Today in the MHSAA: 9/30/15

September 30, 2015

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Ranked teams faced off all over the state in a variety of sports Tuesday – but perhaps the most intriguing score was a tie in tennis between teams outside the state coaches polls.

Cross Country

The Lower Peninsula Division 1 No. 6 Saline boys raced past No. 14 Monroe in the second Southeastern Conference jamboree after falling to Monroe in the first. In the girls race, No. 3 Saline edged No. 6 Ann Arbor Pioneer by only five points – AnnArbor.com

Ithaca’s girls, No. 3 in LP Division 2, won their eighth straight Tri-Valley Conference West jamboree, dating to 2013, and ahead of a field that includes No. 14 St. Louis – Saginaw News

The Chassell girls, No. 1 in Upper Peninsula Division 3, won the Houghton Invitational keyed by a strong group leading the pack – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

Boys Soccer

LP Division 1 top-ranked Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central earned another impressive win, this time 4-0 over Division 2 No. 6 East Grand Rapids – Grand Rapids Press

LP Division 4 No. 5 Muskegon Western Michigan Christian outlasted No. 8 Grand Rapids Covenant Christian 2-1 – Muskegon Chronicle

Boys Tennis

Jackson found itself with only four players this summer as it prepared for the fall season – but turned that into 14 and tied rival Jackson Lumen Christi on Tuesday – Jackson Citizen-Patriot

Volleyball

Unranked Kalamazoo Hackett pushed rival and Class C No. 7 Kalamazoo Christian to five sets before Christian prevailed 15-8 to close out the match – Kalamazoo Gazette

Montague, No. 2 in Class C, swept Whitehall to end the Vikings’ 54-match win streak in West Michigan Conference play – Muskegon Chronicle

Class B No. 4 Pontiac Notre Dame Prep survived a tough four-set match against rival and Class A honorable mention Bloomfield Hills Marian, with three of four sets decided by three or fewer points – Oakland Press

Today in the MHSAA: 10/5/15

October 5, 2015

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

One of the final weekends of the regular season included a record-setting performance in tennis and another in boys soccer, plus elite county-wide competition in swimming and diving.

Cross Country

Unranked Grand Haven finished ahead of Lower Peninsula Division 1 No. 10 Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central and Division 2 No. 5 Cadillac to win the large-school girls race at the Allendale Invitational – Grand Haven Tribune

Boys Soccer

Josh Busscher scored what would go down as the fastest goal (once confirmed) off the opening kickoff in MHSAA history, sending a shot into Division 4 No. 5 Muskegon Western Michigan Christian’s net four seconds in as Division 2 No. 1 Holland Christian went on to a 4-1 win – Grand Rapids Press

Girls Swimming and Diving

Battle Creek Lakeview won its All-City championship meet for the 12th straight season – Battle Creek Enquirer

Utica Eisenhower won the Macomb County Championships for the second straight year, setting a number of meet records in the process – Macomb Daily

Farmington Hills Mercy won the Oakland County meet for the 11th straight year and set meet records in the opening and closing relays – Oakland Press

Boys Tennis

Midland Dow’s Michael Szabo set what would be the MHSAA record for career singles wins, earning his 142nd and 143rd to surpass former Dow standout Johnathan Gurnee – Midland Daily News

LP Division 4 No. 6 Ludington and No. 5 Whitehall tied for the Coastal Conference tournament championship, with Ludington winning the overall league title thanks to a perfect dual match record – Muskegon Chronicle

Volleyball

Mount Morris, down to No. 6 in Class B, could jump back up the poll after beating Class A honorable mention Farmington Hills Mercy in its tournament final and finishing first ahead of a field including Class A No. 1 Novi and No. 2 Lake Orion – Flint Journal