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: 12/10/15

December 10, 2015

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Wednesday was the first day of winter in full swing with significant matchups coming in six sports as four got into the heart of their first week of the season. Be sure to check out as well a story on MHSAA officials recruiting efforts.

Girls Basketball

Traverse City St. Francis won an early battle between two of the north’s top small-school teams, downing Frankfort (featured today on Second Half) 76-72 – Traverse City Record-Eagle

A pair of Concord players filled the stat sheet in a 62-56 win over Michigan Center; senior Lindsey Lehmen led with 24 points, five assists, four rebounds and four steals, and sophomore Camryn Ward grabbed 19 rebounds – Jackson Citizen-Patriot

Boys Basketball

From Tuesday, Sanford Meridian freshman Lucas Lueder will be among first-year players to watch, if his 18 points in a 65-61 win over Saginaw Nouvel are an indication – Midland Daily News

Boys Bowling

Vandercook Lake could be in line for an exciting season or four after watching freshmen Korey Reichard (278) and Conner Lackey (267) lead the way in a 29-1 win over Grass Lake – Jackson Citizen-Patriot

Ice Hockey

Division 3 No. 10 Farmington’s two first-period goals were enough as the Falcons scored a key early-season win over Division 2 No. 4 Berkley – Oakland Press

After finishing regulation tied, Division 2 No. 9 Traverse City Central needed only 14 seconds of overtime to get past Cadillac 4-3 – Traverse City Record-Eagle

Boys Swimming & Diving

Chelsea coach Dave Jolly was the mid-Michigan link to Wednesday’s Waverly Relays, the annual event for Lansing-area teams to kick off the season; his Lower Peninsula Division 3 No. 3-ranked team broke Okemos’ five-year hold on the meet championship – Lansing State Journal

Wrestling

No. 3 Davison earned one of the most significant early wins so far this season, 45-27 over No. 4 Brighton, which beat Davison in the Division 1 Semifinals last season – Livingston Daily

Saginaw Swan Valley, No. 8 in Division 3, just escaped Essexville Garber for a 32-30 win – Saginaw News

Good Read

After more than five decades as an official, Dick Kalahar is watching from the stands this season. He is among a growing number of retiring officials the MHSAA is charged with replacing over the next few years, and this piece looks at some of the challenges and opportunities, in part through Kalahar’s eyes – Jackson Citizen-Patriot