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: 9/12/17
September 12, 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. Football: Saranac coach Andy Lytle, also a first sergeant in the Michigan Army National Guard, has left his team for deployment to Florida to help in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma – Ionia Sentinel-Standard
2. Girls Swimming & Diving: Longtime West Bloomfield coach John Burch will be the namesake of that school’s natatorium, and he’s continuing to coach for the South Lyon Unified co-op team although he’s been fighting pancreatic cancer for a year – Observer & Eccentric
3. Boys Tennis: Bloomfield Hills’ Andrew Zhang is one of the most highly-regarded junior players in the country, and also is lending his talents to his high school team again this fall after helping the Black Hawks to a shared 2015 LP Division 1 title and 2016 runner-up finish – Observer & Eccentric
4. Boys Soccer: Leland moved to 10-0 by handing Buckley its first loss of the season; Leland is ranked No. 3 in Division 4 – Traverse City St. Francis
5. Girls Tennis: Undefeated Negaunee got its toughest test so far this season, but moved to 8-0 with a 5-3 win over Marquette – Marquette Mining Journal
6. Boys Soccer: Grosse Ile moved to 12-0 this season by handing New Boston Huron its first loss – Southgate News Herald
7. Boys Soccer: Lincoln Alcona’s Jordan Steiner set a school record and earned a spot in the MHSAA record book with eight goals in a win over Whittemore-Prescott – Alpena News
8. Girls Golf: Sturgis shot a 182, its sixth-best nine-hole score ever, to win its sixth straight Wolverine Conference jamboree – Sturgis Journal
9. Boys Soccer: Ovid-Elsie earned its fifth shutout in six games, this time locking down Chesaning – Owosso Argus-Press
10. Girls Golf: LP Division 3 No. 8 Spring Lake extended its Ottawa-Kent Conference Blue lead by shooting a 164 to win Monday’s jamboree by 23 – Grand Haven Tribune
Also of note:
Girls Swimming & Diving: Brighton, No. 7 in Lower Peninsula Division 1, earned a 94-92 win over No. 6 Northville last week and then finished second to No. 2 Farmington Hills Mercy at the Fenton Relays over the weekend – Livingston Daily Press & Argus