Today in the MHSAA: 1/15/16
January 15, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Thursday provided a substantial appetizer for another big weekend with key basketball games, noteworthy swimming and diving finishes and a milestone wrestling victory.
Boys Basketball
Clarkston earned a key Oakland Activities Association Red edge with a win over similarly state-ranked North Farmington, 60-47 – Oakland Press
Frankfort earned a similarly important win in Northwest Conference play, winning a matchup of Class D ranked teams 65-55 over Buckley – Traverse City Record-Eagle
For the second straight day, a basketball team made an incredible comeback; this time, it was East Jackson building off a 21-2 deficit at the end of the first quarter to beat Napoleon 42-39 – Jackson Citizen-Patriot
Olivet junior Delbert Redfield made nine of 11 3-point tries and scored 33 points total to lead the Eagles to a 73-55 win over Lansing Christian – MLive Lansing
Girls Basketball
Warren Cousino handed Grosse Pointe North the latter’s first loss this season, 64-58, to move to 9-1 overall – Macomb Daily
Boys Swimming & Diving
Lower Peninsula Division 3 honorable mention Spring Lake downed No. 4 Hamilton, No. 5 Grand Rapids Christian and Division 2 honorable mention Holland in its best meet of a strong run so far – Grand Haven Tribune
Wrestling
Leslie defeated Olivet (and also lost to Lake Odessa Lakewood) on Thursday, giving Blackhawks coach Todd Stern his 400th career win since taking over as head coach in 1987 – Jackson Citizen-Patriot
Good Reads
Battle of the Fans V kicks off tonight with our first visit to Yale, a finalist as well in 2015 – Port Huron Times-Herald
Grand Haven’s basketball teams will return to their former gym now part of Lakeshore Middle School – Pirates Pit – on Feb. 6 and for the first time since 2007 as the high school gym will be used for the league wrestling meet – Grand Haven Tribune
Vanderbilt’s boys basketball team has one win this season, but it was the first in nearly two years and a testament to the rebuilding of the program under first-year coach Darren Conn and assistant Amie Byelich – Petoskey News
Today in the MHSAA: 3/7/16
March 7, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
What a weekend – we covered all four Cheer Finals, all eight Bowling Finals, and quoted all 56 individual wrestling champions, plus awarded girls basketball District and boys ice hockey Regional champions.
Girls Basketball
Reed City is .500 this season, but rose to the occasion last week with its first District championship since 2000 – Big Rapids News
St. Johns won its first District title since 2005, handing Flushing only its third loss, 37-31 – Lansing State Journal
Bowling
The Davison girls won their fourth Division 1 title in seven seasons Friday, and junior Taylor Davis rolled a 300 and won the individual title Saturday. On the boys side, Wyandotte Roosevelt claimed the championship and Warren Mott’s Brad Delmarle won the individual title – Second Half Team | Singles
The Lansing Eastern boys won the school’s first MHSAA championship since 1981, while Kearsley won the girls title for the third straight year and then got an individual title Saturday from Hannah Ploof. Sturgis’ Austin Robison claimed the Division 2 boys singles title – Second Half Team | Singles
After slow starts, the Alma girls and Saginaw Swan Valley boys won MHSAA team titles in Division 3, while Flat Rock’s Kayla Jackson and Olivet’s Daniel Higgins shined for singles titles Saturday – Second Half Team | Singles
The Ithaca girls won their first MHSAA bowling title in Division 4, while Sandusky’s boys won their first since 2005. St. Charles’ Kyle Tuttle won his third straight singles title Saturday, and Vandercook Lake’s Brianna Fish claimed the girls championship – Second Half Team | Singles
Competitive Cheer
Rochester won its first MHSAA championship since 2009 and record 13th total – Second Half
Gibraltar Carlson set an MHSAA record with its sixth consecutive championship, finishing again atop Division 2 – Second Half
Pontiac Notre Dame Prep closed this cheer season with a third-straight championship in Division 3 – Second Half
Breckenridge continued to recreate its dominance in Division 4, winning its second straight MHSAA title – Second Half
Ice Hockey
Marquette scored five goals during the third period to come from behind and beat Midland 5-1 in a Division 2 Regional Final – Marquette Mining Journal
Birmingham Brother Rice got four goals from Emerson Vogel to down Berkley 8-3, also in a Division 2 Regional Final – Oakland Press
Wrestling
Detroit Catholic Central dominated and Grandville ended the season with an MHSAA individual champion at the Division 1 Final – Second Half
Upsets abounded in Division 2, but St. Johns’ Ian Parker held on to repeat as a champion – Second Half
Lake Fenton’s Jarrett Trombley won his second individual title and ended Devin Schroder’s bid for four in Division 3 – Second Half
Hudson senior Kyle Johnson bounced back from an earlier exit as a junior to win his second Division 4 title in three seasons – Second Half