Today in the MHSAA: 9/22/16

September 22, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

A trio of local golf titles and some league bragging rights in volleyball were on the line Wednesday – and the results were a mix of close and dominating finishes.  

Each weekday during the school year, we’ll gather and post media links covering the most significant and intriguing high school events from all over the state.

Girls Golf

Muskegon Reeths-Puffer, No. 9 in Lower Peninsula Division 2, won the Greater Muskegon Athletic Association city meet by 39 strokes, breaking Mona Shores’ eight-year hold on the title – Muskegon Chronicle

Division 1 No. 1 Rochester continued its powerful run shooting a 310 to win the Oakland County championship by eight strokes – Oakland Press

Macomb Lutheran North won its third straight Macomb County championship, shooting a 311 to win by 44 strokes – Macomb Daily

Boys Soccer

The rivalry game for the Portage Derby trophy between Division 1 No. 1 Portage Northern and No. 14 Portage Central ended in a 1-1 tie – Kalamazoo Gazette

Girls Swimming & Diving

From Tuesday, White Lake Lakeland had five swimmers win multiple events in downing Grand Blanc in a matchup of honorable mentions in LP Division 1 – Observer & Eccentric

Boys Tennis

Parma Western, tied for the No. 10 spot in Division 3 this week, downed rival Jackson Lumen Christi 6-2 – Jackson Citizen-Patriot

Volleyball

Saginaw Swan Valley, an honorable mention in Class B, downed Bullock Creek in four sets to move to 19-5-2 – Saginaw News

Class B No. 4 Cadillac dealt Petoskey only its second loss with a 3-0 sweep in the Big North Conference – Cadillac News

Class C No. 2 Bronson just got past Class D No. 2 Mendon in three sets: 30-28, 25-21 and 27-25 – Sturgis Journal

Good Read

From South Sudan, to China, to Iowa to Battle Creek, Central first-year volleyball coach Winnie Lejukole has traveled far on her way to taking over the Bearcats this fall – Battle Creek Enquirer

Today in the MHSAA: 12/10/15

December 10, 2015

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Wednesday was the first day of winter in full swing with significant matchups coming in six sports as four got into the heart of their first week of the season. Be sure to check out as well a story on MHSAA officials recruiting efforts.

Girls Basketball

Traverse City St. Francis won an early battle between two of the north’s top small-school teams, downing Frankfort (featured today on Second Half) 76-72 – Traverse City Record-Eagle

A pair of Concord players filled the stat sheet in a 62-56 win over Michigan Center; senior Lindsey Lehmen led with 24 points, five assists, four rebounds and four steals, and sophomore Camryn Ward grabbed 19 rebounds – Jackson Citizen-Patriot

Boys Basketball

From Tuesday, Sanford Meridian freshman Lucas Lueder will be among first-year players to watch, if his 18 points in a 65-61 win over Saginaw Nouvel are an indication – Midland Daily News

Boys Bowling

Vandercook Lake could be in line for an exciting season or four after watching freshmen Korey Reichard (278) and Conner Lackey (267) lead the way in a 29-1 win over Grass Lake – Jackson Citizen-Patriot

Ice Hockey

Division 3 No. 10 Farmington’s two first-period goals were enough as the Falcons scored a key early-season win over Division 2 No. 4 Berkley – Oakland Press

After finishing regulation tied, Division 2 No. 9 Traverse City Central needed only 14 seconds of overtime to get past Cadillac 4-3 – Traverse City Record-Eagle

Boys Swimming & Diving

Chelsea coach Dave Jolly was the mid-Michigan link to Wednesday’s Waverly Relays, the annual event for Lansing-area teams to kick off the season; his Lower Peninsula Division 3 No. 3-ranked team broke Okemos’ five-year hold on the meet championship – Lansing State Journal

Wrestling

No. 3 Davison earned one of the most significant early wins so far this season, 45-27 over No. 4 Brighton, which beat Davison in the Division 1 Semifinals last season – Livingston Daily

Saginaw Swan Valley, No. 8 in Division 3, just escaped Essexville Garber for a 32-30 win – Saginaw News

Good Read

After more than five decades as an official, Dick Kalahar is watching from the stands this season. He is among a growing number of retiring officials the MHSAA is charged with replacing over the next few years, and this piece looks at some of the challenges and opportunities, in part through Kalahar’s eyes – Jackson Citizen-Patriot