Today in the MHSAA: 9/12/16

September 12, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Cross country, volleyball and soccer all saw matchups of some of the state’s elite over the weekend, and the Midland Dow boys tennis coach was quoted as saying Saturday was "the biggest day for Dow tennis in three seasons." 

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.

Cross Country

Northville’s girls outran Saline and Hudsonville to win the Class 1 meet at the competitive Bath Invitational – Observer & Eccentric

The Saline boys put five runners among the top 12 to outpace Rockford and Northville in their Class 1 meet at the Bath Invitational – Saline Post

The Ubly girls and Bad Axe boys bested a field of more than 400 runners at the Bad Axe Invitational – Huron Daily Tribune

Boys Soccer

Division 1 No. 9 Novi just got past No. 3 Rochester Adams 1-0, with the lone goal coming just more than six minutes into the second half – Oakland Press

Boys Tennis

Lower Peninsula Division 2 No. 2 Midland Dow improved to 10-0 with wins over No. 1 Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central, No. 4 Birmingham Groves and Holly – Midland Daily News

Volleyball

Class B No. 7 Buchanan took down a trio of impressive teams – Bronson, Temperance Bedford and Battle Creek Harper Creek – to win the Battle Creek Lakeview Invitational – Niles Daily Star

Class B top-ranked North Branch downed Class C No. 5 Brown City in the championship match of the Croswell-Lexington Invitational – Port Huron Times Herald

Good Read

Jackson’s Kallen Park has taken a spot in the soccer net for the Vikings this season first occupied by his father J. Scott Park, the keeper when Jackson started its boys soccer program in 1986 – Jackson Citizen-Patriot

Today in the MHSAA: 1/11/16

January 11, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The first full sports weekend of 2016 included notable performances in a number of sports, highlighted by one of the top swimming and diving meets of the regular season.

Girls Basketball

Ithaca girls basketball coach Bob Anderson earned his 700th win as his team beat Carrollton 66-40; he’s coached both girls and boys teams to success over 27 seasons – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

Durand handed Goodrich its first league loss in seven years while staying undefeated this season in the Genesee Area Conference Red – Flint Journal

DeWitt remained undefeated at 8-0 after handing Lansing Waverly its first loss this season in a matchup of two of the Lansing area’s top teams – Lansing State Journal

St. Joseph moved to 6-1 with a 72-35 win over Benton Harbor, a semifinalist in Class B last season – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium

Saranac was missing its leading scorer, but still managed to get past annual Class D power Portland St. Patrick 41-33 – Ionia Sentinel-Standard

Boys Basketball

Okemos handed Holt its first loss this season and won its first game on the Rams’ home court since 2010 – Lansing State Journal

Ice Hockey

Portage Central earned a win that could boost it into the state rankings, downing Division 1 No. 10 East Kentwood 2-1 on Saturday in Muskegon – Kalamazoo Gazette

Boys Swimming & Diving

Division 2 No. 1 Dexter scored 409 points to beat No. 4 Warren DeLaSalle by 33 at the annual Spartan Invitational at Battle Creek Lakeview, with the field also including reigning champion Birmingham Seaholm and Division 1 contender Ann Arbor Skyline – Battle Creek Enquirer

Lower Peninsula Division 1 honorable mention Grand Rapids Forest Hills defeated a field that included LPD2 No. 6 Midland Dow at the Forest Hills Invitational – Midland Daily News

Wrestling

Unranked Westland John Glenn got past Division 1 No. 9 New Baltimore Anchor Bay to win the Michigan Duals at Bay City Western over a field that also included No. 8 Western and Division 3 No. 5 Remus Chippewa Hills – Mlive-Detroit

Division 2 No. 9 Sparta won the Dave Dunneback Tournament with 247 points, ahead of Lake Odessa Lakewood, Belding and Division 3 No. 6 Grand Rapids Catholic Central – Grand Rapids Press

Football

Mike McDowell returned four seasons ago for his second stint coaching Morenci and led the program to its best finishes in nearly two decades. He recently resigned – Adrian Daily Telegram

Good Reads

Longtime coach Keith Haske remains cancer-free after fighting Stage 4 throat cancer only a year ago – and he’s added significantly to his day, becoming the girls basketball coach in addition to leading the boys program at Traverse City St. Francis. The Record-Eagle’s Brett Sommers documented a typical Haske day – Traverse City Record-Eagle

Carleton Airport senior Jessica Book is her school’s Homecoming Queen this year – and a cheerleader – and a wrestler – and plans to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps and defuse bombs – Monroe Evening News