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: 9/27/19
October 1, 2019
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Thursday provided championship opportunities for a few teams looking to avenge past years’ defeats – and Muskegon Mona Shores girls golf, Spring Lake boys soccer and Ishpeming Westwood girls tennis took advantage to top today’s list.
1. Girls Golf: Mona Shores broke Reeths-Puffer’s three-year hold on the Greater Muskegon Athletic Association championship by shooting a 372 to edge runner-up Whitehall, which is ranked No. 10 in Lower Peninsula Division 3 – Local Sports Journal
2. Boys Soccer: Division 2 No. 12 Spring Lake got past two-time reigning Ottawa-Kent Conference Blue champion Grand Rapids Catholic Central 5-1 to clinch the league title – Grand Haven Tribune
3. Girls Tennis: Ishpeming Westwood swept singles and won two doubles flights to claim the Mid-Peninsula Conference tournament title ahead of runner-up and three-time reigning champ Negaunee – Marquette Mining Journal
4. Girls Swimming & Diving: Ann Arbor Pioneer continued to build on its top ranking in LPD1 with a 136-50 win over No. 10 Ann Arbor Huron – We Love Ann Arbor
5. Cross Country: Harbor Springs swept Class B/C titles (boys are ranked No. 12 in LPD3, and girls are an honorable mention), and the LPD4 No. 8 Petoskey St. Michael boys and Mackinaw City girls also won Mackinaw City Invitational titles – Petoskey News-Review
6. Boys Soccer: Division 4 No. 3 Muskegon Western Michigan Christian stayed unbeaten in Lakes 8 Conference play while handing a first league loss to Ludington, 1-0 – Local Sports Journal
7. Boys Soccer: Fremont and Newaygo played to a 1-1 draw in a matchup of teams that both finished without a loss in Central State Activities Association Gold play – Local Sports Journal
8. Boys Soccer: Traverse City West won the latest matchup with rival Central, 2-1 – Traverse City Record-Eagle
9. Volleyball: Onaway swept Gaylord St. Mary to remain perfect in Ski Valley Conference play – Alpena News
10. Volleyball: Petersburg Summerfield came back from a two-set deficit to get past Ottawa Lake Whiteford in five – Monroe Evening News