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: 9/20/19

September 20, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Two of the first league championships of the 2019-20 school year were decided Thursday on the tennis courts and soccer pitch, while a number of other contests surely will have title implications later on.

1. Boys Tennis: St. Clair – No. 5 in Lower Peninsula Division 3 – downed Port Huron Northern to guarantee a shared Macomb Area Conference Red title with LPD1 No 9 Grosse Pointe South – Port Huron Times-Herald

2. Boys Soccer: South Lyon clinched the Lakes Valley Conference championship with a draw against second-place Walled Lake Western – Oakland Press

3. Volleyball: Traverse City St. Francis emerged with a 15-11 fifth-set win to get past Division 4 No. 6 Leland – Up North Live

4. Volleyball: Division 1 No. 9 Grand Haven picked up a key Ottawa-Kent Conference Red win over honorable mention Grandville – FOX 17

5. Girls Golf: Durand set a program record with its 12th match win, this one by 10 strokes over Owosso – Owosso Argus-Press

6. Cross Country: Rock Mid Peninsula’s Daisy Englund earned her third straight win, this time at the Stephenson Invitational as Marquette’s Upper Peninsula Division 1 top-ranked teams swept – Escanaba Daily Press

7. Girls Golf: Traverse City West won the Harbor Springs Invitational, led by Anci Dy’s medalist performance – Traverse City Record-Eagle

8. Volleyball: Division 1 No. 10 Clarkston started Oakland Activities Association Red play by avenging an earlier loss to honorable mention Oxford – Oakland Press

9. Volleyball: Division 4 top-ranked Southfield Christian swept honorable mention Plymouth Christian Academy to move to 8-1-1 – Oakland Press

10. Boys Soccer: Unranked Ann Arbor Pioneer and Division 1 No. 8 Skyline played to a scoreless draw – We Love Ann Arbor