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: 2/15/19

February 15, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The final three wrestling Regional champions were awarded Thursday, with a massive comeback topping today’s list that also includes a number of girls and boys basketball title-clinching wins.

1. Wrestling: No. 8 Alma came back from a 33-6 deficit to defeat No. 10 Lake Odessa Lakewood 39-34 for a Division 3 District title – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

2. Girls Basketball: Midland Dow clinched the Saginaw Valley League North title with a 59-32 win over Bay City Western – Midland Daily News

3. Girls Basketball: Ann Arbor Pioneer downed Monroe 53-44 to clinch the Southeastern Conference Red title, its first league championship since 2000 – We Love Ann Arbor

4. Wrestling: Onaway downed Iron Mountain and Ishpeming Westwood to repeat as a Division 4 Regional champion – MI Sports Now

5. Wrestling: No. 7 Niles downed Edwardsburg and Battle Creek Harper Creek to win its fifth Division 2 Regional title in seven seasons – South Bend Tribune

6. Girls Basketball: Essexville Garber downed Millington 64-36 to claim its first outright league title in this sport – Bay City Times

7. Boys Basketball: Ann Arbor Pioneer clinched the Southeastern Conference Red title with a big win over Monroe – We Love Ann Arbor

8. Girls Basketball: Chelsea clinched the outright Southeastern Conference White championship with a 34-29 win over Dexter – Sun Times News

9. Girls Basketball: Morrice downed Burton Bentley 60-14 and has wrapped up its first outright league title since 1998 – Owosso Argus-Press

10. Boys Basketball: Ellsworth clinched a share of the Northern Lakes Conference title with a big win over Alba – Traverse City Record-Eagle

Also of note …

Football: Remus Chippewa Hills coach Larry Jose stepped down after 21 seasons and with a 131-86 record – MI Sports Now

Girls Basketball: Claycee West scored 31 points in a win over Eau Claire to go over 1,000 for her White Pigeon career – JoeInsider.com

Wrestling: From Wednesday, Schoolcraft downed White Pigeon in Division 3 to win its first Regional title – WWMT

Boys Basketball: From Wednesday, Rudyard clinched a share of the Straits Area Conference title with a 75-51 win over St. Ignace – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News

Bowling: The Central Montcalm girls have won their third straight Central State Activities Association title – Greenville Daily News