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: 2/9/18

February 9, 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.

Today's Top 10 

1. Cheer: Division 2 No. 2 Gibraltar Carlson won its fifth straight Downriver League championship, edging reigning Division 2 champion and top-ranked Allen Park by two tenths of a point – Southgate News Herald

2. Wrestling: Allen Park won its first District championship in wrestling since 2003, downing Riverview in the title match – Southgate News Herald

3. Wrestling: Mancelona claimed its first wrestling District title since 2003 with wins over Traverse City St. Francis and Frankfort in Division 4 – Traverse City Record-Eagle

4. Boys Basketball: North Muskegon claimed a share of its first league title since 2003 with a 48-41 win over Whitehall in the West Michigan Conference – Muskegon Chronicle

5. Girls Bowling: Tecumseh clinched a 12th straight Southeastern Conference championship with a win over Ypsilanti – Adrian Daily Telegram

6. Cheer: Division 3 No. 2 Richmond won the Blue Water Area Conference for the 13th straight season, while Port Huron won the Macomb Area Conference Gold title – Port Huron Times Herald

7. Wrestling: St. Louis won its third straight Division 4 District title, downing Blanchard Montabella – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

8. Wrestling: No. 3 Warren Woods Tower won its third straight District title, downing Warren Lincoln in a Final in Division 2 – C&G Newspapers

9. Girls Basketball: Fruitport Calvary Christian finished a sixth straight Alliance League title with a win over Wyoming Tri-unity Christian – Local Sports Journal

10. Wrestling: Cass City repeated as a Division 4 District champion, defeating Bad Axe and Ubly – Huron Daily Tribune

Also of note …

Wrestling: Memphis got past New Haven in a championship match to win a Division 4 District title – Macomb Daily

Boys Skiing: Brighton clinched the outright Mt. Brighton High School Ski Association championship by winning the league meet – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

Girls Basketball: Harbor Springs Harbor Light Christian clinched its second straight Northern Lakes Conference title with a 47-30 win over Ellsworth – Petoskey News-Review

Wrestling: After tie-breaking criteria was needed to decide a winner in their December match, Iron Mountain won a bit more comfortably 39-24 over Kingsford to claim a Division 3 District title – Iron Mountain Daily News

Girls Basketball: Gaylord St. Mary captured a share of the Ski Valley Conference title with a big win against Indian River Inland Lakes – Gaylord Herald-Times

Wrestling: Bronson downed Reading and Camden-Frontier to win a Division 4 District title – Coldwater Daily Reporter

Wrestling: Coloma repeated as a Division 3 District champ with a final match win over South Haven – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium

Wrestling: Auburn Hills Avondale downed Orchard Lake St. Mary’s to claim a Division 2 District title – Oakland Press

Wrestling: No. 7 Leroy Line River downed Manton and Fife Lake Forest Area to win a Division 4 District title – Cadillac News

Wrestling: No. 9 Addison and No. 2 Clinton earned Division 4 District titles – Adrian Daily Telegram

Wrestling: No. 3 Mendon also claimed a Division 4 District championship – Sturgis Journal

Wrestling: Mattawan downed Three Rivers in the championship match of their Division 2 District – Three Rivers News

Wrestling: Three Oaks River Valley and Bloomingdale also clinched Division 4 District titles – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium