Today in the MHSAA: 6/9/17
June 9, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Half of this season’s MHSAA girls soccer semifinalists were determined in Regional Finals on Thursday, with a first-time title for one school and some last-second heroics for a few more champs.
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.
Girls Soccer
Trailing by two early, No. 4 Grand Blanc came back with five goals to beat No. 13 Walled Lake Northern 5-2 in a Division 1 Regional Final – Flint Journal
Natalie Belsito scored her Division 2 Regional Final’s only goal with 23 seconds to play to push No. 2 Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern past No. 15 Spring Lake 1-0 – Grand Rapids Press
No. 16 Muskegon Catholic Central won its first girls soccer Regional title, downing No. 7 Elk Rapids 2-1 in Division 4 – Muskegon Chronicle
Haley Balkema scored both goals as No. 8 Kalamazoo Christian downed Holland Black River 2-0 in Division 4 Regional Final – Kalamazoo Gazette
No. 10 Utica Ford will play in its second MHSAA Semifinal in four seasons thanks to a 2-1 Division 1 win over No. 19 New Baltimore Anchor Bay – C&G Newspapers
Holland Christian got past No. 13 Marshall 2-1 with a shootout to advance in Division 2 – Holland Sentinel
No. 2 Hudsonville Unity Christian will return to the season’s final week after a 3-0 win over No. 12 Grand Rapids Catholic Central in Division 2 – Grand Rapids Press
No. 11 Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett also advanced in Division 4, with a 5-0 win over Marlette.
Today in the MHSAA: 1/15/16
January 15, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Thursday provided a substantial appetizer for another big weekend with key basketball games, noteworthy swimming and diving finishes and a milestone wrestling victory.
Boys Basketball
Clarkston earned a key Oakland Activities Association Red edge with a win over similarly state-ranked North Farmington, 60-47 – Oakland Press
Frankfort earned a similarly important win in Northwest Conference play, winning a matchup of Class D ranked teams 65-55 over Buckley – Traverse City Record-Eagle
For the second straight day, a basketball team made an incredible comeback; this time, it was East Jackson building off a 21-2 deficit at the end of the first quarter to beat Napoleon 42-39 – Jackson Citizen-Patriot
Olivet junior Delbert Redfield made nine of 11 3-point tries and scored 33 points total to lead the Eagles to a 73-55 win over Lansing Christian – MLive Lansing
Girls Basketball
Warren Cousino handed Grosse Pointe North the latter’s first loss this season, 64-58, to move to 9-1 overall – Macomb Daily
Boys Swimming & Diving
Lower Peninsula Division 3 honorable mention Spring Lake downed No. 4 Hamilton, No. 5 Grand Rapids Christian and Division 2 honorable mention Holland in its best meet of a strong run so far – Grand Haven Tribune
Wrestling
Leslie defeated Olivet (and also lost to Lake Odessa Lakewood) on Thursday, giving Blackhawks coach Todd Stern his 400th career win since taking over as head coach in 1987 – Jackson Citizen-Patriot
Good Reads
Battle of the Fans V kicks off tonight with our first visit to Yale, a finalist as well in 2015 – Port Huron Times-Herald
Grand Haven’s basketball teams will return to their former gym now part of Lakeshore Middle School – Pirates Pit – on Feb. 6 and for the first time since 2007 as the high school gym will be used for the league wrestling meet – Grand Haven Tribune
Vanderbilt’s boys basketball team has one win this season, but it was the first in nearly two years and a testament to the rebuilding of the program under first-year coach Darren Conn and assistant Amie Byelich – Petoskey News