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: 1/14/20

January 14, 2020

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

A quieter Monday in high school sports across the state still had its share of highlights, topped by a career milestone in girls basketball and meeting of undefeated teams on the boys side.

1. Girls Basketball: Dani Salenbien went over 1,000 career points during Adrian Lenawee Christian’s 56-21 win over Manchester – Adrian Daily Telegram

2. Boys Basketball: Undefeated Oscoda handed Hale its first loss, 64-43 – Alpena News

3. Competitive Cheer: Jonesville posted its highest total score of this season in winning the Springport Invitational just ahead of Hillsdale – Hillsdale Daily News

4. Skiing: The Petoskey boys and Traverse City Central girls won the season’s first Big North Conference meets – Traverse City Record-Eagle

5. Girls Basketball: Emily Bayle nearly posted a quadruple-double for Hesperia in its 63-41 win over Pentwater – Local Sports Journal

6. Girls Basketball: Cadillac shut down Bay City Western for a 39-26 win – Cadillac News

7. Boys Basketball: Birmingham Groves broke a four-game losing streak with a 58-36 win over Rochester – Oakland Press

8. Boys Basketball: Harbor Springs followed David Harrell to a 58-37 win over DeTour – MI Sports Now

9. Boys Basketball: Kingsford held off Crystal Falls Forest Park 72-65 – Iron Mountain Daily News

10. Bowling: Chelsea and Temperance Bedford split matches, Bedford’s girls winning 27-3 and Chelsea’s boys victorious 23-7 – Chelsea Sun Times News

Also of note …

Football: Former Benton Harbor coach Elliot Uzelac will take over at Berrien Springs – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium