Today in the MHSAA: 9/21/15

September 21, 2015

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

This weekend was packed with prestigious cross country events and also featured a milestone win by a longtime volleyball coach.  

Cross Country

Centreville stunned an “elite” field by finishing ahead of reigning Lower Peninsula Division 1 champ Birmingham Seaholm to win the Spartan Invitational elite girls race at Michigan State University. Novi won the boys elite race despite its top individual coming in only 21stPlaymakers.com

The Otsego girls put five runners among the top six to finish among champions at the Sparta Invitational. Rockford’s boys put three among the top 10 to ascend among boys champions – Grand Rapids Press girls story; Grand Rapids Press boys story

The Holly and Lake Orion boys and Rochester Adams and Holly girls were among champions at Holly’s invitational – Oakland Press

Girls Golf

A number of top teams from the southwest part of the Lower Peninsula played in Friday’s Coldwater Lady Cardinal Invitational, with Division 4 power Kalamazoo Hackett winning with a score of 347 – Coldwater Daily Reporter

Boys Soccer

Battle Creek Central won the first All-City soccer tournament in that community, downing Battle Creek Lakeview in overtime – Battle Creek Enquirer

No. 14 Saline downed No. 4 Northville in a matchup of two of the best in Division 1 – AnnArbor.com

The No. 8-ranked teams in Divisions 3 and 4 met, with Division 4’s Muskegon Western Michigan Christian downing Whitehall, 2-1 – Grand Haven Tribune

Girls Swimming and Diving

Saline, the top-ranked team in LP Division 1, downed a strong field at Salem’s Rock Maurer Invitational, finishing just head of No. 3 Farmington Hills Mercy, with No. 9 Northville coming in third – AnnArbor.com

Boys Tennis

Essexville Garber scored a perfect 24 to win the Bay County Tournament for the third time in four seasons – Bay City Times

Volleyball

Longtime Mount Morris coach Jim Pender celebrated the 700th win over his career as his team went 7-0 to win its invitational Saturday; Mount Morris, No. 3 in Class B, beat Class A honorable mention Farmington Hills Mercy in the final – Flint Journal

Lake Odessa Lakewood, No. 2 in Class B, downed Class C No. 3 Montague to win the Grandville Calvin Christian Invitational – Muskegon Chronicle

Today in the MHSAA: 9/15/15

September 15, 2015

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Upsets, milestones and a marathon tennis match highlight today’s gathering of notable headlines from across the state.

Girls Golf

Jackson Lumen Christi shot a 377 to win its home invitational at the Cascades; the score was the team’s three-year low on the course – Jackson Citizen-Patriot

Traverse City West won the Lady Rayder Invitational in Charlevoix by 52 strokes, and West’s Annika Dy took the individual honor by three strokes over reigning Lower Peninsula Division 4 champion Nichole Cox of Maple City Glen Lake – Traverse City Record-Eagle

Grand Rapids Christian won a matchup of top-10 teams in Lower Peninsula Division 3, edging Lake Odessa Lakewood by 12 strokes at Centennial Acres, Lakewood’s home course – Ionia Sentinel-Standard

Boys Soccer

Clinton Township Chippewa Valley handed Division 1 No. 3 Fraser its first Macomb Area Conference loss since 2011, 1-0 – Macomb Daily

Whitehall downed undefeated Muskegon Mona Shores after scoring on a go-ahead penalty kick before halftime – Muskegon Chronicle

Girls Swimming and Diving

From Saturday, Lake Orion – an honorable mention in LP Division 1 – won the West Bloomfield Invitational for the second straight season, this time against a field that included LP Division 2 honorable mentions North Farmington and Farmington Hills Harrison – Oakland Press

Boys Tennis

LP Division 3 No. 3 East Grand Rapids claimed a 6-2 win over No. 5 Grand Rapids Christian, thanks in part to a win at No. 1 singles by Thomas Bailey that took three hours to secure – Grand Rapids Press

Volleyball

Cadillac needed four sets to outlast Traverse City Central and move to 18-2, setting up next week’s matchup of first-place Big North Conference teams against Traverse City West – Cadillac News

Good Read

Clare football coach Kelly Luplow has built his program into the dominant power in the Jack Pine Conference that has won 34 straight league games, and he needs one more win to reach 200 for his career – Bay City Times