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: 2/6/19
February 6, 2019
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
We can sense tournament time is coming on quickly after a Tuesday night filled with championship-caliber matchups, upsets and last-second game-winners.
1. Girls Basketball: Southfield Arts & Technology took over first place alone in the Oakland Activities Association Red with a 60-47 win over previously-undefeated Royal Oak – State Champs!
2. Girls Basketball: Rachel Elms connected on a 3-pointer during the final seconds to lead Holland West Ottawa past previously-undefeated Grand Haven 41-39 – Holland Sentinel
3. Boys Basketball: Clarkston clinched a share of the OAA Red title with a 47-31 win over North Farmington – Oakland Press
4. Boys Basketball: Beal City downed Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart in overtime, but the Irish’s Colten Nelson set his school’s career scoring record now at 1,204 points – Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart
5. Boys Basketball: Mattawan won a matchup of division leaders 48-47 in overtime over Kalamazoo Central – WWMT
6. Hockey: In a matchup of first-place teams in the Northern Michigan Hockey League, Division 1 No. 11 Traverse City Bay Reps moved to the top of the standings with a 3-2 win over Petoskey – MI Sports Now
7. Boys Basketball: Connor Murphy’s halfcourt buzzer beater carried McBain past Manton 45-42, putting McBain in first alone in the Highland Conference – Traverse City Record-Eagle
8. Hockey: South Lyon downed Division 2 No. 11 White Lake Lakeland 4-3 in a key Lakes Valley Conference matchup – Oakland Press
9. Boys Basketball: Brock Mullins’ last-second basket pushed second-place Flat Rock past Huron League leader Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central 50-48 – Monroe News
10. Boys Swimming & Diving: Ann Arbor Pioneer, No. 2 in Lower Peninsula Division 1, had the winner in every event on the way to downing LPD2 No. 10 Temperance Bedford – We Love Ann Arbor
Also of note …
Boys Swimming & Diving: East Kentwood coach Jock Ambrose announced his retirement after nearly four decades – WOOD TV
Wrestling: In its first season in the league, Caro locked up the Greater Thumb Conference tournament title – Huron Daily Tribune