Today in the MHSAA: 2/16/18

February 16, 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: Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart clinched its third straight Mid-State Activities Conference title with a 61-14 win over Blanchard Montabella on a night during which it celebrated 50 years of girls basketball – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

2. Boys Basketball: Sault Ste. Marie senior Brandon Paul went over 1,000 career points as his team downed St. Ignace 49-18 to claim the Straits Area Conference title – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News

3. Girls Basketball: St. Ignace downed Newberry 68-15 to clinch the Straits Area Conference title as coach Dorene Ingalls earned her 400th victory over 19 seasons – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News

4. Boys Basketball: Novi Franklin Road Christian clinched the Michigan Independent Athletic Conference Red title thanks to a last-second tip-in by Christian Banks for a 45-44 win over Allen Park Inter-City Baptist – Observer & Eccentric

5. Girls Basketball: Hillman claimed a fourth-straight North Star League Big Dipper championship with a 51-38 win over Rogers City – Alpena News

6. Girls Basketball: Reigning Class C runner-up Pewamo-Westphalia finished a regular-season sweep of rival Laingsburg 44-20 to claim the Central Michigan Athletic Conference title – Lansing State Journal

7. Boys Basketball: Petoskey clinched an outright Big North Conference title with an 86-60 win over Traverse City Central, combined with Traverse City West’s win over Cadillac – Petoskey News-Review

8. Hockey: Division 3 No. 3 Houghton downed Division 2 No. 7 Marquette 2-1 to give 19-year coach Corey Markham his 300th win – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

9. Girls Basketball: Flushing downed Ortonville Brandon 71-16 to claim a share of the Flint Metro League title – Flint Journal

10. Girls Basketball: Posen’s Cami LaTulip went over 1,000 career points during a 50-18 win over Fairview – Alpena News

Also of note …

Volleyball: Holland Christian hired former Calvin College assistant coach and assistant athletic director Laura Bindon to take over its volleyball program – Holland Sentinel

Today in the MHSAA: 8/31/15

August 31, 2015

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The final weekend of August was a giant weekend for MHSAA volleyball contenders, with some of the top regular-season events this fall providing opportunities for the best to see how they might match up when playoffs begin in two months.

Below are headlines for some of the key high school reports from across the state; the weekend’s football round-up will publish later this afternoon.  

Cross Country

Muskegon Reeths-Puffer’s Maryssa Depies set a course record of 18:11.3 to win the Big Red Invitational at McGraft Park – Muskegon Chronicle

Flint Powers Catholic’s top individual finisher came in ninth, but the Chargers girls as a team were first at the Lansing Catholic Invitational – Flint Journal

The reigning Lower Peninsula Division 2 champion Grand Rapids Christian boys repeated as winner of the prestigious Benzie Central Invitational, finishing ahead of Traverse City West and Central, while Central senior Anthony Berry won individually in 15:24 – Grand Rapids Press

Boys Soccer

Tawas, a Division 3 semifinalist last season, finished first from an Elk Rapids Invitational field that included Berkley and Saginaw Nouvel – Bay City Times

Volleyball

Lake Odessa Lakewood, last season’s Class B runner-up and the second-ranked team in that class this week, eliminated Class A No. 6 Grand Rapids Christian to win the West Michigan Volleyball Officials Association tournament for the first time in a decade – Grand Rapids Press

Class A No. 4 Grand Haven continued its perfect run at its outdoor Battle of the Boardwalk tournament, sweeping three opponents to remain undefeated through the event's third year – Grand Haven Tribune

Battle Creek Harper Creek, No. 9 in Class B, improved to 17-0 by winning the Cereal City Tournament at Pennfield with a 2-1 championship match win over Temperance Bedford, an MHSAA semifinalist last season in Class A – Battle Creek Enquirer

Good Reads

The Holland Sentinel introduced its top female athletes in that area’s history Sunday, and highlighted nationally-known softball star Kathy Arendsen and her successes during one of the MHSAA’s first Softball Finals – Holland Sentinel

Anyone who follows high school football history will enjoy going through the Muskegon Chronicle’s sampling of top-20 moments from that area’s football past – Muskegon Chronicle

More than 60 former Shepherd High School players from the last 25 seasons returned for an alumni doubleheader Sunday to honor coach Jack Nartker, who will retire after this spring – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun