Today in the MHSAA: 9/11/19

September 11, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Power-packed matchups took place all over the state Tuesday in a variety of sports, perhaps nowhere more than on cross country courses on both peninsulas that witnessed the closest of finishes.

1. Cross Country: Top-ranked Brighton downed reigning Lower Peninsula Division 1 champion Plymouth in the boys race, and the No. 10 Bulldogs girls edged No. 7 Plymouth by three points – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

2. Cross Country: LPD1 No. 4 Ann Arbor Pioneer outpaced No. 3 Saline in the girls race of the Southeastern Conference Jamboree 1, while the No. 8 Saline boys were victorious ahead of No. 2 Dexter – We Love Ann Arbor Girls | Boys

3. Volleyball: Division 1 No. 5 Bloomfield Hills Marian downed Division 2 No. 6 Pontiac Notre Dame Prep in four sets – Oakland Press

4. Boys Soccer: Division 2 No. 12 Gaylord downed No. 13 Alpena 2-0 in a key Big North Conference matchup – Petoskey News-Review

5. Cross Country: The UPD1 top-ranked Marquette girls and boys teams swept Kingsford Invitational titles, the boys by just a point ahead of No. 3 Houghton – Escanaba Daily Press

6. Cross Country: Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart swept the Beal City Invitational championships; the Shamrocks girls are ranked No. 1 in LPD4 and the boys are No. 3 – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun Girls | Boys

7. Boys Soccer: Grand Haven got past Division 2 No. 9 Spring Lake 2-0 – Grand Haven Tribune

8. Boys Tennis: Traverse City West earned its second win this season over rival Central (No. 10 in LPD2) after entering this fall without a victory in the series in more than 15 years – Traverse City Record-Eagle

9. Boys Soccer: Temperance Bedford earned its first win this season by handing Monroe its first defeat, 3-2 – Monroe Evening News

10. Boys Soccer: Ludington and Division 4 top-ranked Muskegon Western Michigan Christian played to a 1-1 draw – Ludington Daily News

Today in the MHSAA: 5/15/19

May 15, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The softball diamond was the scene Tuesday for a historic accomplishment up north and an inspiring performance in the Kalamazoo area as well.

1. Softball: Mackinaw City swept Ellsworth to claim its first Northern Lights Conference championship since 1999 – Petoskey News-Review

2. Softball: Alpena swept Traverse City Central to lock up a share of its ninth straight Big North Conference championship – Alpena News

3. Girls Soccer: Division 1 No. 2 Grandville locked up the Ottawa-Kent Conference Red title outright with a 1-0 win over Rockford – FOX 17

4. Softball: Division 3 No. 3 Sanford Meridian clinched a share of the Jack Pine Conference title with a 4-1 win over Beaverton, but fell in the second game 6-4 – Midland Daily News

5. Track & Field: Reese’s girls and Caro’s boys (No. 7 in Lower Peninsula Division 3) won the Greater Thumb Conference West league meet championships – Huron Daily Tribune

6. Boys Lacrosse: Dexter closed the regular season with a 15-7 win over Chelsea to clinch a share of the Southeastern Conference White title – Chelsea Sun Times News

7. Softball: Division 4 honorable mention Beal City clinched a share of the Highland Conference championship with a sweep of Evart – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

8. Softball: Division 2 top-ranked Escanaba and Division 3 No. 10 Gladstone split in a league matchup of state powers – Escanaba Daily Press

9. Baseball: Division 2 No. 3 Holland Christian and Chris Mokma got past Zeeland East and Adam Berghorst in a matchup of future Michigan State teammates – Holland Sentinel

10. Girls Soccer: Bloomfield Hills scored the game-winner late to upset Division 1 No. 7 Troy 2-1 – Oakland Press

Also of note …

Softball: We’re all rooting for Portage Central freshman Sophie Varney, who was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor in December but continues to take the field as she fights the disease – Kalamazoo Gazette

Boys Golf: From Monday, Centreville claimed the final Southwest 10 Conference jamboree to lock up the league title – Three Rivers Commercial News

Girls Tennis: From Saturday, Niles Brandywine locked up its seventh straight league title, in the Berrien-Cass-St. Joseph Conference – Niles Daily Star