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: 2/12/20

February 12, 2020

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Tuesday saw a mix of personal milestones with record book implications and massive hoops matchups that continued to shift league standings with only a few weeks remaining in this regular season.

1. Boys Basketball: Wyoming’s Menalito McGee and Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern’s Ethan Erickson earned spots in the MHSAA record book for single-game 3-pointers in their teams’ Tuesday victories – Grand Rapids Press

2. Boys Basketball: Erie Mason’s Joe Liedel scored 37 points in a 63-38 win over Brooklyn Columbia Central to set the Monroe County Region career scoring record at 1,951 – Monroe News

3. Girls Basketball: Saginaw Heritage shook up the Saginaw Valley League standings with a 56-39 win over formerly first-place Midland – Midland Daily News

4. Boys Swimming & Diving: Collin Che set Midland Dow school and pool records in the 100-yard butterfly in his team’s 138-42 win over Midland; Dow is ranked No. 3 in Lower Peninsula Division 2 – Midland Daily News

5. Boys Basketball: Detroit Douglass advanced to the Detroit Public School League Tournament final with a 76-46 win over Detroit Martin Luther King – Detroit News

6. Girls Basketball: Williamston earned a major win on a buzzer beater, 37-35 over DeWitt – Lansing State Journal

7. Girls Basketball: Trenton moved into first place alone in the Downriver League with a 44-37 overtime win over Lincoln Park – Southgate News-Herald

8. Boys Basketball: Hopkins moved into first place alone in the Ottawa-Kent Conference Silver with a 66-60 win over Grandville Calvin Christian – FOX 17

9. Girls Basketball: Walled Lake Western held on to first place alone in the Lakes Valley Conference with a 44-37 win over Waterford Mott – State Champs Sports Network

10. Boys Basketball: A last-second put-back gave Posen a 47-46 win over previously one-loss Hale – Alpena News

Also of note …

Girls Basketball: Freeland’s Kadyn Blanchard went over 1,000 career points in her team’s 56-32 win over Alma – Saginaw News

Boys Basketball: Fowlerville junior Brendan Young went over 1,000 career points with 33 (plus 20 rebounds) in a 74-62 win over Lansing Sexton – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

Boys Basketball: Brendan Busch scored 56 points in Hillsdale Will Carleton’s 73-19 win over Jackson Prep, giving his team 56-point games by two players over a week – Hillsdale Daily News

Softball: After seven seasons away, Adrian Lenawee Christian will bring back the sport this spring – Adrian Daily Telegram

Bowling: From Saturday, the Howard City Tri County girls team locked up its first Central State Activities Association title – Greenville Daily News