Today in the MHSAA: 11/6/17
November 6, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Each weekday of the school year, we break down the top headlines courtesy of Michigan’s sports media.
Today's Top 10
1. Girls Cross Country: Lansing Catholic’s Olivia Theis ran the fastest time in MHSAA Lower Peninsula Finals 5K history to lead the Cougars to the Division 2 title, their first championship, while Hart also won its first MHSAA title, Troy its first in more than 20 years and Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart its third straight – Second Half
2. Boys Cross Country: Chelsea and Hanover-Horton won their first MHSAA boys cross country championships, while Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart claimed its first in 40 years and Ann Arbor Pioneer swept the team and individual titles in Division 1 – Second Half
3. Boys Soccer: Detroit Catholic Central, Holland and Ann Arbor Greenhills won first MHSAA titles in boys soccer Saturday, while Flint Powers Catholic avenged a 2016 Finals loss to also raise a trophy – Second Half
4. Girls Swimming & Diving: Lower Peninsula Division 1 top-ranked Saline set three Southeastern Conference Red meet records in winning the team title ahead of No. 10 Ann Arbor Huron and No. 3 Ann Arbor Skyline – Saline Post
5. Girls Swimming & Diving: LPD1 No. 7 Northville, unranked Novi and No. 6 Brighton took the top three places at the Kensington Lakes Activities Association championship meet – Observer & Eccentric
6. Girls Swimming & Diving: LPD2 honorable mention Midland Dow capped an undefeated regular season with a 12th straight Saginaw Valley League meet championship – Midland Daily News
7. Volleyball: Warren Woods-Tower swept Warren Mott to claim its first Class A District title in volleyball – Macomb Daily
8. Volleyball: Pellston won a District title for the 11th consecutive season, downing Harbor Springs Harbor Light Christian in Class D – Petoskey News-Review
9. Girls Swimming & Diving: The Traverse City co-op with athletes from Central, West and St. Francis saw 51 personal records set over two days in winning the Coastal Swim Conference championship – Traverse City Record-Eagle
10. Volleyball: In their fourth meeting this season, Class A honorable mention Richland Gull Lake held off Battle Creek Lakeview in five sets to claim a District title – Battle Creek Enquirer
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)