Today in the MHSAA: 1/26/17

January 26, 2017

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Arguably the most exciting night of wrestling duals statewide this season saw top-ranked teams face off and some of the best in Division 1 do battle on the mat, while another team celebrated its first league title in 25 years.

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

Sault Ste. Marie moved to 9-0 as a go-ahead basket by Matt Knowles with three seconds to play gave the Blue Devils a 49-48 win over Alpena – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News

Buckley junior Denver Cade went over 1,000 points for his career in an 85-47 win over Kingsley – Cadillac News

Beaverton trailed Harrison by a bucket at halftime but came back to win 49-33 and stay perfect in the Jack Pine Conference – Midland Daily News

From Tuesday, Powers North Central tied Chassell’s 65-game winning streak record with a 76-24 win over Rock Mid-Peninsula – Escanaba Daily Press

Girls Basketball

Also from Tuesday, Munising remained undefeated at 11-0 as Frankie Mattson became the school’s all-time leading scorer – Marquette Mining Journal

Erie-Mason's Mary Liedel also set her school's scoring record in a loss to Ida – Monroe Evening News

Hockey

Scott Klavon’s overtime goal gave Traverse City Central a 3-2 win over rival Traverse City West – Traverse City Record-Eagle

Wrestling

Alma won its first league wrestling championship in 25 years, downing Saginaw Swan Valley to clinch the Tri-Valley Conference Central – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

The top-ranked teams in Divisions 3 and 4 faced off in Lenawee County Athletic Association action, with Division 3 Dundee coming away with a 41-24 win over Hudson – Adrian Daily Telegram

Division 1 top-ranked Detroit Catholic Central cleared another ranked hurdle, downing No. 5 Oxford 45-13 – Oakland Press

Hartland, No. 3 in Division 1, topped No. 7 Brighton 34-27, thanks in part to an unexpected contributor – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

Oscoda claimed the North Star League championship outright with wins over Rogers City and Whittemore-Prescott – Bay City Times

Good Read

Two weeks ago, Clinton Township Chippewa Valley volleyball coach Nichole Wouters was diagnosed with lung and brain cancer. Now she’s into her fight, with her community backing her at every step – Macomb Daily

Today in the MHSAA: 2/22/16

February 22, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

A loaded weekend included Upper Peninsula Swimming & Diving Finals, Cheer Districts, Wrestling Individual Regionals and title-deciding matchups in girls and boys basketball – plus key contests in just about every MHSAA sport.

Girls Basketball

What’s become one of the top girls basketball rivalries in the state added another incredible chapter as Haslett beat DeWitt 61-59 in triple overtime in a matchup of Class A ranked teams – Lansing State Journal

Despite a nearly new cast this season, Bloomfield Hills Marian completed a Detroit Catholic League A-B championship with a 48-29 win over rival Farmington Hills Mercy in the tournament final – Oakland Press

Detroit Martin Luther King won its fifth straight Detroit Public School League title, just edging Detroit Renaissance 68-66 – Detroit Free Press

Despite a three-point loss to Saginaw, Addyson Tomczak became the second player in Bay City Central girls basketball history to score more than 1,000 career points – Bay City Times

Holt’s Kamrin Reed went over 1,000 career points recently against Okemos, and despite missing her junior season with a torn knee ligament – Lansing State Journal

Boys Basketball

Detroit East English continued to ride the strong play of Jaylin McFaddin and Kamari Newman to its first Detroit Public School League championship with an 86-62 win over Detroit Renaissance – Detroit News

St. Ignace clinched the Straits Area Conference title and Gage Kreski went over 2,000 points for his career in a 84-59 win over Newberry – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News

Frankfort finished its first back-to-back league titles since 1961-62, winning the Northwest Conference with a 50-48 win over Buckley – Traverse City Record-Eagle

Bowling

Portage Northern edged Portage Central 17-13 thanks in part to a 499 Baker series that ranks among the state’s best this season – Kalamazoo Gazette

Competitive Cheer

Reigning Division 4 champion Breckenridge took its first step toward a repeat, finishing first at the District at Ithaca – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

Ice Hockey

Division 2 No. 10 Escanaba and Division 3 No. 3 Calumet finished tied in a matchup of two of the highest-ranked teams from the Upper Peninsula – Escanaba Daily Press

Jackson, No. 13 in Division 1, swept rival Jackson Lumen Christi for the first time, winning the second game this season 4-3 – Jackson Citizen-Patriot

Midland Dow, No. 14 in Division 2, came back from a 3-0 deficit to beat No. 4 Romeo 5-4 – Midland Daily News

Swimming and Diving

The Gladstone girls won their first MHSAA championship, riding a strong finish to stay ahead of Houghton and Marquette – Second Half

The Marquette boys won their third straight MHSAA title with a number of U.P. Finals record performances – Second Half

Wrestling

From a loaded Individual Regional at Byron Center, Lowell sent 11 wrestlers on to the MHSAA Finals and Allegan sent seven – Grand Rapids Press

Saginaw Swan Valley’s K.J. Suitor broke his school’s wins record with his 219th in winning a Division 3 Regional title at Richmond – Saginaw News

Good Read

We’ve gotten to see Yale superintendent Kenneth Nicholl in action as an administrator during the last two Battles of the Fans, and he’s also one of our state’s top high school wrestling officials – Port Huron Times Herald

Former MHSAA Representative Council member Bob Doctor has been selected for the Petoskey Athletic Hall of Fame. Doctor was on the Council during the early 1970s and was the school's longtime principal – Petoskey News