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: 12/7/17

December 7, 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 1 No. 2 Detroit Catholic Central downed Division 3 No. 4 Warren DeLaSalle 3-0 in a matchup of Catholic League Central and statewide powers – Observer & Eccentric

2. Hockey: Staying in the Catholic League Central, Division 1 No. 3 Orchard Lake St. Mary’s downed Division 2 No. 4 Birmingham Brother Rice 5-2 – Oakland Press

3. Wrestling: As Division 1 No. 4 Hartland opened with a sweep of Flushing and Lake Orion, an Eagles senior celebrated a return to the mat after two seasons away – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

4. Boys Swimming & Diving: Okemos, an honorable mention in Lower Peninsula Division 2, won the annual Howard Comstock Waverly Relays, anticipating it as the start to what could be a special season for the Chiefs – Lansing State Journal

5. Girls Basketball: Rickea Jackson scored 30 points to lead reigning Class C champ Detroit Edison Public School Academy past Detroit East English 89-47 – Detroit News

6. Hockey: Division 2 No. 10 Midland Dow scored four unanswered goals during the third period to get past rival Midland 5-1 – Midland Daily News

7. Wrestling: Division 3 No. 3 Remus Chippewa Hills has high expectations this season and started things out with a 46-20 win over Traverse City West – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

8. Wrestling: Division 2 No. 7 Stevensville Lakeshore opened its season with a loss, but not before giving undefeated Mishawaka, Ind., a tough challenge, 37-29 – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium

9. Hockey: The ice surface at USA Hockey Arena – home to the MHSAA Finals – was renamed for former Detroit Catholic Central goalie Mitchel Kiefer, who died in a car crash with a distracted driver in 2016 after helping the Shamrocks to a Division 1 championship earlier that year – Observer & Eccentric

10. Wrestling: New Baltimore Anchor Bay dedicated its wrestling mat to former standout Larry Rybarz III, who won more than 200 matches during his high school career and died in a car crash in August at age 24 – Macomb Daily