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: 4/25/16

April 25, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

An intriguing tournament format, track and field dominance by a statewide power and the return to baseball by one of our Upper Peninsula schools were among events gaining notable headlines over the weekend.

Baseball

L’Anse played its first high school baseball games in more than 50 years, splitting with Hancock – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

Boyne City ace Derek Willis no-hit Bath in helping his team to an East Jackson Dome Classic championship for the second straight season – Petoskey News

Unranked Clinton took a doubleheader from Division 3 No. 6 and reigning champion Jackson Lumen Christi, 11-9 and 8-5 – Adrian Daily Telegram

Division 3 top-ranked Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett split with Detroit Country Day on Saturday, winning the opener 3-0 before suffering its first loss, 6-0 – Detroit News

Jake Dabkowski followed teammate Sergio Diaz with Grand Rapids Union’s second straight no-hitter, this one in a 5-0 win over Comstock Park – Grand Rapids Press

Baseball/Softball

Leroy Pine River won the first Osceola County Royal Rumble, which combined results of the baseball and softball teams. The Bucks finished 4-0 – Cadillac News

Track & Field

Midland’s girls won the annual Swayze Relays, this time at Northwood University, by 14 points over Traverse City West, while West’s boys broke Midland’s winning streak in the accompanying Graves Relays – Midland Daily News

The two-time reigning Lower Peninsula Division 1 champion Oak Park girls just edged Lake Orion 94-90 to win the Oxford Invitational, while Oak Park’s boys dominated by more this time finishing 26 points ahead of Walled Lake Central – Oakland Press