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: 2/7/19
February 7, 2019
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Team District competition began in wrestling Wednesday, but the biggest news came from the competitive cheer mat as the teams that have combined to win the last 11 Division 2 titles faced off with a league championship on the line.
1. Competitive Cheer: Allen Park ended Gibraltar Carlson’s five-year reign in the Downriver League with a 1.22-point victory; they are the highest-scoring teams in Division 2 statewide again this winter – Southgate News-Herald
2. Wrestling: Manton edged Lake City in Division 4 to claim its first District title in this sport in 18 years – Cadillac News
3. Wrestling: No. 8 Tecumseh defeated Adrian in Division 2 to clinch its 17th straight District title – Adrian Daily Telegram
4. Wrestling: No. 7 Clarkston claimed its 12th straight District title, in Division 1 – Oakland Press
5. Wrestling: Division 4 No. 8 Leroy Pine River clinched its 10th straight District title by downing Evart in the championship match – MI Sports Now
6. Wrestling: No. 7 Niles won its final seven matches to get past Stevensville Lakeshore in a Division 2 District Final – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium
7. Wrestling: White Pigeon claimed its first District title since 2007 with a big win over Centreville in Division 4 – Sturgis Journal
8. Wrestling: Edwardsburg won its first District title in five years, coming back in the championship match to down Coldwater 39-31 in Division 2 – South Bend Tribune
9. Wrestling: Holland won its District Semifinal by tie-breaker before going on to down Zeeland East in the Division 2 District Final – Holland Sentinel
10. Hockey: Division 2 No. 1 Hartland continued its recent success against Brighton, downing the Division 1 No. 4 Bulldogs 4-0 – Livingston Daily Press & Argus
Also of note …
Perspective: There’s a lot of wisdom in this guest column from successful Richmond wrestling coach Brandon Day as he explains how things have changed for kids growing up playing sports – Port Huron Times-Herald
Girls Basketball: Asaria Turman went over 1,000 career points to lead Ann Arbor Pioneer past Saline – We Love Ann Arbor
Boys Basketball: Blake Charboneau went over 1,000 career points in leading Gaylord past West Branch Ogemaw Heights – Gaylord Times Herald