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: 10/30/17

October 30, 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. Cross Country: Lansing Catholic swept girls and boys Division 2 Regional titles; both teams are ranked No. 1, and the Cougars girls finished just ahead of No. 4 DeWitt – Lansing State Journal

2. Cross Country: Harbor Springs’ boys (No. 15 in LPD3) won their fourth straight Regional title, while No. 5 Traverse City St. Francis won the girls championship – Petoskey News-Review

3. Cross Country: Ann Arbor Pioneer swept a pair of Division 1 Regional titles; Pioneer’s girls are ranked No. 1 and the boys are No. 2 and came in ahead of No. 4 Saline – Saline Post Girls | Boys

4. Cross Country: The No. 5 St. Clair boys continued dominating with a Division 2 Regional title, while the Marysville girls won their first in more than a quarter century – Port Huron Times Herald

5. Cross Country: Northville’s girls (No. 3 in LPD1) won a Regional title ahead of runner-up No. 8 Salem – Observer & Eccentric

6. Cross Country: Pewamo-Westphalia also swept Regional titles in Division 3, the No. 6-ranked girls ahead of runner-up Byron and the No. 5 boys ahead of honorable mention Ithaca – Ionia Sentinel-Standard

7. Volleyball: Manton downed Lake City, McBain Northern Michigan Christian, Leroy Pine River and Beal City to claim the Highland Conference championship for the first time – Cadillac News

8. Boys Soccer: No. 7 Coldwater scored the game’s lone goal to claim a Division 2 Regional title over Stevensville Lakeshore – Coldwater Daily Reporter

9. Cross Country: Milford’s girls (tied for No. 10 in LPD1) edged Waterford Mott by three points to claim a Division 1 Regional title, while No. 5 White Lake Lakeland dominated the boys race – Observer & Eccentric Girls | Boys

10. Volleyball: Class A honorable mention Midland claimed the overall Saginaw Valley League championship by avenging its lone league loss to Davison at the league tournament – Midland Daily News

Also of note …

Cross Country: Sand Creek’s boys (No. 9 in LPD4) edged Hudson’s by five points to win a Regional title, while the No. 5 Hudson girls prevailed as well – Adrian Daily Telegram

Cross Country: The No. 3 Romeo boys and No. 9 Clarkston girls won Division 1 Regional titles at Algonac – Macomb Daily

Cross Country: The Brighton girls (LPD1 honorable mention) made the MHSAA Finals for the 12th straight year and as a Regional champion, and the Okemos boys (also LPD1 honorable mention) won their Regional title in a tie-breaker – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

Boys Soccer: East Lansing downed Petoskey 2-0 to claim a Regional title in Division 2 – Petoskey News-Review

Volleyball: Coldwater added an Interstate 8 Athletic Conference tournament championship to a perfect run through the league this fall – Coldwater Daily Reporter