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: 1/12/17
January 12, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Wednesday was filled with a big-time girls basketball matchup, a scoring milestone, a key Detroit Catholic League hockey matchup and the stepping down of a successful football coach – and don’t miss a history lesson from the Upper Peninsula as well.
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.
Girls Basketball
Class B contender Detroit Country Day posted an impressive 67-28 win over Class C contender Flint Hamady, which also entered undefeated – Detroit News
Eileene Naniseni scored her 1,000th point on a free throw with 17 seconds to play in her team’s 54-40 win over Fife Lake Forest Area – Traverse City Record-Eagle
Madi Cutler had 15 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists to lead Blanchard Montabella past Coleman 58-47 – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun
Boys Basketball
After trailing Holly by 15 during the first quarter, Flushing came back with a 39-point swing to win 75-50 – Flint Journal
Hockey
Division 1 No. 1 Detroit Catholic Central scored two third-period goals to get past Division 3 No. 3 Warren DeLaSalle 4-2 – Macomb Daily
Freshman Stephen Metcalfe’s goal early in overtime gave Royal Oak a 3-2 win over Detroit Country Day – Oakland Press
Brothers Isaac and Luke Lippert teamed up for the winning goal in Ann Arbor Skyline’s 4-3 overtime victory over Saline – Ann Arbor News
Wrestling
Division 1 No. 4 Oxford edged Clarkston 35-30 in a dual after those teams finished first and second, respectively, at the Oakland County Invitational last month – Oakland Press
Division 2 No. 6 Richmond swept a pair of Blue Water Area Conference matches, downing No. 6 Algonac 48-16 and Capac 60-18 – Clinton Township Voice
Football
Ida coach Tom Walentowski stepped down after building a 132-106 record over the last 25 seasons, including a 37-9 mark over the last four – Monroe Evening News
Good Read
Powers North Central is the talk of the Upper Peninsula and growing in statewide basketball circles as its boys team closes in on Chassell’s record 65-game winning streak. The Houghton Daily Mining Gazette recalls the those Chassell passed on the way to setting that record in 1957-58, the Mass-Greenland teams of the late 1940s – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette