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: 11/16/16

November 16, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The final 16 teams of this volleyball season were determined in Quarterfinals on Tuesday, and we’ve “linked up” coverage from all 16 deciding matches.

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.

Class A: Unranked Temperance Bedford improved to 23-0 all-time in Quarterfinals, downing Livonia Churchill in a sweep – Monroe Evening News

Class A: Reigning champion and top-ranked Novi continued its run with a sweep of honorable mention Bloomfield Hills Marian – Oakland Press

Class A: In the final match to finish Tuesday, No. 5 Rockford got past No. 4 Portage Central 3-2 after dropping the first set – Grand Rapids Press

Class A: Unranked Fenton also continued its stellar run with a 3-1 win over Midland – Flint Journal

Class B: No. 5 Buchanan advanced with a sweep of No. 9 Grant – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium

Class B: Top-ranked Lake Odessa Lakewood earned a return to Battle Creek with a sweep of Adrian – Ionia Sentinel-Standard

Class B: Third-ranked North Branch also will return to Kellogg Arena after a sweep of St. Clair Shores South Lake – C & G News

Class B: No. 7 Cadillac earned a return trip with a 3-1 win over honorable mention Corunna – Flint Journal

Class C: Reigning champion and No. 2 Bronson swept No. 9 Laingsburg to continue a repeat attempt – Sturgis Journal

Class C: Adrian Madison won the final two sets against Allen Park Cabrini to advance with a 3-1 win – Adrian Daily Telegram

Class C: After four straight Quarterfinal losses, honorable mention Calumet earned a trip to the Semifinals with a 3-1 win over No. 5 Traverse City St. Francis – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

Class C: No. 6 Brown City came back from two sets down to defeat Shelby 3-2 – Port Huron Times Herald

Class D: Top-ranked Plymouth Christian edged No. 2 Mendon 3-1 after a key two-point win in the third set – Observer & Eccentric

Class D: No. 3 Leland downed Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart 3-1, earning coach Laurie Glass her 1,000th win – Traverse City Record-Eagle

Class D: Rogers City avenged a 2015 Quarterfinal loss by defeating Crystal Falls Forest Park in a matchup of honorable mentions – Alpena News

Class D: Auburn Hills Oakland Christian, ranked No. 6, got past Portland St. Patrick – Oakland Press