Today in the MHSAA: 4/17/19

April 17, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Big-time matchups in soccer, baseball and softball highlighted a busy day of spring sports action across the state Tuesday.

2. Girls Soccer: No. 6 Hartland scored a major win over No. 10 Brighton, 3-1, in a matchup of top teams in Division 1 – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

2. Baseball: Two-time reigning Division 2 champion Stevensville Lakeshore claimed a pair of one-run wins over Division 1 No. 9 Portage Northern – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium

3. Softball: South Lyon East handed Division 1 honorable mention Walled Lake Northern its first loss, but Northern came back to take the second game of the doubleheader – State Champs Sports Network

4. Softball: Traverse City West and Kalkaska each handed the other its first loss in a doubleheader split – Traverse City Record-Eagle

5. Baseball: Hudsonville won the first game and was leading the second against Division 1 No. 16 Rockford in a key Ottawa-Kent Conference Red matchup – FOX 17

6. Boys Lacrosse: Traverse City United came back from a halftime deficit to edge Petoskey 8-7 – MI Sports Now

7. Track & Field: Alpena’s boys defeated Traverse City Central 92-71, highlighted by Gabe Bullis breaking his school pole vault record by seven inches at 15-7 – Alpena News

8. Baseball: Division 2 No. 10 Detroit Country Day emerged from a matchup of sharp pitchers to down Birmingham Groves 3-1 – Observer & Eccentric

9. Softball: Division 2 honorable mention Chelsea improved to 7-0 in handing Dexter its first losses of the season – Chelsea Sun Times News

10. Baseball: Kingsley earned what could become a key Northwest Conference sweep over Frankfort – WPBN

Also of note …

Boys Basketball: Southfield Christian coach Josh Baker has stepped down to take a job at University of Alabama under Nate Oats, who formerly coached at Romulus before turning Buffalo into a mid-major power – MLive-Detroit

Wrestling: Hudson’s Jordan Hamdan was named Mr. Wrestler by the Michigan Wrestling Association – Adrian Daily Telegram

Thanks, Mr. Woodley (Saginaw News)

August 24, 2012

LaMarr Woodley was a football star at Saginaw High long before he went on to the University of Michigan and now the Pittsburgh Steelers.

He's given students in his hometown the same opportunity for accomplishment without the cost they would've otherwise incurred this school year.

Students at Saginaw and Saginaw Arthur Hill plus the districts junior highs and middle schools were facing a $75 participation fee until Woodley stepped in earlier this month with a $60,000 donation.

Hugh Bernreuter has covered the majority of Woodley's career, and tells this story.

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker LaMarr Woodley pays participation fees for Saginaw Public Schools student-athletes (Saginaw News)