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: 10/15/19

October 15, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Boys Soccer Districts rolled on Monday with a number of championship matchups set, but the biggest headlines were made by a few more league champions crowned in girls golf and cross country.

1. Girls Golf: Harbor Springs – top-ranked in Lower Peninsula Division 4 – shot a 358 and edged LPD1 No. 9 Traverse City West on the fifth-score tie-breaker in an event that doubled as an invite and the Big North Conference Tournament, with the Titans emerging as the BNC champion – Petoskey News-Review

2. Cross Country: The UPD2 top-ranked Ishpeming boys and Westwood girls dominated the individual top-10 standings in their races on the way to claiming team titles at the Mid-Peninsula Conference championship meet – Escanaba Daily Press

3. Boys Soccer: Unionville-Sebewaing and Frankenmuth went through six rounds of a shootout before the Patriots emerged with a Division 3 District win – Huron Daily Tribune

4. Boys Soccer: Ludington advanced in Division 3 with a 2-0 overtime win over Big Rapids – Ludington Daily News

5. Boys Soccer: No. 15 Midland Calvary Baptist won its first MHSAA Tournament game, 4-0 over Alcona in a Division 4 District Semifinal – Midland Daily News

6. Boys Soccer: Lake Orion moved on in Division 1 with a 2-0 win over Utica Eisenhower – Macomb Daily

7. Boys Soccer: No. 6 East Lansing got past St. Johns 2-0 in a Division 2 District Semifinal – Lansing State Journal

8. Boys Soccer: No. 12 New Baltimore Anchor Bay also earned a 2-0 shutout, in Division 1 over Macomb L’Anse Creuse North – Macomb Daily

9. Boys Soccer: Dowagiac moved on in Division 3 with a 3-1 win over Berrien Springs – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium

10. Volleyball: Division 3 No. 9 Morley Stanwood swept Big Rapids in its final home match of this season – Big Rapids News

Also of note …

Softball: Muskegon Oakridge coach Joe Coletta stepped down with a 267-122 record over 13 seasons leading the program – Muskegon Chronicle