Today in the MHSAA: 9/20/17

September 20, 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. Volleyball: Class B No. 10 Montague moved to 4-0 in the West Michigan Conference by a slim margin, downing Class C No. 5 Shelby in five sets, the last 15-13Local Sports Journal

2. Boys Soccer: Portage Central, No. 4 in Division 1, downed rival Portage Northern for the first time since 2014, 3-1 – Kalamazoo Gazette

3. Cross Country: The unranked Grand Haven boys won the first Ottawa-Kent Conference Red jamboree ahead of LPD1 No. 14 Rockford, although the top-ranked Rams girls won their side of the meet – Grand Haven Tribune

4. Volleyball: Class A No. 6 Clarkston won all three sets by five or fewer points to down honorable mention Rochester Hills Stoney Creek in a matchup of first-place teams in the Oakland Activities Association Red – Oakland Press

5. Boys Soccer: Division 2 No. 2 Dexter moved to 13-0 with a 1-0 win over No. 18 Tecumseh in Southeastern Conference White play – Adrian Daily Telegram

6. Cross Country: The Manton boys and McBain girls, both honorable mentions in LPD3, won Highland Conference jamborees; the boys race also included LPD4 No. 9 Beal City – Cadillac News

7. Girls Swimming & Diving: Ann Arbor Huron downed rival Ann Arbor Pioneer in a matchup of honorable mentions in Lower Peninsula Division 1 – Ann Arbor News

8. Boys Soccer: Fruitport scored three second-half goals to down Division 3 No. 14 Grand Rapids Covenant Christian 5-2 – Grand Haven Tribune

9. Volleyball: Class B No. 8 Fruitport continued building momentum for what will be a tough weekend with a four-set win over rival Muskegon Mona Shores – Grand Haven Tribune

10. Girls Swimming & Diving: Alma earned first places in nine of 12 events, but Mount Pleasant’s depth showed through in a 98-76 win over its pool neighbor – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

Today in the MHSAA: 8/24/15

August 24, 2015

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

All MHSAA fall sports but football kicked off competition last week, with cross country, boys soccer, girls swimming and diving and volleyball starting Saturday.

Below are some notable headlines from the first weekend of this season, plus links to coverage.

Cross Country

St. Johns hosted its second “Under the Lights” meets Friday; Ithaca’s girls and Saugatuck’s boys bested fields loaded with much larger opponents – Lansing State Journal

The St. Joseph girls and Bridgman boys won championships at the Niles Stampede – the St. Joseph girls, who finished fourth in Lower Peninsula Division 2 last season, by a large margin – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium

Girls Golf

Maple City Glen Lake’s Nichole Cox, last season’s LP Division 4 individual champion, came back to defeat Brighton freshman Annie Pietila at the two-day Lober Invitational at Grand Traverse Resort – Traverse City Record-Eagle

Boys Soccer

Two of the state’s powers met in the championship game of the Detroit Country Day Tournament on Saturday – with 2013 Division 1 runner-up Bloomfield Hills downing the host Yellowjackets 1-0 in a shootout – Oakland Press

Girls Swimming & Diving

Howell won its Kenzie Klassic, which honors swimmer Mackenize Watts, who died in 2005 at age 15. The school also raised enough money to award three scholarships and begin funding cardiac-related causes – Livingston Daily

Volleyball

Novi won the Lakeshore Classic by coming back after losing the first two games to beat Grand Haven 3-2 in a rematch of a 2014 Class A Semifinal – Muskegon Chronicle

Battle Creek Harper Creek, for the first time, won the gold championship at the long-running Carrie Adams Memorial Tournament hosted by reigning Class D champion Battle Creek St. Philip – Battle Creek Enquirer

Good Read

Mike Steele, a Midland Dow grad and now pitching coach at Long Beach State in California, argues that parents need to raise their athletes to compete instead of providing specific training in one sport – Midland Daily News