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: 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