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: 8/28/15

August 28, 2015

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Thursday saw the start of varsity football season, and nearly half of Michigan’s teams kicked off their fall.

Football’s first week in review will be posted Monday afternoon; in the meantime, there is more good news to report from today’s statewide headlines.

Cross Country

The Croswell-Lexington girls and Yale boys won the Mike Jackson Invitational, with Port Huron’s Rachel Bonner – fourth at the Lower Peninsula Division 1 Final last season – taking the girls individual title by 59 seconds – Port Huron Times-Herald

Girls Golf

Spring Lake set a school record shooting 321 to win the Big Rapids Invitational, also placing the top two individuals – Grand Haven Tribune

Good Reads

Longtime cross country and track and field official Doug Steward was quoted as saying he was close to retiring – in 2009. But this fall, after 51 years, he indeed will start his final races – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

The Lac Vieux Desert Tribe presented Watersmeet schools with $174,000 earlier this year that in part went to a new gym floor complete with the school's nationally-recognized Nimrod logo – Ironwood Daily Globe