Today in the MHSAA: 3/10/16

March 10, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The final eight MHSAA hockey semifinalists were determined Wednesday night, and the boys basketball tournament rolled through Semifinals to line up Friday’s championships matchups.

Boys Basketball

In a Class A matchup of teams with a combined record of 37-3, East Lansing came out on top of DeWitt 70-52 – Lansing State Journal

Hudsonville needed overtime to get past Wyoming 55-52 in a Class A matchup of top teams from the Grand Rapids area – Grand Rapids Press

Dowagiac downed Benton Harbor 68-60 in a meeting of annual Class B contenders – Niles Daily Star

Also in Class B, Hudsonville Unity Christian was taken to triple overtime by Allendale before prevailing 58-52 – Grand Rapids Press

East Jordan set a school record for wins with its 20th in a Class C victory over Harbor Springs, 48-41 – Petoskey News

Reese just clipped Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary 52-50 in Class C, although the Cardinals’ Andrew Schroeder did go over 1,000 points for his career – Saginaw News

Ice Hockey

Brighton is headed back to the Division 1 Semifinals thanks a to a 4-2 win over East Kentwood – Livingston Daily

Detroit U-D Jesuit also is headed back to the Division 1 Semifinals after a 6-2 win over Utica Eisenhower – Oakland Press

Grandville also advanced in Division 1, with a 5-2 win over Rockford – Grand Rapids Press

Detroit Catholic Central cruised to a 9-1 win over Saginaw Swan Valley/Tri-Valley in a Division 1 Quarterfinal – Oakland Press

Grand Rapids Catholic Central eliminated top-ranked Saginaw Heritage, 6-1, in Division 3 – Grand Rapids Press

Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood scored with fewer than 30 seconds to play to advance in Division 3 with a 2-1 win over Detroit Country Day – Oakland Press

Chelsea scored with fewer than two minutes to play in its Division 3 game to get past Gibraltar Carlson 2-1 – Ann Arbor News

Hancock defeated Sault Ste. Marie 5-2 in a Division 3 Quarterfinal – 9&10 News

Today in the MHSAA: 8/31/15

August 31, 2015

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The final weekend of August was a giant weekend for MHSAA volleyball contenders, with some of the top regular-season events this fall providing opportunities for the best to see how they might match up when playoffs begin in two months.

Below are headlines for some of the key high school reports from across the state; the weekend’s football round-up will publish later this afternoon.  

Cross Country

Muskegon Reeths-Puffer’s Maryssa Depies set a course record of 18:11.3 to win the Big Red Invitational at McGraft Park – Muskegon Chronicle

Flint Powers Catholic’s top individual finisher came in ninth, but the Chargers girls as a team were first at the Lansing Catholic Invitational – Flint Journal

The reigning Lower Peninsula Division 2 champion Grand Rapids Christian boys repeated as winner of the prestigious Benzie Central Invitational, finishing ahead of Traverse City West and Central, while Central senior Anthony Berry won individually in 15:24 – Grand Rapids Press

Boys Soccer

Tawas, a Division 3 semifinalist last season, finished first from an Elk Rapids Invitational field that included Berkley and Saginaw Nouvel – Bay City Times

Volleyball

Lake Odessa Lakewood, last season’s Class B runner-up and the second-ranked team in that class this week, eliminated Class A No. 6 Grand Rapids Christian to win the West Michigan Volleyball Officials Association tournament for the first time in a decade – Grand Rapids Press

Class A No. 4 Grand Haven continued its perfect run at its outdoor Battle of the Boardwalk tournament, sweeping three opponents to remain undefeated through the event's third year – Grand Haven Tribune

Battle Creek Harper Creek, No. 9 in Class B, improved to 17-0 by winning the Cereal City Tournament at Pennfield with a 2-1 championship match win over Temperance Bedford, an MHSAA semifinalist last season in Class A – Battle Creek Enquirer

Good Reads

The Holland Sentinel introduced its top female athletes in that area’s history Sunday, and highlighted nationally-known softball star Kathy Arendsen and her successes during one of the MHSAA’s first Softball Finals – Holland Sentinel

Anyone who follows high school football history will enjoy going through the Muskegon Chronicle’s sampling of top-20 moments from that area’s football past – Muskegon Chronicle

More than 60 former Shepherd High School players from the last 25 seasons returned for an alumni doubleheader Sunday to honor coach Jack Nartker, who will retire after this spring – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun