Today in the MHSAA: 3/5/18

March 5, 2018

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Each weekday of the school year, we break down the top headlines courtesy of Michigan’s sports media.

Today's Top 10

1. Wrestling: A total of 56 individual wrestling champions were crowned Saturday at Ford Field, led by four-time winners Brandon Whitman of Dundee and Jarrett Trombley of Lake Fenton – Second Half

2. Cheer: Sterling Heights Stevenson and Hudson won their first Finals championships, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep won its fifth straight and Gibraltar Carlson finished first again after coming in runner-up a year ago – Second Half

3. Bowling: Oxford’s girls and Bronson and Waterford Kettering’s boys were first-time team champions over the weekend, while Saturday’s singles saw eight first-time title winners – Second Half

4. Girls Basketball: Coldwater downed Battle Creek Harper Creek 37-29 in Class A to claim its first District title since 1995 – Battle Creek Enquirer

5. Hockey: The top three teams in Division 3 to start the playoffs were from “Copper Country” and top-ranked Hancock remains after a 4-0 Regional Final win over No. 2 Calumet – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

6. Hockey: No. 3 Brighton claimed a Division 1 Regional title with a 3-1 win over No. 2 Orchard Lake St. Mary’s – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

7. Girls Basketball: Kingsley continued its perfect run with a Class B District title win over Kalkaska, which eliminated the Stags a year ago – Traverse City Record-Eagle

8. Hockey: Midland won its first hockey Regional title since 2000 with a 9-2 win over the Tri-Valley co-op in Division 2 – Midland Daily News

9. Hockey: Holland West Ottawa upset No. 4 Grandville 2-1 in Division 1 to win its first hockey Regional title – Holland Sentinel

10. Gymnastics – Brighton and Howell tied for second at their Regional at Grand Ledge behind champion Linden to give Livingston County two teams at this Friday’s championship meet – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

Today in the MHSAA: 1/20/16

January 20, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Buzzer beaters and milestone basketball victories made headlines all over Michigan today, and check out as well a moving video that tells of the importance of our national anthem.

Girls Basketball

Reigning Class C champion Calumet added another accomplishment to the long list with its first win over Houghton since 1999, 44-31 – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

Three Rivers’ sophomore Arionne Fowlkes went baseline to baseline for a last-second layup to give her team a 43-41 win over Niles – Niles Daily Star

Class A favorite Saginaw Heritage remained undefeated with a 53-38 win over rival Midland Dow, also ranked in Class A – Saginaw News

One-loss St. Ignace handed Newberry its first defeat of the season, 64-57 – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News

Cedar Springs also knocked a team from the unbeaten ranks, with Sam Taylor’s 3-pointer in the closing seconds ending Kent City’s perfect run, 50-47 – Grand Rapids Press

Muskegon edged East Kentwood 50-47 after trailing by 10 and on the strength of 26 points and 22 rebounds by senior Mardrekia Cook – Muskegon Chronicle

Boys Basketball

Despite being outscored 30-22 in the fourth quarter, Southfield Christian held on for an 82-79 win over Southfield – MLive-Detroit

Merrill earned its first win since 2013 by downing Coleman 49-36 – Midland Daily News

One-loss Alma handed previously-undefeated Ithaca its first, 56-53, as Dylan Carl hit 3-pointers to send the game to overtime and then win it – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

Muskegon Oakridge’s Brady Luttrull drilled a 3-pointer during the final seconds to push his team past Scottville Mason County Central 67-66 – Muskegon Chronicle

Cassopolis followed a strong third quarter by Deoin Gatson to hand Niles Brandywine its first loss, 61-47 – Niles Daily Leader

One-loss Clarkston also handed out a first loss Tuesday, to Rochester Adams, in a matchup of top Class A teams – Oakland Press

Caleb Brown’s only basket for Northport was the game winner during the final seconds of a 51-49 victory over Central Lake – Traverse City Record-Eagle

Nate Dugener’s sixth 3-pointer of the game gave Muskegon Western Michigan Christian a 52-49 win over Holland Christian – Grand Haven Tribune

Boys Swimming & Diving

In a matchup of top teams on the west side of the Lower Peninsula, Division 1 No. 6 Zeeland got past Division 2 honorable mention Holland 104-73 – Holland Sentinel

Worth Watching

We ran across and were moved by Virginia Tech’s honoring of veterans at the start of this men’s basketball season. Check out this meaningful presentation and how it relates to providing proper respect during The Star-Spangled Banner.