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: 9/18/15

September 18, 2015

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Volleyball upsets and a close call in boys tennis are among the attention-grabbing headlines this morning from across the state.

Boys Soccer

Division 1 top-ranked Detroit Catholic Central remained undefeated at 8-0-1 with a 3-0 win over Detroit Catholic League rival and No. 16 Birmingham Brother Rice – Oakland Press

Unranked Grand Haven could take No. 20 Rockford’s spot after shutting out the Rams 3-0 – Grand Haven Tribune

Girls Swimming & Diving

Brighton closed its 40-year-old pool with a 96-87 win over Northville – Livingston Daily

Boys Tennis

Lower Peninsula Division 1 No. 1 Novi earned a 5-4 win over Northville because they counted a fifth doubles match, with Novi winning all doubles flights and unranked Northville winning all four at singles – Observer & Eccentric

Volleyball

Goodrich, an honorable mention team in Class B this week, came back from losing the first set to beat No. 3 Mount Morris 3-2 – Flint Journal

Class D Marine City Cardinal Mooney came back from losing the first two sets and pushed the fifth to 17-15 to down Class B neighbor Marine City – Port Huron Times-Herald

Plainwell, another honorable mention in Class B, handed Vicksburg the latter’s first Wolverine Conference loss since 2012 – Kalamazoo Gazette

Calumet, a Class C honorable mention, held off a challenge from local rival Hancock in a match of two of the best from the norther Upper Peninsula – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

Good Reads

Battle Creek St. Philip is playing a senior class that has only experienced 8-player football, and the Enquirer details eight chapters worth of notes from the program's transformation – Battle Creek Enquirer