Today in the MHSAA: 5/15/19

May 15, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The softball diamond was the scene Tuesday for a historic accomplishment up north and an inspiring performance in the Kalamazoo area as well.

1. Softball: Mackinaw City swept Ellsworth to claim its first Northern Lights Conference championship since 1999 – Petoskey News-Review

2. Softball: Alpena swept Traverse City Central to lock up a share of its ninth straight Big North Conference championship – Alpena News

3. Girls Soccer: Division 1 No. 2 Grandville locked up the Ottawa-Kent Conference Red title outright with a 1-0 win over Rockford – FOX 17

4. Softball: Division 3 No. 3 Sanford Meridian clinched a share of the Jack Pine Conference title with a 4-1 win over Beaverton, but fell in the second game 6-4 – Midland Daily News

5. Track & Field: Reese’s girls and Caro’s boys (No. 7 in Lower Peninsula Division 3) won the Greater Thumb Conference West league meet championships – Huron Daily Tribune

6. Boys Lacrosse: Dexter closed the regular season with a 15-7 win over Chelsea to clinch a share of the Southeastern Conference White title – Chelsea Sun Times News

7. Softball: Division 4 honorable mention Beal City clinched a share of the Highland Conference championship with a sweep of Evart – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

8. Softball: Division 2 top-ranked Escanaba and Division 3 No. 10 Gladstone split in a league matchup of state powers – Escanaba Daily Press

9. Baseball: Division 2 No. 3 Holland Christian and Chris Mokma got past Zeeland East and Adam Berghorst in a matchup of future Michigan State teammates – Holland Sentinel

10. Girls Soccer: Bloomfield Hills scored the game-winner late to upset Division 1 No. 7 Troy 2-1 – Oakland Press

Also of note …

Softball: We’re all rooting for Portage Central freshman Sophie Varney, who was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor in December but continues to take the field as she fights the disease – Kalamazoo Gazette

Boys Golf: From Monday, Centreville claimed the final Southwest 10 Conference jamboree to lock up the league title – Three Rivers Commercial News

Girls Tennis: From Saturday, Niles Brandywine locked up its seventh straight league title, in the Berrien-Cass-St. Joseph Conference – Niles Daily Star

Today in the MHSAA: 10/17/17

October 17, 2017

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Each weekday of the school year, we break down the top headlines courtesy of Michigan’s sports media.

Today's Top 10

1. Boys Soccer: Division 1 No. 18 Novi scored the game’s lone goal to upset No. 9 Northville in a District opener – Observer & Eccentric

2. Boys Soccer: Manistee scored the winning goal on a penalty kick in overtime to upset No. 15 Whitehall 2-1 in a Division 3 first-round game – Manistee News-Advocate

3. Boys Soccer: Pontiac won its first District game in program history, downing Armada 3-2 in Division 2 – Oakland Press

4. Boys Soccer: DeWitt took East Lansing to overtime before the Trojans emerged with a 2-1 win in a Division 2 opener – Lansing State Journal

5. Boys Soccer: No. 12 Plymouth also survived a close Division 1 opener, clipping Salem 1-0 – Observer & Eccentric

6. Volleyball: Unranked Lapeer was the big winner of its tri-match, downing Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary and also Class B No. 9 Freeland in five sets – Saginaw News

7. Boys Soccer: Howell broke a tie with Pinckney late to emerge with a 2-1 win in Division 1 after playing the Pirates in overtime two of the last three seasons – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

8. Football: Coming off Farmington Hills Harrison coach John Herrington tying the MHSAA record for football wins (and since breaking it) held by Birmingham Brother Rice’s Al Fracassa, the Observer & Eccentric interviewed the legends together – Observer & Eccentric

9. Multi-Sport Athletes: Grand Haven athletic director Scott Robertson wrote a guest column for his local paper explaining the benefits of the multi-sport experience, citing a recent star at his school known well by fans statewide – Grand Haven Tribune

10. Mascots: We know our school’s mascot, but do we know why that mascot was chosen? The Tri-County Times dives into the backstories of four schools’ mascots in its area – Tri-County Times