Today in the MHSAA: 2/19/20

February 19, 2020

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

A pair of championship celebrations long in the making top one of our fullest lists of headliners this season as league titles were clinched in three sports and star performances shined on the court, ice and hill – not to mention the winningest baseball coach in state history announced his retirement.

1. Boys Basketball: Ravenna downed Muskegon Oakridge 70-36 to earn a share of its first West Michigan Conference title since 1980 – Local Sports Journal

2. Girls Basketball: Lake City clinched a share of the Highland Conference title, its first league championship since 2001, with a 36-26 win over second-place Manton – Cadillac News

3. Boys Basketball: Howell claimed the Kensington Lakes Activities Association West title with a 75-71 triple-overtime win over Canton – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

4. Girls Basketball: Hartland avenged its lone loss and moved into first alone in the KLAA West with a 36-33 win over Brighton – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

5. Hockey: Division 3 No. 6 Houghton downed top-ranked Calumet for the first time this season, 3-2 – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

6. Skiing: Petoskey’s boys and Traverse City Central’s girls clinched Big North Conference championships – Petoskey News-Review

7. Girls Basketball: Ubly earned a share of the Greater Thumb Conference East title with a 42-31 win over Sandusky – Huron Daily Tribune

8. Girls Basketball: Adrian Madison locked up a share of the Tri-County Conference title with a 49-23 win over Clinton – Adrian Daily Telegram

9. Girls Basketball: Kingsley moved into a tie for first in the Northwest Conference with a 50-38 win over co-leader Maple City Glen Lake – MI Sports Now

10. Boys Basketball: East Lansing downed Okemos 45-43 on a last-second shot, putting the teams in a tie for first in the Capital Area Activities Conference Blue – Lansing State Journal

Also of note …

Baseball: Grand Ledge coach Pat O’Keefe, the state’s winningest all-time in the sport with 1,315 victories, retired – Lansing State Journal

Girls Basketball: East Grand Rapids finished a repeat run in the Ottawa-Kent Conference Gold with a 63-59 win over Grand Rapids Christian – FOX 17

Boys Basketball: Ann Arbor Huron earned the Southeastern Conference Red title with a 57-48 win over Saline – Ann Arbor News

Boys Basketball: Muskegon earned a share of a seventh-straight league title, downing Jenison 86-47 in the O-K Black – Muskegon Chronicle

Boys Basketball: Emoni Bates had 63 points and 21 rebounds to lead Ypsilanti Lincoln past Chelsea 108-102 in double overtime – Ann Arbor News

Boys Basketball: Shamar Howard went over 1,000 career points in Lansing Everett’s 57-55 win over Grand Ledge – Lansing State Journal

Boys Basketball: Brett LaFord went over 1,000 career points in Carney-Nadeau’s 62-56 win over Bark River-Harris – Escanaba Daily Press

Today in the MHSAA: 9/25/15

September 25, 2015

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Here’s some great Friday morning reading, including a look at some of the special impacts made on the football field from a coach fighting to stay on the sideline and two more recently retired from it.

Girls Golf

Frankenmuth saw all of its scoring records fall this week, for 18-hole team, 18-hole individual, 9-hole team and 9-hole individual – Saginaw News

Boys Soccer

Portage Central rebounded off its first loss of the season earlier this week to beat Division 2 No. 19 Stevensville Lakeshore 1-0 – Kalamazoo Gazette

Volleyball

Class A No. 4 Grand Haven downed No. 10 Rockford 3-1, gaining an edge in the Ottawa-Kent Conference Red standings – Muskegon Chronicle 

Class D No. 10 Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart lost the first set against annual power Beal City but came back to win the next three – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

Good Reads

Gibraltar Carlson’s Zach Kohn stars in three sports, managing his time to train for them all, and locked down a Division I scholarship for baseball – Monroe Evening News

Battle Creek Harper Creek’s Ed Greenman and Battle Creek Pennfield’s Nick Koenigsknecht stepped away from the football sideline this season after a combined 44 years. They share some of their thoughts from the other side of the field – Battle Creek Enquirer

Tonight’s Richmond/Almont football game will be “Kocher Strong Night” in honor of Richmond co-coach John Kocher, who continues his fight against cancer – Port Huron Times-Herald