Today in the MHSAA: 8/31/15

August 31, 2015

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The final weekend of August was a giant weekend for MHSAA volleyball contenders, with some of the top regular-season events this fall providing opportunities for the best to see how they might match up when playoffs begin in two months.

Below are headlines for some of the key high school reports from across the state; the weekend’s football round-up will publish later this afternoon.  

Cross Country

Muskegon Reeths-Puffer’s Maryssa Depies set a course record of 18:11.3 to win the Big Red Invitational at McGraft Park – Muskegon Chronicle

Flint Powers Catholic’s top individual finisher came in ninth, but the Chargers girls as a team were first at the Lansing Catholic Invitational – Flint Journal

The reigning Lower Peninsula Division 2 champion Grand Rapids Christian boys repeated as winner of the prestigious Benzie Central Invitational, finishing ahead of Traverse City West and Central, while Central senior Anthony Berry won individually in 15:24 – Grand Rapids Press

Boys Soccer

Tawas, a Division 3 semifinalist last season, finished first from an Elk Rapids Invitational field that included Berkley and Saginaw Nouvel – Bay City Times

Volleyball

Lake Odessa Lakewood, last season’s Class B runner-up and the second-ranked team in that class this week, eliminated Class A No. 6 Grand Rapids Christian to win the West Michigan Volleyball Officials Association tournament for the first time in a decade – Grand Rapids Press

Class A No. 4 Grand Haven continued its perfect run at its outdoor Battle of the Boardwalk tournament, sweeping three opponents to remain undefeated through the event's third year – Grand Haven Tribune

Battle Creek Harper Creek, No. 9 in Class B, improved to 17-0 by winning the Cereal City Tournament at Pennfield with a 2-1 championship match win over Temperance Bedford, an MHSAA semifinalist last season in Class A – Battle Creek Enquirer

Good Reads

The Holland Sentinel introduced its top female athletes in that area’s history Sunday, and highlighted nationally-known softball star Kathy Arendsen and her successes during one of the MHSAA’s first Softball Finals – Holland Sentinel

Anyone who follows high school football history will enjoy going through the Muskegon Chronicle’s sampling of top-20 moments from that area’s football past – Muskegon Chronicle

More than 60 former Shepherd High School players from the last 25 seasons returned for an alumni doubleheader Sunday to honor coach Jack Nartker, who will retire after this spring – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

Today in the MHSAA: 10/27/17

October 27, 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. Boys Soccer: Division 2 No. 7 Coldwater handed No. 2 Dexter its only loss this season in claiming a Division 2 Regional title – Coldwater Daily Reporter

2. Boys Soccer: Division 4 No. 8 Buckley won its first Regional title in boys soccer with a shootout victory over No. 2 Leland – Traverse City Record-Eagle

3. Boys Soccer: No. 8 Holland upset No. 4 Grand Rapids Christian to claim a Division 2 Regional title – Holland Sentinel

4. Wrestling: The National Wrestling Hall of Fame announced its 2018 class Thursday, including longtime Michigan official James McCloughan, who will be inducted as the Medal of Courage recipient – Stillwater (Okla.) News Press

5. Boys Soccer: No. 3 Flint Powers Catholic downed No. 9 Lansing Catholic 3-0 to win a Division 3 Regional title – Lansing State Journal

6. Boys Soccer: Farmington Hills Harrison scored the game’s lone goal against No. 17 Gibraltar Carlson in Division 2 to advance to its first Semifinal since 1987 – Oakland Press

7. Boys Soccer: Auburn Hills Oakland Christian took two-time reigning Division 4 champion and current No. 14 Burton Genesee Christian to overtime before the Soldiers took a 2-1 Regional Final win – Oakland Press

8. Boys Soccer: No. 16 Ludington moved on in Division 3 with a 2-0 win over Big Rapids in their Regional Final – Local State Journal

9. Boys Soccer: No. 4 Grand Rapids South Christian continued its impressive second half run this fall with a Division 3 Regional title win over Dowagiac – Grand Rapids Press

10. Volleyball: Class B honorable mention Cadillac and Traverse City West will share the Big North Conference championship after Cadillac’s sweep of Traverse City Central – Cadillac News

Also noted:

Boys Soccer: Stevensville Lakeshore downed No. 9 Plainwell 2-1 in overtime in a Division 2 Regional Semifinal – St. Joseph Herald Palladium

Boys Soccer: Petoskey emerged with a 1-0 shootout win to move on to Saturday’s Division 2 Regional Final in East Lansing – Petoskey News-Review

Volleyball: Trenton swept Wyandotte Roosevelt to finish an outright championship run in the Downriver League – Southgate News Herald

Volleyball: Jenison swept Class B honorable mention Fruitport to claim the O-K Black championship – Grand Haven Tribune

Volleyball: From Tuesday, Port Huron Northern came back from two sets down to defeat Sterling Heights Stevenson and win an outright Macomb Area Conference White championship – Port Huron Times Herald

Baseball: From Monday, former longtime Brownstown Woodhaven baseball coach and basketball official Robert Kloss tied after a fight with leukemia – Detroit News