Today in the MHSAA: 9/14/15
September 14, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
There's plenty of news and notes to share from a busy weekend all over Michigan, including some impressive runs by likely Class A volleyball contenders.
Boys Soccer
Mattawan held on against Portage Northern with a 2-1 overtime win Saturday, and held on to the No. 4 ranking in Division 2 this morning – Kalamazoo Gazette
Fraser, ranked No. 3 in Division 1, scored on a penalty kick to claim a 2-1 win over No. 17 Utica Ford and its Fraser Soccer Showcase Invitational championship – Macomb Daily
Girls Swimming and Diving
East Grand Rapids edged Rockford by 10 points to claim the West Michigan Relays at East Kentwood; both are ranked among the top 10 in their respective divisions – Grand Rapids Press
Boys Tennis
Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central snapped Midland Dow’s string of five straight MHSAA championships at last season’s Finals, and finished first ahead of Dow by a point at Saturday’s Grosse Pointe North Invitational – Midland Daily News
Volleyball
Mattawan had a great Saturday all around, as its Class A No. 5 volleyball team was champion at the Grandville Invitational going 7-0 on the day – Kalamazoo Gazette
Class A No. 4 Grand Rapids Christian fell to Class B No. 2 Lake Odessa Lakewood in a tournament final earlier this season, but this time was the victor to win the East Kentwood Invitational – Grand Rapids Press
Petoskey improved to 17-3-2 this season by winning its own invitational, downing Harbor Springs in two sets in the final – Petoskey News
Good Reads
Logan MacGregor has an MHSAA Finals tennis win to his credit, pretty incredible for someone who only recently took up the sport – and more incredible for someone who has battled through leukemia – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun
Longtime Marine City Cardinal Mooney girls basketball coach Susan Everhart has stepped down after 25 seasons, three MHSAA Semifinals and a championship game appearance – Port Huron Times-Herald
Former Detroit Pershing star Spencer Haywood was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame last week – Detroit Free Press
Linked Up: Hill Reaches 1,000
March 4, 2013
The Ann Arbor Pioneer boys and girls swim programs have received national acclaim over the years. And at the head of those efforts has been coach Denny Hill, who celebrated his 1,000th dual meet victory last month.
AnnArbor.com's Terry Jacoby tells us more about how Hill came to Pioneer and what he's accomplished. This former athlete's thought explains a lot of what Hill has meant to his sport and high school athletics as a whole.
“(Hill) taught me what it meant to work hard and what it meant to push myself past the limits I had put on myself,” said Kristyne (Cole), who also swam at Michigan. “He taught me what it meant to be a part of a team and how to be a leader. Denny taught me that you should give 100 percent effort in whatever you decide to do, and that the team always comes first; whether that meant showing up to practice early to do lane lines or switching events during a meet right before that event began.”
Click to read the full report:
Legendary Pioneer swim coach Denny Hill reaches 1,000 win milestone (AnnArbor.com)