Today in the MHSAA: 1/29/16

January 29, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

A relatively quiet night statewide still included matchups of ranked teams in swimming & diving, wrestling and basketball – and we’ve got a good read as well for parents saying good-bye to that role in high school athletics this school year.  

Girls Basketball

Big Rapids Crossroads Academy kept a 44-game West Michigan D league winning streak alive with a 62-52 comeback win over Brethren – Big Rapids News

Boys Basketball

Bloomfield Hills survived a final West Bloomfield attempt to tie to stay in first place in the Oakland Activities Association White with a 63-61 victory – Oakland Press

Frankenmuth won its Tri-Valley Conference crossover 67-57 over Alma, which was tied with the Eagles this week for the No. 7 spot in the statewide Class B poll – Saginaw News

Boys Swimming & Diving

Lower Peninsula Division 1 No. 4 Holland West Ottawa won every swimming event in a 189-125 victory over No. 7 Rockford – Holland Sentinel

Wrestling

Division 3 top-ranked Dundee took the upper hand in the Lenawee County Athletic Association with a 36-27 win over rival Hudson, ranked No. 2 in Division 4 – Adrian Daily Telegram

Football

The Macomb Daily is reporting this morning that longtime Dakota coach Mike Giannone, who led the Cougars to MHSAA championships in 2006 and 2007, will take over at Warren DeLaSalle – Macomb Daily

Good Read

Battle Creek Enquirer sports editor Bill Broderick writes about his final days as a high school sports parent, and how much he’ll miss them – Battle Creek Enquirer

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