Today in the MHSAA: 6/13/16

June 13, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Tawas and Clarkston Everest Collegiate won their first MHSAA titles in any sport Saturday, in boys golf, as teams in six sports claimed either Regional or Finals championships over the weekend.

Baseball

Holland Christian won its Division 2 Regional with a walk-off double by star pitcher Mike Mokma – Holland Sentinel

Detroit Country Day’s walk-off homer in the eighth inning pushed the Yellowjackets past reigning Division 2 champion Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 4-3 – Oakland Press

Scottville Mason County Central downed Carson City-Crystal 8-5 in Division 3 to win its first Regional title since 1998 – Muskegon Chronicle

Niles in Division 2 won its first Regional title since 1999 by downing Sturgis after beating top-ranked Coldwater in the day’s first game – Niles Daily Star

Rochester’s last late run pushed it past Adams in Division 1 and to its first Regional title since 1998 – Oakland Press

Boys Golf

Tawas and Clarkston Everest Collegiate won their first MHSAA Finals championships in any sport, while St. Johns won its first in boys golf and Detroit Catholic Central continued its reign in Division 1 – Second Half

Boys Lacrosse

Birmingham Brother Rice continued its 12-year hold on Division 1 and Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central returned to the top in Division 2 at Saturday’s Finals – Second Half

Girls Lacrosse

For the fourth and fifth straight seasons, respectively, Rockford and East Grand Rapids reigned again at Saturday’s Girls Lacrosse Finals – Second Half

Girls Soccer

Grosse Ile downed Williamston 1-0 in Division 3 to win its first Regional title in the sport – Macomb Daily

Softball

Reigning Division 4 champion Unionville-Sebewaing survived two more strong opponents to win its Regional with a 1-0 win over Brown City and then 3-0 win over Waterford Our Lady – Huron Daily Tribune

Reigning Division 3 champion Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central downed No. 8 Napoleon 9-1 and then No. 4 Clinton 7-1 to advance again – Monroe Evening News

Farmington Hills Mercy repeated as a Division 1 Regional champ and slugger Abby Krzywiecki knocked her 20th home run of the season – Detroit News

Shepherd in Division 3 won its first Regional title since 1997 beating No. 9 Reese in the championship game – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

Macomb Dakota downed two opponents in shutouts to win its first Regional title, in Division 1 – Macomb Daily

Today in the MHSAA: 1/20/16

January 20, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Buzzer beaters and milestone basketball victories made headlines all over Michigan today, and check out as well a moving video that tells of the importance of our national anthem.

Girls Basketball

Reigning Class C champion Calumet added another accomplishment to the long list with its first win over Houghton since 1999, 44-31 – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

Three Rivers’ sophomore Arionne Fowlkes went baseline to baseline for a last-second layup to give her team a 43-41 win over Niles – Niles Daily Star

Class A favorite Saginaw Heritage remained undefeated with a 53-38 win over rival Midland Dow, also ranked in Class A – Saginaw News

One-loss St. Ignace handed Newberry its first defeat of the season, 64-57 – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News

Cedar Springs also knocked a team from the unbeaten ranks, with Sam Taylor’s 3-pointer in the closing seconds ending Kent City’s perfect run, 50-47 – Grand Rapids Press

Muskegon edged East Kentwood 50-47 after trailing by 10 and on the strength of 26 points and 22 rebounds by senior Mardrekia Cook – Muskegon Chronicle

Boys Basketball

Despite being outscored 30-22 in the fourth quarter, Southfield Christian held on for an 82-79 win over Southfield – MLive-Detroit

Merrill earned its first win since 2013 by downing Coleman 49-36 – Midland Daily News

One-loss Alma handed previously-undefeated Ithaca its first, 56-53, as Dylan Carl hit 3-pointers to send the game to overtime and then win it – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

Muskegon Oakridge’s Brady Luttrull drilled a 3-pointer during the final seconds to push his team past Scottville Mason County Central 67-66 – Muskegon Chronicle

Cassopolis followed a strong third quarter by Deoin Gatson to hand Niles Brandywine its first loss, 61-47 – Niles Daily Leader

One-loss Clarkston also handed out a first loss Tuesday, to Rochester Adams, in a matchup of top Class A teams – Oakland Press

Caleb Brown’s only basket for Northport was the game winner during the final seconds of a 51-49 victory over Central Lake – Traverse City Record-Eagle

Nate Dugener’s sixth 3-pointer of the game gave Muskegon Western Michigan Christian a 52-49 win over Holland Christian – Grand Haven Tribune

Boys Swimming & Diving

In a matchup of top teams on the west side of the Lower Peninsula, Division 1 No. 6 Zeeland got past Division 2 honorable mention Holland 104-73 – Holland Sentinel

Worth Watching

We ran across and were moved by Virginia Tech’s honoring of veterans at the start of this men’s basketball season. Check out this meaningful presentation and how it relates to providing proper respect during The Star-Spangled Banner.