Today in the MHSAA: 4/25/16
April 25, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
An intriguing tournament format, track and field dominance by a statewide power and the return to baseball by one of our Upper Peninsula schools were among events gaining notable headlines over the weekend.
Baseball
L’Anse played its first high school baseball games in more than 50 years, splitting with Hancock – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette
Boyne City ace Derek Willis no-hit Bath in helping his team to an East Jackson Dome Classic championship for the second straight season – Petoskey News
Unranked Clinton took a doubleheader from Division 3 No. 6 and reigning champion Jackson Lumen Christi, 11-9 and 8-5 – Adrian Daily Telegram
Division 3 top-ranked Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett split with Detroit Country Day on Saturday, winning the opener 3-0 before suffering its first loss, 6-0 – Detroit News
Jake Dabkowski followed teammate Sergio Diaz with Grand Rapids Union’s second straight no-hitter, this one in a 5-0 win over Comstock Park – Grand Rapids Press
Baseball/Softball
Leroy Pine River won the first Osceola County Royal Rumble, which combined results of the baseball and softball teams. The Bucks finished 4-0 – Cadillac News
Track & Field
Midland’s girls won the annual Swayze Relays, this time at Northwood University, by 14 points over Traverse City West, while West’s boys broke Midland’s winning streak in the accompanying Graves Relays – Midland Daily News
The two-time reigning Lower Peninsula Division 1 champion Oak Park girls just edged Lake Orion 94-90 to win the Oxford Invitational, while Oak Park’s boys dominated by more this time finishing 26 points ahead of Walled Lake Central – Oakland Press
Today in the MHSAA: 5/6/19
May 6, 2019
By Geoff Kimmerly
Special for Second Half
Finishes both close and historic highlighted the first weekend of May as top teams navigated the rain in many places in kicking off the final month of the regular season.
1. Softball: Grace Lehto nearly threw a perfect game as Division 2 No. 3 Eaton Rapids edged Division 3 top-ranked Millington to win the “marquee matchup” of the MI Stars Tournament – State Champs Sports Network
2. Boys Golf: By way of a fifth-golfer tie-breaker, Gaylord – No. 10 in Lower Peninsula Division 2 – edged LPD1 No. 6 Grosse Pointe South to win its invitational with a near-school record score – Gaylord Herald Times
3. Track & Field: Zeeland West’s boys won their 12th-straight Holland West Ottawa Von Ins Relays, while Lower Peninsula Division 1 No. 6 Grand Haven and No. 7 West Ottawa’s girls shared their meet championship – Holland Sentinel
4. Boys Golf: Nathan Taylor finished as medalist to lead Muskegon Mona Shores to the Greater Muskegon Athletic Association championship, 30 years after his father won the same tournament – Muskegon Chronicle
5. Track & Field: The Muskegon Reeths-Puffer girls won their 10th straight GMAA title, and the Fruitport boys won their sixth straight – Local Sports Journal
6. Softball: Division 3 No. 7 Standish-Sterling edged No. 3 Sanford Meridian 5-4 to win Meridian’s invitational – Midland Daily News
7. Softball: Division 2 No. 4 Stevensville Lakeshore defeated Schoolcraft in the final to win its invitational for the first time – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium
8. Boys Golf: Troy edged Rochester by 12 strokes to win the Oakland County Division 2 championship – Oakland Press
9. Softball: Muskegon Reeths-Puffer and Division 2 No. 5 Oakridge both won their fourth straight GMAA softball titles – Muskegon Chronicle
10. Track & Field: A total of 61 teams including a number of the best from multiple divisions participated at the Triangle Invitational at Saline – Athletic.net