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: 9/25/15
September 25, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Here’s some great Friday morning reading, including a look at some of the special impacts made on the football field from a coach fighting to stay on the sideline and two more recently retired from it.
Girls Golf
Frankenmuth saw all of its scoring records fall this week, for 18-hole team, 18-hole individual, 9-hole team and 9-hole individual – Saginaw News
Boys Soccer
Portage Central rebounded off its first loss of the season earlier this week to beat Division 2 No. 19 Stevensville Lakeshore 1-0 – Kalamazoo Gazette
Volleyball
Class A No. 4 Grand Haven downed No. 10 Rockford 3-1, gaining an edge in the Ottawa-Kent Conference Red standings – Muskegon Chronicle
Class D No. 10 Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart lost the first set against annual power Beal City but came back to win the next three – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun
Good Reads
Gibraltar Carlson’s Zach Kohn stars in three sports, managing his time to train for them all, and locked down a Division I scholarship for baseball – Monroe Evening News
Battle Creek Harper Creek’s Ed Greenman and Battle Creek Pennfield’s Nick Koenigsknecht stepped away from the football sideline this season after a combined 44 years. They share some of their thoughts from the other side of the field – Battle Creek Enquirer
Tonight’s Richmond/Almont football game will be “Kocher Strong Night” in honor of Richmond co-coach John Kocher, who continues his fight against cancer – Port Huron Times-Herald