Today in the MHSAA: 11/29/17

November 29, 2017

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

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

Today's Top 10 

1. Girls Basketball: Walled Lake Western broke away late for a 56-51 win over Southfield Arts & Technology, which made the Class A Semifinals last season – Oakland Press

2. Hockey: Division 3 No. 3 Hancock came back from a two-goal deficit in the first period to get past neighbor and No. 7 Houghton 4-2 – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

3. Girls Basketball: Two-time reigning Class D champion Pittsford opened something of a new chapter with a 50-37 win over Hudson led by a couple of last year’s contributors in bigger roles – Hillsdale Daily News

4. Girls Basketball: Benzonia Benzie Central opened with a 68-33 win over a Cadillac team coming off a Quarterfinal appearance last season – Traverse City Record-Eagle

5. Girls Basketball: Cedarville came back from a five-point deficit with 90 seconds to play to beat Hillman 44-41 in overtime – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News

6. Girls Basketball: After suffering its only regular season loss last winter to Constantine on opening night, Centreville started 1-0 with a 45-31 win over the Falcons – Sturgis Journal

7. Girls Basketball: Reed City outscored Leroy Pine River 16-2 in the third quarter to come back from a halftime deficit and win 37-35 – Manistee News Advocate

8. Hockey: Division 2 No. 8 Marquette put up an impressive 4-0 win over rival Escanaba – Marquette Mining Journal

9. Football: The official formation of a 16-team Western Peninsula Athletic Conference will lead to the end of the Iron Mountain/Kingsford football rivalry after 93 years, two weeks after it was announced that the league schedule wouldn’t leave an opportunity for the 123-year Marquette/Negaunee rivalry to continue; the teams reportedly are forming the league to ensure they have full schedules – Iron Mountain Daily News

10. Football: We always applaud teams that schedule tough, and reigning Division 3 champion Muskegon will do so again in 2018 with Division 2 champion Warren DeLaSalle and semifinalist Detroit Martin Luther King added to the schedule for the first two weeks, respectively – Muskegon Chronicle

Thanks, Mr. Woodley (Saginaw News)

August 24, 2012

LaMarr Woodley was a football star at Saginaw High long before he went on to the University of Michigan and now the Pittsburgh Steelers.

He's given students in his hometown the same opportunity for accomplishment without the cost they would've otherwise incurred this school year.

Students at Saginaw and Saginaw Arthur Hill plus the districts junior highs and middle schools were facing a $75 participation fee until Woodley stepped in earlier this month with a $60,000 donation.

Hugh Bernreuter has covered the majority of Woodley's career, and tells this story.

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker LaMarr Woodley pays participation fees for Saginaw Public Schools student-athletes (Saginaw News)