Today in the MHSAA: 11/24/15

November 24, 2015

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

With Thanksgiving only a few days away, the following are a pair of stories from communities thankful for special coaches.  

Girls Basketball

Watersmeet is mourning the loss of former girls basketball coach Norm Ellenberger, who led the program the last four seasons – after a career that took him to the NCAA Tournament, NBA and WNBA before bringing him to this Class D school – Ironwood Daily Globe

Football

Good Morning America visited Benton Harbor High School on Monday to surprise football coach Elliot Uzelac and award the school $10,000 for a scholarship in his name – and give his players an expenses-paid trip to Disney World as part of its “Thank You America” series – Good Morning America


Today in the MHSAA: 9/30/15

September 30, 2015

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Ranked teams faced off all over the state in a variety of sports Tuesday – but perhaps the most intriguing score was a tie in tennis between teams outside the state coaches polls.

Cross Country

The Lower Peninsula Division 1 No. 6 Saline boys raced past No. 14 Monroe in the second Southeastern Conference jamboree after falling to Monroe in the first. In the girls race, No. 3 Saline edged No. 6 Ann Arbor Pioneer by only five points – AnnArbor.com

Ithaca’s girls, No. 3 in LP Division 2, won their eighth straight Tri-Valley Conference West jamboree, dating to 2013, and ahead of a field that includes No. 14 St. Louis – Saginaw News

The Chassell girls, No. 1 in Upper Peninsula Division 3, won the Houghton Invitational keyed by a strong group leading the pack – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

Boys Soccer

LP Division 1 top-ranked Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central earned another impressive win, this time 4-0 over Division 2 No. 6 East Grand Rapids – Grand Rapids Press

LP Division 4 No. 5 Muskegon Western Michigan Christian outlasted No. 8 Grand Rapids Covenant Christian 2-1 – Muskegon Chronicle

Boys Tennis

Jackson found itself with only four players this summer as it prepared for the fall season – but turned that into 14 and tied rival Jackson Lumen Christi on Tuesday – Jackson Citizen-Patriot

Volleyball

Unranked Kalamazoo Hackett pushed rival and Class C No. 7 Kalamazoo Christian to five sets before Christian prevailed 15-8 to close out the match – Kalamazoo Gazette

Montague, No. 2 in Class C, swept Whitehall to end the Vikings’ 54-match win streak in West Michigan Conference play – Muskegon Chronicle

Class B No. 4 Pontiac Notre Dame Prep survived a tough four-set match against rival and Class A honorable mention Bloomfield Hills Marian, with three of four sets decided by three or fewer points – Oakland Press