Today in the MHSAA: 4/18/16
April 18, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
A week after snow still covered much of the Lower Peninsula, teams on both sides of the bridge got outside to get their seasons rolling – with much of most notable weekend action coming in softball, soccer and tennis.
Girls Soccer
Cadillac shut out Holland Black River and Holland and played Grand Rapids Northview to a 0-0 tie in winning the Holland Invitational on Saturday – Cadillac News
Softball
Spring Lake won the Lakeshore Grand Slam in Stevenson by downing reigning Division 2 champion Wayland 5-4 on the way to the title – Grand Haven Tribune
Melissa Wegener clubbed a seventh-inning home run as part of a five-run rally to help Bay City Western over rival Bay City Central 7-4 in the final of the Bay County Softball Championships – Bay City Times
From Thursday, Emily Dragonetti threw a no-hitter against Charlotte that was her school’s first in at least 14 seasons – Jackson Citizen-Patriot
Also from Thursday, Dowagiac’s Taylor Hulett and Megan Soderbloom threw back-to-back no-hitters against Sturgis while striking out a combined 21 batters – Niles Daily Star
Girls Tennis
Battle Creek Lakeview won six flight championships in claiming the overall Battle Creek All-City title – Battle Creek Enquirer
From Wednesday, Division 2 top-ranked Bloomfield Hills Marian and Division 3 No. 2 Detroit Country Day tied 4-4 with Country Day winning all four singles matches and Marian sweeping doubles – Oakland Press
Good Read
Eric Marcil as a student convinced the Muskegon Reeths-Puffer district to create a soccer program, and the 1992 alum came back to coach both the girls and boys teams before his death at 25 after a fight against lymphoma. The school’s field was renamed to honor him Thursday – Muskegon Chronicle
Today in the MHSAA: 5/2/16
May 2, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Included as always is a sampling of coverage of this weekend’s most notable statewide events, but make sure to check out the “Good Reads” section at the bottom of this report for stories definitely worth your time today.
Boys Golf
Reigning Division 1 champion Detroit Catholic Central won the Traverse City Central Tee-Off with a two-day 288 – Traverse City Record-Eagle
Softball
Division 1 No. 2 Farmington Hills Mercy, a semifinalist last season, swept reigning champion Warren Regina in the Detroit Catholic League – Oakland Press
Petoskey won the Traverse City St. Francis Invitational, including handing a first loss this season to Kalkaska – Petoskey News
Track & Field
Sturgis’ boys won the Don Lukens Invitational, with Johnathon Sholl setting a school record in the 100 meters – Sturgis Journal
Marquette’s boys and girls dominated the Manistique Invitational – Escanaba Daily News
Football
Dan Rohn, who coached Grand Rapids West Catholic to four Division 5 championships over the last nine seasons, resigned – Grand Rapids Press
Good Reads
Muskegon Mona Shores’ freshman Raegan Cox is one of the Midwest’s top soccer players her age – and she’s contributing not only to her school’s soccer team this spring, but also its track & field team – Muskegon Chronicle
A number of sources nationwide, including MHSAA Executive Director Jack Roberts, weighed in on why we must counteract sports specialization in this story that was published by the New York Times among papers all over the country – The Associated Press
Incredibly, Mason Evans is playing golf – and playing well – for Battle Creek Lakeview using one arm after breaking the other during wrestling season – Battle Creek Enquirer
As Birmingham Seaholm’s Jordan Michalak finishes her term as a member of the MHSAA Student Advisory Council, she tells of her experiences as a contributor and how her tenure has affected her perspective on athletics – Birmingham Observer & Eccentric