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: 4/29/19

April 29, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Power-packed matchups in golf and tennis highlighted action from the final weekend of April, with close finishes separating champions from the rest at three events topping today’s list.

1. Boys Golf: Rockford – No. 3 in Lower Peninsula Division 1 – shot a 302 to edge Division 2 top-ranked Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern by two strokes and win the Bedford Valley Open – Midland Daily News

2. Girls Tennis: LPD1 No. 7 Midland Dow edged No. 4 Northville by two points to win the eight-team Ann Arbor Huron Invitational – Midland Daily News

3. Boys Golf: LPD2 No. 2 East Grand Rapids repeated as Traverse City Tee-Off champion, shooting a two-day 680 to edge Brighton by a stroke – Traverse City Record-Eagle

4. Softball: Division 1 No. 3 Bay City Western and Division 3 No. 3 Sanford Meridian split a pair of one-run games – Midland Daily News

5. Track & Field: Battle Creek Lakeview swept the All-City meet championships – Battle Creek Enquirer

6. Girls Lacrosse: Elena Salazar had seven goals and an assist to lead Hartland past Brighton 16-8; the teams were ranked Nos. 3 and 4, respectively, entering the week – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

7. Girls soccer: No. 6 Midland tied No. 10 Rochester Adams 0-0 in a matchup of ranked teams in Division 1 – Midland Daily News

8. Track & Field: Olivet swept the Union City Invitational championships, the Division 2 top-ranked boys by just 26 points ahead of Marshall – Coldwater Daily Reporter

9. Baseball: Division 2 No. 17 Detroit Country Day swept Division 1 No. 19 Bay City Western, with Aaron Dolney throwing a no-hitter in the opener – Midland Daily News

10. Softball: Division 3 No. 10 Gladstone improved to 13-1 with Traverse City St. Francis Invitational wins over Charlevoix, Kalkaska and Oscoda – Escanaba Daily Press