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: 10/15/15
October 15, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Championship are won on a seemingly daily basis in October, and plenty were earned and celebrated Wednesday – but please also check out some great reads at the bottom of this list, including a look at why specialization is increasing as a nationwide concern.
Cross Country
The Saugatuck girls, ranked No. 2 in Lower Peninsula Division 4, won their ninth straight Southwestern Athletic Conference title with 12 runners earning all-league honors – Grand Rapids Press
Boys Soccer
LP Division 2 No. 5 East Lansing capped an impressive run through the Capital Area Activities Conference Gold Cup by winning the final 3-1 over Grand Ledge – Lansing State Journal
LP Division 1 No. 15 East Kentwood secured its 12th Ottawa-Kent Conference Red title in 13 seasons with a 1-0 win over Grandville, helped in part by a pair of players whose ties the program go back to the early years of the run – Grand Rapids Press
LP Division 1 No. 7 Utica Ford shut out No. 14 Fraser to clinch the Macomb Area Conference Red championship – Macomb Daily
Unranked Birmingham Brother Rice stunned LP Division 1 No. 3 Detroit Catholic Central 2-1 in the championship game of the Detroit Catholic League A-B tournament – Oakland Press
LP Division 4 No. 11 Charlevoix clinched a share of the Lake Michigan Conference title with a 3-0 win over Grayling, thanks to a hat trick by Walker Drost – Charlevoix Courier
Saginaw Heritage scored the first goal Flint Powers Catholic had given up since Sept. 12, but the Chargers emerged with a 2-1 win and the overall Saginaw Valley League championship – Flint Journal
Volleyball
Lansing Catholic won the first volleyball league championship in its long history, beating Fowlerville in three sets to claim a share of the CAAC White title – Lansing State Journal
Good Reads
Single-sport specialization has become a topic of national focus and concern, and MHSAA Executive Director Jack Roberts was among association directors talked to for this report on why it’s a health-related issue and how states are working to promote multi-sport participation instead – NFHS.org
Vandercook Lake is enjoying its best football season in 45 years and plays for a league title this weekend, and is led by a three-sport athlete who has been on a long road back after Crohn’s disease led to his shedding 90 pounds only two years ago – Jackson Citizen-Patriot
The Christmas tree standing tall in front of the Capitol in Lansing this winter will come from Wakefield thanks to a donation by Florence Daniels in honor of her husband Jim, who coached Wakefield High's boys basketball team to 355 wins, 12 district the five regional titles in 28 seasons. He also was a member of Channing High’s Upper Peninsula championship team in 1944 and coached Al Inkala, who went on to become an MHSAA championship-winning girls tennis coach at Okemos – Lansing State Journal