Today in the MHSAA: 11/3/16

November 3, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The four MHSAA Boys Soccer Finals are set thanks to some exciting Semifinal play Wednesday, while Volleyball Districts finished up their third day of six with a couple of notable comebacks.

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.

Boys Soccer

East Kentwood, No. 19 in Division 1, earned its fifth Finals berth over the last decade with a 1-0 win over No. 14 Novi – Grand Rapids Press

No. 6 Troy Athens took down unranked Rochester in a shootout to win 2-1 and advance in Division 1 – Oakland Press

Dearborn Divine Child won a matchup of unranked teams, downing Fenton 2-0 to advance to the Division 2 Final – Detroit Free Press

Mattawan, No. 12 in Division 2, upset top-ranked East Lansing 2-0 – Kalamazoo Gazette

Top-ranked Grand Rapids Catholic Central topped No. 13 Charlevoix to advance to its first MHSAA Final, in Division 3 – Grand Rapids Press

No. 4 Flint Powers Catholic just got past No. 13 Lansing Catholic to secure a spot in the Division 3 championship game – Flint Powers

Unranked Muskegon Catholic Central continued its unexpected run with a 4-3 overtime win over No. 18 Kalamazoo Hackett in Division 4 – Kalamazoo Gazette

Reigning Division 4 champion and current No. 6 Burton Genesee Christian upended No. 3 Ann Arbor Greenhills – Flint Journal

Volleyball

Lowell came back from a two-set deficit to edge Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central in five in a match between Class A honorable mentions – Grand Rapids Press

Class B honorable mention Saginaw Swan Valley swept No. 10 Frankenmuth – Saginaw News

Essexville Garber’s Marlee Bromberg set a school record for kills in the Dukes’ 3-1 win over Bay City John Glenn in Class B – Bay City Times

Class C honorable mention Calumet dropped the first set to rival Hancock before coming back to advance – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

Did You See That? (May 6-12)

May 13, 2013

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

It matters not which school you support: All of us cheer on those who emerge from sad or challenging circumstances to return to the field of play. Those are stories with which we all identify, no matter where they take place or the athletes involved.

Grass Lake's Julia Covill and the Grayling golf team are among those we cheered on last week. Read on for why.

Good Read of the Week

One more race: A little more than a year ago, Julia Covill suffered a broken pelvis, shattered femur and a smattering of other injuries after losing control of her vehicle on a patch of black ice. The volleyball and track and field standout hadn’t participated in sports since – but returned to the track for one more race Tuesday to earn a final victory, even in crossing the finishing line of the 200-meter dash last. (Jackson Citizen-Patriot)

Boys Golf

Grayling returns to the course: Long drives and birdie putts were less significant details as Grayling returned to competition Wednesday for the first time since a car crash that rocked the northern Lower Peninsula, resulting in three deaths and five more hospitalizations. (Petoskey  News)

TC West record falls: Cam Murray shot a 67 on Tuesday as Traverse City West won its Big North Conference event with a team score of 306. (Traverse City Record-Eagle)

Track and Field

Back on track: The Lake Linden-Hubbell boys and girls swept their home invitationals Friday in what was for many one of the first times those athletes had competed on a track this season thanks to lingering snow. (Houghton Daily Mining Gazette)

Down to the finish: The Battle Creek Lakeview boys and girls teams swept their Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference championship meets Friday, with the Lakeview boys clinching in dramatic fashion by securing a one-point win with a 1.23-second victory in the final event of the day. (Kalamazoo Gazette)

Boys Lacrosse

Haslett/Williamston takes big step: The Vikings earned their first Capital Area Activities Conference tournament championship with a 13-3 win over Holt, the three-time reigning champ that had beaten Haslett/Williamston 14-3 on April 27. The win pushed H/W into the No. 10 spot in today’s Division 2 state computer ranking. (Lansing State Journal)

Novi hangs on: Novi survived to win the Kensington Lakes Activities Association tournament championship game 7-6 after a last-second Brighton shot crossed the line just after time expired. (MLive Detroit)

Girls Tennis

FHN No. 1 again: Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern continued to own its league Saturday, although this time in a new division. The Huskies won the first-ever O-K Bronze tournament championship by four points over Ada Forest Hills Eastern. FHN has won nine straight league titles. (Grand Rapids Press)

Wrestling

Meet Mr. Wrestler: Fowlerville’s Adam Coon added to his impressive list of accomplishments – including becoming the 17th MHSAA wrestler to win four Finals championships – when he was named Mr. Wrestler by the Michigan Wrestling Association. (Livingston County Daily Press & Argus)

Upper Peninsula Hall of Fame

High school stars inducted: High school standouts brought back plenty of memories as this year’s class was inducted Sunday into the Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame. (Marquette Mining Journal)

Boys Basketball

Root resigns after 30+ seasons: Longtime Flint Ainsworth and then Carman-Ainsworth basketball coach Bob Root resigned last week, potentially finishing a career that began at Flint Northern in 1978. (Flint Journal)