Today in the MHSAA: 12/10/15

December 10, 2015

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Wednesday was the first day of winter in full swing with significant matchups coming in six sports as four got into the heart of their first week of the season. Be sure to check out as well a story on MHSAA officials recruiting efforts.

Girls Basketball

Traverse City St. Francis won an early battle between two of the north’s top small-school teams, downing Frankfort (featured today on Second Half) 76-72 – Traverse City Record-Eagle

A pair of Concord players filled the stat sheet in a 62-56 win over Michigan Center; senior Lindsey Lehmen led with 24 points, five assists, four rebounds and four steals, and sophomore Camryn Ward grabbed 19 rebounds – Jackson Citizen-Patriot

Boys Basketball

From Tuesday, Sanford Meridian freshman Lucas Lueder will be among first-year players to watch, if his 18 points in a 65-61 win over Saginaw Nouvel are an indication – Midland Daily News

Boys Bowling

Vandercook Lake could be in line for an exciting season or four after watching freshmen Korey Reichard (278) and Conner Lackey (267) lead the way in a 29-1 win over Grass Lake – Jackson Citizen-Patriot

Ice Hockey

Division 3 No. 10 Farmington’s two first-period goals were enough as the Falcons scored a key early-season win over Division 2 No. 4 Berkley – Oakland Press

After finishing regulation tied, Division 2 No. 9 Traverse City Central needed only 14 seconds of overtime to get past Cadillac 4-3 – Traverse City Record-Eagle

Boys Swimming & Diving

Chelsea coach Dave Jolly was the mid-Michigan link to Wednesday’s Waverly Relays, the annual event for Lansing-area teams to kick off the season; his Lower Peninsula Division 3 No. 3-ranked team broke Okemos’ five-year hold on the meet championship – Lansing State Journal

Wrestling

No. 3 Davison earned one of the most significant early wins so far this season, 45-27 over No. 4 Brighton, which beat Davison in the Division 1 Semifinals last season – Livingston Daily

Saginaw Swan Valley, No. 8 in Division 3, just escaped Essexville Garber for a 32-30 win – Saginaw News

Good Read

After more than five decades as an official, Dick Kalahar is watching from the stands this season. He is among a growing number of retiring officials the MHSAA is charged with replacing over the next few years, and this piece looks at some of the challenges and opportunities, in part through Kalahar’s eyes – Jackson Citizen-Patriot

Today in the MHSAA: 4/17/19

April 17, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Big-time matchups in soccer, baseball and softball highlighted a busy day of spring sports action across the state Tuesday.

2. Girls Soccer: No. 6 Hartland scored a major win over No. 10 Brighton, 3-1, in a matchup of top teams in Division 1 – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

2. Baseball: Two-time reigning Division 2 champion Stevensville Lakeshore claimed a pair of one-run wins over Division 1 No. 9 Portage Northern – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium

3. Softball: South Lyon East handed Division 1 honorable mention Walled Lake Northern its first loss, but Northern came back to take the second game of the doubleheader – State Champs Sports Network

4. Softball: Traverse City West and Kalkaska each handed the other its first loss in a doubleheader split – Traverse City Record-Eagle

5. Baseball: Hudsonville won the first game and was leading the second against Division 1 No. 16 Rockford in a key Ottawa-Kent Conference Red matchup – FOX 17

6. Boys Lacrosse: Traverse City United came back from a halftime deficit to edge Petoskey 8-7 – MI Sports Now

7. Track & Field: Alpena’s boys defeated Traverse City Central 92-71, highlighted by Gabe Bullis breaking his school pole vault record by seven inches at 15-7 – Alpena News

8. Baseball: Division 2 No. 10 Detroit Country Day emerged from a matchup of sharp pitchers to down Birmingham Groves 3-1 – Observer & Eccentric

9. Softball: Division 2 honorable mention Chelsea improved to 7-0 in handing Dexter its first losses of the season – Chelsea Sun Times News

10. Baseball: Kingsley earned what could become a key Northwest Conference sweep over Frankfort – WPBN

Also of note …

Boys Basketball: Southfield Christian coach Josh Baker has stepped down to take a job at University of Alabama under Nate Oats, who formerly coached at Romulus before turning Buffalo into a mid-major power – MLive-Detroit

Wrestling: Hudson’s Jordan Hamdan was named Mr. Wrestler by the Michigan Wrestling Association – Adrian Daily Telegram