Today in the MHSAA: 12/8/17

December 8, 2017

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Each weekday of the school year, we break down the top headlines courtesy of Michigan’s sports media.

Today's Top 10 

1. Boys Basketball: Powers North Central’s record winning streak ended Thursday at 84, as Rapid River downed the Jets 65-43. It was North Central’s first loss since a Class D Quarterfinal on March 18, 2014 – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

2. Boys Basketball: McBain emerged with a 62-50 win over Boyne City in a meeting of annual northern contenders – Cadillac News

3. Boys Basketball: Frankfort also won a matchup of teams usually among the best from the northern Lower Peninsula, edging Traverse City St. Francis 57-56 – Traverse City Record-Eagle

4. Boys Basketball: Port Huron Northern trailed by as many as 17 before coming back to edge New Baltimore Anchor Bay 54-53 – Port Huron Times Herald

5. Girls Basketball: Braquelle Osborne scored with 11 seconds to play to lift Montague past Ravenna 49-47 – Local Sports Journal

6. Boys Basketball: Danny Nesburg’s 3-pointer in the closing seconds gave Charlevoix a dramatic comeback win over Bellaire – Petoskey News-Review

7. Boys Basketball: Posen’s Jared Sharpe scored with two seconds to play to pull his team past Rogers City 38-36 – Alpena News

8. Wrestling: Although only four wrestlers were able to take part, Coleman fielded its first team in more than 20 years Thursday for a home double dual – Midland Daily News

9. Girls Basketball: Muskegon Oakridge ran its West Michigan Conference winning streak to 66 with a 66-33 win over Hart – Local Sports Journal

10. Hockey: Howell handed Ann Arbor Skyline its first loss this winter thanks in part to a pair of short-handed goals by Billy Eskola – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

Today in the MHSAA: 1/11/16

January 11, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The first full sports weekend of 2016 included notable performances in a number of sports, highlighted by one of the top swimming and diving meets of the regular season.

Girls Basketball

Ithaca girls basketball coach Bob Anderson earned his 700th win as his team beat Carrollton 66-40; he’s coached both girls and boys teams to success over 27 seasons – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

Durand handed Goodrich its first league loss in seven years while staying undefeated this season in the Genesee Area Conference Red – Flint Journal

DeWitt remained undefeated at 8-0 after handing Lansing Waverly its first loss this season in a matchup of two of the Lansing area’s top teams – Lansing State Journal

St. Joseph moved to 6-1 with a 72-35 win over Benton Harbor, a semifinalist in Class B last season – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium

Saranac was missing its leading scorer, but still managed to get past annual Class D power Portland St. Patrick 41-33 – Ionia Sentinel-Standard

Boys Basketball

Okemos handed Holt its first loss this season and won its first game on the Rams’ home court since 2010 – Lansing State Journal

Ice Hockey

Portage Central earned a win that could boost it into the state rankings, downing Division 1 No. 10 East Kentwood 2-1 on Saturday in Muskegon – Kalamazoo Gazette

Boys Swimming & Diving

Division 2 No. 1 Dexter scored 409 points to beat No. 4 Warren DeLaSalle by 33 at the annual Spartan Invitational at Battle Creek Lakeview, with the field also including reigning champion Birmingham Seaholm and Division 1 contender Ann Arbor Skyline – Battle Creek Enquirer

Lower Peninsula Division 1 honorable mention Grand Rapids Forest Hills defeated a field that included LPD2 No. 6 Midland Dow at the Forest Hills Invitational – Midland Daily News

Wrestling

Unranked Westland John Glenn got past Division 1 No. 9 New Baltimore Anchor Bay to win the Michigan Duals at Bay City Western over a field that also included No. 8 Western and Division 3 No. 5 Remus Chippewa Hills – Mlive-Detroit

Division 2 No. 9 Sparta won the Dave Dunneback Tournament with 247 points, ahead of Lake Odessa Lakewood, Belding and Division 3 No. 6 Grand Rapids Catholic Central – Grand Rapids Press

Football

Mike McDowell returned four seasons ago for his second stint coaching Morenci and led the program to its best finishes in nearly two decades. He recently resigned – Adrian Daily Telegram

Good Reads

Longtime coach Keith Haske remains cancer-free after fighting Stage 4 throat cancer only a year ago – and he’s added significantly to his day, becoming the girls basketball coach in addition to leading the boys program at Traverse City St. Francis. The Record-Eagle’s Brett Sommers documented a typical Haske day – Traverse City Record-Eagle

Carleton Airport senior Jessica Book is her school’s Homecoming Queen this year – and a cheerleader – and a wrestler – and plans to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps and defuse bombs – Monroe Evening News