Today in the MHSAA: 11/7/16
November 7, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The busiest championship weekend of the fall saw 12 MHSAA Finals winners crowned in cross country and boys soccer, plus many more in District volleyball and league girls swimming & diving.
Each weekday during the school year, we’ll gather and post media links covering the most significant and intriguing high school events from all over the state.
Cross Country
The Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart girls won in record fashion as Traverse City St. Francis and Otsego repeated and Milford surprised the Division 1 field at Michigan International Speedway – Second Half
Saugatuck repeated as a boys champion, but in a different division, while Pewamo-Westphalia also won a title in a new division, Corunna won for the first time ever and White Lake Lakeland for the first time in a while – Second Half
Boys Soccer
Mattawan and Grand Rapids Catholic Central won their first MHSAA championships in the sport, as Burton Genesee Christian won its second straight and East Kentwood won its fifth total by taking a shootout – Second Half
Girls Swimming & Diving
Lower Peninsula Division 1 honorable mention Grand Blanc edged No. 10 Brighton to win Saturday’s Kensington Lakes Activities Association Lakes meet as Brighton’s Taylor Seaman broke four league records – Livingston Daily Argus & Press
Midland Dow won its 11th straight Saginaw Valley League championship, led by three wins by freshman Claire Newman – Midland Daily News
Volleyball
Davison polished off its sixth District title in seven seasons with a sweep of Mount Morris in Class A – Flint Journal
Traverse City Central downed Gaylord for its first District title since 2008, in Class A – Traverse City Record-Eagle
Class A honorable mention Saline, meanwhile, won its first District title since 2005 with a sweep of Dexter – Saline Post
Allen Park claimed its fourth straight District title, downing Lincoln Park in Class A – Southgate News-Herald
Class B No. 7 Cadillac secured its 11th straight District title, sweeping Big Rapids – Cadillac News
Honorable mention Fruitport swept Montague in Class B for its first District title since 2011 – Muskegon Chronicle
After falling to Manchester in the District Final the last two seasons, Adrian Madison downed Manchester in the first round and went on to win in Class C – Adrian Daily Telegram
Crystal Falls Forest Park, also a state poll honorable mention, won its 17th straight District title, downing Wakefield-Marenisco in Class D – Ironwood Daily Globe
Pentwater won its fourth straight District title, sweeping Walkerville in Class D – Ludington Daily News
Today in the MHSAA: 1/11/16
January 11, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The first full sports weekend of 2016 included notable performances in a number of sports, highlighted by one of the top swimming and diving meets of the regular season.
Girls Basketball
Ithaca girls basketball coach Bob Anderson earned his 700th win as his team beat Carrollton 66-40; he’s coached both girls and boys teams to success over 27 seasons – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun
Durand handed Goodrich its first league loss in seven years while staying undefeated this season in the Genesee Area Conference Red – Flint Journal
DeWitt remained undefeated at 8-0 after handing Lansing Waverly its first loss this season in a matchup of two of the Lansing area’s top teams – Lansing State Journal
St. Joseph moved to 6-1 with a 72-35 win over Benton Harbor, a semifinalist in Class B last season – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium
Saranac was missing its leading scorer, but still managed to get past annual Class D power Portland St. Patrick 41-33 – Ionia Sentinel-Standard
Boys Basketball
Okemos handed Holt its first loss this season and won its first game on the Rams’ home court since 2010 – Lansing State Journal
Ice Hockey
Portage Central earned a win that could boost it into the state rankings, downing Division 1 No. 10 East Kentwood 2-1 on Saturday in Muskegon – Kalamazoo Gazette
Boys Swimming & Diving
Division 2 No. 1 Dexter scored 409 points to beat No. 4 Warren DeLaSalle by 33 at the annual Spartan Invitational at Battle Creek Lakeview, with the field also including reigning champion Birmingham Seaholm and Division 1 contender Ann Arbor Skyline – Battle Creek Enquirer
Lower Peninsula Division 1 honorable mention Grand Rapids Forest Hills defeated a field that included LPD2 No. 6 Midland Dow at the Forest Hills Invitational – Midland Daily News
Wrestling
Unranked Westland John Glenn got past Division 1 No. 9 New Baltimore Anchor Bay to win the Michigan Duals at Bay City Western over a field that also included No. 8 Western and Division 3 No. 5 Remus Chippewa Hills – Mlive-Detroit
Division 2 No. 9 Sparta won the Dave Dunneback Tournament with 247 points, ahead of Lake Odessa Lakewood, Belding and Division 3 No. 6 Grand Rapids Catholic Central – Grand Rapids Press
Football
Mike McDowell returned four seasons ago for his second stint coaching Morenci and led the program to its best finishes in nearly two decades. He recently resigned – Adrian Daily Telegram
Good Reads
Longtime coach Keith Haske remains cancer-free after fighting Stage 4 throat cancer only a year ago – and he’s added significantly to his day, becoming the girls basketball coach in addition to leading the boys program at Traverse City St. Francis. The Record-Eagle’s Brett Sommers documented a typical Haske day – Traverse City Record-Eagle
Carleton Airport senior Jessica Book is her school’s Homecoming Queen this year – and a cheerleader – and a wrestler – and plans to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps and defuse bombs – Monroe Evening News