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: 2/20/20

February 20, 2020

By Geoff Kimmerly
Special for Second Half

Four teams celebrated their first MHSAA Team Wrestling Regional championships Wednesday as the field of 32 was determined across the state. We were able to gather coverage of two of those title celebrations, plus a number of other championship runs on the mat, ice and bowling lanes.

1. Wrestling: No. 7 Muskegon Reeths-Puffer won its first Team Regional title in this sport, downing Greenville and Allendale in Division 2 – Local Sports Journal

2. Wrestling: Division 3 No. 7 Fremont also won its first Regional title on the mat, with wins over Muskegon Orchard View and Comstock Park – Muskegon Chronicle

3. Wrestling: After falling to No. 9 Westland John Glenn in the postseason three straight seasons, No. 5 Temperance Bedford won the latest meeting to claim a Division 1 Regional title – Monroe News

4. Wrestling: No. 2 Gaylord edged No. 3 DeWitt 33-30 to lock up a Division 2 Regional championship – Gaylord Herald-Times

5. Wrestling: Mason upset No. 4 Eaton Rapids 33-27 on the way to claiming a Division 2 Regional title – Lansing State Journal

6. Wrestling: No. 3 Brighton got past No. 6 Holt 55-8 to clinch a Division 1 Regional title – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

7. Wrestling: No. 5 Hart downed Whittemore-Prescott to clinch a Division 4 Regional title, its first Regional championship since 1990 – Muskegon Chronicle

8. Hockey: Division 1 No. 2 Saginaw Heritage downed Division 3 No. 9 Midland Dow 2-0 to lock up the Saginaw Valley League championship – Midland Daily News

9. Wrestling: A last-second pin gave No. 10 New Boston Huron a 38-37 win over Gibraltar Carlson and a Division 2 Regional championship, its first Regional title since 2003 – Monroe News

10. Bowling: The Ravenna girls and Fruitport boys won Greater Muskegon Athletic Association championships – Local Sports Journal

NOTE: Croswell-Lexington and Kingsley also won their first Wrestling Team Regional championships Wednesday.

Also of note …

Football: Flint Beecher coach and athletic director Courtney Hawkins will be leaving the Bucs to join the Michigan State football staff – WJRT