Today in the MHSAA: 11/15/19

November 15, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

First-time Regional volleyball champions and big-time matchups of top-10 teams – and in a few cases both scenarios simultaneously – made for an exciting Thursday night.

1. Volleyball: No. 2 Lowell earned its first Regional championship in volleyball by getting past No. 4 Hudsonville in Division 1 – WZZM

2. Volleyball: No. 2 Camden-Frontier claimed its first Regional title in this sport with a five-set win over No. 8 Adrian Lenawee Christian in Division 4 – Hillsdale Daily News

3. Volleyball: Top-ranked and reigning champion Grand Rapids Christian went five sets to get past No. 3 Coopersville in Division 2 – FOX 17

4. Volleyball: Reigning Division 4 champion and top-ranked Mendon will return to the final week thanks to a sweep of No. 3 Battle Creek St. Philip – Sturgis Journal

5. Volleyball: Ann Arbor Skyline got past honorable mention Novi in a Division 1 sweep to win its first Regional title in the sport – State Champs Sports Network

6. Volleyball: No. 2 Lake Odessa Lakewood twice trailed before getting past No. 7 Parma Western in five sets in Division 2 – Ionia Sentinel-Standard

7. Volleyball: Mount Pleasant also claimed its first Regional title in volleyball with a Division 1 win over Flushing – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

8. Volleyball: Macomb L’Anse Creuse North claimed its first volleyball Regional title with a four-set win over Fraser in Division 1 – Macomb Daily

9. Volleyball: No. 4 Muskegon Western Michigan Christian swept honorable mention Pewamo-Westphalia in Division 3 to clinch its first Regional title in the sport – Local Sports Journal

10. Volleyball: No. 6 Merrill also is a first-time Regional volleyball champion, thanks to a sweep of Fowler in Division 4 – Saginaw News

Today in the MHSAA: 8/31/15

August 31, 2015

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The final weekend of August was a giant weekend for MHSAA volleyball contenders, with some of the top regular-season events this fall providing opportunities for the best to see how they might match up when playoffs begin in two months.

Below are headlines for some of the key high school reports from across the state; the weekend’s football round-up will publish later this afternoon.  

Cross Country

Muskegon Reeths-Puffer’s Maryssa Depies set a course record of 18:11.3 to win the Big Red Invitational at McGraft Park – Muskegon Chronicle

Flint Powers Catholic’s top individual finisher came in ninth, but the Chargers girls as a team were first at the Lansing Catholic Invitational – Flint Journal

The reigning Lower Peninsula Division 2 champion Grand Rapids Christian boys repeated as winner of the prestigious Benzie Central Invitational, finishing ahead of Traverse City West and Central, while Central senior Anthony Berry won individually in 15:24 – Grand Rapids Press

Boys Soccer

Tawas, a Division 3 semifinalist last season, finished first from an Elk Rapids Invitational field that included Berkley and Saginaw Nouvel – Bay City Times

Volleyball

Lake Odessa Lakewood, last season’s Class B runner-up and the second-ranked team in that class this week, eliminated Class A No. 6 Grand Rapids Christian to win the West Michigan Volleyball Officials Association tournament for the first time in a decade – Grand Rapids Press

Class A No. 4 Grand Haven continued its perfect run at its outdoor Battle of the Boardwalk tournament, sweeping three opponents to remain undefeated through the event's third year – Grand Haven Tribune

Battle Creek Harper Creek, No. 9 in Class B, improved to 17-0 by winning the Cereal City Tournament at Pennfield with a 2-1 championship match win over Temperance Bedford, an MHSAA semifinalist last season in Class A – Battle Creek Enquirer

Good Reads

The Holland Sentinel introduced its top female athletes in that area’s history Sunday, and highlighted nationally-known softball star Kathy Arendsen and her successes during one of the MHSAA’s first Softball Finals – Holland Sentinel

Anyone who follows high school football history will enjoy going through the Muskegon Chronicle’s sampling of top-20 moments from that area’s football past – Muskegon Chronicle

More than 60 former Shepherd High School players from the last 25 seasons returned for an alumni doubleheader Sunday to honor coach Jack Nartker, who will retire after this spring – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun