Today in the MHSAA: 10/28/16

October 28, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Three quarters of the MHSAA boys soccer semifinalists are set, and we gathered coverage from all 12 Regional Finals from Thursday, plus some key volleyball regular-season finales.

Each weekday during the school year, we’ll gather and post media links covering the most significant and intriguing high school events from all over the state.

Boys Soccer

Division 1 No. 19 East Kentwood got past No. 16 Traverse City West 3-2 – Grand Rapids Press

Unranked Rochester won its first Regional title since 2002 with a 1-0 Division 1 win over No. 15 Grand Blanc – Oakland Press

No. 14 Novi moved on with a 1-0 win over No. 13 Salem in Division 1 – Observer & Eccentric

No. 11 Mattawan upset No. 8 Holland 3-0 in a Division 2 Regional Final – Kalamazoo Gazette

Division 1 No. 1 East Lansing got past No. 6 Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern 1-0 – Grand Rapids Press

Unranked Fenton got past also-unranked Pontiac Notre Dame Prep 1-0 in Division 2 – Flint Journal

Dearborn Divine Child won another matchup of unranked teams in Division 2, 2-0 over Gibraltar Carlson – Dearborn Press & Guide

Top-ranked Grand Rapids Catholic Central edged No. 8 Paw Paw in Division 3 – Grand Rapids Press

Division 3 No. 12 Charlevoix downed Benzonia Benzie Central 4-0 for its first Regional title in boys soccer – Petoskey News-Review

Division 3 No. 4 Flint Powers Catholic returned to the Semifinals with a 2-0 win over No. 7 Clawson – Flint Journal

Unranked Muskegon Catholic Central continued its Division 4 run with a shootout win over No. 9 Grand Rapids Covenant Christian – Grand Rapids Press

Also in Division 4, No. 18 Kalamazoo Hackett downed No. 10 Lansing Christian 2-1 – Kalamazoo Gazette

Volleyball

Class B honorable mention Croswell-Lexington finished a second straight perfect run through the Blue Water Area Conference with a sweep of Armada – Port Huron Times Herald

Kingsford finished an undefeated season in the Great Northern Conference to claim that league’s championship – Iron Mountain Daily News

Unranked Hillsdale Academy dealt Class D honorable mention Camden-Frontier a five-set loss – Hillsdale Daily News

Today in the MHSAA: 1/20/16

January 20, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Buzzer beaters and milestone basketball victories made headlines all over Michigan today, and check out as well a moving video that tells of the importance of our national anthem.

Girls Basketball

Reigning Class C champion Calumet added another accomplishment to the long list with its first win over Houghton since 1999, 44-31 – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

Three Rivers’ sophomore Arionne Fowlkes went baseline to baseline for a last-second layup to give her team a 43-41 win over Niles – Niles Daily Star

Class A favorite Saginaw Heritage remained undefeated with a 53-38 win over rival Midland Dow, also ranked in Class A – Saginaw News

One-loss St. Ignace handed Newberry its first defeat of the season, 64-57 – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News

Cedar Springs also knocked a team from the unbeaten ranks, with Sam Taylor’s 3-pointer in the closing seconds ending Kent City’s perfect run, 50-47 – Grand Rapids Press

Muskegon edged East Kentwood 50-47 after trailing by 10 and on the strength of 26 points and 22 rebounds by senior Mardrekia Cook – Muskegon Chronicle

Boys Basketball

Despite being outscored 30-22 in the fourth quarter, Southfield Christian held on for an 82-79 win over Southfield – MLive-Detroit

Merrill earned its first win since 2013 by downing Coleman 49-36 – Midland Daily News

One-loss Alma handed previously-undefeated Ithaca its first, 56-53, as Dylan Carl hit 3-pointers to send the game to overtime and then win it – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

Muskegon Oakridge’s Brady Luttrull drilled a 3-pointer during the final seconds to push his team past Scottville Mason County Central 67-66 – Muskegon Chronicle

Cassopolis followed a strong third quarter by Deoin Gatson to hand Niles Brandywine its first loss, 61-47 – Niles Daily Leader

One-loss Clarkston also handed out a first loss Tuesday, to Rochester Adams, in a matchup of top Class A teams – Oakland Press

Caleb Brown’s only basket for Northport was the game winner during the final seconds of a 51-49 victory over Central Lake – Traverse City Record-Eagle

Nate Dugener’s sixth 3-pointer of the game gave Muskegon Western Michigan Christian a 52-49 win over Holland Christian – Grand Haven Tribune

Boys Swimming & Diving

In a matchup of top teams on the west side of the Lower Peninsula, Division 1 No. 6 Zeeland got past Division 2 honorable mention Holland 104-73 – Holland Sentinel

Worth Watching

We ran across and were moved by Virginia Tech’s honoring of veterans at the start of this men’s basketball season. Check out this meaningful presentation and how it relates to providing proper respect during The Star-Spangled Banner.