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: 9/10/15

September 10, 2015

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The Birmingham Seaholm girls cross country team and Ann Arbor Pioneer girls golf team were among those that reminded us Wednesday to keep on the lookout for big things to come as we work through the first full week of September.

Cross country

The Seaholm girls appear elite against despite losing two of the state’s best from last season’s Lower Peninsula Division 1 championship team, and scored only 20 points in winning the Oakland Activities Association Red jamboree Wednesday – Oakland Press

Girls Golf

Anastassia Lee shot a one-under par 35 to lead Ann Arbor Pioneer to its season-low score of 161 and a win over rival Huron – MLive-Ann Arbor

Boys Soccer

Paw Paw won a battle of undefeated Wolverine Conference teams, and did so in a big way, 6-0 over Otsego to gain an early lead in the league standings – Kalamazoo Gazette

Utica Ford remained undefeated with a 2-0 victory despite a sharp performance by St. Clair Shores Lakeview keeper Shane Casacchia – Macomb Daily

Volleyball

Saranac jumped out to a 2-0 lead and then won the fifth set 15-13 to down perennial Central Michigan Athletic Conference contender Pewamo-Westphalia – Ionia Sentinel-Standard