian Daily Telegram

6. Boys Soccer: Division 1 No. 10 Ann Arbor Skyline downed Dearborn 2-0 to clinch a Division 1 Regional title – We Love Ann Arbor

7. Boys Soccer: Macomb Lutheran North beat Freeland to move on to a Division 3 Semifinal – Macomb Daily

8. Boys Soccer: Detroit Country Day shut out Tecumseh to claim a Division 2 Regional title – Oakland Press

9. Boys Soccer: East Kentwood downed Holt in Division 1 and top-ranked Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern defeated Haslett in Division 2 to win Regional titles – Grand Rapids Press

10. Volleyball: Division 2 No. 8 Fruitport downed Muskegon Mona Shores and Reeths-Puffer to earn a shared Ottawa-Kent Conference Black title with Division 1 honorable mention Jenison – Grand Haven Tribune

Also of note …

Volleyball: Trenton beat Allen Park in four sets to create a shared Downriver League championship between the two teams – Southgate News-Herald

Volleyball: From Saturday, Division 1 No. 8 Northville broke Novi’s seven-season winning streak at the Kensington Lakes Activities Association tournament by claiming the championship, downing the honorable mention Wildcats in the final – Observer & Eccentric

Today in the MHSAA: 12/20/18

December 20, 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.

Teams are getting in their final competitions before at least a brief holiday break, and we’re taking one too after today’s list – “Today” will return Jan. 7, although Second Half will continue publishing stories from all over the state during the final week of December and first of January.  

1. Boys Basketball: Gaylord St. Mary broke a 31-game, 14-year losing streak to Bellaire with a 29-26 win – Gaylord Herald Times

2. Boys Basketball: Camden-Frontier improved to 7-0 by handing a first loss to Reading, 57-46 – Hillsdale Daily News

3. Hockey: Evan MacDonald had a hat trick as Division 1 No. 5 Brighton downed reigning Division 3 runner-up Livonia Churchill 4-1 – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

4. Boys Basketball: Mancelona gave Pellston its first loss of this season, 67-65 – Petoskey News-Review

5. Girls Basketball: Waterford Our Lady made a late run to get past Pontiac Notre Dame Prep 61-56 – Oakland Press

6. Wrestling: Grand Haven came back from a 24-0 deficit to defeat Caledonia 39-33 – Grand Haven Tribune

7. Gymnastics: Escanaba remained undefeated to start the season with wins over Marquette and Negaunee – Escanaba Daily Press

8. Boys Basketball: Portland St. Patrick closed on a 22-5 run to beat Fowler 52-42 – Ionia Sentinel-Standard

9. Hockey: Brendan Pellerito had 34 saves as Mattawan shut out Portage Northern 4-0 – JoeInsider.com

10. Wrestling: Division 4 top-ranked Hudson earned a pair of league wins over Blissfield and Onsted – Adrian Daily Telegram

Also of note …

Hockey: The status of high school hockey is on the rise with talent evaluators at the game’s next levels – Observer & Eccentric

Tennis: Longtime coach Paul Bandrowski retired after leading Traverse City St. Francis’ girls and boys teams to a number of strong MHSAA Finals finishes – Traverse City Record-Eagle

Girls Basketball: From Tuesday, Eaton Rapids came back to stun Jackson Northwest 44-41, but the Mounties’ Sydney Shafer went over 1,000 career points – Jackson Citizen Patriot

Boys Swimming & Diving: From Tuesday, Lower Peninsula Division 1 No. 2 Ann Arbor Skyline edged LPD2 top-ranked Dexter 95-90 – We Love Ann Arbor