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: 9/7/17
September 7, 2017
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. Football: Farmington Hills Harrison will rename its stadium entrance for longtime leader John Herrington, who is closing in on the state’s coaching wins record for football – Observer & Eccentric
2. Soccer: The Battle Creek Enquirer looks at ways its local schools are working to decrease head injuries in soccer, where concussions aren’t nearly as publicized as in football – Battle Creek Enquirer
3. Volleyball: Rudyard continued to build its case as the No. 10 team in Class D with sweeps of Pickford and St. Ignace to improve to 6-1-2 – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News
4. Boys Soccer: Rochester remained undefeated at 4-0-3 with a key tie against Clarkston in Oakland Activities Association Red play – Oakland Press
5. Cross Country: The Shepherd boys and Cadillac girls won championships at the Bluejays’ 19-team invitational – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun
6. Girls Golf: Freeland, No. 6 in Lower Peninsula Division 3, won its second Tri-Valley Conference jamboree with a season-best 176 – Midland Daily News
7. Girls Golf: Caledonia shot a 178 to win the third Ottawa-Kent Conference Red jamboree by two strokes over Hudsonville – Grand Haven Tribune
8. Boys Soccer: Manistee continued its undefeated start to this season with a 3-0 win over Shelby – Manistee News Advocate
9. Boys Soccer: New Boston Huron moved to 5-0 with a 4-2 win over Carleton Airport – Detroit News
10. Boys Soccer: Sturgis netted a 1-0 win over Marshall on a first-half goal – Sturgis Journal
Also of note …
Football: Traverse City Central and Traverse City West are playing this week their annual “Patriot Game,” which draws a sellout crowd to honor those who have served and continue to do so. The Record-Eagle is doing features every day this week; this is the first – Traverse City Record-Eagle
Football: Muskegon Mona Shores also will honor former and active-duty military and first responders with its second “Sailor Salute” taking place during a big-time matchup with Rockford – Muskegon Chronicle
Football: Ionia also will host a “Patriot Game” this weekend against Fowlerville, again to honor those who have and continue to serve – Ionia Sentinel-Standard