Today in the MHSAA: 5/23/17

May 23, 2017

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The last week of the regular season for most in baseball, golf, soccer and softball got rolling with a bevy of championship matchups, both for high-powered leagues and across regions – with Gaylord’s boys golf team continuing an especially impressive tournament run.

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

Byron Center won the second game of a split with No. 2-ranked Holland Christian, 3-2, to win the Ottawa-Kent Conference Green title ahead of the reigning Division 2 champion – Holland Sentinel

Detroit Western International came back from a 3-0 deficit to win its 10th straight Detroit Public School League championship with a 5-4 victory over Detroit Martin Luther King – Detroit News

Mount Pleasant held on to first place in the Saginaw Valley League, but now only shares the lead with Midland after splitting with Division 1 No. 19 Saginaw Heritage – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

St. Johns opened the 56th Capital Diamond Classic with a 5-4 eight-inning win over Division 4 No. 6 Fowler – Lansing State Journal

Girls Golf

Upper Peninsula Division 1 Houghton continued its latest surge with another invitational title Monday, this time at L’Anse Golf Club with Kaaren Liston shooting a 43 to finish first individually – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

Boys Golf

Charlevoix locked up the Lake Michigan Conference championship shooting a 322 at Grayling Country Club – Petoskey News-Review

LP Division 2 No. 3 Gaylord upped its winning streak to eight straight tournaments with a victory at the Traverse City Central Invitational – Gaylord Herald Times

Girls Soccer

Division 3 No. 10 Birch Run shut out No. 9 Frankenmuth 1-0 to regain a share of first place in the Tri-Valley Conference East – Saginaw News

Plainwell got past Division 3 No. 11 Otsego 3-0 to claim a share of the Wolverine Conference title – Kalamazoo Gazette

No. 17 New Baltimore Anchor Bay upset No. 2 Utica Eisenhower in a meeting of top teams in the Macomb Area Conference Red and statewide Division 1 – Macomb Daily

Division 1 No. 7 Rochester Adams downed Rochester 2-0 to claim the Oakland Activities Association Red title – Oakland Press

From Saturday, Division 4 No. 7 Madison Heights Bishop Foley got past No. 20 Royal Oak Shrine 1-0 in the Catholic League Division II-III title game – Oakland Press

Softball

Division 3 No. 4 Napoleon broke up a close game in the fifth inning in downing Parma Western 5-0 to win the Al Glick Tournament at Spring Arbor – Jackson Citizen Patriot

Division 2 honorable mention Eaton Rapids followed the shutout pitching of freshman Grace Lehto to the Mid-Michigan area’s Softball Classic championship with a 4-0 win over Grand Ledge – Lansing State Journal

Houghton and Lake Linden-Hubbell combined for 60 runs over a doubleheader, the Lakes winning the first game 20-15 and the Gremlins the second 14-11 – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

Warren Regina won a matchup of recent state powers, downing Farmington Hills Mercy 14-6 to claim the Detroit Catholic League A-B championship – Macomb Daily

Division 4 honorable mention Waterford Our Lady downed Wixom St. Catherine 5-0 in the Catholic League C-D final thanks to a no-hitter by Hannah Davies – Oakland Press

Division 2 No. 6 Stevensville Lakeshore swept Niles to claim the outright Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference West title – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium

Track & Field

From the weekend, the LP Division 1 top-ranked Rockford girls clinched their 20th straight Regional title finishing ahead of Okemos and Grand Ledge in Division 1 – Grand Rapids Press

Good Read

Born without a left hand, Stockbridge freshman pitcher Carson Robinson has always shown plenty of determination and had his share of success. This spring, he has dominated on the mound – after also playing football and basketball this school year – Lansing State Journal

Today in the MHSAA: 6/13/17

June 13, 2017

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The final week of the 2016-17 sports school year started with a day off Monday, but Quarterfinals for baseball and softball are this afternoon, as are the first half of girls soccer Semifinals. We’ve loaded up plenty of advance stories to preview many of today’s games.

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

A year after making its first Quarterfinal since 1998, Rochester is back again and looking for more – Oakland Press

Grand Haven is making its first Quarterfinal appearance ever after winning both its first Regional title, and first Regional Semifinal since 1989, in Division 1 – Grand Haven Tribune

Sterling Heights Stevenson is gearing up for a Division 1 Quarterfinal against Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett, which opted up to Division 1 this year – Macomb Daily

A young Homer team is back in a familiar spot playing in the Division 3 Quarterfinals – Battle Creek Enquirer

Girls Soccer

Holland Christian will enter today’s Semifinal continuing to ride the inspiration of Cassie Delf, younger sister of teammate Regi, who died this spring after fighting leukemia – Holland Sentinel

Softball

Richmond shortstop Carley Barjaktarovich is one of the most important pressure players for the reigning Division 2 champion – Macomb Daily

The Blue Devils also are relying on experience as they try to make it back to Michigan State – Port Huron Times Herald

Mendon is one of the stories of the tournament, making the final week in Division 4 after entering the postseason 14-15 – Sturgis Journal

Spring Lake heads into the Quarterfinals for the first time after winning its first Regional, in Division 2 – Grand Haven Tribune

Walled Lake Northern has risen mightily this season and now faces a similar team in Clarkston in Division 1 – Oakland Press

Coloma is enjoying a shutout streak after winning its Division 3 Regional with a pair  – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium

Rogers City is headed to the Division 4 Quarterfinals for the fourth time in six seasons and will face top-ranked Indian River Inland Lakes – Alpena News

After leaving last season’s Division 1 Final with an injury, Macomb Dakota pitcher Kendahl Dunford is glad to be only a win away from returning to Secchia Stadium – Detroit Free Press