Today in the MHSAA: 8/24/20
August 24, 2020
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Cross country statewide and volleyball, boys soccer and girls swimming & diving in northern Michigan were able to kick off competition over the weekend, bringing a fresh slate of storylines to the return of high school athletics in this state.
1. Cross Country: Bay City Western ran its first dual meets in 21 years, with the boys defeating Freeland and the Freeland girls winning by two in a matchup of possible Finals contenders – Bay City Times
2. Girls Golf: Rockford edged St. Joseph by 11 strokes to win the Sydney Carfine Invitational at The Meadows – Local Sports Journal
3. Boys Tennis: South Lyon freshman Cameron Crosby dominated No. 1 singles in highlighting the season-opening Pinckney quad – Livingston Daily
4. Volleyball: Grand Haven opened with a strong showing at Cadillac, defeating the host Vikings, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern and Coopersville – Grand Haven Tribune
5. Boys Tennis: Big Rapids won back-to-back quads at Ludington and Wyoming – Big Rapids News
6. Volleyball: Petoskey edged Alpena 25-23, 25-19 to win the Sault Ste. Marie Invitational – Alpena News
7. Cross Country: Adrian Lenawee Christian swept championships at the Addison Early Bird Invitational – JTV
8. Girls Tennis: Ishpeming Westwood and Iron Mountain swept their tri-meets as the annual Kingsford Invitational was split into two round-robins to account for COVID-19 restrictions – Iron Mountain Daily News
9. Girls Golf: Parma Western shot a 380 to win its invitational by nine strokes – JTV
10. Boys Soccer: Traverse City Central outscored Manistee and Boyne City by a combined 11-0 during Saturday play – Traverse City Record-Eagle
Also of note …
Football: From last week, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood and Muskegon Catholic Central are mourning the death of Cranbrook varsity coach Ben Jones, who died in a car crash; he formerly starred at MCC – Detroit News
Boys Basketball: Clinton Township Chippewa Valley coach Kevin Voss has retired after 38 years coaching basketball – Macomb Daily
Today in the MHSAA: 10/22/20
October 22, 2020
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The first District soccer championships of 2020 were celebrated across the Lower Peninsula on Wednesday, with the reigning Division 3 Finals champion continuing an incredible streak.
1. Boys soccer: Division 3 No. 2 Grosse Ile clinched its 12th-straight District title in this sport, shutting out Detroit Cristo Rey – Southgate News-Herald
2. Boys Soccer: Orchard Lake St. Mary’s earned its first District title in soccer, downing Ortonville Brandon 2-1 in a shootout in Division 2 – Oakland Press
3. Cross Country: Shepherd’s girls – No. 9 in Lower Peninsula Division 2 – claimed their 11th-consecutive league title, winning the Jack Pine Conference, while Clare’s boys won for the 12th time in 13 seasons – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun Girls/Boys
4. Boys Soccer: In Division 1, Muskegon Mona Shores shut out Rockford for its first District title since 2005 – FOX17
5. Boys Soccer: Top-ranked Elk Rapids downed No. 14 Traverse City Christian 1-0 to clinch a Division 3 District championship – MI Sports Now
6. Volleyball: Division 2 No. 3 Cadillac defeated Division 1 No. 10 Traverse City West in five sets to create a two-way tie atop the Big North Conference standings – Cadillac News
7. Boys Soccer: No. 5 Riverview improved to 18-1 with a Division 2 District Final win over Gibraltar Carlson – Southgate News-Herald
8. Boys Soccer: Utica Eisenhower claimed a Division 1 District title with a 2-1 win over Clarkston – Macomb Daily
9. Boys Soccer: No. 10 Imlay City locked up a Division 2 District title with a 5-2 win over Clio – Flint Journal
10. Volleyball: Division 3 No. 2 Schoolcraft moved into first place alone in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Valley with a sweep of former co-leader Constantine – JoeInsider.com
Also of note …
Football: Forest Hills Central and Grand Rapids Northview worked together to create a memorable moment for one of the most dedicated Rangers supporters – WOODTV