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: 10/9/17
October 9, 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. Cross Country: The top-ranked Ann Arbor Pioneer boys and No. 2 Rockford girls won Division 1 championships at the Portage Invitational, which again drew many of the state’s top teams from all four Lower Peninsula divisions. Also winning boys championships were LPD2 No. 8 Lansing Catholic, LPD3 No. 2 Hanover-Horton and LPD4 No. 1 Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart, while the top-ranked Sacred Heart girls, LPD3 No. 1 Hart girls and LPD2 No. 4 Dearborn Divine Child girls won meets as well – Athletic.net
2. Volleyball: Class B No. 5 Kingsley avenged its only losses of this season, downing Class D No. 2 Leland and then Class C No. 9 Calumet to claim the championship at the Suttons Bay Invitational – Traverse City Record-Eagle
3. Cross Country: Reigning LPD1 champion and current No. 4 White Lake Lakeland won the boys race, and No. 4-ranked Troy won the girls at the Oakland County Championship – Oakland Press
4. Cross Country: Saginaw Heritage swept the races at its 30th annual Heritage Invitational, Heritage’s boys are ranked No. 7 in LPD1 and finished just ahead of LPD3 top-ranked Caro – Athletic.net
5. Girls Swimming & Diving: LPD1 honorable mention Utica Eisenhower claimed a fourth straight Macomb County championship led by standouts Abigail Desmet and Bianca Licari – Macomb Daily
6. Boys Soccer: Division 1 No. 13 Saline scored late to hold on to a 1-1 tie with No. 5 Novi – Saline Post
7. Volleyball: Cheboygan downed Class D No. 8 Rudyard and then Engadine to win the Escanaba Elks Invitational – Escanaba Daily Press
8. Cross Country: The Erie-Mason boys, No. 5 in LPD3, were the only in-state team among four champions at the Hudson Invitational, which featured a number of schools from the southeastern border and Ohio – Athletic.net
9. Volleyball: Zeeland East emerged from third place in pool play to win the Best of the West Invitational at Muskegon Mona Shores – Holland Sentinel
10. Volleyball: Onsted avenged a pool play loss to Centreville to win the Sturgis Invitational – JoeInsider.com