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

From High School to Olympic Swimming

July 11, 2012

Fans of U.S. Swimming already have plenty of reasons to cheer for Missy Franklin later this month at the Summer Olympics -- she's only 17, but qualified to compete in a U.S. women's all-time best seven events.

But fans of high school sports and what they provide athletes at all levels of ability can also support her for how she's chosen to compete when she's not racing against the best in the world.

Franklin, who lives in Colorado, has continued to swim for her high school team despite the financial rewards she could've earned by taking the elite swimmer's usual path of going pro.

A ton has been written about Franklin lately, for obvious reasons. Below is a link to a New York Times story from February that focused on her continued dedication to her high school team.

Before the Olympic Trials, There’s This Big High School Meet (New York Times)