Today in the MHSAA: 2/4/16

February 4, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

As is annually the case, the first Wednesday in February was dominated by coverage of national collegiate signing day. But after the hoopla passed, there were championships to be won.

Competitive Cheer

Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills won its second Ottawa-Kent Conference Black championship in three seasons, edging Muskegon Mona Shores by fewer than four points at the league meet – Grand Rapids Press

Ice Hockey

With a 2-2 tie against Allen Park Cabrini, much-improved Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard won its sectional of the Detroit Catholic League – MLive-Detroit

Wrestling

Division 1 No. 2 Hartland won arguably the toughest league in Michigan on Wednesday, downing No. 6 Westland John Glenn in the Kensington Lakes Activities Association championship quad; the league also includes No. 4 Brighton – Livingston Daily

Niles solidified itself as first in the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference West again by downing undermanned rival Stevensville Lakeshore 37-16 – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium

Today in the MHSAA: 10/20/15

October 20, 2015

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

MHSAA Boys Soccer District play kicked off Monday across the Lower Peninsula, and we also catch up with a pair of big Saturday events, one from each side of the bridge.

Cross Country

From Saturday, the East Lansing girls and Corunna boys won the annual Greater Lansing Invitational against fields loaded with ranked teams; Corunna’s boys were No. 3 in Lower Peninsula Division 2 last week and East Lansing’s girls were unranked – Lansing State Journal

Boys Soccer

Detroit Catholic Central, No. 5 in Division 1, opened district play with a 1-0 win over No. 14 Novi – Oakland Press

Muskegon Orchard View continued a five-game winning streak that’s pushed it past .500 by downing Grant 2-1 in a Division 3 opener – Muskegon Chronicle

Hartland scored to tie Howell with less than two minutes to play in regulation, then won their Division 1 opener in overtime – Livingston Daily

Midland scored just more than a minute into its Division 1 game against Bay City Western and hung on for the 1-0 district victory – Bay City Times

Volleyball

Also from Saturday: Host Houghton defeated Class C honorable mention Calumet in three sets to win the Houghton Invitational, which featured 10 teams from the western half of the Upper Peninsula – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

Girls Basketball

Ann Arbor Pioneer is mourning the loss of girls coach Crystal Westfield, who died Monday after a fight with cancer and only four months after her father, legendary cross country and track and field coach Bryan Westfield, died after fighting another form of the disease. Westfield had coached the basketball team at her alma mater since 1994 and also coached field events under her dad – AnnArbor.com