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: 5/23/18

May 23, 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.

1. Baseball: A dramatic doubleheader split with No. 14 Sanford Meridian eventually netted Division 3 No. 15 Beaverton its first Jack Pine Conference championship in 28 years – Midland Daily News

2. Softball: After taking a loss to Niles in the night’s first game, Division 2 top-ranked Stevensville Lakeshore came back to win the second and clinch its third straight Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference West title – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium

3. Baseball: Warren DeLaSalle dealt Division 2 top-ranked Orchard Lake St. Mary’s a 15-8 loss to claim the Detroit Catholic League A-B championship – Macomb Daily

4. Baseball: In a matchup of two of the best in Division 3, No. 6 Bronson handed No. 2 Homer its first loss as the teams split a doubleheader – Coldwater Daily Reporter

5. Boys Golf: Big Rapids, No. 2 in Lower Peninsula Division 3, claimed its 13th straight Central State Activities Association championship by shooting a 307 – Big Rapids News

6. Baseball: Division 4 No. 20 Beal City swept Evart to claim its 15th straight league title in the Highland Conference – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

7. Softball: Alpena clinched its eighth straight Big North Conference championship with a split against second-place Traverse City Central – Alpena News

8. Boys Lacrosse: After falling to Clarkston each of the last two postseasons, No. 8 Lake Orion moved on in its Division 1 Regional with a 12-6 victory over the Wolves – Oakland Press

9. Girls Soccer: Boyne City edged Traverse City St. Francis to claim its first Lake Michigan Conference title in the sport – Petoskey News-Review

10. Softball: Division 1 No. 8 Plymouth followed pitcher Jenny Bressler to a 9-1 win over No. 6 Howell in the Kensington Lakes Activities Association semifinals – Observer & Eccentric

Also of note ...

Wrestling: Coach Nate Ethridge will be leaving Remus Chippewa Hills with more than 500 wins to take over the program at Collins Hill in Georgia – Gwinnett Daily Post