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: 12/19/17
December 19, 2017
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. Hockey: Division 2 No. 8 Midland Dow pulled within a goal of the lead after falling behind by five, but unranked Saginaw Heritage prevailed with a 6-5 victory – Midland Daily News
2. Girls Basketball: Tiffany Senerius went over 1,000 points for her career as Waterford Our Lady got past West Bloomfield 53-44 – Oakland Press
3. Girls Basketball: Autumn Carpenter’s shot as time expired gave Union City a 29-28 win over Climax-Scotts – Coldwater Daily Reporter
4. Boys Basketball: Ewen-Trout Creek downed Wakefield-Marenisco 47-39 in a matchup of unbeaten teams – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette
5. Boys Basketball: Benton Harbor Dream Academy opened its season with a win, handing St. Joseph Lake Michigan Catholic its first loss 54-52 – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium
6. Boys Basketball: Frankenmuth got past Saginaw Heritage 63-51, led by all-stater Mario Whitley – WNEM
7. Girls Basketball: Calumet’s defense locked down Ontonagon during the final quarter to come away with a 52-38 win – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette
8. Girls Basketball: Engadine bounced back from a slow start to get past Rudyard 50-35 – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News
9. Football: You won’t find Mike Centala’s name in the record book with high school coaches who have won over the years, but he was plenty successful during 40 as a middle school coach in the Monroe Jefferson district – Monroe Evening News
10. Football: The Central Lake/Ellsworth co-op won the 8-player Division 1 championship last month, and reunited to celebrate the accomplishment before the respective basketball squads faced off – WPBN
Also of note:
Wrestling: Division 2 No. 3 Gaylord won the 21-team Marquette Challenge, finishing ahead of runner-up Sparta and Division 4 No. 2 New Lothrop – Gaylord Herald Times