Today in the MHSAA: 5/20/19

May 20, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

This weekend was one of the busiest of the spring with track & field and girls tennis Regionals, plus big-time tournament title deciders in softball, girls soccer, boys golf and baseball.

1. Softball: Division 1 No. 9 Hartland edged rival and No. 2-ranked Howell 6-5 and then downed No. 1 Clarkston 1-0 to win the Ann Arbor High School Softball Tournament – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

2. Track & Field: The No. 5-ranked Alpena boys won their first Regional title since 1944, clinching first in Lower Peninsula Division 1 at Bay City Western – Alpena News

3. Girls Soccer: Division 2 No. 2 Bloomfield Hills Marian avenged its May 9 loss to Division 3 No. 2 Warren Regina with a 1-0 win in the Detroit Catholic League championship game – Oakland Press

4. Boys Golf: LPD3 No. 2 Big Rapids shot a two-day 607 to finish ahead of runner-up and top-ranked Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian and third-place Detroit Catholic Central (No. 7 in LPD1) at the Katke Classic – Big Rapids News

5. Girls Tennis: No. 4 Traverse City St. Francis claimed its ninth straight Regional title, in Lower Peninsula Division 4 – WPBN

6. Baseball: Division 3 No. 13 Traverse City St. Francis won the Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart Tournament with a 5-1 win over Division 4 No. 9 Gaylord St. Mary, which advanced with a 4-3 victory over Division 4 top-ranked Portland St. Patrick – Traverse City Record-Eagle

7. Girls Soccer: Division 2 No. 4 Richland Gull Lake repeated as Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference Gold tournament champion with a 5-3 win over Portage Central – JoeInsider.com

8. Girls Tennis: No. 5 North Muskegon won six flight championships on the way to an LPD4 Regional team title against a field that included No. 10 (tied) Grant – Muskegon Chronicle

9. Girls Tennis: No. 3 Ann Arbor Pioneer clinched its LPD1 Regional title ahead of rival and No. 10 (tied) Huron, while Plymouth also qualified for the Finals for the first time – We Love Ann Arbor

10. Track & Field: Oak Park swept LPD1 girls and boys Regional championships – Oakland Press

Also of note …

Golf/Wrestling: Southeastern Michigan is mourning the death of Tecumseh wrestling and boys golf coach A.J. Marry, who was killed Sunday after being struck by a vehicle – Adrian Daily Telegram

Today in the MHSAA: 2/20/20

February 20, 2020

By Geoff Kimmerly
Special for Second Half

Four teams celebrated their first MHSAA Team Wrestling Regional championships Wednesday as the field of 32 was determined across the state. We were able to gather coverage of two of those title celebrations, plus a number of other championship runs on the mat, ice and bowling lanes.

1. Wrestling: No. 7 Muskegon Reeths-Puffer won its first Team Regional title in this sport, downing Greenville and Allendale in Division 2 – Local Sports Journal

2. Wrestling: Division 3 No. 7 Fremont also won its first Regional title on the mat, with wins over Muskegon Orchard View and Comstock Park – Muskegon Chronicle

3. Wrestling: After falling to No. 9 Westland John Glenn in the postseason three straight seasons, No. 5 Temperance Bedford won the latest meeting to claim a Division 1 Regional title – Monroe News

4. Wrestling: No. 2 Gaylord edged No. 3 DeWitt 33-30 to lock up a Division 2 Regional championship – Gaylord Herald-Times

5. Wrestling: Mason upset No. 4 Eaton Rapids 33-27 on the way to claiming a Division 2 Regional title – Lansing State Journal

6. Wrestling: No. 3 Brighton got past No. 6 Holt 55-8 to clinch a Division 1 Regional title – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

7. Wrestling: No. 5 Hart downed Whittemore-Prescott to clinch a Division 4 Regional title, its first Regional championship since 1990 – Muskegon Chronicle

8. Hockey: Division 1 No. 2 Saginaw Heritage downed Division 3 No. 9 Midland Dow 2-0 to lock up the Saginaw Valley League championship – Midland Daily News

9. Wrestling: A last-second pin gave No. 10 New Boston Huron a 38-37 win over Gibraltar Carlson and a Division 2 Regional championship, its first Regional title since 2003 – Monroe News

10. Bowling: The Ravenna girls and Fruitport boys won Greater Muskegon Athletic Association championships – Local Sports Journal

NOTE: Croswell-Lexington and Kingsley also won their first Wrestling Team Regional championships Wednesday.

Also of note …

Football: Flint Beecher coach and athletic director Courtney Hawkins will be leaving the Bucs to join the Michigan State football staff – WJRT