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: 3/6/19

March 6, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The final four hockey contenders in Division 2 earned the opportunity with Quarterfinal wins Tuesday, while Boys Basketball Regional Semifinals saw the elimination of four teams that entered the evening unbeaten this winter.

1. Hockey: No. 2 Trenton edged No. 3 Livonia Stevenson 3-2 in a Division 2 Quarterfinal to earn a return to USA Hockey Arena – Southgate News-Herald

2. Boys Basketball: Emoni Bates drilled a 3-pointer during the closing seconds to carry Ypsilanti Lincoln past Ann Arbor Skyline 58-55 in a Division 1 Regional Semifinal – Ann Arbor News

3. Boys Basketball: DeWitt handed the first and only loss this season to Mattawan in a 51-38 Division 1 win – Lansing State Journal

4. Boys Basketball: Benton Harbor got past previously-undefeated Otsego 63-59 in Division 2 – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium

5. Hockey: No. 4 Birmingham Brother Rice held off Port Huron Northern 6-5 to also advance in Division 2 – Oakland Press

6. Hockey: No. 9 Marquette earned a spot in the Division 2 Semifinals with a 4-1 win over Petoskey – MI Sports Now

7. Hockey: Top-ranked Hartland got past No. 12 Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern/Eastern 6-0 to move on in Division 2 – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

8. Boys Basketball: East Kentwood avenged an early-season loss with a 68-62 win over Muskegon in Division 1 – FOX 17

9. Boys Basketball: Alma had another of the night’s stunners, handing Bridgeport its first loss 64-56, in Division 2 – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

10. Boys Basketball: Pellston handed Brimley its first and only loss of the season, 75-60 in Division 4 – Petoskey News-Review

Also of note …

Boys Basketball: Dylan Jergens scored 27 points to set the MHSAA single-season record of 971, but his Marcellus Howardsville Christian team fell to Wyoming Tri-unity Christian 68-56 in Division 4 – Kalamazoo Gazette

Boys Basketball: Pittsford upended Athens 48-42 in Division 4 to set a program record for wins in improving to 21-2 – Hillsdale Daily News