Today in the MHSAA: 9/19/17
September 19, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Each weekday of the school year, we break down the top headlines courtesy of Michigan’s sports media.
Today's Top 10
1. Safety: Hemlock girls tennis coach Dean Rusch saved a life while deejaying a wedding for his entertainment company, using an AED he keeps on hand as a coach – WNEM
2. Girls Golf: Top-ranked Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood edged No. 2 Macomb Lutheran North by a stroke in a match of Lower Peninsula Division 3 contenders – Oakland Press
3. Girls Golf: LPD1 top-ranked Traverse City West clinched its eighth straight tournament win, shooting a 341 to claim the Charlevoix Lady Rayder Classic by 12 strokes – Traverse City Record-Eagle
4. Girls Golf: LPD2 No. 3 St. Joseph posted an impressive win at the Point O’Wood Invitational, shooting a 356 to edge LPD4 No. 1 Kalamazoo Hackett by nine strokes – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium
5. Girls Golf: Coldwater won the nine-team Onsted Invitational with a 348, its season-low tournament score – Coldwater Daily Reporter
6. Cross Country: In what has to be a first, Houghton standouts Clayton Sayen and Seth Helman decided in the home stretch of the Calumet Invitational who would cross the finish first by playing rock-paper-scissors; Chassell’s Lela Rautiola won the girls race by 39 seconds – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette
7. Boys Soccer: Buckley downed Kingsley 5-1 as Ridge Beeman tallied his fifth hat trick of this fall – Cadillac News
8. Girls Golf: Pinckney improved to 10-1 in the Southeastern Conference White in its first season in the league with a 40-stroke win over Tecumseh – Livingston Daily Press & Argus
9. Fans: Redford Union has dedicated the 2017-18 school year to longtime fan and alum Jimmy Rollin, who died in July and was a supporter of the school’s teams. Union will have a moment of silence for him at the home opener for each varsity sport – Observer & Eccentric
10. Girls Swimming & Diving: Mull is a well-known last name in Lansing area swimming, and Grand Ledge sophomore Lola Mull is upholding her family’s reputation for pool excellence – Lansing State Journal
Did You See That? (May 6-12)
May 13, 2013
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
It matters not which school you support: All of us cheer on those who emerge from sad or challenging circumstances to return to the field of play. Those are stories with which we all identify, no matter where they take place or the athletes involved.
Grass Lake's Julia Covill and the Grayling golf team are among those we cheered on last week. Read on for why.
Good Read of the Week
One more race: A little more than a year ago, Julia Covill suffered a broken pelvis, shattered femur and a smattering of other injuries after losing control of her vehicle on a patch of black ice. The volleyball and track and field standout hadn’t participated in sports since – but returned to the track for one more race Tuesday to earn a final victory, even in crossing the finishing line of the 200-meter dash last. (Jackson Citizen-Patriot)
Boys Golf
Grayling returns to the course: Long drives and birdie putts were less significant details as Grayling returned to competition Wednesday for the first time since a car crash that rocked the northern Lower Peninsula, resulting in three deaths and five more hospitalizations. (Petoskey News)
TC West record falls: Cam Murray shot a 67 on Tuesday as Traverse City West won its Big North Conference event with a team score of 306. (Traverse City Record-Eagle)
Track and Field
Back on track: The Lake Linden-Hubbell boys and girls swept their home invitationals Friday in what was for many one of the first times those athletes had competed on a track this season thanks to lingering snow. (Houghton Daily Mining Gazette)
Down to the finish: The Battle Creek Lakeview boys and girls teams swept their Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference championship meets Friday, with the Lakeview boys clinching in dramatic fashion by securing a one-point win with a 1.23-second victory in the final event of the day. (Kalamazoo Gazette)
Boys Lacrosse
Haslett/Williamston takes big step: The Vikings earned their first Capital Area Activities Conference tournament championship with a 13-3 win over Holt, the three-time reigning champ that had beaten Haslett/Williamston 14-3 on April 27. The win pushed H/W into the No. 10 spot in today’s Division 2 state computer ranking. (Lansing State Journal)
Novi hangs on: Novi survived to win the Kensington Lakes Activities Association tournament championship game 7-6 after a last-second Brighton shot crossed the line just after time expired. (MLive Detroit)
Girls Tennis
FHN No. 1 again: Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern continued to own its league Saturday, although this time in a new division. The Huskies won the first-ever O-K Bronze tournament championship by four points over Ada Forest Hills Eastern. FHN has won nine straight league titles. (Grand Rapids Press)
Wrestling
Meet Mr. Wrestler: Fowlerville’s Adam Coon added to his impressive list of accomplishments – including becoming the 17th MHSAA wrestler to win four Finals championships – when he was named Mr. Wrestler by the Michigan Wrestling Association. (Livingston County Daily Press & Argus)
Upper Peninsula Hall of Fame
High school stars inducted: High school standouts brought back plenty of memories as this year’s class was inducted Sunday into the Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame. (Marquette Mining Journal)
Boys Basketball
Root resigns after 30+ seasons: Longtime Flint Ainsworth and then Carman-Ainsworth basketball coach Bob Root resigned last week, potentially finishing a career that began at Flint Northern in 1978. (Flint Journal)