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: 1/13/17
January 13, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
For the second straight day, we’ve seen news of a resignation of a successful football coach. Scroll to the bottom of today’s report to find out two more who are leaving the sideline.
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.
Boys Basketball
Hart came back from nine down in the first quarter to get past Shelby 49-43 in double overtime – Muskegon Chronicle
Brimley moved into a first-place tie in the Eastern U.P. Conference by handing previous lone leader Cedarville its first league loss, 60-57 in overtime – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News
Big Rapids Crossroads handed Baldwin its first loss of the season, 53-51 – Big Rapids News
Buckley remained in a tie for first in the Northwest Conference, knocking Maple City Glen Lake into second with a 78-39 win – Cadillac News
Girls Basketball
Port Huron Northern continued a tough run through the Macomb Area Conference Red, this time with a 35-30 win over Grosse Pointe North – Clinton Township Voice
Boys Swimming & Diving
Lower Peninsula Division 1 No. 3 Holland West Ottawa continued to shine with a 186-121 win over honorable mention Grand Haven – Grand Haven Tribune
Football
Lake Orion’s Chris Bell, now the school’s athletic director, ended his coaching tenure at 19 seasons and promoted assistant John Blackstock to take his place – Oakland Press
Mason's Jerry VanHavel will join the staff at Division III Mount Union after 26 seasons and 169 wins with the Bulldogs – Lansing State Journal