Today in the MHSAA: 11/10/17

November 10, 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. Volleyball: Top-ranked Pontiac Notre Dame Prep reaffirmed its status as favorite in a big way with a sweep of No. 2 North Branch in a Class B Regional Final – Oakland Press

2. Volleyball: No. 3 Grand Rapids Christian took top-ranked Rockford to a fifth set and closed out a slight upset of the reigning Class A runner-up – Grand Rapids Press

3. Volleyball: No. 4 Schoolcraft took top-ranked and reigning champion Bronson to a fifth set as well, but the Vikings prevailed for the Class C Regional title – Coldwater Daily Reporter

4. Volleyball: No. 6 Bloomfield Hills Marian avenged two losses this season to No. 8 Clarkston by downing the Wolves in a Class A Regional Final sweep – Oakland Press

5. Volleyball: Reigning champion and top-ranked Plymouth Christian Academy got past No. 3 North Adams-Jerome to move on in Class D – Hillsdale Daily News

6. Volleyball: No. 3 Lake Odessa Lakewood will play in another Class B Quarterfinal thanks to a Regional Final sweep of No. 6 Marshall – Ionia Sentinel-Standard

7. Volleyball: Honorable mention New Baltimore Anchor Bay won its first Regional title with a five-set victory over Sterling Heights Stevenson in Class A – C&G Newspapers

8. Volleyball: Honorable mention Southfield Christian earned its first Regional title in volleyball, downing Sterling Heights Parkway Christian 3-1 in Class D – Macomb Daily

9. Volleyball: Class C No. 10 Wixom St. Catherine and Detroit Edison Public School Academy both were playing for a first Regional title, and St. Catherine claimed it with a sweep – Oakland Press

10. Volleyball: No. 6 Unionville-Sebewaing swept reigning Class C runner-up Brown City to advance with a Regional title – Huron Daily Tribune

Also of note …

Volleyball: Class A No. 4 DeWitt won its first Regional title in any class since 2010 with a sweep of honorable mention Richland Gull Lake – Lansing State Journal

Volleyball: Honorable mention Cadillac won its ninth straight Class B Regional title with a sweep of Alma – Cadillac News

Volleyball: No. 8 Calumet claimed its sixth straight Regional title with a sweep of Iron River West Iron County in Class C – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

Volleyball: No. 10 Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart won a fifth straight Class D Regional title, defeating honorable mention Muskegon Catholic Central in five sets – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

Volleyball: Reigning champion and No. 2-ranked Novi moved on to a rematch with Temperance Bedford by sweeping South Lyon in a Class A Regional Final – Observer & Eccentric

Volleyball: No. 8 Rogers City continued a highlight-filled week, claiming a Regional title with a sweep of honorable mention Bellaire after downing No. 2 Leland on Tuesday – Alpena News

Volleyball: Unranked Battle Creek St. Philip finds itself headed to the final week of the season again thanks to a Class D sweep of Climax-Scotts – Battle Creek Enquirer

Volleyball: Honorable mention Shelby moved on with a Class C Regional title, ending the dream season for Beaverton that included first league and District titles – Midland Daily News

Volleyball: No. 6 Farmington Hills Mercy also moved on in Class A with a sweep of Livonia Stevenson – Observer & Eccentric

Volleyball: Class B honorable mention Fruitport moved on to next week’s Quarterfinals with a sweep of Grant – Muskegon Chronicle

Did You See That? (May 6-12)

May 13, 2013

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

It matters not which school you support: All of us cheer on those who emerge from sad or challenging circumstances to return to the field of play. Those are stories with which we all identify, no matter where they take place or the athletes involved.

Grass Lake's Julia Covill and the Grayling golf team are among those we cheered on last week. Read on for why.

Good Read of the Week

One more race: A little more than a year ago, Julia Covill suffered a broken pelvis, shattered femur and a smattering of other injuries after losing control of her vehicle on a patch of black ice. The volleyball and track and field standout hadn’t participated in sports since – but returned to the track for one more race Tuesday to earn a final victory, even in crossing the finishing line of the 200-meter dash last. (Jackson Citizen-Patriot)

Boys Golf

Grayling returns to the course: Long drives and birdie putts were less significant details as Grayling returned to competition Wednesday for the first time since a car crash that rocked the northern Lower Peninsula, resulting in three deaths and five more hospitalizations. (Petoskey  News)

TC West record falls: Cam Murray shot a 67 on Tuesday as Traverse City West won its Big North Conference event with a team score of 306. (Traverse City Record-Eagle)

Track and Field

Back on track: The Lake Linden-Hubbell boys and girls swept their home invitationals Friday in what was for many one of the first times those athletes had competed on a track this season thanks to lingering snow. (Houghton Daily Mining Gazette)

Down to the finish: The Battle Creek Lakeview boys and girls teams swept their Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference championship meets Friday, with the Lakeview boys clinching in dramatic fashion by securing a one-point win with a 1.23-second victory in the final event of the day. (Kalamazoo Gazette)

Boys Lacrosse

Haslett/Williamston takes big step: The Vikings earned their first Capital Area Activities Conference tournament championship with a 13-3 win over Holt, the three-time reigning champ that had beaten Haslett/Williamston 14-3 on April 27. The win pushed H/W into the No. 10 spot in today’s Division 2 state computer ranking. (Lansing State Journal)

Novi hangs on: Novi survived to win the Kensington Lakes Activities Association tournament championship game 7-6 after a last-second Brighton shot crossed the line just after time expired. (MLive Detroit)

Girls Tennis

FHN No. 1 again: Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern continued to own its league Saturday, although this time in a new division. The Huskies won the first-ever O-K Bronze tournament championship by four points over Ada Forest Hills Eastern. FHN has won nine straight league titles. (Grand Rapids Press)

Wrestling

Meet Mr. Wrestler: Fowlerville’s Adam Coon added to his impressive list of accomplishments – including becoming the 17th MHSAA wrestler to win four Finals championships – when he was named Mr. Wrestler by the Michigan Wrestling Association. (Livingston County Daily Press & Argus)

Upper Peninsula Hall of Fame

High school stars inducted: High school standouts brought back plenty of memories as this year’s class was inducted Sunday into the Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame. (Marquette Mining Journal)

Boys Basketball

Root resigns after 30+ seasons: Longtime Flint Ainsworth and then Carman-Ainsworth basketball coach Bob Root resigned last week, potentially finishing a career that began at Flint Northern in 1978. (Flint Journal)