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: 9/4/19

September 4, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The start of September means the start of league play for many, and Tuesday set the stage as a number of teams – especially in boys soccer – began their conference schedules.

1. Cross Country: Dearborn Divine Child swept Division I championships at Erie Mason’s Frank Connolly Relays, while the Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central boys and Blissfield girls won the Division II titles – Monroe Evening News

2. Boys Soccer: Reigning Ottawa-Kent Conference Red co-champions Grand Haven and Caledonia played to a 1-1 draw; Grand Haven is No. 15 in Division 1 – Grand Haven Tribune

3. Boys Soccer: Traverse City West earned an impressive nonleague win, 2-0 over Division 3 No. 12 Elk Rapids – UpNorthLive

4. Boys Soccer: Livonia Stevenson ran its winning streak to five with a 6-0 victory at Franklin – Observer & Eccentric

5. Volleyball: North Muskegon emerged from a back-and-forth match to win 3-2 over Muskegon Oakridge – Local Sports Journal

6. Volleyball: Two weeks after being swept by Litchfield in its opener, Hillsdale Will Carleton returned the favor – Hillsdale Daily News

7. Boys Soccer: Dexter remained unbeaten with a 5-1 win over Ann Arbor Huron – Chelsea Sun Times News

8. Volleyball: Pellston continued to show its potential with a sweep of Harbor Springs – Petoskey News-Review

9. Boys Soccer: Freeland outshot Essexville Garber, but the Dukes emerged with a 1-0 win – Midland Daily News

10. Boys Soccer: South Lyon earned a key 1-0 league win over Walled Lake Northern – Oakland Press