Today in the MHSAA: 8/22/16

August 22, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The kickoff of football season this week will mean fall sports are back in full force. But teams from all over the state, and especially on the volleyball court, jumped quickly into tough competition during the first weekend of the 2016-17 school year.

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.

Cross Country

Blissfield’s girls earned the Lenawee County Preview championship Saturday with a tie-breaker to just edge Tecumseh – Adrian Daily Telegram

Boys Soccer

Crosstown programs both led by new coaches faced off as Allen Park Cabrini downed Allen Park 3-0 – Southgate News-Herald

Boys Tennis

Traverse City St. Francis won all eight flights to claim the Paw Paw Rally Against Cancer Tournament, but the host Redskins won flight "No. 9" by raising the most money of participating teams for the American Cancer Society – Kalamazoo Gazette

Volleyball

Hancock’s win at the Kingsford Invitational ended a four-year run of titles by Upper Peninsula power Calumet – Iron Mountain Daily News

It’s hard to believe, but Macomb Dakota hadn’t won a tournament championship since 2013 before sweeping Sterling Heights Stevenson to win Friday’s MCVCA Kickoff – Macomb Daily

Niles enjoyed an incredible start to the season with championships on back-to-back days, first at the Gull Lake Invitational and then over reigning Class C champion Bronson at Bronson’s Invitational – Niles Daily Star

Buchanan finished 6-0 including beating reigning Class D champ Leland to win the Battle Creek St. Philip Invitational on Saturday – Niles Daily Star

For the third straight season, Petoskey opened with a win at the Sault Ste. Marie Invitational – Petoskey News

Today in the MHSAA: 9/16/16

September 16, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

A number of intriguing results came in from girls golf and volleyball Thursday, and make sure to check out a number of “Good Reads” to get you into another sports-filled weekend.  

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 Golf

Midland Dow’s Stephanie Carras continued a dominating season for the top-ranked team in Division 2, winning a playoff hole tiebreaker to earn the medalist honor at the Ann Arbor Pioneer Invitational – Midland Daily News

Second-year program Shepherd won its third straight Tri-Valley Conference West jamboree – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

Volleyball

Lake Orion won a matchup of honorable mention teams in the Class A rankings, sweeping Rochester Hills Stoney Creek – Oakland Press

Houghton took down Calumet in four sets to take an upper hand among top teams at the top of the Upper Peninsula – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

Less than a week after falling to DeTour in the final at its home invitational, Pickford downed DeTour in three sets in league play – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News

Good Reads

Longtime Brighton swim coach Tim McInnis died suddenly Tuesday, leaving behind a community where his influence has been felt for decades – Livingston Post

MLive tells the story of the football rivalry between Utica Eisenhower and Sterling Heights Stevenson through the eyes of their former longtime coaches – MLive-Detroit

Two days before his father and former Farmington hockey coach Bill Newton died after a fight with cancer, Chris Newton – his dad’s former assistant the a former goalie on the team – received a lung transplant that is providing him new opportunities – Observer & Eccentric

Katherine Ristola’s older brother Jonathan never got to play varsity football because of injuries his junior and senior years. But she’s taken the opportunity to play in part with him in mind and become a big part of the Livonia Churchill football family – Detroit Free Press

Vanessa Romero has played football for 10 years, and after starting at the subvarsity level is contributing on the offensive line for Westland John Glenn’s varsity – Detroit News