Today in the MHSAA: 5/6/19

May 6, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Special for Second Half

Finishes both close and historic highlighted the first weekend of May as top teams navigated the rain in many places in kicking off the final month of the regular season.

1. Softball: Grace Lehto nearly threw a perfect game as Division 2 No. 3 Eaton Rapids edged Division 3 top-ranked Millington to win the “marquee matchup” of the MI Stars Tournament – State Champs Sports Network 

2. Boys Golf: By way of a fifth-golfer tie-breaker, Gaylord – No. 10 in Lower Peninsula Division 2 – edged LPD1 No. 6 Grosse Pointe South to win its invitational with a near-school record score – Gaylord Herald Times

3. Track & Field: Zeeland West’s boys won their 12th-straight Holland West Ottawa Von Ins Relays, while Lower Peninsula Division 1 No. 6 Grand Haven and No. 7 West Ottawa’s girls shared their meet championship – Holland Sentinel

4. Boys Golf: Nathan Taylor finished as medalist to lead Muskegon Mona Shores to the Greater Muskegon Athletic Association championship, 30 years after his father won the same tournament – Muskegon Chronicle

5. Track & Field: The Muskegon Reeths-Puffer girls won their 10th straight GMAA title, and the Fruitport boys won their sixth straight – Local Sports Journal

6. Softball: Division 3 No. 7 Standish-Sterling edged No. 3 Sanford Meridian 5-4 to win Meridian’s invitational – Midland Daily News

7. Softball: Division 2 No. 4 Stevensville Lakeshore defeated Schoolcraft in the final to win its invitational for the first time – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium

8. Boys Golf: Troy edged Rochester by 12 strokes to win the Oakland County Division 2 championship – Oakland Press

9. Softball: Muskegon Reeths-Puffer and Division 2 No. 5 Oakridge both won their fourth straight GMAA softball titles – Muskegon Chronicle

10. Track & Field: A total of 61 teams including a number of the best from multiple divisions participated at the Triangle Invitational at Saline – Athletic.net

Today in the MHSAA: 10/16/19

October 16, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

League cross country meets dominated action across the Lower Peninsula on Tuesday, and at least a pair of volleyball teams also clinched conference titles. But a major upset in boys soccer earned the most notable headline of the day, and of that sport’s postseason so far.

1. Boys Soccer: Unranked Coldwater earned the most notable win of District play to this point, upsetting No. 1 Richland Gull Lake 4-3 in Division 2 – Coldwater Daily Reporter

2. Cross Country: The Lower Peninsula Division 2 top-ranked Petoskey girls and LPD1 No. 14 Traverse City Central boys finished championship runs in the Big North Conference, Petoskey ahead of the LPD1 No. 3 Trojans – Petoskey News-Review

3. Boys soccer: No. 2 Troy Athens edged No. 9 Troy 1-0 in a Division 1 District game – Oakland Press

4. Cross Country: Hillsdale Academy swept wins at the Southern Central Athletic Association championship meet, the LPD4 honorable mention boys clinching the overall league title while the No. 4-ranked girls ended up second overall to No. 5 Adrian Lenawee Christian – Hillsdale Daily News

5. Volleyball: Unranked Montague clinched the West Michigan Conference regular-season championship with a sweep of Division 2 honorable mention Whitehall – Local Sports Journal

6. Boys Soccer: Unranked Birmingham Seaholm upset No. 14 Livonia Stevenson 1-0 in Division 1 District play – Observer & Eccentric

7. Volleyball: Division 3 honorable mention Harbor Beach claimed a share of the Greater Thumb Conference East title with a sweep of Sandusky – Huron Daily Tribune

8. Cross Country: The Bronson girls and LPD4 No. 7 Concord boys finished championship runs through the Big 8 Conference – Coldwater Daily Reporter

9. Cross Country: Reed City’s girls and Fremont’s LPD2 top-ranked boys completed championship runs in the Central State Activities Association Gold – Big Rapids News

10. Cross Country: The LPD3 No. 12 Reese and Sandusky girls and Capac and LPD4 No. 3 Unionville-Sebewaing boys won their races at the Greater Thumb Conference championship meet – Athletic.net

Also of note …

Cross Country: Clinton swept league championships in the Tri-County Conference – Adrian Daily Telegram

Cross County: Beal City completed a championship sweep in the Highland Conference – Cadillac News

Cross Country: Ludington’s girls and boys teams swept Lakes 8 Conference championship meet titles – Ludington Daily News