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: 1/28/20
January 28, 2020
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Basketball rolled to a fast start this week with major highlights Monday, and news broke about two coaches from prominent football programs stepping down.
1. Girls Basketball: Makenna Banbury scored 26 points including the 1,000th of her career in Hillsdale Academy’s 60-26 win over North Adams-Jerome – Hillsdale Daily News
2. Boys Basketball: Emoni Bates scored 42 points to lead Ypsilanti Lincoln past Jackson 83-58 – Jackson Citizen Patriot
3. Boys Basketball: Clarkston moved to 9-1 overall with a big Oakland Activities Association Red win over North Farmington, 55-45 – Oakland Press
4. Girls Basketball: Cadillac held on to move to 11-0 with a 42-40 win over McBain – Cadillac News
5. Girls Basketball: Melanie Morrison’s 3-pointer during the final seconds pushed Hillman past Mio 42-41 – Alpena News
6. Girls Basketball: Cedarville handed just the second loss this season to Mackinaw City, 58-25 – MI Sports Now
7. Girls Basketball: Laney Jakeway was another late-game hero as Harbor Light Christian edged Wolverine 47-43 in overtime – Petoskey News-Review
8. Girls Basketball: Sault Ste. Marie improved to 10-1 with a 57-46 win over Marquette – Up North Live
9. Boys Swimming & Diving: Ishpeming Westwood edged Gladstone 62-56 – Escanaba Daily Press
10. Boys Basketball: Morley Stanwood held on through overtime to improve to 9-1 with a 58-50 win over LeRoy Pine River – Big Rapids News
Also of note …
Football: Jerry Angers has resigned as coach at Maple City Glen Lake after 11 seasons and this fall a runner-up finish in Division 6 – Traverse City Record-Eagle
Football: Midland Dow coach Jason Watkins stepped down, also after 11 seasons leading the program – Midland Daily News