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: 2/3/16

February 3, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Records fell in three sports and a notable winning streak was broken on a night filled with classic finishes and a matchup of arguably the two best girls basketball players in Michigan.

Girls Basketball

In a battle of teams led by the likely Miss Basketball Award favorites this winter, Muskegon and Mardrekia Cook (26 points, 17 rebounds, 10 assists) downed Kysre Gondrezick and Benton Harbor (49 points) 76-54 – Muskegon Chronicle

Undefeated Stevensville Lakeshore needed double overtime to stay perfect on the season as it survived Richland Gull Lake, 61-59 – Kalamazoo Gazette

In a rematch of last season’s Class B Final, reigning champion Detroit Country Day downed now-Class A Haslett 69-56 – Lansing State Journal

Farmington Hills Mercy won a low-scoring contest with rival Bloomfield Hills Marian, 32-25, to take control of the Detroit Catholic League Central – Oakland Press

Johannesburg-Lewiston just got past Gaylord St. Mary, 61-59 in double overtime, in their annual Rivals Rally game – Petoskey News

Boys Basketball

Ivan Warren scored 44 points – with 36 coming on 3-pointers – to lead Flint Southwestern to a 77-59 win over Detroit Country Day – Flint Journal

Warren DeLaSalle’s Kevin McKay became his school’s all-time career leading scorer putting up 29 in a 56-42 win over Orchard Lake St. Mary’s – Oakland Press

Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central ended Milan’s 61-game Huron League winning streak with a 62-44 victory – Monroe Evening News

Ypsilanti Community’s Corey Allen drilled 45 points as the Grizzlies edged Ann Arbor Huron 77-74 in overtime in a matchup of top Class A teams – Detroit Free Press

Holly’s Kyle Woodruff scored his 1,000th career point in his team’s 79-42 win over Flint Kearsley – Flint Journal

Boys Swimming & Diving

Zeeland diver Josh Zylstra set his home pool and school record with a score of 323.7 to win the event and help his team to a 115-68 victory over Byron Center – Holland Sentinel

Wrestling

Sturgis’ Luke Carver earned his 150th career win during the Trojans’ match victory over Coldwater; Sturgis also beat Battle Creek Harper Creek – Sturgis Journal

Good Read

After an outstanding junior season at Traverse City Central in 2014-15, Andrew Froese took an opportunity to continue at the junior level in South Dakota. But after three games this fall, he came back to Michigan and is instead finishing a memorable high school career with his classmates – Traverse City Record-Eagle