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: 1/8/20

January 8, 2020

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Tuesday’s statewide basketball slate had just about everything, from matchups between championship contenders to historic wins, record breakers and buzzer beaters.

1. Girls Basketball: Detroit Edison downed East Lansing 56-39 in a matchup of championship contenders in Divisions 2 and 1, respectively – Detroit News

2. Girls Basketball: Farmington Hills Mercy’s fourth-quarter run gave it a 46-34 win over Bloomfield Hills Marian in a matchup of Catholic League Central rivals that both entered unbeaten – Observer & Eccentric

3. Boys Basketball: Escanaba earned its first win over Marquette since 2010, 63-56 – Escanaba Daily Press

4. Boys Basketball: Warren De La Salle Collegiate edged Eastpointe 64-61 in a matchup of the Nos. 1 and 2-ranked teams, respectively, in Monday’s Division 1 MPR posting – Macomb Daily

5. Girls Basketball: Pittsford held on to move to 8-0 with a 43-40 win over Reading – Hillsdale Daily News

6. Girls Basketball: Martin’s 52-19 win over West Michigan Aviation Academy gave the Clippers their best start at 7-0 since 1997 – FOX 17

7. Boys Basketball: Pellston’s Blake Cassidy has been one of the state’s top scorers this winter, and he put up a career-high 45 points in Tuesday’s 65-58 win over Johannesburg-Lewiston – Petoskey News-Review

8. Girls Basketball: White Pigeon’s Claycee West broke her school scoring record with 41 points in a 58-39 win over Marcellus – JoeInsider.com

9. Boys Basketball: Ferndale came back to hand North Farmington its first defeat of the season, 52-48 – MLive-Detroit

10. Boys Basketball: Onsted handed Blissfield its first loss 55-53 on a buzzer beater by Cooper Lake – Adrian Daily Telegram

Also of note …

Football: Cassopolis coach Dan Purlee has resigned after eight seasons leading the program to a 70-22 record and two MHSAA Semifinals – South Bend Tribune