Today in the MHSAA: 10/30/20
October 30, 2020
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Lower Peninsula soccer teams pulled a win closer to the ultimate MHSAA prize with Regional championship victories across four divisions Thursday.
1. Boys Soccer: No. 6 (MPR) DeWitt handed No. 5 Riverview just its second loss, 6-1 to clinch a Division 2 Regional title – Southgate News-Herald
2. Boys Soccer: No. 14 (MPR) Leland held on for a 1-0 Division 4 Regional title win over No. 4 Bad Axe – MI Sports Now
3. Boys Soccer: No. 3 (MPR) Mattawan repeated as a Division 1 Regional champions with a 1-0 win over No. 9 Saline – Kalamazoo Gazette
4. Boys Soccer: No. 5 (MPR) Troy Athens held on through a shootout to hold off New Baltimore Anchor Bay in a Division 1 Regional Final – Macomb Daily
5. Boys Soccer: No. 2 (MPR) Grosse Ile earned a return to the season’s final week with a 1-0 Division 3 win over Clawson – Southgate News-Herald
6. Boys Soccer: Tony Gallegos scored four goals in No. 2 (MPR) Traverse City West’s 5-1 Division 1 title clincher against Muskegon Mona Shores – Traverse City Record-Eagle
7. Boys Soccer: Top-ranked (MPR) Detroit Catholic Central came back to defeat Berkley and clinch a Division 1 Regional title – Observer & Eccentric
8. Boys Soccer: No. 8 (MPR) East Grand Rapids hung on for a 2-1 win over Spring Lake in Division 2 – Local Sports Journal
9. Boys Soccer: Williamston claimed a Division 3 Regional title with a 1-0 win over Macomb Lutheran North – Lansing State Journal
10. Boys Soccer: Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood advanced with a Division 2 win over Imlay City – State Champs Sports Network
Holland West Ottawa Athletics Complex Recognized with National Award
December 12, 2023
Holland West Ottawa Public Schools’ new athletics complex, with architectural firm GMB, has been recognized as the top multi-field facility nationally by the American Sports Builders Association (ASBA), the national organization for builders and suppliers of materials for athletic facilities.
West Ottawa’s new stadium consists of two turf playing fields. The west field was designed deliberately without a surrounding track to bring the stands and field closer together with a central tunnel beneath the grandstands for the home team to enter onto the field. The same synthetic turf, light posts, and state-of-the-art audio/video systems are utilized on both fields for an equitable experience for all users.
Multiple ground-level entry points with access to the fields, barrier-free locker rooms and multiple seating options with elevator access also create accessibility for spectators, players, coaches, and support staff.
“This facility allows our students the opportunity to play in one of the premier complexes in the state of Michigan,” said Jeff Malloch, assistant superintendent of business services at West Ottawa Public Schools. “We have seen continued interest in lacrosse, football, and soccer, and this complex will be utilized by our community youth from elementary age to high school student-athletes.”
Adding elevated fan experiences, such as a concourse level between the upper and lower sections of the home stands, bigger bleachers, and updated concession stands and restrooms establish a venue for multiple sports and attract the entire community to utilize the facility.
“This is a one-of-a-kind facility for West Michigan, and it’s been wonderful to see student-athletes from across the state enjoy the complex’s unique amenities,” said Nate Bosch, a landscape architect with GMB. “The collaboration needed to make this project come to life was an inspiring process to be a part of, and we are so pleased to celebrate this accomplishment with West Ottawa.”
This is the first time a GMB project has been awarded a multi-field facility of the year honor by the ASBA. GMB also has received four Project of the Year honors in the outdoor tennis category and 20 distinguished awards from ASBA for other athletic facility projects over the past 12 years.
(Photos by M-Buck Studio.)