Today in the MHSAA: 11/11/20

November 11, 2020

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The MHSAA Volleyball Tournament took its next step Tuesday playing Regional Semifinals statewide, with a number of results making waves throughout the brackets.

1. Volleyball: No. 5 Beaverton swept No. 7 Traverse City St. Francis in a Division 3 Regional Semifinal – Midland Daily News

2. Volleyball: No. 2 Lake Odessa Lakewood lost a set – one of few this fall – before emerging with a four-set win over honorable mention Marshall in Division 2 – Lansing State Journal

3. Volleyball: Unranked Grandville Calvin Christian upset No. 4 North Muskegon to advance in Division 3 – Grand Rapids Press

4. Volleyball: Honorable mention Battle Creek St. Philip upset No. 7 New Buffalo 3-1 in a Division 4 Regional Semifinal – WWMT

5. Volleyball: Unranked Edwardsburg swept No. 8 Hamilton to advance in Division 2 – Niles Daily Star

6. Volleyball: Brooklyn Columbia Central continued its program-record run with a 3-1 Regional Semifinal win over Bath in Division 3 – Jackson Citizen-Patriot

7. Volleyball: Honorable mention Traverse City West came back after losing the first set to win the next three over Mount Pleasant – Up North Live

8. Volleyball: DeWitt came back from a late fifth-set deficit to edge Richland Gull Lake in Division 1 – Lansing State Journal

9. Volleyball: No. 6 Ann Arbor Skyline continued its undefeated run this fall with a Division 1 sweep of Trenton – We Love Ann Arbor

10. Volleyball: Grand Blanc will move on in Division 1 after avenging a 2019 Regional loss to Flushing – WJRT

Also of note …

Boys Soccer: Longtime coach Kirt Brown retired after 15 years apiece at Parchment and then Mattawan, having led the latter to the 2016 Division 2 championship – Kalamazoo Gazette

Cross Country/Track & Field: P.J. Pruett is retiring after leading dominant girls and boys programs at Ishpeming in both sports – Upper Michigan’s Source

Thanks, Mr. Woodley (Saginaw News)

August 24, 2012

LaMarr Woodley was a football star at Saginaw High long before he went on to the University of Michigan and now the Pittsburgh Steelers.

He's given students in his hometown the same opportunity for accomplishment without the cost they would've otherwise incurred this school year.

Students at Saginaw and Saginaw Arthur Hill plus the districts junior highs and middle schools were facing a $75 participation fee until Woodley stepped in earlier this month with a $60,000 donation.

Hugh Bernreuter has covered the majority of Woodley's career, and tells this story.

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker LaMarr Woodley pays participation fees for Saginaw Public Schools student-athletes (Saginaw News)