Today in the MHSAA: 3/17/16

March 17, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The final week of this boys basketball season will feature some of the unexpected and unfamiliar as favorites fell and teams earned Regional titles for the first time in decades Wednesday.

Boys Basketball

In a rematch of last season’s Class A Semifinal, Detroit U-D Jesuit came away the winner this time with a 47-39 win over reigning champion Detroit Western International – Detroit News

In Class C, Kalamazoo Hackett won its first Regional since 1969, downing Homer 66-48 – Kalamazoo Gazette

Ithaca had an even longer wait in Class C, claiming its first Regional on Wednesday since 1956 with a win over Reese – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

North Farmington ended another long wait, claiming its first Regional title with a win over Walled Lake Central in Class A – Oakland Press

Flint Beecher is one of the regulars that will be back next week after a big 78-65 win over Southfield Christian – Flint Journal

Hudsonville is in and Muskegon is out after a 44-40 win by the Eagles in Class A – Grand Rapids Press

Lansing Everett handed East Lansing its first and only loss of the season, upsetting the Trojans in Class A – Lansing State Journal

Sterling Heights Stevenson has its first Regional title since 1983 after downing Roseville 60-44 in Class A – Macomb Daily

Midland won its first Regional since 1979 by edging Saginaw in Class A, 60-56 – Midland Daily News

River Rouge handed Onsted its first and only loss to win a Regional for the first time since 1999 in Class B – MLive-Detroit

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