Today in the MHSAA: 1/28/16

January 28, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The number 300 has been significant for at least two competitors this week, and Wednesday’s action also included some of the state's best wrestling matchups this season and a league champion crowned for the first time in more than 30 years.

Boys Basketball

Standish-Sterling handed Beaverton its first regular-season loss since 2013-14, 53-51 – Saginaw News

Suttons Bay got past Benzonia Benzie Central on Thomas Hursey’s 3-pointer with 1.9 seconds to play – Traverse City Record-Eagle

Girls Basketball

From Tuesday, Norway gave Stephenson the latter’s first loss this season, 71-57 – Iron Mountain Daily News

Bowling

Also from Tuesday, Ada Forest Hills Eastern 14-year-old freshman Nick Slagter rolled his first 300 game – Grand Rapids Press

Competitive Cheer

Sterling Heights Stevenson scored 780.44 points to best Warren Cousino by more than 10 to win the Macomb Area Conference Red meet – Macomb Daily

Perennial Division 3 power Richmond is back among the elite and won its Blue Water Area Conference jamboree by nearly 30 points with a total of 768.28 – Port Huron Times Herald

Ice Hockey

Traverse City Central shut out rival Traverse City West for the second time this season, this time 3-0 – Traverse City Record-Eagle

Orchard Lake St. Mary’s scored twice over the final three minutes to earn a comeback 2-1 win over rival Birmingham Brother Rice – Oakland Press

Wrestling

Three Rivers earned coach Pete Bachinski his 300th win, a 60-18 victory over Vicksburg; Bachinski began his coaching career in 1995 – Kalamazoo Gazette

Hartland won the rematch of last season’s Division 1 Final, this time defeating reigning champion Brighton 46-16 – Livingston Daily

Top-ranked Detroit Catholic Central also dominated a match of Division 1 powers, taking down Oxford 46-17 – Oakland Press

Chesaning won its first league wrestling championship since 1982, claiming the Tri-Valley Conference Central title with a 60-15 win over Midland Bullock Creek – Saginaw News

Goodrich senior Nathan Ellis won his 150th career match during his team’s wins over Durand and Mount Morris – Flint Journal

Today in the MHSAA: 2/2/16

February 2, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Statewide sports action Monday was light, so we’ll focus on a series of stories published today that should pull at your heart strings and put life’s little obstacles in proper perspective.

Good Reads

Mason’s Brendan Brown is fighting for his life, against a form of cancer that has led to the amputation of a leg and soon will mean the removal of parts of his lungs. The Bulldogs junior is fighting, and also continuing a high school bowling career that is inspiring opponents and those in his community – Jackson Citizen-Patriot

Also at Mason, Storm Miller might be the strongest athlete at his high school and finished third in a national weight-lifting competition last summer. He’s relying on strength now to fight a rare form of cancer that also initially was found in a leg – Lansing State Journal

Molly Holmes hasn't joined her siblings on the Leroy Pine River wrestling team yet – wait until next year – but she plays junior varsity basketball and is one of 13 kids in a family that loves sports – a family that adopted her after five foster placements and a fight to survive no child should experience – Cadillac News