Today in the MHSAA: 9/23/15
September 23, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Top-ranked soccer teams continued to face off Tuesday on the west side of Michigan, which also is mourning the passing of a major voice in both the high school and college games.
Cross Country
The Upper Peninsula Division 1 No. 3 Calumet girls finished ahead of No. 5 Houghton and others for the Calumet Invitational title, while Houghton’s boys won as well – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette
Boys Soccer
Division 1 No. 7 East Kentwood downed No. 20 Rockford 2-0 to move into first place in the Ottawa-Kent Conference Red – Grand Rapids Press
In another battle of ranked opponents, Division 2 No. 10 Fruitport moved into first place alone in the Lakes 8 Conference with a 1-0 win over No. 7 Spring Lake – Muskegon Chronicle
Rivals Portage Northern and Portage Central met with first place in the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference East on the line, and Northern handed Central its first loss this season, 2-0 – Kalamazoo Gazette
Division 2 No. 17 DeWitt edged top-ranked Mason 1-0 to take control in the Capital Area Activities Conference Red race.
Volleyball
Class A No. 7 Romeo was pushed to seven games by rival Macomb Dakota before clinching with a 15-3 victory that included nine of a match-high 30 kills by all-stater Gia Milana – Macomb Daily
Marine City and St. Clair split the first four sets before the Mariners came away with a 17-15 win in the decider of this Macomb Area Conference Gold match – Port Huron Times-Herald
Good Reads
The wait was worth it for the Adrian Madison girls golf team, which has found immediate success since forming three years ago – Adrian Daily Telegram
West Michigan is mourning to the death of longtime radio voice Doug Wentworth, who called Calvin College men’s basketball games for 50 years and also received an MHSAA Bush Award in 2005 for his service to the high school game – Calvin College
Linked Up: 11/15/11
December 16, 2011
We're heading into the final two weeks of the MHSAA fall season, which means playoffs for a few more sports, first practices for many others, and some catch-up on good stories that have made their way into my e-mail or onto my desk. Here are five more I've run across this week.
And again, if you see something high school sports-related that you think others would find valuable, send me a link at [email protected].
Walled Lake Central's Zac Leimbach stands strong after father's death (Detroit Free Press)
Walled Lake Central quarterback Zac Leimbach led his team to the playoffs this fall (WLC lost last weekend). He also is the oldest of three sons and now the man of his house in the wake of the summer death of their father after a battle with cancer. Mick McCabe's passage about Leimbach's final conversation with his father really struck me -- incredible.
Being in the pool makes Zeeland swimmer Becky Taylor feel like equal (Holland Sentinel)
Taylor was born with spina bifida -- "a hole in her back" -- and paralysis from the hips down. But she can leave her wheelchair behind when she takes to the pool as a member of the Zeeland swim team. Dan D'Addona tells us this inspiring story that has made waves on the west side of the state this season.
Mercy's Maddy Doyle takes home Miss Volleyball award (Oakland Press)
Doyle was the spokesperson for her team to the media after tough losses ended their last two seasons. But she was able to stand in once more -- joyfully tearful this time -- in accepting the Miss Volleyball award for 2011. Matthew B. Mowery wraps up her great career.
East Grand Rapids' win over Holland was the Pioneers' 28th straight in postseason play. That's a story unto itself, of course. But another big one for West Michigan high school sports fans was the return of the Press' Jane Bos, who is back in the press box after nearly a year working through medical issues. This is her return column, and I'm sure a loyal reader base is thankful to have her back.
From a standout player, a different sort of care basket (Los Angeles Times)
This is a little old, but came back into the light this week with the start of college basketball season. It's a college story, but also a high school story, of a star hoops player who won $40,000 in scholarship money in a free-throw shooting contest -- and then gave it to the seven runners-up. You'll probably hear about Cal State-Northridge's Allan Guei at some point over the next few years. Here's why.