Today in the MHSAA: 12/14/18

December 14, 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.

Another full weekend is upon us, with hoops, hockey and swim matchups kicking things off Thursday. But the two biggest headlines almost surely were coaching announcements you’ll find in the “Also of note” in this report.  

1. Boys Swimming & Diving: Lower Peninsula Division 3 top-ranked Holland Christian continued to surge with a 107-79 win over LPD1 honorable mention Grand Haven – Holland Sentinel

2. Girls Basketball: Calumet delivered Ishpeming the latter’s first loss this season, 42-38 – The Upbeat

3. Boys Basketball: Beaverton picked up a solid win over Jack Pine Conference contender Clare, 56-46 – Midland Daily News

4. Boys Basketball: Brooklyn Columbia Central held off Hillsdale 43-38 – Hillsdale Daily News

5. Boys Basketball: Dollar Bay edged Ontonagon 56-55 to bounce back from its first loss this winter – The Upbeat

6. Boys Basketball: Carney-Nadeau improved to 4-0 with a 61-43 win over Powers North Central – The Upbeat

7. Boys Basketball: Coleman improved to 3-1 with a 68-67 win over Breckenridge – Midland Daily News

8. Hockey: Jack Luer scored six goals as Bloomfield Hills downed Royal Oak – Oakland Press

9. Girls Basketball: Grand Haven improved to 4-0 with a 52-36 win over Muskegon Mona Shores – Grand Haven Tribune

10. Girls Basketball: Maple City Glen Lake downed Frankfort 53-35 in part by making 21 free throws – Traverse City Record-Eagle

Also of note …

Football: Longtime Grand Ledge coach Matt Bird has taken the same job leading Muskegon Reeths-Puffer – Lansing State Journal

Hockey: Longtime coach Andy Weidenbach announced this will be his final season guiding the Cranes, who he’s led to 10 MHSAA championships – Observer & Eccentric

Today in the MHSAA: 8/31/15

August 31, 2015

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The final weekend of August was a giant weekend for MHSAA volleyball contenders, with some of the top regular-season events this fall providing opportunities for the best to see how they might match up when playoffs begin in two months.

Below are headlines for some of the key high school reports from across the state; the weekend’s football round-up will publish later this afternoon.  

Cross Country

Muskegon Reeths-Puffer’s Maryssa Depies set a course record of 18:11.3 to win the Big Red Invitational at McGraft Park – Muskegon Chronicle

Flint Powers Catholic’s top individual finisher came in ninth, but the Chargers girls as a team were first at the Lansing Catholic Invitational – Flint Journal

The reigning Lower Peninsula Division 2 champion Grand Rapids Christian boys repeated as winner of the prestigious Benzie Central Invitational, finishing ahead of Traverse City West and Central, while Central senior Anthony Berry won individually in 15:24 – Grand Rapids Press

Boys Soccer

Tawas, a Division 3 semifinalist last season, finished first from an Elk Rapids Invitational field that included Berkley and Saginaw Nouvel – Bay City Times

Volleyball

Lake Odessa Lakewood, last season’s Class B runner-up and the second-ranked team in that class this week, eliminated Class A No. 6 Grand Rapids Christian to win the West Michigan Volleyball Officials Association tournament for the first time in a decade – Grand Rapids Press

Class A No. 4 Grand Haven continued its perfect run at its outdoor Battle of the Boardwalk tournament, sweeping three opponents to remain undefeated through the event's third year – Grand Haven Tribune

Battle Creek Harper Creek, No. 9 in Class B, improved to 17-0 by winning the Cereal City Tournament at Pennfield with a 2-1 championship match win over Temperance Bedford, an MHSAA semifinalist last season in Class A – Battle Creek Enquirer

Good Reads

The Holland Sentinel introduced its top female athletes in that area’s history Sunday, and highlighted nationally-known softball star Kathy Arendsen and her successes during one of the MHSAA’s first Softball Finals – Holland Sentinel

Anyone who follows high school football history will enjoy going through the Muskegon Chronicle’s sampling of top-20 moments from that area’s football past – Muskegon Chronicle

More than 60 former Shepherd High School players from the last 25 seasons returned for an alumni doubleheader Sunday to honor coach Jack Nartker, who will retire after this spring – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun