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: 2/25/19

February 25, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

A busy weekend across Michigan included Team Wrestling Finals (see coverage under “Latest Posts”), plus Bowling Regionals, Competitive Cheer Regionals, league swimming & diving meets and much more.

1. Bowling: The No. 4 Napoleon boys finished ahead of runner-up and top-ranked Bronson to win a Division 4 Regional, while the top-ranked Vandercook Lake girls claimed their Regional title – Coldwater Daily Reporter

2. Competitive Cheer: Annual powers Allen Park and Gibraltar Carlson finished first and second, respectively, separated by less than a point at their Division 2 Regional – Southgate News-Herald

3. Boys Swimming & Diving: Holland West Ottawa, top-ranked in Lower Peninsula Division 1, finished a sixth straight championship run in the Ottawa-Kent Conference Red, winning the league meet ahead of No. 7 Hudsonville – Holland Sentinel

4. Competitive Cheer: Rochester Hills Stoney Creek won one of the strongest Regionals regardless of division, finishing ahead of qualifiers Adams, Utica Eisenhower and Sterling Heights Stevenson in Division 1 – Southgate News-Herald

5. Girls Basketball: Coldwater clinched its first league title since 1992 with a big win over Jackson Lumen Christi in the Interstate 8 Athletic Conference – Coldwater Daily Reporter

6. Boys Swimming & Diving: LPD1 No. 2 Ann Arbor Pioneer got past runner-up and No. 4-ranked Ann Arbor Skyline to win the Southeastern Conference Red meet – We Love Ann Arbor

7. Bowling: The top-ranked Sturgis boys repeated as Division 2 Regional champs, ahead of No. 4 Coldwater and No. 7 Battle Creek Pennfield, while Pennfield’s No. 2-ranked girls won ahead of No. 5 Coldwater – Sturgis Journal

8. Boys Swimming & Diving: LPD1 honorable mention Zeeland clinched the outright O-K Green championship after sharing it with current LPD3 No. 1 Holland Christian a year ago – Holland Sentinel

9. Boys Swimming & Diving: LPD2 honorable mention Gibraltar Carlson edged LPD3 No. 10 Trenton to win the Downriver League meet – Southgate News-Herald

10. Bowling: Cheboygan’s girls finished ahead of runner-up and No. 6 Gladwin to repeat as Division 3 Regional champions, while Gladwin’s No. 5 boys finished first ahead of Cheboygan’s – Cheboygan News

Also of note …

Girls Basketball: East Kentwood claimed a share of the O-K Red title with a 58-42 win over Grand Haven – FOX 17

Boys Swimming & Diving: Ludington dominated in claiming its third straight Coastal Conference championship with a win at the league meet – Ludington Daily News

Boys Swimming & Diving: Corunna won the Independent Swim Conference meet to repeat as league champion – Owosso Argus-Press

Girls Basketball: Gobles claimed the Southwestern Athletic Conference Lakeshore championship with a 45-26 win over Martin – FOX 17

Hockey: Division 1 No. 12 Utica Eisenhower locked up the Macomb Area Conference Red title with an 8-3 win over New Baltimore Anchor Bay – Macomb Daily

Girls Basketball: Scout Nelson scored 21 points against Blanchard Montabella to become Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart’s all-time leading scorer – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

Girls Basketball: Three Rivers’ Hadley Miller went over 1,000 career points in a 57-42 win over Vicksburg – Sturgis Journal

Boys Basketball: Alma clinched a share of the Tri-Valley Conference Central title with Freeland and Saginaw Swan Valley – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

Girls Basketball: Bear Lake clinched a share of the West Michigan D League title with a big win over Big Rapids Crossroads – Manistee News Advocate

Girls Basketball: Charlevoix clinched a share of the Lake Michigan Conference title with a 53-31 win over Grayling – Petoskey News-Review

Girls Basketball: Mackinaw City claimed the Northern Lakes Conference title outright with a big win over Alba – Cheboygan News

Boys Swimming & Diving: New Baltimore Anchor Bay won the MAC White meet – Macomb Daily

Boys Swimming & Diving: LPD2 honorable mention St. Clair Shores Lakeview was the champ at the MAC Blue meet – Macomb Daily

Boys Basketball: Kingston earned a share of the North Central Thumb League Stars title, with Flint International Academy, thanks to a one-point win over Dryden – WNEM

Boys Swimming & Diving: LPD3 No. 7 Marshall repeated as champion at the Southwestern & Central Conference meet – Battle Creek Enquirer