Did you see that? (9/3-9/9)
September 10, 2012
School is back in session, and MHSAA teams should be hitting their best strides as league competition gets underway in most sports.
Here's a look at some of the highlights from the first full week of September, with links to additional coverage.
Volleyball
Spikes under the sun: Muskegon Mona Shores finished 3-0 in its home invitational Wednesday against a strong field of Grand Haven, Fruitport and Spring Lake. That's reason to celebrate on its own. But the best part of this story is where the Sailors did their damage -- on two portable courts stretched across the school's football field. (Muskegon Chronicle)
St. Philip takes Cereal City: Despite being one of the smallest schools in the state, it's rare that Battle Creek St. Philip doesn't leave a tournament as champion -- especially in its home town. But the Tigers hadn't won the Cereal City Invitational since 2007, until it did so with a two-set win over Class A honorable mention Temperance-Bedford this weekend. (Battle Creek Enquirer)
FHE is No. 1: Ada Forest Hills Eastern more than justified its ranking as best in the state in Class B by besting many of the best from the Grand Rapids area at the East Kentwood Invitational. Among others in the field were Class A No. 8 East Grand Rapids and reigning MHSAA Class A champion Rockford. (Grand Rapids Press)
Put them in the book: Johannesburg-Lewiston swept Gaylord St. Mary on Tuesday, thanks in part to 10 aces by junior Brittany Cherwinski, a total which will qualify for the MHSAA record book once documentation is submitted. In the team's previous match, junior Julia Nieman qualified for most assists in a match. (Gaylord Herald Times)
Cross Country
Harbor Springs rules the mud: Both the Harbor Springs boys and girls teams won their Charlevoix Classic Mud Runs on Saturday on a course that featured standing water and hay bales among other obstacles. It was the 21st year of the race. (Charlevoix Courier)
Running to records: Sault Ste. Marie has a freshman to watch in Parker Scott, who won his school's Bill Lynn Trails race Saturday in a time of 16:36 -- at least 26 seconds faster than any of the three first-place times from last season's MHSAA Upper Peninsula Finals. The time was a school record. (Soo Evening News)
Swimming and Diving
West Ottawa wins West Michigan: Facing many of the biggest and best from that side of the state, Holland West Ottawa won the West Michigan Relays after finishing third in the event each of the last three seasons. Among those also in the field was reigning MHSAA Division 2 champion Holland. (Holland Sentinel)
Tennis
Dow rises again: The Division 2 top-ranked Midland Dow tennis team remained perfect this season by winning its third tournament of the fall, at Grosse Pointe North. Among others in the field were No. 2-ranked Portage Central and No. 3 Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central (Midland Daily News)
Story in Photos: 2024 Volleyball Division 1 & 4 Semifinals
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
November 21, 2024
BATTLE CREEK – The matchups for this season’s Division 1 and 4 Volleyball Finals are set after Thursday’s Semifinals at Kellogg Arena, with the possibility of first-time champions in both divisions, a reigning champion playing to repeat in near-perfect fashion and a past champion pursuing its first title in more than a decade.
Saturday’s first two Finals will see the following face off at Kellogg Arena:
10 a.m. – Division 4 – Clarkston Everest Collegiate (37-0-1) vs. St. Joseph Our Lady of the Lake Catholic (33-3-1)
Noon – Division 1 – Northville (40-2) vs. Rockford (40-9)
Everest is the reigning champion in Division 4 and attempting to become the first Finals winner to also finish undefeated since 2015. The Mountaineers face Our Lady, which will play in its first championship match.
Northville is seeking its first Finals title as well, and finished runner-up in 2022. Rockford is seeking its second championship, to go with its Class A title won in 2011.
Division 2 and 3 Semifinals will be played Friday. Click here for more.
Hockey Weekly Action Photos captured the following from Thursday’s action.
Northville’s Ella Craggs (9) sets for Elle Chenowith (16) during their team’s 25-20, 20-25, 25-19, 25-22 Division 1 Semifinal win over Bloomfield Hills Marian (45-8).
Marian’s Jayla Zayti works to get a ball past Northville’s Mallory Reck (10) and Chenowith (16). Zayti finished with six kills and seven blocks, while Reck had 18 kills and four blocks, and Chenowith had three blocks.
A Fenton player and Rockford's Grace Crelly (12) meet at the net of the second Division 1 Semifinal. Crelly finished with five kills in the Rams’ 25-12, 25-14, 25-8 victory.
The Rams' Mallory Wandel (16) elevates for a kill attempt against the Tigers (36-5). Wandel finished with 18 kills.
Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart’s Erin Judge (7) sends a kill attempt toward the Our Lady of the Lake side of the court. Judge finished with 13 kills, but the Lakers prevailed 24-26, 25-22, 26-11, 26-28, 15-8. The Irish finished 42-5-2 this fall.
Clarkston Everest Collegiate’s Emmerson Phyle (5) serves during her team’s 25-10, 25-16, 25-13 sweep of Hancock to open the Division 4 Semifinals on Thursday. Phyle had a pair of aces during the match.
Hancock’s Brooke Koskela (13) puts a ball through an Everest block. Koskela finished with 10 kills for the Gremlins (25-7-2).
TOP PHOTO Our Lady of the Lake’s Nora Proos sends a spike into the block of Judge and another teammate Thursday.