Today in the MHSAA: 8/25/2015

August 25, 2015

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

A soccer coach celebrated his 1,000th game and a community mourned the passing of a longtime football program leader.

Those and a feature on a member of our Student Advisory Council are among today’s notable headlines and links to coverage below.

Football

Newaygo is mourning the passing of longtime coach Mark Puff, who guided the varsity to 128 wins and seven league titles over 22 seasons before retiring in 2000 – Muskegon Chronicle

Girls Golf

Jackson Lumen Christi went from two returning members last season to 17 golfers total this fall and won its first tournament since 2013 by edging Parma Western by six strokes at Hanover-Horton’s invitational – Jackson Citizen Patriot

Boys Soccer

Fraser coach Thaier Mukhtar coached his 1,000th high school soccer game Monday (boys and girls games combined), guiding his team to a 5-0 win over Romeo. He formerly coached the Warren DeLaSalle boys and leads both teams at Fraser – Macomb Daily

Saginaw Heritage has posted three shutouts during a 4-0 start after finishing 9-10-1 last season; Monday’s was a 4-0 win over Flushing – Saginaw News

Alma’s Brevan Bender is coming off a season during which he set a school record with 30 goals, and Monday he netted five in an 8-0 win over Birch Run – Saginaw News

Volleyball

Left over from Saturday: St. Louis has long been one of the dominant programs in Class C statewide and against all classes in the mid-Michigan area; Ithaca beat the Sharks for the first time since 1993 when they faced off at the Alma Invitational – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

Good Read

Muskegon senior Jared Pittman played in last season’s MHSAA Division 3 Football Final, and after his team was defeated handed the trophy to Orchard Lake St. Mary’s as a member of the MHSAA Student Advisory Council. He’ll be a significant contributor to his team and the Council this fall – Detroit Free Press

Today in the MHSAA: 12/19/17

December 19, 2017

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Each weekday of the school year, we break down the top headlines courtesy of Michigan’s sports media.

Today's Top 10 

1. Hockey: Division 2 No. 8 Midland Dow pulled within a goal of the lead after falling behind by five, but unranked Saginaw Heritage prevailed with a 6-5 victory – Midland Daily News

2. Girls Basketball: Tiffany Senerius went over 1,000 points for her career as Waterford Our Lady got past West Bloomfield 53-44 – Oakland Press

3. Girls Basketball: Autumn Carpenter’s shot as time expired gave Union City a 29-28 win over Climax-Scotts – Coldwater Daily Reporter

4. Boys Basketball: Ewen-Trout Creek downed Wakefield-Marenisco 47-39 in a matchup of unbeaten teams – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

5. Boys Basketball: Benton Harbor Dream Academy opened its season with a win, handing St. Joseph Lake Michigan Catholic its first loss 54-52 – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium

6. Boys Basketball: Frankenmuth got past Saginaw Heritage 63-51, led by all-stater Mario Whitley – WNEM

7. Girls Basketball: Calumet’s defense locked down Ontonagon during the final quarter to come away with a 52-38 win – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

8. Girls Basketball: Engadine bounced back from a slow start to get past Rudyard 50-35 – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News

9. Football: You won’t find Mike Centala’s name in the record book with high school coaches who have won over the years, but he was plenty successful during 40 as a middle school coach in the Monroe Jefferson districtMonroe Evening News

10. Football: The Central Lake/Ellsworth co-op won the 8-player Division 1 championship last month, and reunited to celebrate the accomplishment before the respective basketball squads faced off – WPBN

Also of note:

Wrestling: Division 2 No. 3 Gaylord won the 21-team Marquette Challenge, finishing ahead of runner-up Sparta and Division 4 No. 2 New Lothrop – Gaylord Herald Times