Today in the MHSAA: 3/14/16

March 14, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The MHSAA Gymnastics, Hockey and Boys Swimming and Diving seasons closed this weekend with seven team and multiple individual champions honored, and the boys basketball postseason finished its first week with a number of communities celebrating for the first time in a long time.

Boys Basketball

Battle Creek Central claimed its first District title since 2008, downing Kalamazoo Loy Norrix in a Class A Final – Battle Creek Enquirer

Lowell claimed its first District title since 1984 with a Class A win – Grand Rapids Press

Dylan Carl went over 1,000 points for his career as Alma downed Ovid-Elsie in a Class B Final – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

Kingsford upset Great Northern Conference champion Menominee to claim a Class B title – Iron Mountain Daily News

In Class C, Hanover-Horton won its 15th straight District championship – Jackson Citizen-Patriot

Ishpeming Westwood pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the week, downing rival Ishpeming in a Class C Final – Marquette Mining Journal

Niles Brandywine earned its first District title since 2001 with a Class C win – Niles Daily Star

Rock Mid-Peninsula claimed its first District title in two decades with a Class D victory – Escanaba Daily Press

Pickford also picked up a first District title in decades, beating Brimley to win for the first time since 1992 – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News

Gymnastics

Despite losing senior standout Madi Myers to an injury midway through the meet, Rockford/Sparta repeated as MHSAA champion after finishing with a strong rotation on beam – Second Half

Grand Ledge’s Rachel Hogan followed three top-10 finishes to end her high school career as the Division 1 individual champion Saturday – Second Half

Ice Hockey

Detroit Catholic Central extended its Division 1 title streak to three under a third coach – Second Half

Romeo added a hockey championship to its fall football title, winning Division 2 for the first time – Second Half

Hancock won its first MHSAA title since 1999 finishing an impressive run with a Division 3 clincher over Grand Rapids Catholic Central – Second Half

Boys Swimming & Diving

Birmingham Brother Rice claimed its third straight Lower Peninsula Division 1 championship, outracing the field by 77 points – Second Half

Dexter built an early lead and won LP Division 2 for the second time in five seasons – Second Half

Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood also won a third straight title, claiming LP Division 3 ahead of East Grand Rapids – Second Half

Today in the MHSAA: 4/25/19

April 25, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

A major soccer matchup tops today’s list of Wednesday’s best headliners, followed by a record-setting upset also on the pitch.

1. Girls Soccer: Division 1 No. 2 Grand Blanc held off Division 2 No. 7 Flint Powers 3-2 in a matchup of teams that played in MHSAA Finals last season – WJRT

2. Girls Soccer: New Baltimore Anchor Bay shut out Division 1 No. 3 Utica Eisenhower 1-0, giving Ally Gaunt 32 shutouts to tie her school’s record – Macomb Daily

3. Baseball: Division 3 No. 3 Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett took Division 2 No. 17 Detroit Country Day to extra innings and won 4-3 – Detroit News

4. Track & Field: Kingsley’s girls, No. 2 in Lower Peninsula Division 3, edged LPD2 No. 11 Benzie Central’s 91-84, while Benzie’s No. 14 boys won by eight points over the LPD3 No. 7 Stags – Traverse City Record Eagle

5. Track & Field: Jessica Holcomb broke Quincy’s long jump record set in 1982 in helping her team to an 86-51 win over Concord – Coldwater Daily Reporter

6. Boys Lacrosse: Tecumseh edged Dexter 14-11, giving Tecumseh coach Steve Ayre his 100th win – Adrian Daily Telegram

7. Baseball: Pinconning went 10 innings to take a 9-8 win over Division 3 No. 16 Beaverton – Bay City Times

8. Girls Soccer: Division 4 No. 2 Kalamazoo Christian handed Coloma its first loss this season, 6-1 – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium

9. Girls Soccer: Alpena handed Gaylord its first loss, 2-1, in what also was the Wildcats’ first league win in nine years – WBKB

10. Baseball: Shawn Kaiser threw Midland Bullock Creek’s second no-hitter in two days in a split with Saginaw Valley Lutheran – Midland Daily News

Also of note …

O-K Conference: The state’s largest league announced its reconfiguration for 2020-21, including the elimination of a division – Grand Rapids Press