Today in the MHSAA: 9/14/16
September 14, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The soccer pitch was the place to look for many of the best matchups across the state Wednesday, but also make sure to scroll to the bottom of this report for a story on the fight of one of Michigan’s best-known volleyball coaches.
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
The Saline boys earned a nice advantage in what should be a strong Southeastern Conference Red this fall by dominating the first league race – Saline Post
Manton’s girls and boys teams swept the first Marion Steeplechase Invitational, which combined 2-mile, 5K and 1-mile races with hay bales, logs and other obstacles placed along the way – Cadillac News
Boys Soccer
Division 1 No. 6 Brighton remained undefeated on the season with a 2-1 win over rival Hartland, handing the Eagles their first loss – Livingston Daily
Division 1 No. 19 Grand Haven won Bucs Pride Night 2-1 over Grandville on a goal with under 11 minutes to play – Grand Haven Tribune
Division 2 No. 5 Auburn Hills Avondale potted the only goal during the second half to edge North Farmington – Oakland Press
Boys Tennis
Lower Peninsula Division 4 No. 6 Lansing Catholic won a key Capital Area Activities Conference White match over unranked rival Portland, 5-3 – Ionia Sentinel-Standard
Volleyball
Calumet avenged an earlier-season loss to Hancock in a matchup of top small-school programs in the Upper Peninsula – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette
Good Read
Cancer awareness will bring three communities together Sept. 20 as cousins Hannah Barton (South Lyon) and Kaylee Peterson (Novi) will face off with their teams in a Teal Attack event, the latest in a series of fundraiser games originated by Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central coach Karen O’Brien, one of the state’s best-known in the sport and also the girls’ aunt; she is fighting ovarian cancer for the second time – Observer & Eccentric
Today in the MHSAA: 8/24/15
August 24, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
All MHSAA fall sports but football kicked off competition last week, with cross country, boys soccer, girls swimming and diving and volleyball starting Saturday.
Below are some notable headlines from the first weekend of this season, plus links to coverage.
Cross Country
St. Johns hosted its second “Under the Lights” meets Friday; Ithaca’s girls and Saugatuck’s boys bested fields loaded with much larger opponents – Lansing State Journal
The St. Joseph girls and Bridgman boys won championships at the Niles Stampede – the St. Joseph girls, who finished fourth in Lower Peninsula Division 2 last season, by a large margin – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium
Girls Golf
Maple City Glen Lake’s Nichole Cox, last season’s LP Division 4 individual champion, came back to defeat Brighton freshman Annie Pietila at the two-day Lober Invitational at Grand Traverse Resort – Traverse City Record-Eagle
Boys Soccer
Two of the state’s powers met in the championship game of the Detroit Country Day Tournament on Saturday – with 2013 Division 1 runner-up Bloomfield Hills downing the host Yellowjackets 1-0 in a shootout – Oakland Press
Girls Swimming & Diving
Howell won its Kenzie Klassic, which honors swimmer Mackenize Watts, who died in 2005 at age 15. The school also raised enough money to award three scholarships and begin funding cardiac-related causes – Livingston Daily
Volleyball
Novi won the Lakeshore Classic by coming back after losing the first two games to beat Grand Haven 3-2 in a rematch of a 2014 Class A Semifinal – Muskegon Chronicle
Battle Creek Harper Creek, for the first time, won the gold championship at the long-running Carrie Adams Memorial Tournament hosted by reigning Class D champion Battle Creek St. Philip – Battle Creek Enquirer
Good Read
Mike Steele, a Midland Dow grad and now pitching coach at Long Beach State in California, argues that parents need to raise their athletes to compete instead of providing specific training in one sport – Midland Daily News