Today in the MHSAA: 11/18/15
November 18, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The 16 MHSAA volleyball semifinalists were set Tuesday night, and we’ve tracked down coverage of all 16 Quarterfinals.
Volleyball
Class A: Reigning champion and No. 6-ranked Romeo will return to Battle Creek seeking a repeat after downing Traverse City West – Macomb Daily
Class A: Top-ranked Novi also will be heading back to Battle Creek after sweeping Grosse Pointe North – Oakland Press
Class A: Unranked Livonia Churchill swept three close sets against Monroe – Observer & Eccentric
Class A: No. 3 Grand Rapids Christian downed No. 2 Mattawan to also advance in Class A – Grand Rapids Press
Class B: Top-ranked Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard remained undefeated with a win over No. 3 Lake Odessa Lakewood – AnnArbor.com
Class B: Reigning champion and No. 8 North Branch upended No. 5 Cadillac in four sets to continue its attempt at a repeat – Flint Journal
Class B: No. 4 Battle Creek Harper Creek swept honorable mention Coopersville to reach the Semifinals for the second straight season – Battle Creek Enquirer
Class B: No. 7 Goodrich earned its first trip to the Semifinals with a defeat of Livonia Ladywood – Flint Journal
Class C: No. 8 Brown City won its first MHSAA Quarterfinal ever, in four sets over New Lothrop – Port Huron Times-Herald
Class C: Top-ranked Bronson continued to justify its No. 1 ranking with a Quarterfinal win over No. 6 Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian – Sturgis Journal
Class C: No. 5 Traverse City St. Francis earned another trip to Battle Creek with a sweep of honorable mention Calumet – Traverse City Record-Eagle
Class C: Reigning champion and No. 2 Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central ended the longest run ever for honorable mention Laingsburg – Lansing State Journal
Class D: Reigning champion and No. 2-ranked Battle Creek St. Philip got past No. 8 Mendon for the second season in a row in this round – Battle Creek Enquirer
Class D: Reigning runner-up and current No. 3 Leland downed honorable mention Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart to earn a return to the Semifinals – Traverse City Record-Eagle
Class D: Top-ranked Plymouth Christian continued its impressive run with a sweep of No. 9 Marine City Cardinal Mooney – New Baltimore Voice
Class D: Honorable mention Crystal Falls Forest Park earned a trip downstate with a four-set win over Rogers City – Escanaba Daily Press
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