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: 8/19/19

August 19, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The 2019 fall high school sports season kicked off across Michigan this weekend for a number of sports, with a major rematch in cross country topping the headliners from the first days of competition.

1. Cross Country: East Jordan’s boys won the Division 4 race of the Ryan Shay Invitational ahead of reigning Lower Peninsula Division 4 runner-up Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart; East Jordan finished third in LPD4 in 2018 – Petoskey News-Review

2. Girls Golf: Okemos shot a 325 to win the Parma Western Invitational, with Marshall next at 358; Okemos was third in LPD2 last season – JTV

3. Boys Tennis: Midland Dow defeated Grand Blanc and East Lansing and fell to Troy Athens at the Grand Blanc quad; Dow was third in LPD2 last season, while Athens tied for 11th in LPD1 – Midland Daily News

4. Girls Cross Country: Tecumseh and Kaitlin Knape won the girls championships at the Lenawee County Preview – Adrian Daily Telegram

5. Boys Cross Country: Nathan Letson gave Adrian the sweep of the boys titles at the Lenawee County Preview – Adrian Daily Telegram

6. Boys Soccer: Reigning Division 3 champion Hudsonville Unity Christian held off Spring Lake 3-1 – Local Sports Journal

7. Boys Tennis: Dexter edged Marshall by two points to win the opening Marshall quad, also finishing ahead of Vicksburg and Kalamazoo Christian – Chelsea Sun Times News

8. Boys Tennis: Chelsea finished four points ahead of Pinckney and five ahead of Walled Lake Northern to win the Fowlerville Invitational – Chelsea Sun Times News

9. Boys Soccer: Bloomingdale got off to a fast start with a 2-0 win over Comstock – JoeInsider.com

10. Boys Soccer: Midland Dow opened with a 5-0 shutout of Freeland – Midland Daily News