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: 10/16/15

October 16, 2015

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

First-time champions are always worth noting, and we found a few in checking out today’s media reports of Thursday action statewide.

Cross Country

The Calumet girls, ranked No. 4 in Upper Peninsula Division 1, and the unranked Houghton boys won the Western Peninsula Athletic Conference finals at Chassell – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

Boys Soccer

Grand Rapids Union clinched its first league title since moving from the Grand Rapids City League to the Ottawa-Kent Conference, downing Muskegon 3-0 – Grand Rapids Press

Manchester edged Hillsdale Academy 2-1 to claim its first Independent Soccer League championship after winning only one league game in 2014 – Jackson Citizen-Patriot

Volleyball

Class B honorable mention Buchanan downed Class C’s top-ranked team, Bronson, in five sets, and also Class D No. 6 Mendon in five – Niles Daily Star

Class B No. 6 Mount Morris avenged a five-set loss to No. 5 Goodrich in September by sweeping the Martians to improve to 55-5-1 – Flint Journal

Zeeland West claimed its first conference title in this sport, defeating Holland Christian in five sets to claim a share of the O-K Green championship – Holland Sentinel

Good Reads

Longtime Burton Atherton leader Mary Down will become the third volleyball coach inducted into the Greater Flint Area Hall of Fame, having impacted a generation of players and more as a number of former players went on to coach as well – Flint Journal