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: 12/7/17
December 7, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Each weekday of the school year, we break down the top headlines courtesy of Michigan’s sports media.
Today's Top 10
1. Hockey: Division 1 No. 2 Detroit Catholic Central downed Division 3 No. 4 Warren DeLaSalle 3-0 in a matchup of Catholic League Central and statewide powers – Observer & Eccentric
2. Hockey: Staying in the Catholic League Central, Division 1 No. 3 Orchard Lake St. Mary’s downed Division 2 No. 4 Birmingham Brother Rice 5-2 – Oakland Press
3. Wrestling: As Division 1 No. 4 Hartland opened with a sweep of Flushing and Lake Orion, an Eagles senior celebrated a return to the mat after two seasons away – Livingston Daily Press & Argus
4. Boys Swimming & Diving: Okemos, an honorable mention in Lower Peninsula Division 2, won the annual Howard Comstock Waverly Relays, anticipating it as the start to what could be a special season for the Chiefs – Lansing State Journal
5. Girls Basketball: Rickea Jackson scored 30 points to lead reigning Class C champ Detroit Edison Public School Academy past Detroit East English 89-47 – Detroit News
6. Hockey: Division 2 No. 10 Midland Dow scored four unanswered goals during the third period to get past rival Midland 5-1 – Midland Daily News
7. Wrestling: Division 3 No. 3 Remus Chippewa Hills has high expectations this season and started things out with a 46-20 win over Traverse City West – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun
8. Wrestling: Division 2 No. 7 Stevensville Lakeshore opened its season with a loss, but not before giving undefeated Mishawaka, Ind., a tough challenge, 37-29 – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium
9. Hockey: The ice surface at USA Hockey Arena – home to the MHSAA Finals – was renamed for former Detroit Catholic Central goalie Mitchel Kiefer, who died in a car crash with a distracted driver in 2016 after helping the Shamrocks to a Division 1 championship earlier that year – Observer & Eccentric
10. Wrestling: New Baltimore Anchor Bay dedicated its wrestling mat to former standout Larry Rybarz III, who won more than 200 matches during his high school career and died in a car crash in August at age 24 – Macomb Daily