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
Did you see that? (May 13-19)
May 22, 2013
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
These next four weeks make up arguably the most exciting sports time of every school year.
With MHSAA tournament play beginning last week for track and field, girls tennis and lacrosse — plus the other sports settling their league championships — we're off to a fast start on another strong finish.
Here's a look at some of the biggest headlines dug up from last week's statewide media coverage. Click on the links for full reports.
Good Read of the Week
Fix stands strong: Jake Fix has played golf only two years and only after bone cancer led to the loss of his left leg and its replacement with a prosthetic. But he’s found a game for life and a career aspiration too now that his days at Brown City High School are drawing to a close. (Port Huron Times-Herald).
Girls Tennis
Spring Lake dominates: Spring Lake wasn’t sure how long it had been since it won its last Regional championship – but figured this weekend’s in Division 3 was the first in probably three decades. (Grand Rapids Press)
Powers split Allegan title: Division 3 No. 2 Allegan and No. 6 Holland Christian tied for first at their Regional at Allegan. The teams owned the top two seeds at every flight. (Grand Rapids Press)
Boys Golf
Carlson goes low: Hamilton sophomore Nick Carlson shot an incredible 10-under par 62 to finish first of 107 golfers at the Hamilton Invitational on Saturday. He made an eagle and nine birdies. (Holland Sentinel)
Softball
Renaissance reigns again: Detroit Renaissance clinched its ninth consecutive Detroit Public School League championship Friday. Renaissance has won 14 of the last 16 league titles and moved to 26-4 this spring with the clinching win over Detroit Cass Tech. (Detroit Free Press)
Baseball
Adding up to a championship: Unranked Addison defeated Concord, Hanover-Horton and Division 3 No. 7 Homer to win its bracket of the annual Al Glick Baseball Classic in Jackson. Addison entered Saturday’s event with a sub-.500 record but beat Homer 8-7 in the championship game. (Jackson Citizen-Patriot)
Finishing with honor: Petoskey said good-bye to its current baseball diamond with a Military Appreciation Game against Sault Ste. Marie which included the honoring of 1995 graduate Heath Robinson, who died in a helicopter crash while serving in Afghanistan in 2011. (Petoskey News)
Liggett wins battle of ranked: Division 4 No. 1 Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett edged Division 1 No. 9 Birmingham Brother Rice 6-5 on Monday. (Detroit News)
Girls Soccer
Hartland gets golden goal: Hartland and Brighton had tied 1-1 earlier this season, and both teams entered last week as honorable mentions in the Division 1 state coaches poll. But Hartland scored the lone goal in their Kensington Lakes Activities Association West-deciding game Thursday, which likely pushed the Eagles into the No. 7 spot this week (and Brighton to No. 10). (Livingston Daily Press & Argus)
Dow first in first SVL Tournament: Midland Dow, another honorable mention in Division 1, downed Saginaw Heritage 3-1 in the final of the first-ever Saginaw Valley League soccer tournament. The top four teams from each of the league’s two divisions played in the one day-event. (Midland Daily News)
GRC wins battle of Grand Rapids powers: Grand Rapids Christian, No. 5 in Division 2, edged Division 3 No. 4 Hudsonville Unity Christian in one of the state’s biggest games of the regular season. (Grand Rapids Press)
Track and Field
TC Central, at the finish: Division 1 No. 3 Traverse City Central finished 11 seconds and six places ahead of No. 5 Traverse City West in the night’s final event to edge its rival by 3.5 points total and win their boys Regional on Friday. (Traverse City Record-Eagle)
First in 40: The Eau Claire boys, ranked No. 4 in Division 4, won what was reported as its first track Regional title in 40 years by beating Mendon by 29 points Saturday in New Buffalo. Mendon’s girls won their side of the meet. (St. Joseph Herald-Palladium)
Marlette edges Eagles: Division 3 No. 7 Marlette finished just ahead of No. 5 and reigning Regional champion Frankenmuth in boys Regional competition at Bad Axe on Saturday. (Saginaw News)
Boys lacrosse
Rice on top again: Birmingham Brother Rice, No. 1 in Division 1, downed No. 3-ranked Detroit Catholic Central 16-10 in the championship game of the Detroit Catholic High School League tournament on Saturday. (MLive Detroit)
Football
New coaches at Dundee, Monroe Jefferson: A pair of Monroe-area playoff programs hired new leaders last week. Assistant Bruce Pickens has taken over at Monroe Jefferson for Marc Cisco, who retired last month after 47 seasons. Former Ottawa Lake Whiteford coach Matt Garno is the new coach at Dundee, replacing Ed Maloney. (Monroe Evening News)