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: 5/16/16
May 16, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Teams took advantage of one of the final weekends of the regular season to prep against strong competition despite the cold and in some places snowy weather that crossed Michigan over the last few days.
Baseball
Division 3 top-ranked Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett edged Macomb Dakota 7-6 in the final to win its invitational Friday – Detroit News
Girls Soccer
Division 1 No. 14 Novi earned a solid win over reigning champion and current No. 6 Saline, 3-1 – Detroit Free Press
Softball
Alexa Stephenson starred at bat and in the pitching circle in leading Battle Creek Pennfield to its All-City championship – Battle Creek Enquirer
White Lake Lakeland won its invitational with a 9-1 victory over Division 3 No. 3 Clinton in the final – Oakland Press
Coloma topped a strong field at the St. Joseph Invitational, edging Stevensville Lakeshore 5-4 in the championship game – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium
Girls Tennis
Top-ranked Midland Dow and No. 3 Grosse Pointe South tied 4-4 at the St. Clair Shores Invitational – Midland Daily News
Track & Field
The Spring Lake girls won the Lakes 8 Conference championship in their final season before leaving the league, despite falling to Ludington by three points in the league championship meet – Grand Haven Tribune
Bay City Western swept the boys and girls meets at the Bay County Championships – Bay City Times
Good Read
North Muskegon finished off its winter season with a cardiac emergency drill that should serve as an example to all communities prepping for such a possible event. North Muskegon’s drill came as part of its effort to earn MI HEARTSafe School designation – Muskegon Chronicle
Brighton High School this spring opened a sizable strength and conditioning facility that fills an area that once housed the school’s pool – Livingston Post