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: 9/3/15

September 3, 2015

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Exciting soccer finishes, plus news from volleyball, girls golf and cross country top today’s headlines from media across the state.

Cross Country

The biggest school at the Battle Creek All-City Invitational swept the team titles, with Lakeview’s boys and girls both winning; the top racers from the smallest school, Battle Creek St. Philip’s Ava Strenge and Jack Greenman, won the individual titles – Battle Creek Enquirer

Girls Golf

Same players, new coach, and Muskegon Mona Shores is back among the elite with a win in the Ottawa-Kent Black on Wednesday after finishing second in the first league jamboree – Muskegon Chronicle

Boys Soccer

Portage Central won a battle of undefeated teams from the Kalamazoo area, downing Mattawan 1-0 with a second-half goal – Kalamazoo Gazette

Ludington scored three goals over a 10-minute second-half span to win a high-scoring 5-3 matchup with Whitehall – Ludington Daily News

Saginaw Heritage freshman keeper Joseph Horwath became a wall over the final two minutes as the Hawks edged Valley Lutheran 3-2 – Saginaw News

Volleyball

Camden-Frontier came back from two sets down to beat Hillsdale Academy, claiming the deciding game 15-13 – Hillsdale Daily News

New Baltimore Anchor Bay improved to 12-1-2 this fall under first-year coach Brittany McGinnis, a former standout at Fraser, by beating her alma mater and two others – Macomb Daily

Good reads

Most of the competitors at Frankenmuth’s Patriot Cup girls golf tournament were toddlers or only a little older on Sept. 11, 2001, so the Eagles will host 21 teams in remembrance of the victims of attacks and those who continue to serve – Saginaw News

Charlevoix dedicated its recently purchased football scoreboard Friday to late coach Don Carey, who led multiple teams at the school over nearly three decades – Charlevoix Courier