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: 9/17/15

September 17, 2015

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Today’s know-your-sports checklist includes catching up on impressive feats by some of the state’s top-ranked girls golf teams and enjoying a pair of inspirational stories about leading soccer scorers.

Girls Golf

Lower Peninsula Division 1 No. 4 Lake Orion won the Oakland County Division 1 Tournament for the second straight season, edging No. 6 Novi by one shot and No. 1 Rochester by two – Oakland Press

Three Spring Lake golfers carded three birdies apiece to lead the LP Division 3 No. 1 Lakers to a 53-stroke win in the Lakes 8 jamboree on their home course – Muskegon Chronicle

Boys Soccer

Freeland improved to 11-1 with its first win over Saginaw Swan Valley in three seasons, also handing the Vikings their first loss this fall – Saginaw News

Boys Tennis

Midland Dow, No. 1 in Lower Peninsula Division 2, fell to No. 3 Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central at the Midweek Classic, but still won the tournament thanks to No. 6 Detroit U-D Jesuit’s win over FHC – Midland Daily News and Saginaw News

Volleyball

Ionia swept reigning Capital Area Activities Conference White champion Williamston, beating the Hornets for the first time under sixth-year coach Jeanna Kraatz – Ionia Sentinel-Standard

Niles emerged as the biggest winner from the SMAC 6-Pack Tournament on its home floor with victories over Battle Creek Lakeview, Battle Creek Central and Richland Gull Lake, all in two games – Niles Daily Star

Bay City John Glenn improved to 9-1 with a win over Tawas, opening North East Michigan Conference play as the reigning champion and with nearly the same lineup as in 2014 – Bay City Times

Good Reads

We’re big fans of athletes who play multiple sports, and Port Huron’s Jon Miller is one of the latest – he’s the soccer team’s leading scorer and the top field goal kicker in school history, plus one of the football team’s leading receivers. A great line from the story: “But if there’s one kid that can take this on, it’s the kid that’s loading his senior year with as many memories as possible.” – Port Huron Times-Herald

Andrew Shippell is Marshall’s leading scorer this season, and after three years of fighting is preparing to celebrate a milestone – the end of his chemotherapy in February – Battle Creek Enquirer