Today in the MHSAA: 1/14/19

January 14, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Highly-ranked contenders faced off in a number of sports over the weekend, with our list of high achievers led by a matchup of top wrestling teams from neighboring states and top swimming and hockey teams re-igniting familiar rivalries.

1. Wrestling: Division 1 top-ranked Detroit Catholic Central finished 4-0 at its Super Duals with wins Indiana’s top-ranked Indianapolis Cathedral, Division 3 No. 1 Dundee, Brownstown Woodhaven and Culver Academics (Ind.) – Observer & Eccentric

2. Boys Swimming & Diving: Two days after falling to No. 2 East Grand Rapids in a dual, top-ranked Holland Christian finished ahead of the Pioneers to claim the D3 Invitational championship – Holland Sentinel

3. Hockey: No. 4 Warren DeLaSalle got past No. 1 Detroit U-D Jesuit in a matchup of top teams in Division 3 – Macomb Daily

4. Hockey: Division 2 No. 1 Hartland downed Detroit U-D Jesuit on Friday and followed up with a 3-0 win over Division 1 No. 5 Salem on Saturday – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

5. Hockey: Division 3 No. 6 Houghton earned an impressive 3-1 win over Division 2 No. 4 Birmingham Brother Rice – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

6. Gymnastics: Rockford finished first and Bloomfield Hills second at the annual Lowell Invitational – Coldwater Daily Reporter

7. Bowling: Sturgis and Bronson’s boys teams won their division championships at the Battle of the Bakers at M-66 Bowl in Battle Creek – Sturgis Journal

8. Hockey: Division 3 No. 5 Detroit Country Day rallied to get past No. 11 Grosse Pointe South 5-3 – Oakland Press

9. Wrestling: Led by standout Adam Bruce, Gladstone edged Ishpeming Westwood for the Kingsford Ray Mariucci Invitational title – Escanaba Daily Press

10. Wrestling: Division 3 No. 6 Birch Run finished first and Chesaning second at the Saginaw County Invitational – WEYI

Also of note …

Boys Basketball: Jake Burger went over 1,000 career points although Pittsford fell 49-39 to unbeaten Bellevue – Hillsdale Daily News

Football: Grand Rapids South Christian coach Mark Tamminga announced his retirement after 10 years leading the program and guiding the Sailors to two Division 4 titles – Grand Rapids Press

Today in the MHSAA: 2/26/19

February 26, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Four Skiing Finals champions were crowned Monday – see coverage under “Latest Posts” to the right – as Hockey Regionals and Boys Basketball Districts also got underway and made significant opening-night headlines.

1. Boys Basketball: Detroit Martin Luther King came back from a 12-point deficit to defeat rival Cass Tech 55-51 in double overtime – Detroit News

2. Boys Basketball: Rochester Adams downed two-time reigning Class A champion Clarkston 38-37 also in Division 1 – State Champs!

3. Hockey: No. 5 Rochester United opened the postseason with a 3-0 win over No. 12 Utica Eisenhower – Macomb Daily

4. Boys Basketball: After sharing the Saginaw Valley League Blue title with Flint Carman-Ainsworth, Grand Blanc eliminated the Cavaliers with a 40-39 win in Division 1 – WJRT

5. Hockey: Big Rapids avenged a 3-0 loss three days earlier to Midland Dow by defeating the No. 13 Chargers 6-2 in a Division 3 Regional opener – Big Rapids News

6. Boys Basketball: In a Division 3 matchup of teams entering with a combined 39-1 record, Iron Mountain remained unbeaten with an 87-38 win over Ironwood – Iron Mountain Daily News

7. Boys Basketball: Mattawan also remains undefeated after a 34-31 win over Kalamazoo Central in Division 1 – FOX 17

8. Boys Basketball: Flint Kearsley earned its first District win since 1999, downing Flint Southwestern 78-54 in Division 1 – Flint Journal

9. Boys Basketball: Brighton earned its first District win in a decade, 69-51 over Dexter in Division 1 – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

10. Boys Basketball: Blissfield upset Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central 77-74 in overtime in Division 3 – Adrian Daily Telegram

Also of note …

Girls Basketball: Autumn Rasner scored 33 points and went over 1,000 for her career in Stephenson’s big win over Rapid River – Escanaba Daily Press