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: 11/11/16

November 11, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

A total of 32 Regional championships were earned by volleyball teams across our state Thursday as a number of ranked teams faced off and a few of the unranked delivered the night’s biggest stunners.

Each weekday during the school year, we’ll gather and post media links covering the most significant and intriguing high school events from all over the state.

Volleyball

Class A No. 5 Rockford downed league rival and No. 9 Grand Haven, 3-2 – Grand Rapids Press

Unranked Fenton continued its unexpected run, this time upsetting No. 2 Clarkston in Class A – Flint Journal

Bloomfield Hills Marian downed Sterling Heights Stevenson in Class A in another match of state poll honorable mentions – MLive-Detroit

Class A No. 4 Portage Central edged No. 3 DeWitt after trailing the Panthers 2-1 – Lansing State Journal

Novi continued its dominance of Class A; the top-ranked Wildcats swept No. 7 Farmington Hills Mercy – Oakland Press

Unranked Adrian eliminated reigning Class B champion Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard, which was ranked No. 4 this fall – Ann Arbor News

Corunna, an honorable mention in Class B, won its first Regional title in volleyball with a 3-0 sweep of honorable mention Saginaw Swan Valley – Saginaw News

St. Clair Shores South Lake won its first Regional title, downing Detroit University Prep in four sets in Class B – Macomb Daily

Calumet won its fifth straight Regional title, downing Rudyard in a match of Class C honorable mentions – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

Reigning champion and No. 2 Bronson got past No. 8 Kalamazoo Christian in Class C – Battle Creek Enquirer

Class C No. 6 Brown City won its second straight Regional title, downing No. 4 New Lothrop – Port Huron Times-Herald

Class C No. 9 Laingsburg reached the Quarterfinals for the second straight season, this time with a sweep of No. 3 Kent City – MLive-Lansing