Today in the MHSAA: 3/8/19

March 8, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The Division 2 hockey championship game will be a rematch from 2018 after Thursday’s Semifinals, and the night’s Boys Basketball Regional Finals saw the end of this year’s run for a reigning champion.

1. Hockey: Reigning Division 2 champion and top-ranked Hartland upended No. 4 Birmingham Brother Rice 6-2 to earn an opportunity to repeat – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

2. Boys Basketball: Hudsonville Unity Christian held off reigning Class B champion Benton Harbor to win a Division 2 Regional Final 63-54 – WOOD TV

3. Boys Basketball: Freshman Emoni Bates made his second game-winning shot of this week, sending Ypsilanti Lincoln to the Division 1 Quarterfinals with an 81-79 win over Detroit Catholic Central – Detroit News

4. Hockey: No. 2 Trenton shut out No. 9 Marquette 4-0 to return to the Division 2 championship game – Southgate News-Herald

5. Boys Basketball: Flint Beecher avenged its tournament loss to Unionville-Sebewaing from last season, handing USA its only defeat, 65-42, in a Division 3 Regional Final – WJRT

6. Boys Basketball: Sanford Meridian handed Oscoda its only defeat of the season, 65-44, to win a second straight Division 3 Regional title – Midland Daily News

7. Boys Basketball: East Kentwood continued its week of upsets, following up Tuesday’s win over Muskegon with a Division 1 Regional title-clinching 61-60 victory over Hudsonville – FOX 17

8. Boys Basketball: Grand Rapids South Christian edged Grand Rapids Catholic Central 64-62 in a Division 2 Regional Final – WZZM

9. Boys Basketball: Cassopolis won its first Regional title in 30 years, downing Schoolcraft 62-51 in Division 3 – South Bend Tribune

10. Boys Basketball: Joe Liedel scored 16 fourth-quarter points as Erie Mason came back to defeat Detroit Loyola 59-53 in Division 3 – Monroe News

Also of note …

Unified Sports: WDIV went in-depth with the nationally-recognized Brighton Unified Sports program and the environment of inclusion it’s created at the school – WDIV

Today in the MHSAA: 2/20/20

February 20, 2020

By Geoff Kimmerly
Special for Second Half

Four teams celebrated their first MHSAA Team Wrestling Regional championships Wednesday as the field of 32 was determined across the state. We were able to gather coverage of two of those title celebrations, plus a number of other championship runs on the mat, ice and bowling lanes.

1. Wrestling: No. 7 Muskegon Reeths-Puffer won its first Team Regional title in this sport, downing Greenville and Allendale in Division 2 – Local Sports Journal

2. Wrestling: Division 3 No. 7 Fremont also won its first Regional title on the mat, with wins over Muskegon Orchard View and Comstock Park – Muskegon Chronicle

3. Wrestling: After falling to No. 9 Westland John Glenn in the postseason three straight seasons, No. 5 Temperance Bedford won the latest meeting to claim a Division 1 Regional title – Monroe News

4. Wrestling: No. 2 Gaylord edged No. 3 DeWitt 33-30 to lock up a Division 2 Regional championship – Gaylord Herald-Times

5. Wrestling: Mason upset No. 4 Eaton Rapids 33-27 on the way to claiming a Division 2 Regional title – Lansing State Journal

6. Wrestling: No. 3 Brighton got past No. 6 Holt 55-8 to clinch a Division 1 Regional title – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

7. Wrestling: No. 5 Hart downed Whittemore-Prescott to clinch a Division 4 Regional title, its first Regional championship since 1990 – Muskegon Chronicle

8. Hockey: Division 1 No. 2 Saginaw Heritage downed Division 3 No. 9 Midland Dow 2-0 to lock up the Saginaw Valley League championship – Midland Daily News

9. Wrestling: A last-second pin gave No. 10 New Boston Huron a 38-37 win over Gibraltar Carlson and a Division 2 Regional championship, its first Regional title since 2003 – Monroe News

10. Bowling: The Ravenna girls and Fruitport boys won Greater Muskegon Athletic Association championships – Local Sports Journal

NOTE: Croswell-Lexington and Kingsley also won their first Wrestling Team Regional championships Wednesday.

Also of note …

Football: Flint Beecher coach and athletic director Courtney Hawkins will be leaving the Bucs to join the Michigan State football staff – WJRT