Today in the MHSAA: 9/12/17
September 12, 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. Football: Saranac coach Andy Lytle, also a first sergeant in the Michigan Army National Guard, has left his team for deployment to Florida to help in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma – Ionia Sentinel-Standard
2. Girls Swimming & Diving: Longtime West Bloomfield coach John Burch will be the namesake of that school’s natatorium, and he’s continuing to coach for the South Lyon Unified co-op team although he’s been fighting pancreatic cancer for a year – Observer & Eccentric
3. Boys Tennis: Bloomfield Hills’ Andrew Zhang is one of the most highly-regarded junior players in the country, and also is lending his talents to his high school team again this fall after helping the Black Hawks to a shared 2015 LP Division 1 title and 2016 runner-up finish – Observer & Eccentric
4. Boys Soccer: Leland moved to 10-0 by handing Buckley its first loss of the season; Leland is ranked No. 3 in Division 4 – Traverse City St. Francis
5. Girls Tennis: Undefeated Negaunee got its toughest test so far this season, but moved to 8-0 with a 5-3 win over Marquette – Marquette Mining Journal
6. Boys Soccer: Grosse Ile moved to 12-0 this season by handing New Boston Huron its first loss – Southgate News Herald
7. Boys Soccer: Lincoln Alcona’s Jordan Steiner set a school record and earned a spot in the MHSAA record book with eight goals in a win over Whittemore-Prescott – Alpena News
8. Girls Golf: Sturgis shot a 182, its sixth-best nine-hole score ever, to win its sixth straight Wolverine Conference jamboree – Sturgis Journal
9. Boys Soccer: Ovid-Elsie earned its fifth shutout in six games, this time locking down Chesaning – Owosso Argus-Press
10. Girls Golf: LP Division 3 No. 8 Spring Lake extended its Ottawa-Kent Conference Blue lead by shooting a 164 to win Monday’s jamboree by 23 – Grand Haven Tribune
Also of note:
Girls Swimming & Diving: Brighton, No. 7 in Lower Peninsula Division 1, earned a 94-92 win over No. 6 Northville last week and then finished second to No. 2 Farmington Hills Mercy at the Fenton Relays over the weekend – Livingston Daily Press & Argus
Did you see that? (June 3-9)
June 10, 2013
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The second of three weeks of spring MHSAA Finals came to a close with four more champions from lacrosse – plus 16 teams still alive in both baseball and softball, eight in girls soccer and 60 in Lower Peninsula boys golf.
See below for some of the biggest headlines from the week that was June 3-9.
Girls lacrosse
Champions of the west: A pair of Grand Rapids-area teams claimed the girls championships Saturday. Rockford defeated Bloomfield Hills United 16-7 in Division 1, while East Grand Rapids repeated in Division 2 with a 16-6 victory over Livonia Ladywood. (Second Half D1) (Second Half D2)
Boys Lacrosse
East-side excellence: Birmingham Brother Rice came back from an early deficit in the Division 1 Final to win its ninth-straight title by beating Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern/Eastern 14-10. In Division 2, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood scored with 20.2 seconds to play to edge reigning champion Forest Hills Central 10-9. (Second Half D1) (Second Half D2)
Girls Soccer
Defensive standoff: Top-ranked Plymouth and No. 3 Novi needed a shootout to decide Friday’s Division 1 Regional Final. But Novi won that final round 2-1 to earn a 1-0 win and hand Plymouth its first and only loss this season. (MLive Detroit)
Powers survives comeback: Up 3-0 at halftime, reigning Division 3 runner-up Flint Powers Catholic advanced to within one win of returning to the Finals with a 3-2 Regional Final win over Lake Fenton. (Flint Journal)
Baseball
Oilers upend No. 1: Mount Pleasant, ranked No. 4 in Division 2, beat top-ranked Bay City John Glenn on the way to winning their Regional on Saturday. (Mount Pleasant Morning Sun)
MCC wins big: Muskegon Catholic Central moved on in Division 4 with a 9-0 Regional win over No. 2 Gobles in another of the weekend’s biggest baseball matchups. MCC entered the postseason ranked No. 5. (Muskegon Chronicle)
Softball
Dundee gets its chance: The Vikings won their first Regional championship and defeated two-time reigning Division 3 champion Clinton in the process Saturday at Blissfield. Dundee entered the postseason ranked No. 1 in the division. (Monroe Evening News)
Romeo prevails in pair of nail-biters: The No. 10-ranked Bulldogs were down to their final out before defeating Troy in a Regional Semifinal and then beat Hartland 3-0 in the championship game. Both Troy and Hartland were honorable mentions in the final Division 1 coaches poll. (Oakland Press)
Escanaba headed downstate: The Eskymos will face reigning MHSAA Division 2 runner-up Saginaw Swan Valley in a Quarterfinal for the second straight season thanks to a walk-off home run by sophomore Michelle LaFave in a 5-4 Regional Final win over Remus Chippewa Hills. (Escanaba Daily Press)
Boys Golf
SMAC East dominates: Top-ranked Battle Creek Lakeview in Division 1 and Marshall and Battle Creek Harper Creek in Division 2 all qualified for LP Finals, giving the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference East three teams in this weekend’s championship tournaments. (Battle Creek Enquirer)
DeWitt outshoots No. 1: Previously unranked DeWitt shot a 313 to edge top-ranked East Lansing by a stroke at their Division 2 Regional at Gull Lake View. (Lansing State Journal)
Boys Basketball
CMU star takes over GRCC: Former Central Michigan University captain T.J. Meerman has taken over the Grand Rapids Catholic Central program after serving as an assistant coach last season at Grand Valley State University. Previously, Meerman coached the varsity at Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills. (Grand Rapids Press)