Today in the MHSAA: 4/12/19

April 12, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Another colossal Grand Rapids-area lacrosse matchup, this time between boys contenders, tops our list of Thursday’s most exciting results just ahead of the best from girls soccer and softball.

1. Boys Lacrosse: In a rematch of the last three Division 2 championship games, reigning runner-up Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central defeated two-time reigning champion East Grand Rapids 17-5 – FOX 17

2. Girls Soccer: Richland Gull Lake won a matchup of annual MHSAA title contenders 3-0 over Forest Hills Central – Kalamazoo Gazette

3. Softball: Schoolcraft put up a pair of impressive wins over Division 4 No. 2 Kalamazoo Christian – JoeInsider.com

4. Softball: Division 1 No. 3 Clarkston swept No. 5 South Lyon with a pair of one-run wins – State Champs Sports Network

5. Baseball: Division 1 No. 13 Rochester continued its strong start with a 7-2 win over Division 2 No. 10 Detroit Country Day – Detroit News

6. Girls Soccer: Quincy repeated as winner of the “Battle of the Birds” game against Coldwater, 2-1 – Coldwater Daily Reporter

7. Girls Soccer: Hartland continued its early surge with a 5-3 win over Canton – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

8. Softball: Birmingham Seaholm swept Bloomfield Hills Marian, winning the second game on a single in the bottom of the seventh inning – Observer & Eccentric

9. Girls Soccer: Jackson Christian scored three goals over the final 13 minutes to get past Hillsdale 5-3 – Hillsdale Daily News

10. Baseball: Division 1 No. 7 Lake Orion downed formerly-ranked Pontiac Notre Dame Prep – Oakland Press

Also of note …

Baseball: From Tuesday, Niles Brandywine swept Constantine to reach 900 wins since the program started in 1962 – Niles Daily Star

Today in the MHSAA: 1/11/16

January 11, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The first full sports weekend of 2016 included notable performances in a number of sports, highlighted by one of the top swimming and diving meets of the regular season.

Girls Basketball

Ithaca girls basketball coach Bob Anderson earned his 700th win as his team beat Carrollton 66-40; he’s coached both girls and boys teams to success over 27 seasons – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

Durand handed Goodrich its first league loss in seven years while staying undefeated this season in the Genesee Area Conference Red – Flint Journal

DeWitt remained undefeated at 8-0 after handing Lansing Waverly its first loss this season in a matchup of two of the Lansing area’s top teams – Lansing State Journal

St. Joseph moved to 6-1 with a 72-35 win over Benton Harbor, a semifinalist in Class B last season – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium

Saranac was missing its leading scorer, but still managed to get past annual Class D power Portland St. Patrick 41-33 – Ionia Sentinel-Standard

Boys Basketball

Okemos handed Holt its first loss this season and won its first game on the Rams’ home court since 2010 – Lansing State Journal

Ice Hockey

Portage Central earned a win that could boost it into the state rankings, downing Division 1 No. 10 East Kentwood 2-1 on Saturday in Muskegon – Kalamazoo Gazette

Boys Swimming & Diving

Division 2 No. 1 Dexter scored 409 points to beat No. 4 Warren DeLaSalle by 33 at the annual Spartan Invitational at Battle Creek Lakeview, with the field also including reigning champion Birmingham Seaholm and Division 1 contender Ann Arbor Skyline – Battle Creek Enquirer

Lower Peninsula Division 1 honorable mention Grand Rapids Forest Hills defeated a field that included LPD2 No. 6 Midland Dow at the Forest Hills Invitational – Midland Daily News

Wrestling

Unranked Westland John Glenn got past Division 1 No. 9 New Baltimore Anchor Bay to win the Michigan Duals at Bay City Western over a field that also included No. 8 Western and Division 3 No. 5 Remus Chippewa Hills – Mlive-Detroit

Division 2 No. 9 Sparta won the Dave Dunneback Tournament with 247 points, ahead of Lake Odessa Lakewood, Belding and Division 3 No. 6 Grand Rapids Catholic Central – Grand Rapids Press

Football

Mike McDowell returned four seasons ago for his second stint coaching Morenci and led the program to its best finishes in nearly two decades. He recently resigned – Adrian Daily Telegram

Good Reads

Longtime coach Keith Haske remains cancer-free after fighting Stage 4 throat cancer only a year ago – and he’s added significantly to his day, becoming the girls basketball coach in addition to leading the boys program at Traverse City St. Francis. The Record-Eagle’s Brett Sommers documented a typical Haske day – Traverse City Record-Eagle

Carleton Airport senior Jessica Book is her school’s Homecoming Queen this year – and a cheerleader – and a wrestler – and plans to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps and defuse bombs – Monroe Evening News