Today in the MHSAA: 1/6/20

January 6, 2020

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The clashing of statewide wrestling powers and a nearly unbelievable performance on the ice highlighted a power-packed first weekend of 2020.

1. Wrestling: Division 1 top-ranked Detroit Catholic Central, No. 2 Davison, No. 3 Brighton and Division 2 top-ranked Lowell took the top four team places, respectively, at the 56th DCC Invitational – Oakland Press

2. Hockey: Division 2 No. 2 Livonia Stevenson downed Hartland 5-2, with Seth Lause scoring an incredible three short-handed goals – Observer & Eccentric

3. Boys Basketball: Flint Beecher downed Benton Harbor 76-62 in a matchup of teams expected to make runs at Finals championships in March – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium

4. Hockey: Division 1 No. 5 Brighton handed the first loss of the season to the last team without one, 3-2 to Division 3 top-ranked Calumet – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

5. Hockey: Division 1 top-ranked Detroit Catholic Central earned a significant league win 6-0 over No. 4 Orchard Lake St. Mary’s – Oakland Press

6. Girls Basketball: Kelsey Richards went over 30 points for the fifth straight game as Fruitport Calvary Christian earned a 50-46 statement win over Central Montcalm – Muskegon Chronicle

7. Wrestling: Division 4 top-ranked Clinton followed a pair of individual champions to the team title at the 45th Dave Elliott Memorial Tournament – Adrian Daily Telegram

8. Boys Basketball: In another matchup of championship hopefuls, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s downed Grand Blanc 69-66 – Flint Journal

9. Girls Basketball: Hart continued its surge with a 51-35 win over Calvary Christian the day after the latter’s big win noted above – Muskegon Chronicle

10. Hockey: Ann Arbor Pioneer improved to 8-2 with a 2-1 win over rival Skyline in the final of the Jilek Cup – We Love Ann Arbor

Also of note …

Football: The football community is mourning the death of Zeeland West assistant Gasper Giarmo, who coached more than 30 years combined at seven schools including a decade at Byron Center – Grand Rapids Press

Today in the MHSAA: 9/20/19

September 20, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Two of the first league championships of the 2019-20 school year were decided Thursday on the tennis courts and soccer pitch, while a number of other contests surely will have title implications later on.

1. Boys Tennis: St. Clair – No. 5 in Lower Peninsula Division 3 – downed Port Huron Northern to guarantee a shared Macomb Area Conference Red title with LPD1 No 9 Grosse Pointe South – Port Huron Times-Herald

2. Boys Soccer: South Lyon clinched the Lakes Valley Conference championship with a draw against second-place Walled Lake Western – Oakland Press

3. Volleyball: Traverse City St. Francis emerged with a 15-11 fifth-set win to get past Division 4 No. 6 Leland – Up North Live

4. Volleyball: Division 1 No. 9 Grand Haven picked up a key Ottawa-Kent Conference Red win over honorable mention Grandville – FOX 17

5. Girls Golf: Durand set a program record with its 12th match win, this one by 10 strokes over Owosso – Owosso Argus-Press

6. Cross Country: Rock Mid Peninsula’s Daisy Englund earned her third straight win, this time at the Stephenson Invitational as Marquette’s Upper Peninsula Division 1 top-ranked teams swept – Escanaba Daily Press

7. Girls Golf: Traverse City West won the Harbor Springs Invitational, led by Anci Dy’s medalist performance – Traverse City Record-Eagle

8. Volleyball: Division 1 No. 10 Clarkston started Oakland Activities Association Red play by avenging an earlier loss to honorable mention Oxford – Oakland Press

9. Volleyball: Division 4 top-ranked Southfield Christian swept honorable mention Plymouth Christian Academy to move to 8-1-1 – Oakland Press

10. Boys Soccer: Unranked Ann Arbor Pioneer and Division 1 No. 8 Skyline played to a scoreless draw – We Love Ann Arbor