Today in the MHSAA: 12/20/18
December 20, 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.
Teams are getting in their final competitions before at least a brief holiday break, and we’re taking one too after today’s list – “Today” will return Jan. 7, although Second Half will continue publishing stories from all over the state during the final week of December and first of January.
1. Boys Basketball: Gaylord St. Mary broke a 31-game, 14-year losing streak to Bellaire with a 29-26 win – Gaylord Herald Times
2. Boys Basketball: Camden-Frontier improved to 7-0 by handing a first loss to Reading, 57-46 – Hillsdale Daily News
3. Hockey: Evan MacDonald had a hat trick as Division 1 No. 5 Brighton downed reigning Division 3 runner-up Livonia Churchill 4-1 – Livingston Daily Press & Argus
4. Boys Basketball: Mancelona gave Pellston its first loss of this season, 67-65 – Petoskey News-Review
5. Girls Basketball: Waterford Our Lady made a late run to get past Pontiac Notre Dame Prep 61-56 – Oakland Press
6. Wrestling: Grand Haven came back from a 24-0 deficit to defeat Caledonia 39-33 – Grand Haven Tribune
7. Gymnastics: Escanaba remained undefeated to start the season with wins over Marquette and Negaunee – Escanaba Daily Press
8. Boys Basketball: Portland St. Patrick closed on a 22-5 run to beat Fowler 52-42 – Ionia Sentinel-Standard
9. Hockey: Brendan Pellerito had 34 saves as Mattawan shut out Portage Northern 4-0 – JoeInsider.com
10. Wrestling: Division 4 top-ranked Hudson earned a pair of league wins over Blissfield and Onsted – Adrian Daily Telegram
Also of note …
Hockey: The status of high school hockey is on the rise with talent evaluators at the game’s next levels – Observer & Eccentric
Tennis: Longtime coach Paul Bandrowski retired after leading Traverse City St. Francis’ girls and boys teams to a number of strong MHSAA Finals finishes – Traverse City Record-Eagle
Girls Basketball: From Tuesday, Eaton Rapids came back to stun Jackson Northwest 44-41, but the Mounties’ Sydney Shafer went over 1,000 career points – Jackson Citizen Patriot
Boys Swimming & Diving: From Tuesday, Lower Peninsula Division 1 No. 2 Ann Arbor Skyline edged LPD2 top-ranked Dexter 95-90 – We Love Ann Arbor
Today in the MHSAA: 10/25/19
October 25, 2019
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Half of next week’s MHSAA Boys Soccer Semifinals field was set Thursday, and it was a great night to be ranked No. 4, as two of those teams eliminated favorites in Regional Finals.
1. Boys Soccer: No. 4 Grand Rapids South Christian handed top-ranked Holland Christian its only loss this fall, 2-1 in a Division 2 Regional Final – FOX 17
2. Boys Soccer: No. 4 Muskegon Western Michigan Christian eliminated top-ranked Grandville Calvin Christian 2-1 in a Division 4 Regional Final – Local Sports Journal
3. Boys Soccer: No. 2 Troy Athens scored the go-ahead goal during the final seconds of overtime to finish a Division 1 Regional championship run with a 3-2 win over Clinton Township Chippewa Valley – C&G Newspapers
4. Boys Soccer: Fenton downed No. 9 Detroit Country Day 2-1 to claim a Division 2 Regional title -- WJRT
5. Volleyball: Adrian Madison locked up its fourth straight Tri-County Conference championship with a pair of sweeps of Britton Deerfield – Adrian Daily Telegram
6. Boys Soccer: Clarkston Everest Collegiate won its first Regional title in this sport, defeating Bax Axe 2-1 in the championship game – Oakland Press
7. Volleyball: Division 3 honorable mention Manistique swept Gladstone to clinch its second straight Mid-Peninsula Conference championship – Escanaba Daily Press
8. Boys Soccer: No. 8 Macomb Lutheran North clinched a Division 3 Regional title with a 3-0 win over Flint Powers Catholic – Macomb Daily
9. Boys Soccer: No. 4 Mattawan locked up a Division 2 Regional title with a 6-0 win over Middleville Thornapple Kellogg – WWMT
10. Volleyball: Vicksburg swept Otsego to clinch a shared Wolverine Conference title with Division 2 honorable mention Edwardsburg – JoeInsider.com
Also of note …
Girls Swimming & Diving: Top-ranked Ann Arbor Pioneer defeated No. 8 Ann Arbor Skyline 119-67 in a matchup of rivals and ranked teams in Lower Peninsula Division 1 – We Love Ann Arbor