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

Today in the MHSAA: 10/6/16

October 6, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Girls Golf Regionals teed off Wednesday with a record performance by arguably the state’s top team, and check out also the detailed coverage of this week’s MHSAA Update Meeting stop in Frankenmuth.

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.

Girls Golf

Top-ranked Rochester shot an incredible 289 to win its Lower Peninsula Division 1 Regional, dropping an already-impressive school record by seven more strokes – Oakland Press

Two-time reigning LP Division 3 champion and No. 4-ranked Spring Lake began its three-peat attempt with a Regional victory of 56 strokes – Muskegon Chronicle

Second-year program Shepherd reached the Division 4 Finals for the first time finishing third to Freeland and No. 3 Frankenmuth at their Regional – Saginaw News

No. 5 Brighton didn’t surprise by shooting a 314 to win its Division 1 Regional, but Hartland finished third to make the Finals for the first time – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

Boys Tennis

Byron Center claimed what is believed to be its first league championship in the sport, edging Zeeland East by six points at the Ottawa-Kent Conference Green tournament – Grand Rapids Press

Volleyball

Class B honorable mention Saginaw Swan Valley moved into first place alone in the Tri-Valley Conference Central with a sweep of former co-leader Freeland – Saginaw News

Neighbors Marine City (a 3-0 winner) and Class D No. 9 Marine City Cardinal Mooney played Wednesday in a “Purple Out” for pancreatic cancer research and awareness, a cause close to the Mooney program as coach Dennis Caufield’s wife Pat died after fighting the disease two years ago – Port Huron Times Herald

Good Read

The annual MHSAA Update Meeting series visited Frankenmuth this week, and MLive reported well why multi-sport participation and reaching student-athletes during their middle school/junior high years has never been more important – Saginaw News