Today in the MHSAA: 8/24/15
August 24, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
All MHSAA fall sports but football kicked off competition last week, with cross country, boys soccer, girls swimming and diving and volleyball starting Saturday.
Below are some notable headlines from the first weekend of this season, plus links to coverage.
Cross Country
St. Johns hosted its second “Under the Lights” meets Friday; Ithaca’s girls and Saugatuck’s boys bested fields loaded with much larger opponents – Lansing State Journal
The St. Joseph girls and Bridgman boys won championships at the Niles Stampede – the St. Joseph girls, who finished fourth in Lower Peninsula Division 2 last season, by a large margin – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium
Girls Golf
Maple City Glen Lake’s Nichole Cox, last season’s LP Division 4 individual champion, came back to defeat Brighton freshman Annie Pietila at the two-day Lober Invitational at Grand Traverse Resort – Traverse City Record-Eagle
Boys Soccer
Two of the state’s powers met in the championship game of the Detroit Country Day Tournament on Saturday – with 2013 Division 1 runner-up Bloomfield Hills downing the host Yellowjackets 1-0 in a shootout – Oakland Press
Girls Swimming & Diving
Howell won its Kenzie Klassic, which honors swimmer Mackenize Watts, who died in 2005 at age 15. The school also raised enough money to award three scholarships and begin funding cardiac-related causes – Livingston Daily
Volleyball
Novi won the Lakeshore Classic by coming back after losing the first two games to beat Grand Haven 3-2 in a rematch of a 2014 Class A Semifinal – Muskegon Chronicle
Battle Creek Harper Creek, for the first time, won the gold championship at the long-running Carrie Adams Memorial Tournament hosted by reigning Class D champion Battle Creek St. Philip – Battle Creek Enquirer
Good Read
Mike Steele, a Midland Dow grad and now pitching coach at Long Beach State in California, argues that parents need to raise their athletes to compete instead of providing specific training in one sport – Midland Daily News
Today in the MHSAA: 10/7/19
October 7, 2019
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Many of the state’s top cross country teams continued prepping for the postseason this weekend at the Portage Invitational and county championship runs in the Detroit area, while Lower Peninsula girls golf and boys tennis teams finished up regular-season play with MHSAA Tournaments beginning for both this week.
1. Cross Country: The Ann Arbor Pioneer (LPD1 No. 1), Petoskey (LPD2 No. 2), Hart (LPD3 No. 1) and Kalamazoo Christian (LPD4 No. 3) girls and Brighton (LPD1 No. 1), Fremont (LPD2 No. 2), Hanover-Horton (LPD3 No. 1) and Breckenridge (LPD4 No. 1) boys won championships at the prestigious Portage Invitational against fields loaded with many of the state’s best – Athletic.net
2. Boys Tennis: Traverse City West won five flights to claim the Big North Conference Tournament and first overall league title since 2006 – Traverse City Record-Eagle
3. Girls Swimming & Diving: LPD2 No. 2 Farmington Hills Mercy finished 175 points ahead of the field to earn the Oakland County championship – Oakland Press
4. Cross Country: Troy’s LPD1 No. 11 girls and Clarkston’s LPD1 No. 5 boys won Oakland County championships – Oakland Press Girls | Boys
5. Boys Tennis: LPD3 No. 1 Ann Arbor Greenhills claimed the Detroit Catholic League Tournament title – Oakland Press
6. Boys Tennis: Oxford won its first league title in this sport, claiming the Oakland Activities Association Blue Tournament – Oakland Press
7. Boys Tennis/Girls Golf: Byron Center swept Ottawa-Kent Conference Green Tournament championships in these sports, the LPD2 No. 10 tennis team just ahead of Holland Christian and golf ahead of runner-up Zeeland West – Holland Sentinel
8. Volleyball: Division 3 No. 6 Muskegon Western Michigan Christian swept No. 4 Bronson to win the annual Polish Classic championship – Coldwater Daily Reporter
9. Girls Swimming & Diving: Macomb Dakota claimed the Macomb County meet title – Macomb Daily
10. Cross Country: The LPD1 No. 9 Plymouth, Grosse Ile and Allen Park Cabrini girls and LPD1 No. 13 Plymouth, LPD2 No. 6 Dearborn Divine Child and Cabrini boys won Wayne County championships – Southgate News-Herald Girls | Boys
Also of note …
Boys Soccer: Big Rapids Crossroads went 1-0-1 to win the West Michigan D League Tournament – Big Rapids News