Today in the MHSAA: Soccer Semifinals
June 13, 2019
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The MHSAA Girls Soccer Finals will be played Friday and Saturday at Michigan State University’s DeMartin Stadium. Below is a sampling of coverage of how all eight finalists advanced.
Division 1: Top-ranked and reigning champion Novi will play for a repeat after getting past Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central in a shootout – Observer & Eccentric
Division 1: No. 5 Plymouth also advanced with a shootout after a late comeback to take No. 13 Troy to overtime – Observer & Eccentric
Division 2: No. 6 Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern will play in its fourth straight Final thanks to a shootout win over No. 9 Marshall – FOX 17
Division 2: No. 2 Bloomfield Hills Marian is headed to the championship game for the third straight season after a 3-1 win over No. 11 Flint Powers Catholic – Observer & Eccentric
Division 3: No. 7 Essexville Garber will play in the championship game for the first time thanks to a 1-0 win over No. 2 Warren Regina – Bay City Times
Division 3: No. 5 Grand Rapids South Christian will play for its first title since 2013 after a 2-0 win over No. 8 Boyne City – Grand Rapids Press
Division 4: No. 2 Royal Oak Shrine continued its dominating run with a 6-0 win over No. 9 Saginaw Nouvel – State Champs Sports Network
Division 4: No. 3 Kalamazoo Christian upended top-ranked North Muskegon 1-0 – WWMT
Also of note …
Girls Soccer: Richland Gull Lake coach Jeff Corstange has stepped down after eight seasons, having led the team to three Division 2 championships – WWMT
Today in the MHSAA: 8/31/15
August 31, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The final weekend of August was a giant weekend for MHSAA volleyball contenders, with some of the top regular-season events this fall providing opportunities for the best to see how they might match up when playoffs begin in two months.
Below are headlines for some of the key high school reports from across the state; the weekend’s football round-up will publish later this afternoon.
Cross Country
Muskegon Reeths-Puffer’s Maryssa Depies set a course record of 18:11.3 to win the Big Red Invitational at McGraft Park – Muskegon Chronicle
Flint Powers Catholic’s top individual finisher came in ninth, but the Chargers girls as a team were first at the Lansing Catholic Invitational – Flint Journal
The reigning Lower Peninsula Division 2 champion Grand Rapids Christian boys repeated as winner of the prestigious Benzie Central Invitational, finishing ahead of Traverse City West and Central, while Central senior Anthony Berry won individually in 15:24 – Grand Rapids Press
Boys Soccer
Tawas, a Division 3 semifinalist last season, finished first from an Elk Rapids Invitational field that included Berkley and Saginaw Nouvel – Bay City Times
Volleyball
Lake Odessa Lakewood, last season’s Class B runner-up and the second-ranked team in that class this week, eliminated Class A No. 6 Grand Rapids Christian to win the West Michigan Volleyball Officials Association tournament for the first time in a decade – Grand Rapids Press
Class A No. 4 Grand Haven continued its perfect run at its outdoor Battle of the Boardwalk tournament, sweeping three opponents to remain undefeated through the event's third year – Grand Haven Tribune
Battle Creek Harper Creek, No. 9 in Class B, improved to 17-0 by winning the Cereal City Tournament at Pennfield with a 2-1 championship match win over Temperance Bedford, an MHSAA semifinalist last season in Class A – Battle Creek Enquirer
Good Reads
The Holland Sentinel introduced its top female athletes in that area’s history Sunday, and highlighted nationally-known softball star Kathy Arendsen and her successes during one of the MHSAA’s first Softball Finals – Holland Sentinel
Anyone who follows high school football history will enjoy going through the Muskegon Chronicle’s sampling of top-20 moments from that area’s football past – Muskegon Chronicle
More than 60 former Shepherd High School players from the last 25 seasons returned for an alumni doubleheader Sunday to honor coach Jack Nartker, who will retire after this spring – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun