Today in the MHSAA: 2/29/16

February 29, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

This was a weekend filled with championships – Team Finals in wrestling, Regionals in competitive cheer and bowling and league in basketball, hockey, and swimming & diving. We’ve found coverage of at least some from every sport.

Boys Basketball

Kalamazoo Hackett won its first league title in 26 years, downing rival Kalamazoo Christian to clinch its division of the Southwestern Athletic Conference – Kalamazoo Gazette

Haslett’s Brandon Allen became the leading scorer in his school’s history, adding 14 points for a total of 1,629 in a win over Lansing Waverly – Lansing State Journal

Detroit U-D Jesuit won big against Warren DeLaSalle, 70-45, to claim a fourth straight Detroit Catholic League A-B title – MLive-Detroit

Royal Oak Shrine downed Waterford Our Lady 49-38 to win the C-D Catholic League Tournament, its first league title since 1978 – Oakland Press

Brandon Winchester-Jones became the fourth player in Dowagiac history to score 1,000 points, doing so in a 65-60 win over Vicksburg – Niles Daily Star

Gage Kreski continued to climb the career scoring ladder, adding 46 points in a win over Pellston to set the Upper Peninsula record with 2,141 total – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News

Girls Basketball

Frankenmuth pushed its Tri-Valley Conference East winning streak to 96 straight with a big victory over Millington – Saginaw News

Bowling

The Tecumseh girls won their 10th straight Regional, besting the field in Taylor by 221 pins – Adrian Daily Telegram

Caledonia’s Brittney Schnicke won the first individual Regional bowling title in her school’s history – pulling off the feat less than a year after accidentally severing the tips of two of her fingers – Grand Rapids Press

Competitive Cheer

Sanford Meridian edged Houghton Lake by a mere four tenths of a point to earn a Division 4 Regional championship – Midland Daily News

Ice Hockey

Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard finished with its best record in school history, shutting out Dearborn Divine Child to move to 18-5 – Ann Arbor News

Boys Swimming & Diving

Spring Lake won 11 of 12 events in its final Coastal Conference meet to claim the league meet championship on its way to moving to the Ottawa-Kent Conference Blue next season – Grand Haven Tribune

Wrestling

After a number of runner-up finishes, Hartland won its first MHSAA team championship, downing Davison – Second Half

Lowell earned its third straight Division 2 title, besting rival St. Johns in what has become a near-annual Finals matchup – Second Half

Dundee remained Division 3 champion, but this time with a perfect record – Second Half

New Lothrop also ran its championship streak to three with a win over frequent Finals opponent Hudson – Second Half

Good Read

Richmond brothers Zack and Alex Roberts competed in Friday’s MHSAA Wrestling Quarterfinals at the wish of their mother Shelly, who was placed in hospice last week amid a fight with cancer – Macomb Daily

Today in the MHSAA: 10/23/15

October 23, 2015

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Notable milestones made headlines Thursday – among them, Rockford’s boys cross country team extending an incredible championship streak and one of Michigan’s best volleyball coaches being celebrated for 1,000 victories.

Cross Country

The Milford girls and White Lake Lakeland boys, both ranked No. 5 in Lower Peninsula Division 1, won Kensington Lakes Activities Association Lakes championships; Milford’s girls finished ahead of No. 4 Brighton and No. 12 Waterford Mott – Oakland Press

The Rockford boys, No. 1 in LPD1, won their 21st straight league title, claiming the Ottawa-Kent Conference Red; Rockford’s 10th-ranked girls added their third straight league title – Grand Rapids Press

Boys Soccer

Unranked Okemos edged No. 11 Portage Central in a Division 1 semifinal 2-1 after jumping out to a two-goal lead – Kalamazoo Gazette

Division 2 No. 14 Petoskey advanced despite three Cadillac comebacks, finally winning a 5-4 semifinal – Petoskey News

Division 3 No. 4 Hudsonville Unity Christian repeated as a district champion with a 2-1 win over No. 18 Grand Rapids Catholic Central – Grand Rapids Press

Volleyball

Unionville-Sebewaing, an MHSAA semifinalist in 2014, won its fourth straight Greater Thumb Conference West title by avenging an earlier loss to Bad Axe with a five-set win – Huron Daily Tribune

Class D No. 6 North Adams-Jerome needed to reach 31-29 to win its first set against Pittsford before finishing a sweep – Hillsdale Daily News

Good Reads

Battle Creek Enquirer sports editor Bill Broderick says what a lot of former high school football players have felt in his message to seniors playing their final games this week and over the next few – Battle Creek Enquirer

Longtime Midland Dow, Pinconning and now Bronson volleyball coach Jean LaClair won her 1,000th match last week; her team is ranked No. 1 in Class C and she was the 2015 MHSAA Women in Sports Leadership Award winner – Sturgis Journal