Today in the MHSAA: 3/11/16
March 11, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Thursday saw multiple Michigan girls basketball teams win Regional titles for the first time and all three undefeated teams in Class C fall. And in hockey, our Division 2 Final will include a past champ versus a first-time advancer.
Girls Basketball
In a meeting of arguably the two favorites in Class A heading into the tournament, Detroit Martin Luther King came away with a 74-56 win over Southfield-Lathrup – Detroit Free Press
St. Johns won its first Regional title in 11 seasons with a 46-43 victory over Saginaw Heritage in Class A – Lansing State Journal
Warren Cousino claimed its first Regional championship with a 49-39 win over reigning Class A champion Bloomfield Hills Marian – Macomb Daily
Bay City John Glenn also earned its first Regional title, downing Freeland 59-27 in Class B – Bay City Times
Grand Rapids Covenant Christian earned its first trip to the Quarterfinals since 2000 with a 31-30 win over Kent City in Class C – Grand Rapids Press
Niles Brandywine handed Gobles its first and only loss of the season, 53-47 in a Class C Regional Final – Niles Daily Star
St. Ignace ended a perfect run for reigning Class C champion Calumet with a one-point win – Escanaba Daily Press
Ithaca won its first Regional title with a 68-45 victory over Reese in Class C – Saginaw News
Also in Class C, Ypsilanti Arbor Prep ended Napoleon’s perfect run with a 40-30 win to claim a third straight Regional title – Jackson Citizen Patriot
Stephenson earned its first Regional title since 1982 by downing four-time reigning Regional champ Crystal Falls Forest Park in Class D – Iron Mountain Daily News
Ice Hockey
No. 3-ranked Livonia Stevenson reached the Division 2 Final with a 5-1 win over No. 2 Hartland – Detroit News
Romeo reached its first MHSAA Final in hockey with a 5-2 win over Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern/Eastern in Division 2 – Macomb Daily
Today in the MHSAA: 10/16/15
October 16, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
First-time champions are always worth noting, and we found a few in checking out today’s media reports of Thursday action statewide.
Cross Country
The Calumet girls, ranked No. 4 in Upper Peninsula Division 1, and the unranked Houghton boys won the Western Peninsula Athletic Conference finals at Chassell – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette
Boys Soccer
Grand Rapids Union clinched its first league title since moving from the Grand Rapids City League to the Ottawa-Kent Conference, downing Muskegon 3-0 – Grand Rapids Press
Manchester edged Hillsdale Academy 2-1 to claim its first Independent Soccer League championship after winning only one league game in 2014 – Jackson Citizen-Patriot
Volleyball
Class B honorable mention Buchanan downed Class C’s top-ranked team, Bronson, in five sets, and also Class D No. 6 Mendon in five – Niles Daily Star
Class B No. 6 Mount Morris avenged a five-set loss to No. 5 Goodrich in September by sweeping the Martians to improve to 55-5-1 – Flint Journal
Zeeland West claimed its first conference title in this sport, defeating Holland Christian in five sets to claim a share of the O-K Green championship – Holland Sentinel
Good Reads
Longtime Burton Atherton leader Mary Down will become the third volleyball coach inducted into the Greater Flint Area Hall of Fame, having impacted a generation of players and more as a number of former players went on to coach as well – Flint Journal