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: 5/29/18
May 29, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Each weekday of the school year, we break down the top headlines courtesy of Michigan’s sports media.
1. Track & Field: Clare’s girls and boys swept the Division 3 championships at the Michigan Interscholastic Track Coaches Association Meet – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun
2. Track & Field: Rockford also swept MITCA titles, winning the championships in Division 1 just ahead of East Kentwood for both boys and girls – MITCA
3. Track & Field: The Zeeland East girls and Zeeland West boys claimed MITCA team championships in Division 2 – Holland Sentinel Girls | Boys
4. Track & Field: The Addison boys and Pittsford girls claimed the Division 4 MITCA titles – Adrian Daily Telegram (Boys) | MITCA (Girls)
5. Track & Field: The Oak Park girls won their fifth straight Oakland County meet, and the boys won their fourth straight county title – Oakland Press
6. Girls Soccer: Spring Lake edged Division 3 No. 4 Grand Rapids Catholic Central 1-0 to claim the outright Ottawa-Kent Conference Blue championship – FOX 17
7. Baseball: Grosse Pointe South coach Dan Griesbaum won his 800 and 801st games during the Grosse Pointe Invitational, as his Division 1 No. 19 Blue Devils defeated Plymouth and Grosse Pointe North, respectively (and lost to No. 11 Northville) – Detroit News
8. Baseball: Coldwater edged Division 3 No. 6 Bronson 11-10 in the championship game of Bronson’s tournament – Coldwater Daily Reporter
9. Softball: Division 2 No. 10 Essexville Garber downed host and Division 4 top-ranked Coleman to also win a tournament championship – Midland Daily News
10. Softball: More of the state’s best got a final tune-up at the Sanford Meridian Invitational, with Division 1 No. 6 Howell downing honorable mention Bay City Western, Division 3 honorable mention Meridian and Midland – Livingston Daily Press & Argus
Also of note …
Girls Lacrosse: Longtime official Nancy Lapekas was celebrated last week after the last game of her 52-year career refereeing a number of sports – Grand Haven Tribune
Girls Basketball: Colleen Nagel will return to coach Grand Rapids Catholic Central after leading the Cougars to the 2010 Class B title before moving on to Ferris State – Grand Rapids Press