Today in the MHSAA: 5/11/18

May 11, 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.

1. Girls Tennis: Midland Dow, the top-ranked team in Lower Peninsula Division 1, swept every flight to claim a 21st straight Saginaw Valley League championship – Midland Dow

2. Girls Soccer: Division 1 No. 15 Plymouth dealt No. 3 Brighton its first loss of the season, 1-0 – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

3. Baseball: Division 1 No. 3 Rockford came back from being swept by No. 6 Grandville on Tuesday to win their third game against each other this week and pull within a game of the Bulldogs’ league lead – FOX 17

4. Girls Tennis: LPD2 No. 7 Traverse City Central locked up its seventh straight Big North Conference championship – Traverse City Record-Eagle

5. Baseball: Unranked Saginaw Heritage won the opener 1-0, but Division 1 No. 2 Bay City Western won the second game 3-0 in a matchup of Saginaw Valley League contenders – Bay City Times

6. Softball: Ubly swept Harbor Beach to earn a share of the Greater Thumb Conference East title – Huron Daily Tribune

7. Baseball: Tucker Zacharda’s walk-off sacrifice fly earned Holton an 8-7 win over White Cloud and coach Jim Giddings his 300th career victory – Local Sports Journal

8. Track & Field: Rapid River’s boys won their 41st annual home invitational by two points, while Felch North Dickinson repeated as the girls champion – Escanaba Daily Press

9. Golf: The Escanaba girls and Gladstone boys claimed Escanaba Invitational titles, the Braves shooting a 311 and Paxton Johnson finishing as girls medalist at 77 – Escanaba Daily Press

10. Football: Former Grand Ledge standout and Homer coach Joe Brya has been hired to take over Eaton Rapids – Lansing State Journal

Also of note …

Boys Basketball: Frankfort coach Reggie Manville will not return next season after leading the team to a 129-41 record over the last seven – MI Sports Now

Baseball: Ada Forest Hills Eastern coach Ian Hearn was honored Thursday for winning his 500th career game a week ago – Grand Rapids Press

Today in the MHSAA: 1/20/16

January 20, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Buzzer beaters and milestone basketball victories made headlines all over Michigan today, and check out as well a moving video that tells of the importance of our national anthem.

Girls Basketball

Reigning Class C champion Calumet added another accomplishment to the long list with its first win over Houghton since 1999, 44-31 – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

Three Rivers’ sophomore Arionne Fowlkes went baseline to baseline for a last-second layup to give her team a 43-41 win over Niles – Niles Daily Star

Class A favorite Saginaw Heritage remained undefeated with a 53-38 win over rival Midland Dow, also ranked in Class A – Saginaw News

One-loss St. Ignace handed Newberry its first defeat of the season, 64-57 – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News

Cedar Springs also knocked a team from the unbeaten ranks, with Sam Taylor’s 3-pointer in the closing seconds ending Kent City’s perfect run, 50-47 – Grand Rapids Press

Muskegon edged East Kentwood 50-47 after trailing by 10 and on the strength of 26 points and 22 rebounds by senior Mardrekia Cook – Muskegon Chronicle

Boys Basketball

Despite being outscored 30-22 in the fourth quarter, Southfield Christian held on for an 82-79 win over Southfield – MLive-Detroit

Merrill earned its first win since 2013 by downing Coleman 49-36 – Midland Daily News

One-loss Alma handed previously-undefeated Ithaca its first, 56-53, as Dylan Carl hit 3-pointers to send the game to overtime and then win it – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

Muskegon Oakridge’s Brady Luttrull drilled a 3-pointer during the final seconds to push his team past Scottville Mason County Central 67-66 – Muskegon Chronicle

Cassopolis followed a strong third quarter by Deoin Gatson to hand Niles Brandywine its first loss, 61-47 – Niles Daily Leader

One-loss Clarkston also handed out a first loss Tuesday, to Rochester Adams, in a matchup of top Class A teams – Oakland Press

Caleb Brown’s only basket for Northport was the game winner during the final seconds of a 51-49 victory over Central Lake – Traverse City Record-Eagle

Nate Dugener’s sixth 3-pointer of the game gave Muskegon Western Michigan Christian a 52-49 win over Holland Christian – Grand Haven Tribune

Boys Swimming & Diving

In a matchup of top teams on the west side of the Lower Peninsula, Division 1 No. 6 Zeeland got past Division 2 honorable mention Holland 104-73 – Holland Sentinel

Worth Watching

We ran across and were moved by Virginia Tech’s honoring of veterans at the start of this men’s basketball season. Check out this meaningful presentation and how it relates to providing proper respect during The Star-Spangled Banner.