Today in the MHSAA: 6/9/16

June 9, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The Girls and Boys Lacrosse Semifinals gave us our championship contenders for Saturday's games, and they were joined as well Wednesday by key soccer wins and a pair of baseball milestones.

Boys Lacrosse

Birmingham Brother Rice will play for its 12th straight Division 1 championship after downing Detroit U-D Jesuit 17-4 in a Semifinal – Oakland Press

Detroit Catholic Central held Detroit County Day scoreless during the second half to advance in Division 1 with a 13-5 Semifinal win – Oakland Press

East Grand Rapids downed Okemos 16-15 in double overtime to get back to the Division 2 Final – Grand Rapids Press

After falling to Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood in the postseason the last three years, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central earned a championship game berth with a 17-7 win over the Cranes – Grand Rapids Press

Girls Lacrosse

Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood started on a 7-0 run in downing Farmington Hills Mercy 22-4 in a Division 2 Semifinal – Oakland Press

Four-time reigning Division 2 champion East Grand Rapids will play for a fifth straight title after downing Okemos 14-7 in a Semifinal – Grand Rapids Press

Three-time reigning Division 1 champion Rockford earned another trip to the Finals with a 23-7 win over Hartland – Livingston Daily

Birmingham United advanced to its first MHSAA lacrosse championship game since 2012 with a 16-4 win over Ann Arbor Pioneer in Division 1.

Girls soccer

The closest of four Regional games across the state came in Division 4, where Montrose got past Harbor Springs 2-0 – Petoskey News

Baseball

Shepherd baseball coach Jack Nartker retired after 27 seasons and a final 5-4 win over Beal City; his record is 647-288-7 – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

Grand Ledge avenged a District loss to Holt with a comeback win to claim the Capital Area Diamond Classic championship 7-3 and finish 31-4 – Lansing State Journal

Today in the MHSAA: 8/24/17

August 24, 2017

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Each weekday of the school year, we break down the top headlines courtesy of Michigan’s sports media.

Today's Top 10

1. Volleyball: Mendon repeated as St. Joseph County Tournament champion, downing Three Rivers in two sets in the title match to move to 10-0-1 this season – JoeInsider.com

2. Boys Cross Country: Concord made another strong early-season move to the front of the pack with a Pittsford Early Bird Invitational win – Hillsdale Daily News

3. Girls Tennis: Escanaba took the top two singles flights, but Iron River West Iron County took the rest in an early-season dual win – Iron Mountain Daily News

4. Cross Country: The Berrien Springs boys and Bridgman girls won championships at the Bridgman Invitational – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium

5. Boys Soccer: Petoskey moved to 2-1 against a loaded schedule to start this season, downing Elk Rapids 2-1 – Petoskey News-Review

6. Volleyball: Saline emerged 2-1 from a quad featuring some of the southeast’s most intriguing teams – also Monroe, Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central and Dexter – Saline Post

7. Football: Like some other communities have experienced in moving from 11-player to 8-player football, Bay City All Saints has worked through a little bit of misunderstanding while making the switch this season – but the program is relishing the new opportunity – Bay City Times

8. Boys Soccer: Adding a little Throwback Thursday into the mix, Muskegon Western Michigan Christian is celebrating its 50th year of playing the sport – Muskegon Chronicle

9. Football: There are 616 football teams suiting up in Michigan this fall – the same as the last two seasons – including two that didn’t field teams last year, Suttons Bay and Benzie Central – Traverse City Record-Eagle

10. Volleyball: Grand Haven again will host its outdoor “Battle on the Boardwalk” on Friday, with Spring Lake, Fruitport and Muskegon Mona Shores also in the field – Grand Haven Tribune

Also of note:

Boys Soccer: From Tuesday, Brighton’s 18-game regular-season unbeaten streak was ended by Jackson as the Vikings won 2-1 – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

Boys Cross Country: From Tuesday, Niles' Devin Tomlinson won his second invitational this fall, taking the Three Rivers Big Hill race in 17:51 – Niles Daily Star

Girls Cross Country: Also from Tuesday, Remus Chippewa Hills finished ahead of a strong field to claim the Big School championship at its Early Season Warrior Invitational – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun