Today in the MHSAA: 5/17/17
May 17, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The 2016-17 MHSAA school year ends a month from today, and Tuesday included another long list of league title-clinching events but also a couple impressive strings of success in girls and boys golf.
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
Jack Huisman’s walk-off hit gave Division 2 No. 3 Holland Christian a 6-5 win over Grandville Calvin Christian – Grand Rapids Press
Pinconning secured a share of the Tri-Valley Conference West title with a sweep of Hemlock; this is Pinconning’s first year in the league – Bay City Times
Marshall claimed a share of the Interstate Eight Conference title with a sweep of Battle Creek Harper Creek – Battle Creek Enquirer
Morley Stanwood clinched the Central State Activities Association Silver title with a sweep of White Cloud – Big Rapids News
Division 3 No. 4 Clare earned a share of its second straight Jack Pine Conference title with a sweep of Beaverton which included a walk-off homer – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun
Girls Golf
Upper Peninsula Division 1 top-ranked Houghton won an invitational for the second straight day, this time at Portage Lake – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette
Boys Golf
Lower Peninsula Division 2 No. 6 Gaylord won its sixth straight event and Brendon Gouin won his third straight individual championship over six days at the Blue Devil Open – Gaylord Herald Times
Girls Lacrosse
Division 1 No. 5 Birmingham United came back from three goals down to edge Division 2 No. 5 Bloomfield Hills Marian 14-13 – MLive-Detroit
Boys Lacrosse
Harrison Township L’Anse Creuse earned the Macomb Area Conference White title with a 23-15 win over Utica Ford – Macomb Daily
Girls Soccer
Division 1 No. 6 Brighton tied No. 5 Grand Blanc 0-0 to advance to the Kensington Lakes Activities Association Lakes championship game – Livingston Daily Press & Argus
Traverse City West freshman Jaelyn Dobrowolski broke the Big North Conference single-season points record with a goal in her team’s 5-2 win over Traverse City Central – Traverse City Record-Eagle
Division 4 No. 4 Saginaw Nouvel downed Clio thanks in large part to five goals by Katherine Felton – Saginaw News
Softball
Division 1 No. 2 Macomb Dakota clinched its third straight Macomb Area Conference Red title with a sweep of Romeo – Macomb Daily
From Monday, Canton won the KLAA Kensington championship and advanced to today’s overall final with a 5-1 win over Northville in a matchup of Division 1 honorable mentions – Observer & Eccentric
Girls Tennis
LP Division 3 top-ranked Detroit Country Day downed LP Division 1 No. 3 Bloomfield Hills 5-3 winning three singles flights – Oakland Press
Track & Field
Marlette swept the championships at the Greater Thumb Conference East Invitational – Huron Daily Tribune
Cass City’s boys and Reese’s girls were the overall winners at the GTC West Invitational – Huron Daily Tribune
Did You See That? (April 22-28)
April 29, 2013
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The clouds finally began to break last week. And as expected, teams in every spring sport quickly got started catching up on what they'd had to put off most of this month.
Read on for some of the top headlines from all over the state, plus our favorite story – which highlights a pair of officials who will be recognized this weekend for their dedication to high school athletics.
Good Read of the Week
Father/Daughter rule the diamond: Ralph Burr will be among those celebrated by the MHSAA this weekend for 50 years of service as an official. But the past 20 have been his favorite – his daughter and umpiring partner Jackie will be recognized this weekend for her two decades of service. (Muskegon Chronicle).
Softball
McClure strikes again: Manchester pitcher Katie McClure set her school's career record of 511 strikeouts after totaling 27 more at Saturday’s Concord Invitational. Her team won the event by beating the host 3-1 in the final. (Jackson Citizen-Patriot)
One vs. One: In what has become arguably the best softball rivalry in the state, Stevensville Lakeshore swept Mattawan 4-2 and 9-4 on Thursday in a matchup of top-ranked teams. Lakeshore is ranked No. 2 in Division 2, while Mattawan holds the top spot in Division 1. (St. Joseph Herald-Palladium)
Another Clinton ace: That’s Cami Prater, who has taken over for graduated standout Tierney Nelson and no-hit the No. 5-ranked host at Saturday’s Springport Invitational. Prater hit a home run as Clinton won last season’s Division 3 championship game. (Adrian Daily Telegram)
Snowbirds down No. 1: Gaylord St. Mary scored in the bottom of the seventh inning to upset Division 4 No. 1 Onaway 2-1 a week ago before settling for a hard-earned split. (Gaylord Herald-Times)
Girls Lacrosse
“Play Day” perfection: Rockford hosted its fourth “Play Day” on Saturday, and the Division 1 top-ranked Rams finished it with wins over No. 2 Hartland and No. 3 Brighton. Grand Rapids Catholic Central, No. 2 in Division 2, also beat Hartland, along with Troy Athens and Division 2 No. 3 Ann Arbor Pioneer. (Grand Rapids Press)
Boys Golf
Upper hand, DCC: Detroit Catholic Central won what is one of the most competitive regular-season events every spring, claiming the Division 1 portion of the Traverse City Central Invitational by edging reigning champion Muskegon Mona Shores. Mona Shores finished third and DCC sixth at last season’s MHSAA Division 1 Final. (Traverse City Record-Eagle)
Baseball
Long time coming: Gladstone earned its first wins 4-3 and 5-0 over Negaunee on Friday, and those also happen to be the program’s first victories in more than a half century. The Escanaba Daily Press reports this as Gladstone’s first baseball team in 54 years. (Escanaba Daily Press)
East Lansing rises at Dow: East Lansing needed just about every one of its 16 runs over the final two games of Saturday’s Midland Dow Invitational, but came away with the championship after beating Division 3 No. 4 Saginaw Nouvel 8-7 in the final. East Lansing advanced with an 8-6 win over Dow. (Saginaw News)
Weisenberger throws no-no again: Sanford Meridian had three wins after Thursday, and two were no-hitters by pitcher Jonah Weisenberger. He threw his second in that night’s opener against Beaverton. (Midland Daily News)
Portage Northern rallies: The Huskies look like they could be an emerging force again from the Kalamazoo area, and moved to 5-2 by winning their home invitational Saturday. Portage Northern defeated Division 4 No. 2 Gobles in the championship game. (Kalamazoo Gazette)
Track and Field
Hornets buzz: Williamston’s boys, who tied for ninth at last season MHSAA Division 2 Final, won the Spartan Classic at Michigan State University, finishing eight points ahead of Division 1 power Rockford. Reigning Division 1 girls champion Grosse Pointe South won its side of the meet by a much more significant 51 points. (Playmakers.com (full results), Lansing State Journal)
All-Battle Creek is all Lakeview: Battle Creek Lakeview continues to dominate its city’s track and field scene, and again won its all-city meets Friday. The girls won despite not running standout Sarita Dotson, who was out with an injury. (Battle Creek Enquirer).
Football
Stoney Creek celebrates Fisher: A Rochester Hills Stoney Creek football coach remembered Thursday how Eric Fisher was 6-foot-1 and 150 pounds as a high school freshman. That night, Fisher was selected first in the NFL draft out of Central Michigan University by the Kansas City Chiefs. (Detroit News)