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: 1/28/16
January 28, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The number 300 has been significant for at least two competitors this week, and Wednesday’s action also included some of the state's best wrestling matchups this season and a league champion crowned for the first time in more than 30 years.
Boys Basketball
Standish-Sterling handed Beaverton its first regular-season loss since 2013-14, 53-51 – Saginaw News
Suttons Bay got past Benzonia Benzie Central on Thomas Hursey’s 3-pointer with 1.9 seconds to play – Traverse City Record-Eagle
Girls Basketball
From Tuesday, Norway gave Stephenson the latter’s first loss this season, 71-57 – Iron Mountain Daily News
Bowling
Also from Tuesday, Ada Forest Hills Eastern 14-year-old freshman Nick Slagter rolled his first 300 game – Grand Rapids Press
Competitive Cheer
Sterling Heights Stevenson scored 780.44 points to best Warren Cousino by more than 10 to win the Macomb Area Conference Red meet – Macomb Daily
Perennial Division 3 power Richmond is back among the elite and won its Blue Water Area Conference jamboree by nearly 30 points with a total of 768.28 – Port Huron Times Herald
Ice Hockey
Traverse City Central shut out rival Traverse City West for the second time this season, this time 3-0 – Traverse City Record-Eagle
Orchard Lake St. Mary’s scored twice over the final three minutes to earn a comeback 2-1 win over rival Birmingham Brother Rice – Oakland Press
Wrestling
Three Rivers earned coach Pete Bachinski his 300th win, a 60-18 victory over Vicksburg; Bachinski began his coaching career in 1995 – Kalamazoo Gazette
Hartland won the rematch of last season’s Division 1 Final, this time defeating reigning champion Brighton 46-16 – Livingston Daily
Top-ranked Detroit Catholic Central also dominated a match of Division 1 powers, taking down Oxford 46-17 – Oakland Press
Chesaning won its first league wrestling championship since 1982, claiming the Tri-Valley Conference Central title with a 60-15 win over Midland Bullock Creek – Saginaw News
Goodrich senior Nathan Ellis won his 150th career match during his team’s wins over Durand and Mount Morris – Flint Journal