Today in the MHSAA: 1/9/17

January 9, 2017

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Upsets reigned as two top-ranked hockey teams were toppled over the weekend, while a No. 1 wrestling team stood tall against one of the toughest fields we’ll see this regular season.

Each weekday during the school year, we’ll gather and post media links covering the most significant and intriguing high school events from all over the state. 

Girls Basketball

Lansing Waverly jumped back into the mix as a Class A contender with a 55-47 win over previously-undefeated DeWitt – Lansing State Journal

Dana Hoerman had 14 points, 15 rebounds and 11 blocked shots in Birmingham Seaholm’s 38-37 win over Troy – C&G News

Alma’s Kenzie Seeley went over 1,000 career points in a win over Standish Sterling – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

Hillman’s Vanessa Schook also broke 1,000 career points, crossing the milestone against Mio – Alpena News

Boys Basketball

Class A contender Muskegon downed Illinois’ Chicago Whitney Young (10-4) in the final game of the Muskegon Showcase – Muskegon Chronicle

Bowling

Ithaca’s girls handed first losses to St. Louis and Ovid-Elsie, trailing the Sharks 15-4 before coming back to win on a total-pin tie-breaker – Saginaw News

Hockey

Division 3 No. 5 Warren DeLaSalle dealt Division 2 top-ranked Birmingham Brother Rice a 4-1 defeat – Macomb Daily

Calumet, No. 10 in Division 3, upended Division 1 top-ranked Brighton 4-1 on Saturday after beating Division 2 No. 5 Novi 5-1 on Friday – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

Boys Swimming & Diving

Birmingham Groves, No. 3 in Lower Peninsula Division 2, won a stacked Battle Creek Lakeview Spartan Invitational ahead of Division 2 top-ranked Dexter – Battle Creek Enquirer

LP Division 3 No. 7 Spring Lake finished 29 points better than runner-up Grand Rapids Northview to win its home invitational – Grand Haven Tribune

Wrestling

Division 1 top-ranked Detroit Catholic Central bested No. 2 Davison, No. 5 Macomb Dakota and Division 2 No. 3 Warren Woods-Tower among others to win its home invitational – Oakland Press

Division 1 No. 7 Brighton followed four individual champions to the Grand Haven Invitational team title – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

Grayling won the 44th Escanaba Elks Invitational, 17.5 points ahead of runner-up Ishpeming Westwood – Escanaba Daily Press

Tecumseh just edged Brownstown-Woodhaven to win its 42nd Dave Elliott Memorial Invitational – Adrian Daily Telegram

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