Today in the MHSAA: 1/11/16
January 11, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The first full sports weekend of 2016 included notable performances in a number of sports, highlighted by one of the top swimming and diving meets of the regular season.
Girls Basketball
Ithaca girls basketball coach Bob Anderson earned his 700th win as his team beat Carrollton 66-40; he’s coached both girls and boys teams to success over 27 seasons – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun
Durand handed Goodrich its first league loss in seven years while staying undefeated this season in the Genesee Area Conference Red – Flint Journal
DeWitt remained undefeated at 8-0 after handing Lansing Waverly its first loss this season in a matchup of two of the Lansing area’s top teams – Lansing State Journal
St. Joseph moved to 6-1 with a 72-35 win over Benton Harbor, a semifinalist in Class B last season – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium
Saranac was missing its leading scorer, but still managed to get past annual Class D power Portland St. Patrick 41-33 – Ionia Sentinel-Standard
Boys Basketball
Okemos handed Holt its first loss this season and won its first game on the Rams’ home court since 2010 – Lansing State Journal
Ice Hockey
Portage Central earned a win that could boost it into the state rankings, downing Division 1 No. 10 East Kentwood 2-1 on Saturday in Muskegon – Kalamazoo Gazette
Boys Swimming & Diving
Division 2 No. 1 Dexter scored 409 points to beat No. 4 Warren DeLaSalle by 33 at the annual Spartan Invitational at Battle Creek Lakeview, with the field also including reigning champion Birmingham Seaholm and Division 1 contender Ann Arbor Skyline – Battle Creek Enquirer
Lower Peninsula Division 1 honorable mention Grand Rapids Forest Hills defeated a field that included LPD2 No. 6 Midland Dow at the Forest Hills Invitational – Midland Daily News
Wrestling
Unranked Westland John Glenn got past Division 1 No. 9 New Baltimore Anchor Bay to win the Michigan Duals at Bay City Western over a field that also included No. 8 Western and Division 3 No. 5 Remus Chippewa Hills – Mlive-Detroit
Division 2 No. 9 Sparta won the Dave Dunneback Tournament with 247 points, ahead of Lake Odessa Lakewood, Belding and Division 3 No. 6 Grand Rapids Catholic Central – Grand Rapids Press
Football
Mike McDowell returned four seasons ago for his second stint coaching Morenci and led the program to its best finishes in nearly two decades. He recently resigned – Adrian Daily Telegram
Good Reads
Longtime coach Keith Haske remains cancer-free after fighting Stage 4 throat cancer only a year ago – and he’s added significantly to his day, becoming the girls basketball coach in addition to leading the boys program at Traverse City St. Francis. The Record-Eagle’s Brett Sommers documented a typical Haske day – Traverse City Record-Eagle
Carleton Airport senior Jessica Book is her school’s Homecoming Queen this year – and a cheerleader – and a wrestler – and plans to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps and defuse bombs – Monroe Evening News
Today in the MHSAA: 2/9/18
February 9, 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.
Today's Top 10
1. Cheer: Division 2 No. 2 Gibraltar Carlson won its fifth straight Downriver League championship, edging reigning Division 2 champion and top-ranked Allen Park by two tenths of a point – Southgate News Herald
2. Wrestling: Allen Park won its first District championship in wrestling since 2003, downing Riverview in the title match – Southgate News Herald
3. Wrestling: Mancelona claimed its first wrestling District title since 2003 with wins over Traverse City St. Francis and Frankfort in Division 4 – Traverse City Record-Eagle
4. Boys Basketball: North Muskegon claimed a share of its first league title since 2003 with a 48-41 win over Whitehall in the West Michigan Conference – Muskegon Chronicle
5. Girls Bowling: Tecumseh clinched a 12th straight Southeastern Conference championship with a win over Ypsilanti – Adrian Daily Telegram
6. Cheer: Division 3 No. 2 Richmond won the Blue Water Area Conference for the 13th straight season, while Port Huron won the Macomb Area Conference Gold title – Port Huron Times Herald
7. Wrestling: St. Louis won its third straight Division 4 District title, downing Blanchard Montabella – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun
8. Wrestling: No. 3 Warren Woods Tower won its third straight District title, downing Warren Lincoln in a Final in Division 2 – C&G Newspapers
9. Girls Basketball: Fruitport Calvary Christian finished a sixth straight Alliance League title with a win over Wyoming Tri-unity Christian – Local Sports Journal
10. Wrestling: Cass City repeated as a Division 4 District champion, defeating Bad Axe and Ubly – Huron Daily Tribune
Also of note …
Wrestling: Memphis got past New Haven in a championship match to win a Division 4 District title – Macomb Daily
Boys Skiing: Brighton clinched the outright Mt. Brighton High School Ski Association championship by winning the league meet – Livingston Daily Press & Argus
Girls Basketball: Harbor Springs Harbor Light Christian clinched its second straight Northern Lakes Conference title with a 47-30 win over Ellsworth – Petoskey News-Review
Wrestling: After tie-breaking criteria was needed to decide a winner in their December match, Iron Mountain won a bit more comfortably 39-24 over Kingsford to claim a Division 3 District title – Iron Mountain Daily News
Girls Basketball: Gaylord St. Mary captured a share of the Ski Valley Conference title with a big win against Indian River Inland Lakes – Gaylord Herald-Times
Wrestling: Bronson downed Reading and Camden-Frontier to win a Division 4 District title – Coldwater Daily Reporter
Wrestling: Coloma repeated as a Division 3 District champ with a final match win over South Haven – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium
Wrestling: Auburn Hills Avondale downed Orchard Lake St. Mary’s to claim a Division 2 District title – Oakland Press
Wrestling: No. 7 Leroy Line River downed Manton and Fife Lake Forest Area to win a Division 4 District title – Cadillac News
Wrestling: No. 9 Addison and No. 2 Clinton earned Division 4 District titles – Adrian Daily Telegram
Wrestling: No. 3 Mendon also claimed a Division 4 District championship – Sturgis Journal
Wrestling: Mattawan downed Three Rivers in the championship match of their Division 2 District – Three Rivers News
Wrestling: Three Oaks River Valley and Bloomingdale also clinched Division 4 District titles – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium