Today in the MHSAA: 11/21/16

November 21, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The MHSAA volleyball and girls swimming & diving tournaments finished Saturday with seven championships awarded to teams from across the Lower Peninsula and coverage provided of each Final by Second Half correspondents. 

Each weekday during the school year, we’ll gather and post media links covering the most significant and intriguing high school events from all over the state.

Swimming & Diving

Rockford passed recent champs and favorites to win the Lower Peninsula Division 1 Final and claim its first championship in the sport – Second Half

Birmingham Seaholm won its first title in 20 years, finishing ahead of reigning champ Dexter in LP Division 2 – Second Half

East Grand Rapids claimed its 20th MHSAA championship with arguably its most talented team ever, winning in LP Division 3 – Second Half

Volleyball

Novi advanced to its third straight Class A Final and won its second straight championship, 3-1 over Rockford – Second Half

North Branch met Lake Odessa Lakewood in the Class B Final for the third time in five seasons and prevailed over the top-ranked Vikings – Second Half

Bronson repeated in Class C against a Brown City team appearing in the Final for the first time – Second Half

Plymouth Christian secured its first MHSAA title, downing league mate Auburn Hills Oakland Christian in Class D – Second Half

Today in the MHSAA: 9/16/16

September 16, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

A number of intriguing results came in from girls golf and volleyball Thursday, and make sure to check out a number of “Good Reads” to get you into another sports-filled weekend.  

Each weekday during the school year, we’ll gather and post media links covering the most significant and intriguing high school events from all over the state.

Girls Golf

Midland Dow’s Stephanie Carras continued a dominating season for the top-ranked team in Division 2, winning a playoff hole tiebreaker to earn the medalist honor at the Ann Arbor Pioneer Invitational – Midland Daily News

Second-year program Shepherd won its third straight Tri-Valley Conference West jamboree – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

Volleyball

Lake Orion won a matchup of honorable mention teams in the Class A rankings, sweeping Rochester Hills Stoney Creek – Oakland Press

Houghton took down Calumet in four sets to take an upper hand among top teams at the top of the Upper Peninsula – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

Less than a week after falling to DeTour in the final at its home invitational, Pickford downed DeTour in three sets in league play – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News

Good Reads

Longtime Brighton swim coach Tim McInnis died suddenly Tuesday, leaving behind a community where his influence has been felt for decades – Livingston Post

MLive tells the story of the football rivalry between Utica Eisenhower and Sterling Heights Stevenson through the eyes of their former longtime coaches – MLive-Detroit

Two days before his father and former Farmington hockey coach Bill Newton died after a fight with cancer, Chris Newton – his dad’s former assistant the a former goalie on the team – received a lung transplant that is providing him new opportunities – Observer & Eccentric

Katherine Ristola’s older brother Jonathan never got to play varsity football because of injuries his junior and senior years. But she’s taken the opportunity to play in part with him in mind and become a big part of the Livonia Churchill football family – Detroit Free Press

Vanessa Romero has played football for 10 years, and after starting at the subvarsity level is contributing on the offensive line for Westland John Glenn’s varsity – Detroit News