Today in the MHSAA: 5/26/16

May 26, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Track & field league meets, golf Districts and lacrosse Regionals – and the wild ending to the Saginaw Valley League baseball title race – led a highlight-filled night of statewide high school action as the holiday weekend approaches.

Baseball

The Saginaw Valley League title hung on the continuation of a tie game between Division 1 top-10 teams Mount Pleasant and Bay City Western; the game started back up in the seventh inning, and three innings later Western had its fifth straight league title – Bay City Times

Boys Golf

Three Clarkston players broke 80 as the Wolves shot a 315 to win their Division 1 District at Twin Pines in Oakland Hills – Oakland Press

All four scorers broke 80 as Jackson Lumen Christi shot its season low, 305, to dominate its Division 3 District at Calderone Golf Club – Jackson Citizen-Patriot

Girls Lacrosse

Reigning champion East Grand Rapids handed Grand Rapids Christian only its second loss in advancing in their Division 2 Regional – Grand Rapids Press

Girls Soccer

Paw Paw remained undefeated at 16-0-1 with a 2-1 edging of Mattawan – Kalamazoo Gazette

Utica Eisenhower finished its regular season a perfect 18-0 with a 2-0 win over New Baltimore Anchor Bay – Macomb Daily

Track & Field

Four girls surpassed the former record in the 1,600 to highlight the most impressive performances at the 38th West Michigan Invitational – Muskegon Chronicle

Traverse City Central’s boys won their eighth straight Big North Conference championship, clearing rival West by 20 points – Traverse City Record-Eagle

Livonia Ladywood won its first league title since 1996, nearly doubling runner-up Wixom St. Catherine in the Detroit Catholic League C-D – Detroit News

Three-sport standout Clayborn Allen was among champions for Detroit Loyola, which won the boys Catholic League C-D title despite having only 11 on its team – Detroit News

Flint Carman-Ainsworth’s boys continued their dominant run with a fourth straight Saginaw Valley League title, winning by 55 points – Flint Journal

Today in the MHSAA: 8/31/15

August 31, 2015

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The final weekend of August was a giant weekend for MHSAA volleyball contenders, with some of the top regular-season events this fall providing opportunities for the best to see how they might match up when playoffs begin in two months.

Below are headlines for some of the key high school reports from across the state; the weekend’s football round-up will publish later this afternoon.  

Cross Country

Muskegon Reeths-Puffer’s Maryssa Depies set a course record of 18:11.3 to win the Big Red Invitational at McGraft Park – Muskegon Chronicle

Flint Powers Catholic’s top individual finisher came in ninth, but the Chargers girls as a team were first at the Lansing Catholic Invitational – Flint Journal

The reigning Lower Peninsula Division 2 champion Grand Rapids Christian boys repeated as winner of the prestigious Benzie Central Invitational, finishing ahead of Traverse City West and Central, while Central senior Anthony Berry won individually in 15:24 – Grand Rapids Press

Boys Soccer

Tawas, a Division 3 semifinalist last season, finished first from an Elk Rapids Invitational field that included Berkley and Saginaw Nouvel – Bay City Times

Volleyball

Lake Odessa Lakewood, last season’s Class B runner-up and the second-ranked team in that class this week, eliminated Class A No. 6 Grand Rapids Christian to win the West Michigan Volleyball Officials Association tournament for the first time in a decade – Grand Rapids Press

Class A No. 4 Grand Haven continued its perfect run at its outdoor Battle of the Boardwalk tournament, sweeping three opponents to remain undefeated through the event's third year – Grand Haven Tribune

Battle Creek Harper Creek, No. 9 in Class B, improved to 17-0 by winning the Cereal City Tournament at Pennfield with a 2-1 championship match win over Temperance Bedford, an MHSAA semifinalist last season in Class A – Battle Creek Enquirer

Good Reads

The Holland Sentinel introduced its top female athletes in that area’s history Sunday, and highlighted nationally-known softball star Kathy Arendsen and her successes during one of the MHSAA’s first Softball Finals – Holland Sentinel

Anyone who follows high school football history will enjoy going through the Muskegon Chronicle’s sampling of top-20 moments from that area’s football past – Muskegon Chronicle

More than 60 former Shepherd High School players from the last 25 seasons returned for an alumni doubleheader Sunday to honor coach Jack Nartker, who will retire after this spring – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun