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: 1/9/18

January 9, 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. Boys Skiing: Reigning Division 2 champion Petoskey edged reigning Division 1 runner-up Traverse City Central to win its side of the Petoskey-Harbor Invitational – Petoskey News-Review

2. Girls Skiing: Harbor Springs dominated its side of the Petoskey-Harbor Invitational, out-distancing the field by more than 20 points – Petoskey News-Review

3. Girls Basketball: Detroit Osborn earned its first victory over Detroit Henry Ford in more than a decade, 31-28 – Detroit News

4. Boys Basketball: Central Lake drilled a last-second 3-pointer to edge Onaway 65-64 – Alpena News

5. Girls Basketball: Negaunee remained undefeated with a 59-45 win over Marquette – Marquette Mining Journal

6. Boys Basketball: Muskegon Heights Academy held off a late rally to edge North Muskegon 58-56 – Muskegon Chronicle

7. Girls Basketball: Grosse Ile made it six straight wins with a Huron League opening victory over rival Riverview – Southgate News Herald

8. Football: Romeo co-coach Jason Couch, who helped lead the team to the 2015 Division 1 title, announced he’s leaving the program to take over at Alma College – Macomb Daily

9. Football: Battle Creek Lakeview coach Matt Miller stepped down after 20 years with program, including as head coach since 2010, and 30 years total on the sideline – Battle Creek Enquirer

10. Basketball: Vestaburg’s Jim Hodges and Larry Koutz are two of the many unsung contributors who make our games happen; they have nearly 100 years of combined experience serving as the official scorekeeper and clock/scoreboard operator, respectively, at the school – Greenville Daily News