Today in the MHSAA: 6/5/17

June 5, 2017

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

What a weekend – 30,000 Michigan high school athletes took part in championships across eight sports, with Saturday’s Track & Field and Girls Tennis again leading the busiest day of the sports school year. 

Second Half covered all 18 Finals events, and links are included to those as well as to coverage of a number of Districts in baseball, softball and girls soccer.

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

No. 17 Grand Ledge lost a teammate to a car crash at the start of last fall, and won Saturday’s Division 1 District title with him in mind – Lansing State Journal

Algonac claimed its first District title since 2011 with a 4-1 win over No. 10 St. Clair and 6-4 victory over reigning District champ Marysville, in Division 1 – Port Huron Times Herald

Plymouth got past No. 6 Canton in eight innings, 7-6, for a Division 1 District title win – Observer & Eccentric

No. 2 Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett emerged from a loaded Division 1 District that included No. 13 Grosse Pointe North and Grosse Pointe South – Detroit News

No. 5 Centerville won its fourth straight District title, downing Marcellus in a Division 4 championship game – Sturgis Journal

No. 7 Midland downed No. 19 Mount Pleasant 3-2 and then beat Bay City Central 5-3 to claim its first Division 1 District title since 2011 – Midland Daily News

Girls Soccer

A Division 1 District Final rematch saw No. 2 Brighton advance again, this time 4-0 over Hartland – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

Troy took No. 9 Bloomfield Hills to a shootout and emerged as a Division 1 champion with a 2-1 victory – C&G Newspapers

In Division 2, Allen Park downed Dearborn Divine Child 2-1 to clinch its first District title in the sport – Southgate News Herald

No. 19 New Baltimore Anchor Bay tied its school wins record of 17 with a 4-0 Division 1 District title win over Clinton Township Chippewa Valley – Macomb Daily

St. Clair Shores Lake Shore also won its first District title in this sport, defeating Roseville in Division 1 – Macomb Daily

Cadillac claimed its first District title in girls soccer, downing Mount Pleasant 1-0 in Division 2 to move to 19-1-1 this season – Cadillac News

Softball

Top-ranked Macomb Dakota trailed No. 9 Utica Ford by a run with one out left in their Division 1 District Final, but knocked in two runs to win 5-4 – C&G Newspapers

Jenny Bressler struck out 17 to lead No. 3 Plymouth past honorable mention Canton 2-0 in a Division 1 District Final – Observer & Eccentric

No. 4 Rogers City claimed its sixth straight District crown, downing No. 10 Hillman 7-1 in a Division 4 championship game – Alpena News

No. 8 Ottawa Lake Whiteford got past honorable mention Morenci 3-2 in eight innings for a Division 4 District title – Adrian Daily Telegram

Girls Tennis

The four Lower Peninsula Finals were packed with excitement, led by a near-perfect score by Detroit Country Day in Division 3 and a tie for the Division 1 title between powerhouses Midland Dow and Northville. East Grand Rapids in Division 2 and Ann Arbor Greenhills in Division 4 also were victorious – Second Half

Track & Field

A dramatic run to the Lower Peninsula Division 1 girls title by Ann Arbor Pioneer and Southfield Christian’s first championship in the sport were among highlights of many Saturday. Lansing Waverly, Adrian Madison, Marquette, St. Ignace and Lake Linden-Hubbell also won MHSAA girls track & field titles – Second Half

Final dominating performances from stars like East Kentwood’s Khance Meyers and Corunna’s Noah Jacobs were among storylines from the seven boys Finals, which saw Meyers’ Falcons, Zeeland East, Chesaning, Whittemore-Prescott, Marquette, Newberry and Rapid River claim the team titles – Second Half

Today in the MHSAA: 5/22/17

May 22, 2017

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

This past weekend belonged mostly to Track & Field Regionals, with some familiar faces – Oak Park and Saugatuck among them – shining brightest again.

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

Mattawan, coached by Joe Clifford, downed younger brother Phil Clifford and Jackson Lumen Christi to win the Al Glick Classic – Jackson Citizen Patriot

Essexville Garber equaled its most wins since 2006 in claiming its invitational title, and after opening with a 10-run victory over Division 4 No. 9 Saginaw Nouvel – Bay City Times

Howell swept Division 1 No. 5 Birmingham Brother Rice 8-0 and 4-2 – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

Boys Lacrosse

Vi Lobo set Midland’s career scoring record with three goals in a 17-1 Division 1 Regional win over Holly/Ortonville Brandon – Midland Daily News

Softball

Ishpeming Westwood won the Mid-Peninsula Conference tournament for the first time, downing Norway in the final – Marquette Mining Journal

Girls Tennis

Bay City All Saints and Frankenmuth shared a Lower Peninsula Division 4 Regional title after an All Saints win in the final match – Bay City Times

St. Joseph won an LP Division 2 Regional title by two points over three runners-up – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium

Track & Field

Oak Park’s girls and boys – both reigning MHSAA Finals champions – dominated in sweeping LP Division 1 Regional titles – Oakland Press

Saugatuck’s boys and girls teams won their fifth straight Regional titles, this time in LP Division 3; the girls are ranked No. 1 and the boys No. 3 – Grand Rapids Press

Led by a star freshman, Lansing Waverly’s girls won their first Regional title after winning their first MHSAA Finals title last season – Lansing State Journal

Battle Creek St. Phillip’s boys won their first Regional title since 1982 after entering the meet ranked No. 3 in LP Division 4 – Battle Creek Enquirer

Bessemer’s boys won their fifth straight Regional title, while Lake Linden-Hubbell’s girls also dominated at Wakefield-Marenisco – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

The Houghton boys and Negaunee girls won Regional titles at Ishpeming – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

Salem’s No. 4-ranked boys won their LP Division 1 Regional by 36 points – Observer & Eccentric

Livonia Churchill’s girls repeated as LP Division 1 Regional champions by edging No. 3 Plymouth – Observer & Eccentric

Zeeland East swept LP Division 2 Regional titles; the girls are ranked No. 3 and the boys No. 4 – Holland Sentinel

No. 3 Pittsford edged No. 4 Hillsdale Academy by 3.5 points to win their LP Division 4 Regional – Hillsdale Daily News

Coldwater’s No. 5-ranked boys remained undefeated on the season with an LP Division 2 Regional title – Coldwater Daily Reporter

Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart’s girls won their first Regional title "in decades," finishing 46 points better than the LP Division 4 field – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

Shepherd’s No. 6 girls finished 46 points better than reigning LP Division 3 champion Ithaca to claim a Regional title – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

Niles’ boys won their second Regional title in three seasons in LP Division 2 – Niles Daily Star