Today in the MHSAA: 4/20/16

April 20, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Tuesday’s statewide action was highlighted by a number of swing-and-miss baseball pitching performances, including some perfection for the second day in a row.

Baseball

Holland Christian senior Mike Mokma threw a perfect game in beating Holland 3-0, striking out 15 batters – Grand Rapids Press

Battle Creek Lakeview dominated in sweeping Division 1 No. 3 Portage Northern 12-2 and 10-1 – Battle Creek Enquirer

Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart’s Matt Kornexl struck out 19 in shutting out Blanchard Montabella 5-0 – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

Traverse City West swept rival Traverse City Central 2-1 and 2-0 with a walk-off win in the opener – Traverse City Record-Eagle

Coldwater’s Nick Shaw threw a five-inning no-hitter as his team swept Battle Creek Pennfield 11-7 and 5-0 – Coldwater Daily Reporter

Holland Black River’s JP Fowler also tossed a no-hitter, striking out 12 in a 4-1 win over Byron Center Zion Christian – Holland Sentinel

From Monday, Norway’s Dan VandenHeuvel reached perfection as well in a 4-0 win over Eben Junction Superior Central – Iron Mountain Daily News

Boys Golf

From Monday, Onsted’s Josh Jeffords shot a 1-under 70 to win the Maple Invitational at Lenawee Country Club, coming off a 3-under 33 in a match the week before – Adrian Daily Telegram

Boys Lacrosse

Rochester Hills Stoney Creek downed Royal Oak 12-7 to move to 7-0 and equal its win total from three of the last four seasons – Oakland Press

Softball

Marysville edged Port Huron 4-3, thanks in large part to 15 strikeouts by pitcher Paige Ameel – Port Huron Times Herald

Today in the MHSAA: 12/20/18

December 20, 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.

Teams are getting in their final competitions before at least a brief holiday break, and we’re taking one too after today’s list – “Today” will return Jan. 7, although Second Half will continue publishing stories from all over the state during the final week of December and first of January.  

1. Boys Basketball: Gaylord St. Mary broke a 31-game, 14-year losing streak to Bellaire with a 29-26 win – Gaylord Herald Times

2. Boys Basketball: Camden-Frontier improved to 7-0 by handing a first loss to Reading, 57-46 – Hillsdale Daily News

3. Hockey: Evan MacDonald had a hat trick as Division 1 No. 5 Brighton downed reigning Division 3 runner-up Livonia Churchill 4-1 – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

4. Boys Basketball: Mancelona gave Pellston its first loss of this season, 67-65 – Petoskey News-Review

5. Girls Basketball: Waterford Our Lady made a late run to get past Pontiac Notre Dame Prep 61-56 – Oakland Press

6. Wrestling: Grand Haven came back from a 24-0 deficit to defeat Caledonia 39-33 – Grand Haven Tribune

7. Gymnastics: Escanaba remained undefeated to start the season with wins over Marquette and Negaunee – Escanaba Daily Press

8. Boys Basketball: Portland St. Patrick closed on a 22-5 run to beat Fowler 52-42 – Ionia Sentinel-Standard

9. Hockey: Brendan Pellerito had 34 saves as Mattawan shut out Portage Northern 4-0 – JoeInsider.com

10. Wrestling: Division 4 top-ranked Hudson earned a pair of league wins over Blissfield and Onsted – Adrian Daily Telegram

Also of note …

Hockey: The status of high school hockey is on the rise with talent evaluators at the game’s next levels – Observer & Eccentric

Tennis: Longtime coach Paul Bandrowski retired after leading Traverse City St. Francis’ girls and boys teams to a number of strong MHSAA Finals finishes – Traverse City Record-Eagle

Girls Basketball: From Tuesday, Eaton Rapids came back to stun Jackson Northwest 44-41, but the Mounties’ Sydney Shafer went over 1,000 career points – Jackson Citizen Patriot

Boys Swimming & Diving: From Tuesday, Lower Peninsula Division 1 No. 2 Ann Arbor Skyline edged LPD2 top-ranked Dexter 95-90 – We Love Ann Arbor