Today in the MHSAA: 5/9/17

May 9, 2017

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

We have a spring league champion (two, actually), as Remus Chippewa Hills continued its dominance in both girls and boys track & field while a number of others continued to advance on successful seasons Monday.

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

Division 2 No. 11 Fowlerville moved to 18-1-2 on Nate Leonard’s 4-0 no-hitter of Williamston, followed by an 8-5 win in the second game – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

Gladstone and Division 4 No. 10 Norway split Monday in a matchup of Upper Peninsula powers – Escanaba Daily Press

Division 1 top-ranked Saline moved to 21-1 on an 11th-inning home run by Cole Daniels that pushed it ahead of No. 8 Temperance Bedford 4-2 – Saline Post

Tyler Moses threw a five-inning perfect game for Lake Orion in its opener against Oxford, but Oxford came back to win the second game – Oakland Press

Boys Golf

Saginaw Heritage bested the field by 10 strokes, shooting a 326 to win the Saginaw County Tournament – Saginaw News

Gaylord, No. 10 in Lower Peninsula Division 2, finished 19 strokes ahead of the rest to win an eight-team event at Bayview Country Club – Gaylord Herald Times

Girls Soccer

Holland Christian avenged an earlier 5-0 loss to Division 3 No. 2 Hudsonville Unity Christian with a 0-0 tie – Holland Sentinel

From Saturday, Division 1 No. 5 Brighton improved to 9-1-2 with a 4-1 win over No. 16 Okemos – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

Girls Tennis

Parma Western improved to 8-0-1 with a sweep of neighbor Jackson Northwest – Jackson Citizen-Patriot

Track & Field

Remus Chippewa Hills swept the Central State Activities Association championships, the girls winning their 16th straight league title and the boys their first since 2013; the girls team is ranked No. 8 in Lower Peninsula Division 2Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

Linked Up: 11/22/11

December 20, 2011

Thanksgiving week means a short one for most -- and more time for family, shopping, relaxation, watching the MHSAA Football Finals and hopefully a little additional reading.

Here are some suggestions from the last week and as we get ready to leave the fall and jump into the winter sports season.

Remember, if you find something high school sports-related that you think others would find useful or inspiring, send me a link at [email protected] and I'll check it out.

Okemos girl's cancer battle inspires Spartans (Lansing State Journal)\

We believe high school sports are about community. While not high school-related, this is a story about community and its power to do great things. Joe Rexrode tells us about 11-year-old Paige Duren and her battle against brain cancer – with the support of her community including big assists from the Michigan State football and basketball teams. She’s a two-sport athlete herself – playing soccer and basketball – and an inspiration to those who’ve come to know her. Rexrode makes it easy to understand why.

Sister act: Shaw, Halberg share much in common, despite more than 2,000 miles between them (Petoskey News)

That the Grunch sisters are excellent volleyball coaches isn’t a coincidence, Charlevoix people surely would say. But it’s a neat one that Liz (Grunch) Shaw and Christine (Grunch) Halberg both led their teams to their best finishes since 1989 (Halberg) or ever (Shaw). Shaw coaches their alma mater, while Halberg coaches 2,300 miles away in Washington. Steve Foley fills us in on how this worked out.

Avenall the right choice to lead Clarkston into volleyball history (NorthOaklandSports.com)

Clarkston coach Kelly Avenal was part of some great teams as a player, but until this past weekend Clarkston had never reached an MHSAA Finals weekend. Dan Stickradt tells us how she’s taken the program to the elite level while also giving a brief history lesson on how it got rolling toward that trip to Battle Creek.

Natural fit: Superior Dome was easy choice for 8-man final according to MHSAA (Marquette Mining Journal)

A few of us spent Friday night at Northern Michigan University’s Superior Dome, and count me among those who will look forward to making a return trip. Here’s some of the story behind the MHSAA’s selection of the Superior Dome as home of the inaugural 8-Player Football Final, as well as Semifinals most years.

Lowell's Noel Dean to Receive 2011 Power of Influence Award (AFCA.com)

The Red Arrows are headed back to Ford Field on Friday for the Division 2 Final, but Dean also will be scheduling a January trip to San Antonio, Texas, to receive this prestigious award from the American Football Coaches Association and American Football Coaches Foundation. Dean started his head coaching career at Bendle in 1991 before heading to Lowell in 1996. He's led teams to three MHSAA championships, and also the fundraising of $425,000 for cancer support through the "Pink Arrow Project."