Today in the MHSAA: 11/13/19

November 13, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The field of 128 was whittled to 66 volleyball teams still alive in the MHSAA Tournament as all but two Regional Finals were played Tuesday, with Divisions 1 and 3 producing the night’s loudest newsmakers.

1. Volleyball: Top-ranked Schoolcraft swept No. 5 Bronson, ending a four-season Class C/Division 3 championship streak for the Vikings – WWMT

2. Volleyball: No. 7 Bloomfield Hills Marian pushed top-ranked Farmington Hills Mercy to a fifth set before the Marlins prevailed in a Division 1 Regional Semifinal – Observer & Eccentric

3. Volleyball: No. 4 Hudsonville got past No. 8 Grand Haven in five sets in a matchup of ranked Division 1 teams – Grand Haven Tribune

4. Volleyball: Honorable mention Pewamo-Westphalia swept No. 9 Morley Stanwood in a Division 3 Regional Semifinal – Ionia Sentinel-Standard

5. Volleyball: Honorable mention Lake Orion went five sets to upset No. 9 Rochester Hills Stoney Creek in Division 1 – Oakland Press

6. Volleyball: Manistique came back from a set down to win the final two and get past Calumet in five in a matchup of Division 3 honorable mentions – Escanaba Daily Press

7. Volleyball: Unranked Hudson swept honorable mention Hanover-Horton to also move on in Division 3 – Adrian Daily Telegram

8. Volleyball: Unranked Manton got past honorable mention Beal City in five sets, also in Division 3 – Cadillac News

9. Volleyball: Novi swept Brighton in a matchup of Division 1 honorable mentions, ending the stellar high school career of Bulldogs all-stater Celia Cullen – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

10. Volleyball: In Division 3, Vandercook Lake advanced to its first District final and saw two school records fall during a sweep of Bath – Jackson Citizen Patriot

Also of note …

Girls Golf: Okemos’ Allison Cui was named Miss Golf by the Michigan Interscholastic Golf Coaches Association – Lansing State Journal

Boys Soccer: The Michigan High School Soccer Coaches Association named Aidan O’Connor its Mr. Soccer for this season – Grand Rapids Press

Today in the MHSAA: 12/13/19

December 13, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Matchups close to home in boys swimming & diving and girls basketball stood out most from Thursday’s headliners across the state, but one of the biggest newsmakers of the week came this morning from Rockford football.

1. Boys Swimming & Diving: Williamston/Lansing Christian won the annual Waverly Relays as the top three teams were separated by just six points – Lansing State Journal

2. Girls Basketball: Ann Arbor Huron downed Ypsilanti Arbor Prep 62-49 in a matchup of teams with high expectations this winter – Ann Arbor News

3. Boys Swimming & Diving: Grand Haven got past Spring Lake 110-71; Spring Lake is ranked No. 5 in Lower Peninsula Division 3 – Grand Haven Tribune

4. Girls Basketball: Neveah Benavides’ basket during the closing seconds gave Saginaw Arthur Hill a 48-46 win over Saginaw High – Saginaw News

5. Girls Basketball: Adrian Lenawee Christian won a matchup of frequent small-school powers, 64-30 over Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes – Adrian Daily Telegram

6. Girls Basketball: Fruitport Calvary Christian won a meeting of two more highly-regarded small-school programs, 53-46 over Battle Creek Calhoun Christian – Muskegon Chronicle

7. Boys Basketball: Oxford earned coach Steve Laidlaw his 100th victory with a 59-36 win over Walled Lake Central – Oakland Press

8. Girls Basketball: Riverview Gabriel Richard improved to 4-0 with a 42-37 win over Grosse Ile – Southgate Times-Herald

9. Girls Basketball: Lake City also moved to 4-0 with a 56-31 win over Houghton Lake – Cadillac News

10. Girls Basketball: Gaylord St. Mary capitalized on 37 turnovers in a 44-29 win over Mancelona – Gaylord Herald-Times

Also of note …

Football: Rockford coach Ralph Munger announced his retirement Friday after 40 seasons coaching there and at Frankenmuth – FOX 17