Today in the MHSAA: 9/18/19

September 18, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The Zeeland girls swimming & diving team and Brighton boys and Northville girls cross country teams are among many who have made big impressions this fall, and they are followed on today's list by a number of others starting to make state poll voters take notice.

1. Girls Swimming & Diving: Unranked Zeeland continued its extraordinary start to this season, this time defeating Lower Peninsula Division 1 No. 4 Rockford 100-86 – Holland Sentinel

2. Cross Country: The LPD1 top-ranked Brighton boys defeated No. 8 Salem and No. 14 Northville, and the No. 3 Northville girls beat No. 4 Salem in a tie-breaker and also No. 8 Brighton as powerhouse programs clashed at Huron Meadows – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

3. Volleyball: Division 2 No. 2 Hamilton got past honorable mention Holland Christian in four sets, the fourth going to 32-30 – Holland Sentinel

4. Boys Soccer: Unranked Rochester Adams earned an impressive draw against Division 1 No. 10 Berkley – Oakland Press

5. Boys Soccer: Dexter moved into first place alone in the Southeastern Conference White with a 2-1 win over now second-place Tecumseh – Chelsea Sun Times News

6: Boys Soccer: Traverse City West earned a key Big North Conference win 7-0 over Division 2 No. 14 Alpena – Alpena News

7. Volleyball: Mount Pleasant moved to 22-4-1 with a sweep of Midland – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

8. Boys Soccer: Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard scored late to get past Ann Arbor Greenhills 1-0 and improve to 8-2-1 – We Love Ann Arbor

9. Volleyball: Division 3 honorable mention Manistique lost the first set by two but won the next three to get past Gwinn – Escanaba Daily Press

10. Boys Tennis: Brownstown Woodhaven and Trenton both remain unbeaten as the Downriver League contenders tied 4-4 – Southgate News-Herald

Today in the MHSAA: 1/6/20

January 6, 2020

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The clashing of statewide wrestling powers and a nearly unbelievable performance on the ice highlighted a power-packed first weekend of 2020.

1. Wrestling: Division 1 top-ranked Detroit Catholic Central, No. 2 Davison, No. 3 Brighton and Division 2 top-ranked Lowell took the top four team places, respectively, at the 56th DCC Invitational – Oakland Press

2. Hockey: Division 2 No. 2 Livonia Stevenson downed Hartland 5-2, with Seth Lause scoring an incredible three short-handed goals – Observer & Eccentric

3. Boys Basketball: Flint Beecher downed Benton Harbor 76-62 in a matchup of teams expected to make runs at Finals championships in March – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium

4. Hockey: Division 1 No. 5 Brighton handed the first loss of the season to the last team without one, 3-2 to Division 3 top-ranked Calumet – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

5. Hockey: Division 1 top-ranked Detroit Catholic Central earned a significant league win 6-0 over No. 4 Orchard Lake St. Mary’s – Oakland Press

6. Girls Basketball: Kelsey Richards went over 30 points for the fifth straight game as Fruitport Calvary Christian earned a 50-46 statement win over Central Montcalm – Muskegon Chronicle

7. Wrestling: Division 4 top-ranked Clinton followed a pair of individual champions to the team title at the 45th Dave Elliott Memorial Tournament – Adrian Daily Telegram

8. Boys Basketball: In another matchup of championship hopefuls, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s downed Grand Blanc 69-66 – Flint Journal

9. Girls Basketball: Hart continued its surge with a 51-35 win over Calvary Christian the day after the latter’s big win noted above – Muskegon Chronicle

10. Hockey: Ann Arbor Pioneer improved to 8-2 with a 2-1 win over rival Skyline in the final of the Jilek Cup – We Love Ann Arbor

Also of note …

Football: The football community is mourning the death of Zeeland West assistant Gasper Giarmo, who coached more than 30 years combined at seven schools including a decade at Byron Center – Grand Rapids Press