Today in the MHSAA: 9/23/19

September 23, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Today’s list of the weekend’s top achievers has a definite Grand Rapids-area tilt as teams from five schools from that part of the state emerged as invitational champions in either cross country, golf, volleyball or swimming & diving.

1. Cross Country: The East Grand Rapids girls – No. 1 Lower Peninsula Division 2 – honorable mention Tecumseh and Jackson Lumen Christi girls and LPD1 No. 4 Romeo, LPD3 No. 1 Hanover-Horton and Manchester boys all won championships at the Jackson Invitational – Athletic.net

2. Volleyball: Division 2 No. 5 Coopersville downed honorable mention Kingsley in two sets to win the Cadillac Tournament title – Traverse City Record-Eagle

3. Volleyball: Division 2 honorable mention Onsted improved to 24-0 with an undefeated run through its invitational, including sweeping Division 4 No. 9 Adrian Lenawee Christian in the final – Adrian Daily Telegram

4. Volleyball: Division 3 No. 5 Bronson also finished a perfect tourney run, taking the Portage Northern Invitational title by downing the host in that final – Coldwater Daily Reporter

5. Girls Swimming & Diving: LPD2 No. 10 Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central won the fastest wave of the Portage Central Invitational by a point over the host, ranked No. 5, and also ahead of No. 6 Midland Dow – Midland Daily News

6. Girls Golf: LPD2 top-ranked Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern shot a 297 to win the Greenville Invitational – Petoskey News-Review

7. Cross Country: The LPD2 No. 8 Sparta boys and No. 5 Cadillac girls won Muskegon Oakridge Invitational championships – Athletic.net

8. Cross Country: The LPD4 No. 8 Pittsford girls and LPD3 honorable mention Leslie boys won Pittsford’s invitational – Hillsdale Daily News

9. Volleyball: Stephenson downed Felch North Dickenson in the final to win the Crystal Falls Forest Park Invitational – Iron Mountain Daily News

10. Cross Country: Roscommon swept the big school championships at the Evart Invitational; the girls are ranked No. 13 in LPD3 – Big Rapids News

Today in the MHSAA: 10/17/19

October 17, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The first District champions are in for boys soccer – and more cross country and volleyball league champs as well – but the top headline from Wednesday highlighted a game on the pitch from earlier in the Division 1 bracket.

1. Boys Soccer: Unranked Ann Arbor Pioneer eliminated reigning Division 1 champion and current No. 4 Ann Arbor Skyline in a 2-1 District Semifinal win – We Love Ann Arbor

2. Boys Soccer: No. 8 Macomb Lutheran North got past No. 13 Imlay City 3-2 to clinch a Division 3 District title – Macomb Daily

3. Boys Soccer: Dowagiac downed South Haven 4-2 in Division 3 to win its third straight District championship – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium

4. Boys Soccer: Rochester Adams continued its surge by downing Lake Orion to clinch a Division 1 District title – Oakland Press

5. Boys Soccer: Salem edged Canton 2-1 to wrap up a Division 1 District championship – Observer & Eccentric

6. Boys Soccer: Madison Heights Lamphere earned a Division 2 District Final win 1-0 over Warren Woods-Tower – Oakland Press

7. Boys Soccer: Ludington finished another Division 3 District run with a 1-0 win over Shelby – MI Sports Now 

8. Cross Country: Shepherd’s girls – ranked No. 3 in Lower Peninsula Division 3 – and No. 11 boys teams finished a sweep of Jack Pine Conference championships in their first season in the league – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

9. Cross Country: The LPD4 top-ranked Breckenridge boys and No. 1 Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart girls completed dominating runs to Mid-State Activities Conference titles – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

10. Boys Soccer: Unranked Holland scored late to get past No. 14 Grand Rapids Christian in a Division 2 District Semifinal – Holland Sentinel

Also of note …

Cross Country: Hanover-Horton swept the Cascades Conference meet championships; the boys team is ranked No. 1 in LPD3 – JTV

Volleyball: From Tuesday, Division 3 No. 6 Centreville came back from two sets down to defeat Division 4 No. 3 Mendon and claim the Southwest 10 Conference championship, its first league title since 2001 – Sturgis Journal

Volleyball: From Tuesday, Dexter defeated Pinckney in five sets to lock up a fourth straight Southeastern Conference White title – Sun Times News

Cross Country: From Tuesday, the LPD2 No. 10 Spring Lake girls and No. 12 Sparta boys won Ottawa-Kent Conference Blue championships – Grand Haven Tribune

Cross Country: From Monday, the UPD2 honorable mention St. Ignace girls and UPD3 No. 3 Brimley boys locked up Eastern Upper Peninsula Conference championships – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News