Today in the MHSAA: 12/2/15
December 2, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Girls basketball season took off in force Tuesday with a few hundred games across the state and some notable storylines for fans diving into a new season.
Girls Basketball
Wayland may have graduated a Division I college player, but has two four-year seniors back and opened with a 59-44 win over Rockford – Grand Rapids Press
Goodrich’s Alexis Sevillian is the next leader of the Class B power and poured in 25 in the Martian’s 54-36 opening win over Davison – Flint Journal
Midland Dow’s Ellie Taylor set five school records in scoring 44 points as her team downed Saginaw Arthur Hill 81-62 – Midland Daily News
In a matchup of teams that have both played MHSAA Semifinals over the last few years, Flint Powers Catholic rode a strong first quarter to a 53-41 win over Farmington Hills Mercy – Flint Journal
Class C power Niles Brandywine opened with a 46-31 win over Class A Kalamazoo Loy Norrix – Niles Daily Star
Averi Gamble scored the go-ahead basket in the final seconds as Class D power Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart edged Shepherd 28-26 – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun
Reed City broke a 22-game losing streak that included all of last season with a 48-44 opening-night win over Leroy Pine River – Big Rapids News
Ice Hockey
Howell broke a six-game losing streak to rival Hartland that stretched back to mid-January 2012 – Livingston Daily
Today in the MHSAA: 10/15/15
October 15, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Championship are won on a seemingly daily basis in October, and plenty were earned and celebrated Wednesday – but please also check out some great reads at the bottom of this list, including a look at why specialization is increasing as a nationwide concern.
Cross Country
The Saugatuck girls, ranked No. 2 in Lower Peninsula Division 4, won their ninth straight Southwestern Athletic Conference title with 12 runners earning all-league honors – Grand Rapids Press
Boys Soccer
LP Division 2 No. 5 East Lansing capped an impressive run through the Capital Area Activities Conference Gold Cup by winning the final 3-1 over Grand Ledge – Lansing State Journal
LP Division 1 No. 15 East Kentwood secured its 12th Ottawa-Kent Conference Red title in 13 seasons with a 1-0 win over Grandville, helped in part by a pair of players whose ties the program go back to the early years of the run – Grand Rapids Press
LP Division 1 No. 7 Utica Ford shut out No. 14 Fraser to clinch the Macomb Area Conference Red championship – Macomb Daily
Unranked Birmingham Brother Rice stunned LP Division 1 No. 3 Detroit Catholic Central 2-1 in the championship game of the Detroit Catholic League A-B tournament – Oakland Press
LP Division 4 No. 11 Charlevoix clinched a share of the Lake Michigan Conference title with a 3-0 win over Grayling, thanks to a hat trick by Walker Drost – Charlevoix Courier
Saginaw Heritage scored the first goal Flint Powers Catholic had given up since Sept. 12, but the Chargers emerged with a 2-1 win and the overall Saginaw Valley League championship – Flint Journal
Volleyball
Lansing Catholic won the first volleyball league championship in its long history, beating Fowlerville in three sets to claim a share of the CAAC White title – Lansing State Journal
Good Reads
Single-sport specialization has become a topic of national focus and concern, and MHSAA Executive Director Jack Roberts was among association directors talked to for this report on why it’s a health-related issue and how states are working to promote multi-sport participation instead – NFHS.org
Vandercook Lake is enjoying its best football season in 45 years and plays for a league title this weekend, and is led by a three-sport athlete who has been on a long road back after Crohn’s disease led to his shedding 90 pounds only two years ago – Jackson Citizen-Patriot
The Christmas tree standing tall in front of the Capitol in Lansing this winter will come from Wakefield thanks to a donation by Florence Daniels in honor of her husband Jim, who coached Wakefield High's boys basketball team to 355 wins, 12 district the five regional titles in 28 seasons. He also was a member of Channing High’s Upper Peninsula championship team in 1944 and coached Al Inkala, who went on to become an MHSAA championship-winning girls tennis coach at Okemos – Lansing State Journal