Today in the MHSAA: 1/19/18

January 19, 2018

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. Wrestling: Division 2 No. 5 Gaylord claimed its 11th straight Big North Conference championship with wins over Alpena and Petoskey – Gaylord Herald Times

2. Boys Swimming & Diving: Lower Peninsula Division 3 top-ranked Holland Christian got past No. 6 Otsego 108-75 in the high school debut of standout Ian Miskelley – Holland Sentinel

3. Boys Basketball: The Northwest Conference title race opened back up Thursday as Maple City Glen Lake handed Frankfort its first loss of the season to create a three-way tie atop the standings – Traverse City Record-Eagle

4. Girls Basketball: Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central asserted itself in first place in the Huron League with a 52-47 overtime win over New Boston Huron – Monroe Evening News

5. Bowling: The Bay City Western girls won an overtime match over Midland for first place in the Saginaw Valley League, while the Chemics’ boys also remained undefeated in league competition – Midland Daily News

6. Hockey: Petoskey ended an 18-game, eight-year losing streak against Traverse City Central with a 6-1 win over the Trojans – Petoskey News-Review

7. Boys Swimming & Diving: Rockford earned a 167-148 win over Grand Haven in a matchup of LPD1 honorable mentions – Grand Haven Tribune

8. Boys Basketball: Baldwin’s Blake Dockery scored his 1,000th career point in his team’s 77-62 win over Walkerville – Big Rapids News

9. Boys Basketball: Ewen-Trout Creek star Jake Witt grabbed 24 rebounds to go with 24 points and seven blocks in his team’s 63-42 win over Chassell – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

10. Football: Traverse City West coach Tim Wooer has resigned to return as coach at Kingsley; West was 9-2 last season in Wooer’s 10th at the helm, and Kingsley was 1-8 – Traverse City Record-Eagle

Also of note …

Cheer: The Battle Creek Enquirer explained one of the most impressive skills in competitive cheer, the back tuck, and why it’s the slam dunk or home run of that sport – Battle Creek Enquirer

Today in the MHSAA: 1/20/16

January 20, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Buzzer beaters and milestone basketball victories made headlines all over Michigan today, and check out as well a moving video that tells of the importance of our national anthem.

Girls Basketball

Reigning Class C champion Calumet added another accomplishment to the long list with its first win over Houghton since 1999, 44-31 – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

Three Rivers’ sophomore Arionne Fowlkes went baseline to baseline for a last-second layup to give her team a 43-41 win over Niles – Niles Daily Star

Class A favorite Saginaw Heritage remained undefeated with a 53-38 win over rival Midland Dow, also ranked in Class A – Saginaw News

One-loss St. Ignace handed Newberry its first defeat of the season, 64-57 – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News

Cedar Springs also knocked a team from the unbeaten ranks, with Sam Taylor’s 3-pointer in the closing seconds ending Kent City’s perfect run, 50-47 – Grand Rapids Press

Muskegon edged East Kentwood 50-47 after trailing by 10 and on the strength of 26 points and 22 rebounds by senior Mardrekia Cook – Muskegon Chronicle

Boys Basketball

Despite being outscored 30-22 in the fourth quarter, Southfield Christian held on for an 82-79 win over Southfield – MLive-Detroit

Merrill earned its first win since 2013 by downing Coleman 49-36 – Midland Daily News

One-loss Alma handed previously-undefeated Ithaca its first, 56-53, as Dylan Carl hit 3-pointers to send the game to overtime and then win it – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

Muskegon Oakridge’s Brady Luttrull drilled a 3-pointer during the final seconds to push his team past Scottville Mason County Central 67-66 – Muskegon Chronicle

Cassopolis followed a strong third quarter by Deoin Gatson to hand Niles Brandywine its first loss, 61-47 – Niles Daily Leader

One-loss Clarkston also handed out a first loss Tuesday, to Rochester Adams, in a matchup of top Class A teams – Oakland Press

Caleb Brown’s only basket for Northport was the game winner during the final seconds of a 51-49 victory over Central Lake – Traverse City Record-Eagle

Nate Dugener’s sixth 3-pointer of the game gave Muskegon Western Michigan Christian a 52-49 win over Holland Christian – Grand Haven Tribune

Boys Swimming & Diving

In a matchup of top teams on the west side of the Lower Peninsula, Division 1 No. 6 Zeeland got past Division 2 honorable mention Holland 104-73 – Holland Sentinel

Worth Watching

We ran across and were moved by Virginia Tech’s honoring of veterans at the start of this men’s basketball season. Check out this meaningful presentation and how it relates to providing proper respect during The Star-Spangled Banner.