Today in the MHSAA: 11/9/15

November 9, 2015

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Cross Country and Boys Soccer Finals, plus a few remaining Volleyball District championship games and girls swimming and diving league meets made this the most eventful weekend of the school year to date.

Cross Country

Rockford’s boys repeated in Lower Peninsula Division 1, while Birmingham Seaholm’s girls won their third title in four seasons – Second Half Girls | Boys

The Otsego girls and Hamilton’s Erika Freyhof both were first-time champions in LP Division 2, while Algonac senior Morgan Beadlescomb repeated as individual boys champion and Fremont dominated to claim that team title – Second Half Girls | Boys

Lansing Catholic’s boys and Grandville Calvin Christian’s Abe Visser claimed the first team and individual titles in their programs’ respective histories, while Traverse City St. Francis’ Holly Bullough repeated as LP Division 3 champion in helping the Gladiators win the team title as well – Second Half Girls | Boys

Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart turned in arguably the most dominating Finals performance in Division 4 history, while Saugatuck’s boys moved up from runners-up in 2014 to champions – Second Half Girls | Boys

Boys Soccer

Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central capped an undefeated season with a Division 1 championship win over reigning champion Canton – Second Half

Mason won its first MHSAA title since 1997 with a comeback win over Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern – Second Half

Grand Rapids South Christian is Division 3 champion once again thanks to a shootout victory over Williamston – Second Half

Burton Genesee Christian completed a perfect season by winning the Division 4 title – Second Half

Girls Swimming and Diving

LP Division 3 No. 4 St. Clair broke four school records in winning the Macomb Area Conference White championship meet – Port Huron Times-Herald

LP Division 3 honorable mention Spring Lake set six school records in winning the Coastal Conference meet with 67 personal-best times – Grand Haven Tribune

Midland Dow won its 10th straight Saginaw Valley League championship, edging Saginaw Heritage by 18 points – Midland Daily News

LP Division 1 No. 6 Brighton won its second straight Kensington Lakes Activities Association Lakes championship meet with three meet records – Livingston Daily

Volleyball

Class B honorable mention Tecumseh swept Brooklyn Columbia Central to win their District and improve to 45-4-1 – Adrian Daily Telegram

Class B No. 5 Cadillac swept Kingsley to win its 10th straight District championship – Cadillac News

Also in Class B, Sault Ste. Marie needed five sets to get past Kalkaska and win the District title – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News

From Thursday, Fulton beat Fowler to win its first District title since 2001 – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

Crystal Falls Forest Park, honorable mention in Class D, won its District for an incredible 16th straight season – Iron Mountain Daily News

Good Read

The Benton Harbor football program got plenty of excellent coverage heading into the weekend’s District Final against Zeeland West – but here’s a story about what's next now that the Tigers’ season is done – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium

Today in the MHSAA: 2/3/16

February 3, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Records fell in three sports and a notable winning streak was broken on a night filled with classic finishes and a matchup of arguably the two best girls basketball players in Michigan.

Girls Basketball

In a battle of teams led by the likely Miss Basketball Award favorites this winter, Muskegon and Mardrekia Cook (26 points, 17 rebounds, 10 assists) downed Kysre Gondrezick and Benton Harbor (49 points) 76-54 – Muskegon Chronicle

Undefeated Stevensville Lakeshore needed double overtime to stay perfect on the season as it survived Richland Gull Lake, 61-59 – Kalamazoo Gazette

In a rematch of last season’s Class B Final, reigning champion Detroit Country Day downed now-Class A Haslett 69-56 – Lansing State Journal

Farmington Hills Mercy won a low-scoring contest with rival Bloomfield Hills Marian, 32-25, to take control of the Detroit Catholic League Central – Oakland Press

Johannesburg-Lewiston just got past Gaylord St. Mary, 61-59 in double overtime, in their annual Rivals Rally game – Petoskey News

Boys Basketball

Ivan Warren scored 44 points – with 36 coming on 3-pointers – to lead Flint Southwestern to a 77-59 win over Detroit Country Day – Flint Journal

Warren DeLaSalle’s Kevin McKay became his school’s all-time career leading scorer putting up 29 in a 56-42 win over Orchard Lake St. Mary’s – Oakland Press

Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central ended Milan’s 61-game Huron League winning streak with a 62-44 victory – Monroe Evening News

Ypsilanti Community’s Corey Allen drilled 45 points as the Grizzlies edged Ann Arbor Huron 77-74 in overtime in a matchup of top Class A teams – Detroit Free Press

Holly’s Kyle Woodruff scored his 1,000th career point in his team’s 79-42 win over Flint Kearsley – Flint Journal

Boys Swimming & Diving

Zeeland diver Josh Zylstra set his home pool and school record with a score of 323.7 to win the event and help his team to a 115-68 victory over Byron Center – Holland Sentinel

Wrestling

Sturgis’ Luke Carver earned his 150th career win during the Trojans’ match victory over Coldwater; Sturgis also beat Battle Creek Harper Creek – Sturgis Journal

Good Read

After an outstanding junior season at Traverse City Central in 2014-15, Andrew Froese took an opportunity to continue at the junior level in South Dakota. But after three games this fall, he came back to Michigan and is instead finishing a memorable high school career with his classmates – Traverse City Record-Eagle