Today in the MHSAA: 11/2/20

November 2, 2020

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The Finals fields for Lower Peninsula cross country and soccer were settled over the weekend, topped by a victory in each that especially jumped off the webpage.

1. Cross Country: The No. 2-ranked St. Johns boys won their first Regional title since 1979, and the No. 8 Mason girls also won in Division 2 at DeWitt – Lansing State Journal 

2. Boys Soccer: Top-ranked (MPR) Elk Rapids clinched a Division 3 Regional title with a shutout of No. 15 Shelby, finishing a month during which it didn’t give up a goal over seven games – Traverse City Record-Eagle

3. Cross Country: Romeo (No. 10 girls, No. 1 boys) swept Lower Peninsula Division 1 championships – Macomb Daily 

4. Cross Country: Pinckney (No. 10 girls, No. 3 boys) swept Division 2 Regional titles, adding to league and Pre-Regional championships this fall – Livingston Daily

5. Cross Country: Ann Arbor Pioneer (No. 3 girls, No. 4 boys) swept Division 1 Regionals, and Chelsea (No. 12 girls, No. 7 boys) swept races in Division 2 – Ann Arbor News

6. Cross Country: Hart continued its domination this fall with a sweep of Division 3 titles; both teams are ranked No. 1 statewide in their division  Ludington Daily News

7. Cross Country: Saugatuck built on its successful decade with a pair of Division 4 Regional championships; the girls are ranked No. 7, and the boys are No. 1  Holland Sentinel

8. Cross Country: The No. 6 Clarkston girls and No. 7 Milford boys won Division 1 Regionals – State Champs Sports Network

9. Cross Country: The No. 2 Petoskey girls and top-ranked Fremont boys were among Division 2 Regional winners – Petoskey News-Review

10. Cross Country: The No. 10 Hanover-Horton boys and No. 6 Jackson Lumen Christi girls won Division 3 titles – JTV

Today in the MHSAA: 12/20/18

December 20, 2018

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Each weekday of the school year, we break down the top headlines courtesy of Michigan’s sports media.

Teams are getting in their final competitions before at least a brief holiday break, and we’re taking one too after today’s list – “Today” will return Jan. 7, although Second Half will continue publishing stories from all over the state during the final week of December and first of January.  

1. Boys Basketball: Gaylord St. Mary broke a 31-game, 14-year losing streak to Bellaire with a 29-26 win – Gaylord Herald Times

2. Boys Basketball: Camden-Frontier improved to 7-0 by handing a first loss to Reading, 57-46 – Hillsdale Daily News

3. Hockey: Evan MacDonald had a hat trick as Division 1 No. 5 Brighton downed reigning Division 3 runner-up Livonia Churchill 4-1 – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

4. Boys Basketball: Mancelona gave Pellston its first loss of this season, 67-65 – Petoskey News-Review

5. Girls Basketball: Waterford Our Lady made a late run to get past Pontiac Notre Dame Prep 61-56 – Oakland Press

6. Wrestling: Grand Haven came back from a 24-0 deficit to defeat Caledonia 39-33 – Grand Haven Tribune

7. Gymnastics: Escanaba remained undefeated to start the season with wins over Marquette and Negaunee – Escanaba Daily Press

8. Boys Basketball: Portland St. Patrick closed on a 22-5 run to beat Fowler 52-42 – Ionia Sentinel-Standard

9. Hockey: Brendan Pellerito had 34 saves as Mattawan shut out Portage Northern 4-0 – JoeInsider.com

10. Wrestling: Division 4 top-ranked Hudson earned a pair of league wins over Blissfield and Onsted – Adrian Daily Telegram

Also of note …

Hockey: The status of high school hockey is on the rise with talent evaluators at the game’s next levels – Observer & Eccentric

Tennis: Longtime coach Paul Bandrowski retired after leading Traverse City St. Francis’ girls and boys teams to a number of strong MHSAA Finals finishes – Traverse City Record-Eagle

Girls Basketball: From Tuesday, Eaton Rapids came back to stun Jackson Northwest 44-41, but the Mounties’ Sydney Shafer went over 1,000 career points – Jackson Citizen Patriot

Boys Swimming & Diving: From Tuesday, Lower Peninsula Division 1 No. 2 Ann Arbor Skyline edged LPD2 top-ranked Dexter 95-90 – We Love Ann Arbor