Today in the MHSAA: 9/28/15
September 28, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
This weekend’s highlights included elite swimming competitions and a cross country race so fun that a football team came out to run.
Cross Country
The Cadillac girls, No. 6 in Lower Peninsula Division 2, and the unranked Middleville Thornapple Kellogg boys won championships at the Muskegon Oakridge Invitational – Cadillac News
LP Division 1 No. 4 Brighton took the top five places to win the Monroe Jefferson Invitational with a perfect score – Livingston Daily
The LP Division 1 No. 6 Bay City Western boys and No. 12 Midland Dow girls won Division 1-2 races at the Delta College Invitational – Midland Daily News
Boys Soccer
Unranked Warren DeLaSalle upset Division 1 No. 3 Utica Eisenhower on Saturday, 2-1, on two goals by Aleks Vushaj – Macomb Daily
Girls Swimming & Diving
Midland Dow won the Tri-City Invitational for the fifth straight season, edging Saginaw Heritage after falling to the Hawks in a dual earlier this fall – Saginaw News
LP Division 3 No. 2 Holland Christian won its invitational ahead of No. 1 Grand Rapids Catholic Central and No. 5 Grand Rapids Christian – Grand Rapids Press
Volleyball
Brooklyn Columbia Central swept Concord in two sets to win the 41st Jackson County Tournament, played at Spring Arbor University – Jackson Citizen-Patriot
Good Reads
St. Louis volleyball player Brooke Courter is deaf, but she and her teammates have learned to communicate well while cheering each other on – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun
Rochester Adams boys tennis coach Al Must earned his 400th victory in 32 seasons earlier this month, and for him, continuing to coach at the high school level remains an honor – Oakland Press
Frankenmuth and Millington are the fiercest of rivals and met again on the football field Friday – but with the experience of working together during a meaningful day this summer – Saginaw News
The Old Skool Classic Cross Country Race puts the “country” back in cross country, according to one of the host coaches, with two river crossings, muddy areas, a corn field and wooded trails – Macomb Daily
Today in the MHSAA: 10/15/15
October 15, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Championship are won on a seemingly daily basis in October, and plenty were earned and celebrated Wednesday – but please also check out some great reads at the bottom of this list, including a look at why specialization is increasing as a nationwide concern.
Cross Country
The Saugatuck girls, ranked No. 2 in Lower Peninsula Division 4, won their ninth straight Southwestern Athletic Conference title with 12 runners earning all-league honors – Grand Rapids Press
Boys Soccer
LP Division 2 No. 5 East Lansing capped an impressive run through the Capital Area Activities Conference Gold Cup by winning the final 3-1 over Grand Ledge – Lansing State Journal
LP Division 1 No. 15 East Kentwood secured its 12th Ottawa-Kent Conference Red title in 13 seasons with a 1-0 win over Grandville, helped in part by a pair of players whose ties the program go back to the early years of the run – Grand Rapids Press
LP Division 1 No. 7 Utica Ford shut out No. 14 Fraser to clinch the Macomb Area Conference Red championship – Macomb Daily
Unranked Birmingham Brother Rice stunned LP Division 1 No. 3 Detroit Catholic Central 2-1 in the championship game of the Detroit Catholic League A-B tournament – Oakland Press
LP Division 4 No. 11 Charlevoix clinched a share of the Lake Michigan Conference title with a 3-0 win over Grayling, thanks to a hat trick by Walker Drost – Charlevoix Courier
Saginaw Heritage scored the first goal Flint Powers Catholic had given up since Sept. 12, but the Chargers emerged with a 2-1 win and the overall Saginaw Valley League championship – Flint Journal
Volleyball
Lansing Catholic won the first volleyball league championship in its long history, beating Fowlerville in three sets to claim a share of the CAAC White title – Lansing State Journal
Good Reads
Single-sport specialization has become a topic of national focus and concern, and MHSAA Executive Director Jack Roberts was among association directors talked to for this report on why it’s a health-related issue and how states are working to promote multi-sport participation instead – NFHS.org
Vandercook Lake is enjoying its best football season in 45 years and plays for a league title this weekend, and is led by a three-sport athlete who has been on a long road back after Crohn’s disease led to his shedding 90 pounds only two years ago – Jackson Citizen-Patriot
The Christmas tree standing tall in front of the Capitol in Lansing this winter will come from Wakefield thanks to a donation by Florence Daniels in honor of her husband Jim, who coached Wakefield High's boys basketball team to 355 wins, 12 district the five regional titles in 28 seasons. He also was a member of Channing High’s Upper Peninsula championship team in 1944 and coached Al Inkala, who went on to become an MHSAA championship-winning girls tennis coach at Okemos – Lansing State Journal