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: 10/28/20

October 28, 2020

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

A pair of high-powered contests among Detroit Catholic League rivals in multiple sports topped a Tuesday of Soccer Regional Semifinals, volleyball conference title deciders and big-time swimming & diving matchups.

1. Volleyball: No. 3 Bloomfield Hills Marian handed top-ranked Farmington Hills Mercy its first loss, winning the Detroit Catholic League Bishop championship – Oakland Press

2. Boys Soccer: Top-ranked (MPR) Detroit Catholic Central edged No. 6 Warren De La Salle Collegiate 3-2 in overtime in a Division 1 Regional Semifinal – Oakland Press

3. Boys Soccer: No. 8 (MPR) East Grand Rapids downed No. 4 Petoskey 4-2 in a Division 2 Regional Semifinal – Petoskey News-Review

4. Boys Soccer: No. 14 (MPR) Leland won a shootout to end the season for reigning Division 4 champion Muskegon Western Michigan Christian – Up North Live

5. Girls Swimming & Diving: Lower Peninsula Division 3 No. 5 Hamilton defeated No. 4 Holland Christian, LPD1 No. 9 Zeeland defeated LPD3 No. 8 Spring Lake and LPD2 honorable mention Holland downed LPD3 honorable mention Grand Rapids Catholic Central – Holland Sentinel

6. Boys Soccer: Williamston won a shootout 3-1 to down No. 8 (MPR) Frankenmuth 4-3 in Division 3 – Saginaw News

7. Volleyball: Division 2 No. 7 Hamilton defeated honorable mention Grand Rapids West Catholic to secure the Ottawa-Kent Conference Blue title – Holland Sentinel

8. Volleyball: Saugatuck swept Lawton to finish a third-straight perfect run through the Southwestern Athletic Conference Lakeshore – Holland Sentinel

9. Boys Soccer: No. 5 (MPR) Riverview moved on in Division 2 with a shootout win over (No. 15) Chelsea – Southgate News-Herald

10. Boys Soccer: No. 4 (MPR) Bad Axe got past Roscommon 3-2 in overtime to advance in Division 4 – Huron Daily Tribune

Also of note …

Volleyball: Division 3 honorable mention Beal City earned its third-straight Highland Conference championship with a sweep of McBain Northern Michigan Christian – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

Volleyball: Muskegon Mona Shores swept Reeths-Puffer to clinch the O-K Green Tournament and overall title – Muskegon Chronicle