Today in the MHSAA: 12/16/19

December 16, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Early-season showcases this weekend in ice hockey and girls basketball gave us a few ideas of how some of the best stack up as the start of the holiday invitational schedule nears.

1. Hockey: Division 2 top-ranked Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice ended No. 3 Hartland’s 14-game winning streak going back to last season, 4-2 at the MIHL/KLAA Showcase – Observer & Eccentric

2. Girls Basketball: Detroit Renaissance capitalized on 28 turnovers in getting past East Kentwood 49-47 at the Best of Michigan Classic – State Champs Sports Network

3. Girls Basketball: Reigning Division 4 champion Adrian Lenawee Christian earned a big win against a much bigger opponent, 61-40 over Kalamazoo Central also at Best of Michigan – State Champs Sports Network

4. Hockey: No. 2 Livonia Stevenson earned a 2-1 win over No. 4 Trenton at the MIHL/KLAA Showcase – Observer & Eccentric

5. Hockey: Division 1 top-ranked Detroit Catholic Central surged to a 7-0 win over No. 5 Brighton at the MIHL/KLAA Showcase – Observer & Eccentric

6. Hockey: Division 1 No. 2 Salem extended its winning streak to five with a 3-2 win over No. 4 Orchard Lake St. Mary’s at the MIHL/KLAA Showcase – Observer & Eccentric

7. Gymnastics: Escanaba edged Marquette by slightly more than two points to win the Elks Invitational – Escanaba Daily Press

8. Wrestling: Division 2 No. 2 Gaylord dominated at the Romeo Invitational with wins by at least 21 points over all four opponents – Gaylord Herald Times

9. Wrestling: Petoskey won individual titles at eight weights on the way to the team championship at the Owosso Invitational – Petoskey News-Review

10. Girls Bowling: Midland Bullock Creek swept St. Louis and Saginaw Valley Lutheran to run its Tri-Valley Conference match winning streak to 30 – Midland Daily News

Also of note …

Boys Basketball: Although his team fell to North Muskegon 63-51, Mason County Central’s Jeffery Carrier went over 1,000 career points – Ludington Daily News

Boys Basketball: Fife Lake Forest Area’s Chase Ingersoll also went over 1,000 points with 19 in an 84-58 win over Big Rapids Crossroads – Traverse City Record-Eagle

Today in the MHSAA: 5/6/19

May 6, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Special for Second Half

Finishes both close and historic highlighted the first weekend of May as top teams navigated the rain in many places in kicking off the final month of the regular season.

1. Softball: Grace Lehto nearly threw a perfect game as Division 2 No. 3 Eaton Rapids edged Division 3 top-ranked Millington to win the “marquee matchup” of the MI Stars Tournament – State Champs Sports Network 

2. Boys Golf: By way of a fifth-golfer tie-breaker, Gaylord – No. 10 in Lower Peninsula Division 2 – edged LPD1 No. 6 Grosse Pointe South to win its invitational with a near-school record score – Gaylord Herald Times

3. Track & Field: Zeeland West’s boys won their 12th-straight Holland West Ottawa Von Ins Relays, while Lower Peninsula Division 1 No. 6 Grand Haven and No. 7 West Ottawa’s girls shared their meet championship – Holland Sentinel

4. Boys Golf: Nathan Taylor finished as medalist to lead Muskegon Mona Shores to the Greater Muskegon Athletic Association championship, 30 years after his father won the same tournament – Muskegon Chronicle

5. Track & Field: The Muskegon Reeths-Puffer girls won their 10th straight GMAA title, and the Fruitport boys won their sixth straight – Local Sports Journal

6. Softball: Division 3 No. 7 Standish-Sterling edged No. 3 Sanford Meridian 5-4 to win Meridian’s invitational – Midland Daily News

7. Softball: Division 2 No. 4 Stevensville Lakeshore defeated Schoolcraft in the final to win its invitational for the first time – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium

8. Boys Golf: Troy edged Rochester by 12 strokes to win the Oakland County Division 2 championship – Oakland Press

9. Softball: Muskegon Reeths-Puffer and Division 2 No. 5 Oakridge both won their fourth straight GMAA softball titles – Muskegon Chronicle

10. Track & Field: A total of 61 teams including a number of the best from multiple divisions participated at the Triangle Invitational at Saline – Athletic.net