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: 3/6/17

March 6, 2017

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

MHSAA Finals in wrestling, bowling and cheer, Regionals in gymnastics and hockey and Districts in girls basketball made for a busy weekend across our state – and also one full of celebration for a number of schools finishing the season or taking the next tournament step.

Each weekday during the school year, we’ll gather and post media links covering the most significant and intriguing high school events from all over the state. 

Girls Basketball

Undefeated Ypsilanti Arbor Prep, last season’s Class C champ, edged Dearborn Heights Robichaud 58-54 in a Class B District Final – Ann Arbor News

Lake City won its first District since 2001, downing Manton 54-53 in overtime of a Class C Final – Cadillac News

Niles Brandywine won its eighth District title in nine seasons with a 40-18 victory over Watervliet in Class C – Niles Daily Star

Charlevoix completed a Class C District run with a 46-36 win over Harbor Springs after going 3-19 a season ago – Petoskey News-Review

Bowling

Eight teams and eight individuals claimed MHSAA titles over the weekend, with Battle Creek Pennfield enjoying the most success with a boys team championship and sweep of singles in Division 3 – Second Half

Cheer

Allen Park broke Gibraltar Carlson's win streak in Division 2 while Rochester, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep and Breckenridge all repeated as Finals champions – Second Half

Gymnastics

Northville will compete at the MHSAA Team Final for the first time since 2010 after finishing second to Canton at their Regional – Observer & Eccentric

Hockey

Freshman Will Jentz scored in overtime to carry Brighton past Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 2-1 in a Division 1 Regional Final – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

Big Rapids upended Alpena 2-1 in overtime Saturday to claim a Division 3 Regional title – Big Rapids News

Wrestling

Walled Lake Central's Ben Freeman became the 22nd four-time champion in MHSAA history as the Individual Finals awarded 56 winners total (and we interviewed them all) – Second Half