Today in the MHSAA: 4/20/17

April 20, 2017

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

A few track & field school records were broken across the middle of the Lower Peninsula over the last few days, but pay special attention to a pair of stories of courage in our “Good Reads” section at the bottom of this report.

Each weekday during the school year, we’ll gather and post media links covering the most significant and intriguing high school events from all over the state.

Baseball

From Monday, Portage Northern downed reigning Division 1 champion and top-ranked Warren DeLaSalle 12-2 – Kalamazoo Gazette

Track & Field

Midland Bullock Creek sophomore sprinter Samantha Chew broke a school record and tied another in her team’s double-dual sweep of Saginaw Swan Valley and Chesaning – Midland Daily News

From Tuesday, Shepherd’s girls swept Alma and Standish-Sterling as Amber Gall broke a school record held since 1980 – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

Good Reads

Noah Kole finished third in Gaylord St. Mary’s golf match Tuesday – two months after not being able to walk while fighting for his life – Gaylord Herald-Times

Ashley Danilowicz is a top hitter and outfielder for a Saginaw Swan Valley team considered one of the best in the state. And she’s playing this season motivated by the memories of her dad Jim, who died in November in a car crash – Saginaw News

Today in the MHSAA: 10/20/15

October 20, 2015

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

MHSAA Boys Soccer District play kicked off Monday across the Lower Peninsula, and we also catch up with a pair of big Saturday events, one from each side of the bridge.

Cross Country

From Saturday, the East Lansing girls and Corunna boys won the annual Greater Lansing Invitational against fields loaded with ranked teams; Corunna’s boys were No. 3 in Lower Peninsula Division 2 last week and East Lansing’s girls were unranked – Lansing State Journal

Boys Soccer

Detroit Catholic Central, No. 5 in Division 1, opened district play with a 1-0 win over No. 14 Novi – Oakland Press

Muskegon Orchard View continued a five-game winning streak that’s pushed it past .500 by downing Grant 2-1 in a Division 3 opener – Muskegon Chronicle

Hartland scored to tie Howell with less than two minutes to play in regulation, then won their Division 1 opener in overtime – Livingston Daily

Midland scored just more than a minute into its Division 1 game against Bay City Western and hung on for the 1-0 district victory – Bay City Times

Volleyball

Also from Saturday: Host Houghton defeated Class C honorable mention Calumet in three sets to win the Houghton Invitational, which featured 10 teams from the western half of the Upper Peninsula – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

Girls Basketball

Ann Arbor Pioneer is mourning the loss of girls coach Crystal Westfield, who died Monday after a fight with cancer and only four months after her father, legendary cross country and track and field coach Bryan Westfield, died after fighting another form of the disease. Westfield had coached the basketball team at her alma mater since 1994 and also coached field events under her dad – AnnArbor.com