Today in the MHSAA: 11/15/17

November 15, 2017

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. Volleyball: Reigning champion and top-ranked Bronson will return to the Class C Semifinals after downing No. 2 Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central in four sets in the Quarterfinal – Coldwater Daily Reporter

2. Volleyball: Class B No. 3 Lake Odessa Lakewood went to five sets with No. 4 Niles before emerging with a 15-13 win in the decider and another trip to the Semifinals – Ionia Sentinel-Standard

3. Volleyball: Class A No. 4 DeWitt swept No. 3 Grand Rapids Christian to earn a trip to the Semifinals and matchup with reigning champion Novi – MLive-Lansing

4. Volleyball: Class C No. 10 Wixom St. Catherine earned its first Semifinal berth with a sweep of No. 6 Unionville-Sebewaing – Oakland Press

5. Volleyball: Class D No. 8 Rogers City knocked off yet another ranked opponent, this time No. 10 Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart to earn a Quarterfinal win in five sets – Alpena News

6. Volleyball: Honorable mention Munising earned its first Semifinal trip with a four-set win over No. 7 Rudyard in Class D – Marquette Mining Journal

7. Volleyball: Fruitport won the first two sets close and held on to get past Cadillac in four in a matchup of Class B honorable mentions – Grand Haven Tribune

8. Volleyball: After splitting the first two sets, No. 6 Farmington Hills Mercy won the next two to down honorable mention New Baltimore Anchor Bay in four in Class A Oakland Press

9. Volleyball: Class A No. 2 and reigning champion Novi earned a fourth straight trip to the Semifinals with a sweep of honorable mention Temperance Bedford – Observer & Eccentric

10. Volleyball: No. 7 Bloomfield Hills Marian swept honorable mention Midland to make it back to the Class A Semifinals for the first time since 2013 – Oakland Press

Also of note …

Volleyball: No. 6 Fowler swept honorable mention Southfield Christian to move on in Class D – Oakland Press

Volleyball: Laingsburg downed Shelby 3-0 in a Quarterfinal matchup of Class C honorable mentions – Lansing State Journal

Volleyball: Class C No. 8 Calumet also is headed back to the Semifinals, thanks to a sweep of unranked Houghton Lake – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette     

Volleyball: Livonia Ladywood won a Quarterfinal matchup of unranked teams, sweeping Livonia Clarenceville in Class B – Observer & Eccentric

Volleyball: Top-ranked Pontiac Notre Dame Prep swept Corunna to move to 62-2-2 and into the Semifinals – NorthOaklandSports.com

Volleyball: Top-ranked and reigning champion Plymouth Christian downed annual power Battle Creek St. Philip 3-1 in Class D – WWMT

Did You See That? (April 29-May 5)

May 7, 2013

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The resignation of one of Michigan's winningest boys basketball coaches made arguably the biggest headlines during a week that also saw sad news about two more coaches who will be remembered fondly in their respective communities. 

But before we get to those, here's also a look at the story of another coach making his way back from a challenging situation: 

Good Read of the Week

DeWitt welcomed back by his teams: Last Monday's Holland Calvary vs. Holland Freedom Christian baseball doubleheader at Fifth Third Ballpark was more than just a chance to play some big games on a bigger-than-usual stage. The teams also welcomed coach Lanny DeWitt, who coaches basketball at Calvary and baseball and Freedom Christian and is recovering from a stroke suffered March 20. (Holland Sentinel)

Boys Basketball/Volleyball

Keener leaves for Arizona: Detroit Country Day boys basketball coach Kurt Keener – whose 678 victories are second in MHSAA history only to legendary River Rouge coach Lofton Greene – announced he was leaving Country Day after 35 years Friday to move to Arizona, where he will coach a high school team in Scottsdale. Keener led Country Day this winter to its ninth MHSAA boys hoops title. (Oakland Press)

Mona Shores hires veteran leaders: Muskegon Mona Shores announced Wednesday that it hired former Muskegon Community College athletic director and men’s basketball coach Gene Gifford to take over its boys hoops program, and former Fruitport coach Dan Potts to take over the volleyball program. Potts led Fruitport to the 2005 MHSAA Class B championship. (Muskegon Chronicle)

Girls Basketball

Detroit mourns Knott: The Detroit Public School League and its basketball community are mourning the death of recently-retired Detroit Cody girls hoops coach Charles Knott, who was reportedly shot and killed Tuesday. Knott – hired at Cody in 1988 – was a graduate of Detroit Southeastern and also coached softball during his tenure.  (Detroit News)

Softball

D2 powers split: Division 2 No. 4 Coloma and honorable mention Portland split a doubleheader Wednesday. Portland won the first 1-0 before Coloma handed the Raiders their first loss this season, 2-1. (Ionia Sentinel-Standard)

Stevenson surges: Sterling Heights Stevenson moved up to No. 1 in Division 1 this week in part because of a split Saturday against previously top-ranked and now No. 5-Mattawan. (Kalamazoo Gazette)

Boys Golf

Lansing Catholic dominates: The Cougars, keyed by senior Jacob Johnson and junior Brent Marshall, won Friday’s Capital Area Activities Conference Open by nine strokes over East Lansing. The event matches the teams from all four divisions of the CAAC, which currently includes four top 10-ranked teams including Division 2 No. 1 Haslett and Lansing Catholic – which is No. 1 in Division 3.  (Lansing State Journal)

Lakeview cards record: Battle Creek Lakeview shot a 290 during the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Association Championships last week at Island Hills Golf Club in Centreville, breaking the previous team record of 295 shot in 2010. Lakeview is ranked No. 5 in Division 1. (Battle Creek Enquirer)

Girls Track and Field

Bark River-Harris reigns in Central U.P.: The Broncos – who finished ninth at last season’s MHSAA Upper Peninsula Division 3 Final – clinched their second Central Upper Peninsula Conference title in three seasons Tuesday by edging Rapid River by nine points and Eben Junction Superior Central by 43. Superior Central was runner-up at that MHSAA Division 3 Final last spring.  (Escanaba Daily Press)

Boys Track and Field

Algonac tops at Muskrat Classic: Algonac not only won the Division 2 portion of its annual invitational, but scored 100 points to top all of the Division 1 schools as well. (Port Huron Times-Herald)

Baseball

Hessbrook throws third no-hitter: Ithaca’s Logan Hessbrook threw not only his third no-hitter of the season Thursday, but his second straight as the Yellowjackets downed St. Charles 15-0 and then 4-0 in a doubleheader. He had seven strikeouts in seven innings. (Saginaw News)

DCC gains big split: Unranked Detroit Catholic Central earned a 9-8 win over No. 3 Birmingham Brother Rice on Thursday before falling 4-1 in the second game. (Mlive Detroit)

Football

Williams heads to Ypsilanti: Lamanzer Williams – who played at the University of Minnesota and also has served as football coach at Kalamazoo Central and Inkster – has resigned as Holland High football coach after one season to become athletic director at the new Ypsilanti Community High School. (AnnArbor.com)

Grand Rapids mourns Julian: Former Grand Rapids West Catholic and Grand Rapids Community College football coach Fred Julian died Saturday after a battle against prostate cancer. The Detroit Pershing grad taught and coached at West Catholic for 16 seasons and also played professionally for the old American Football League’s New York Titans. (Grand Rapids Press)

Wrestling

Boyer nears end at Pennfield: Larry Boyer, who led Battle Creek Pennfield's wrestling team to a 1992 MHSAA title, will retire from the school after this spring and 36 years including the last 13 as athletic director. He also has coached football and track and field. (Battle Creek Enquirer)