Today in the MHSAA: 1/30/18

January 30, 2018

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. Girls Basketball: Monica Williams’ steal and layup during the final minute gave Detroit Mumford a 52-50 win over Cass Tech and a second straight Detroit Public School League West Division 1 championship – Detroit News

2. Skiing: Petoskey’s boys and Traverse City West’s girls won the second Big North Conference race this season – Petoskey News-Review

3. Girls Basketball: Flat Rock came back from a seven-point halftime deficit to upset Carleton Airport 57-53 – Monroe Evening News

4. Girls Basketball: Jenelle Carpenter’s lone basket with 2.2 seconds to play gave Lincoln Alcona a 43-42 win over Posen – Alpena News

5. Girls Basketball: Ski Valley Conference leader Gaylord St. Mary downed Highland Conference second-place Lake City 60-35 – Gaylord Herald Times

6. Boys Basketball: Iron Mountain improved to 11-0 with a 56-46 win over Negaunee – Marquette Mining Journal

7. Boys Basketball: Escanaba came back from a halftime deficit to down Sault Ste. Marie 60-48 and improve to 10-1 – Escanaba Daily Press

8. Health & Safety: Greenville’s Jeff “Doc” Day, said to be one of the first fulltime, school-sponsored trainers in the state, retired after 41 years caring for the school’s athletes – Greenville Daily News

9. Football: Previously successful Holt, Dansville and Eaton Rapids coach Mike Smith will take over at Lansing Everett, where he’s also serving as athletic director – Lansing State Journal

10. Multi-Sport Participation: The MHSAA and school administrators are working to combat specialization and promote multi-sport participation; this report explains some of that effort – State Champs Sports Network

Also of note …

Football: Looking for a Michigan player to follow during the Super Bowl? Check out former Detroit Crockett star Brandon Graham, who plays defensive end and serves as a captain for the Eagles but during high school played offense, defense, kicked and punted (note: Crockett did not win an MHSAA football title, as reported) – Sports Talk Philly

Today in the MHSAA: 12/20/18

December 20, 2018

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

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

Teams are getting in their final competitions before at least a brief holiday break, and we’re taking one too after today’s list – “Today” will return Jan. 7, although Second Half will continue publishing stories from all over the state during the final week of December and first of January.  

1. Boys Basketball: Gaylord St. Mary broke a 31-game, 14-year losing streak to Bellaire with a 29-26 win – Gaylord Herald Times

2. Boys Basketball: Camden-Frontier improved to 7-0 by handing a first loss to Reading, 57-46 – Hillsdale Daily News

3. Hockey: Evan MacDonald had a hat trick as Division 1 No. 5 Brighton downed reigning Division 3 runner-up Livonia Churchill 4-1 – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

4. Boys Basketball: Mancelona gave Pellston its first loss of this season, 67-65 – Petoskey News-Review

5. Girls Basketball: Waterford Our Lady made a late run to get past Pontiac Notre Dame Prep 61-56 – Oakland Press

6. Wrestling: Grand Haven came back from a 24-0 deficit to defeat Caledonia 39-33 – Grand Haven Tribune

7. Gymnastics: Escanaba remained undefeated to start the season with wins over Marquette and Negaunee – Escanaba Daily Press

8. Boys Basketball: Portland St. Patrick closed on a 22-5 run to beat Fowler 52-42 – Ionia Sentinel-Standard

9. Hockey: Brendan Pellerito had 34 saves as Mattawan shut out Portage Northern 4-0 – JoeInsider.com

10. Wrestling: Division 4 top-ranked Hudson earned a pair of league wins over Blissfield and Onsted – Adrian Daily Telegram

Also of note …

Hockey: The status of high school hockey is on the rise with talent evaluators at the game’s next levels – Observer & Eccentric

Tennis: Longtime coach Paul Bandrowski retired after leading Traverse City St. Francis’ girls and boys teams to a number of strong MHSAA Finals finishes – Traverse City Record-Eagle

Girls Basketball: From Tuesday, Eaton Rapids came back to stun Jackson Northwest 44-41, but the Mounties’ Sydney Shafer went over 1,000 career points – Jackson Citizen Patriot

Boys Swimming & Diving: From Tuesday, Lower Peninsula Division 1 No. 2 Ann Arbor Skyline edged LPD2 top-ranked Dexter 95-90 – We Love Ann Arbor