By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Thursday saw the start of varsity football season, and nearly half of Michigan’s teams kicked off their fall.

Football’s first week in review will be posted Monday afternoon; in the meantime, there is more good news to report from today’s statewide headlines.

Cross Country

The Croswell-Lexington girls and Yale boys won the Mike Jackson Invitational, with Port Huron’s Rachel Bonner – fourth at the Lower Peninsula Division 1 Final last season – taking the girls individual title by 59 seconds – Port Huron Times-Herald

Girls Golf

Spring Lake set a school record shooting 321 to win the Big Rapids Invitational, also placing the top two individuals – Grand Haven Tribune

Good Reads

Longtime cross country and track and field official Doug Steward was quoted as saying he was close to retiring – in 2009. But this fall, after 51 years, he indeed will start his final races – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

The Lac Vieux Desert Tribe presented Watersmeet schools with $174,000 earlier this year that in part went to a new gym floor complete with the school's nationally-recognized Nimrod logo – Ironwood Daily Globe