Today in the MHSAA: 10/16/20
October 19, 2020
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
More cross country league races came to an end Thursday as more Boys Soccer Districts got rolling across the Lower Peninsula.
1. Cross Country: Brownstown Woodhaven swept Downriver League races to both clinch championships; the girls team received honorable mention in Lower Peninsula Division 1 – Southgate News-Herald
2. Cross Country: The Jonesville girls defeated Bronson and Springport to complete an undefeated run through the Big 8 Conference – Hillsdale Daily News
3. Cross Country: Yale’s boys – No. 9 in LPD2 – won their fourth-straight Blue Water Area Conference title – Port Huron Times Herald
4. Cross Country: The Marysville and New Baltimore Anchor Bay girls and Port Huron Northern and Warren Cousino boys won Macomb Area Conference divisional championships – Macomb Daily
5. Volleyball: Undefeated Trenton handed Allen Park its first loss – Southgate News-Herald
6. Boys Soccer: Eliot Boik scored three goals to lead Grayling past Boyne City in a Division 3 opener – Up North Live
7. Girls Swimming & Diving: Owosso continued its perfect start with a 115-61 win over Flint Kearsley/Lake Fenton – Owosso Argus-Press
8. Boys Soccer: Brighton opened Division 1 District play with a 3-1 win over Novi – Observer & Eccentric
9. Boys Soccer: Gaylord opened Division 2 District play with a 4-0 win over Bay City John Glenn – Gaylord Herald Times
10. Boys Soccer: Gibraltar Carlson opened its Division 2 District with a 4-0 win over Carleton Airport – Southgate News-Herald
Holland West Ottawa Athletics Complex Recognized with National Award
December 12, 2023
Holland West Ottawa Public Schools’ new athletics complex, with architectural firm GMB, has been recognized as the top multi-field facility nationally by the American Sports Builders Association (ASBA), the national organization for builders and suppliers of materials for athletic facilities.
West Ottawa’s new stadium consists of two turf playing fields. The west field was designed deliberately without a surrounding track to bring the stands and field closer together with a central tunnel beneath the grandstands for the home team to enter onto the field. The same synthetic turf, light posts, and state-of-the-art audio/video systems are utilized on both fields for an equitable experience for all users.
Multiple ground-level entry points with access to the fields, barrier-free locker rooms and multiple seating options with elevator access also create accessibility for spectators, players, coaches, and support staff.
“This facility allows our students the opportunity to play in one of the premier complexes in the state of Michigan,” said Jeff Malloch, assistant superintendent of business services at West Ottawa Public Schools. “We have seen continued interest in lacrosse, football, and soccer, and this complex will be utilized by our community youth from elementary age to high school student-athletes.”
Adding elevated fan experiences, such as a concourse level between the upper and lower sections of the home stands, bigger bleachers, and updated concession stands and restrooms establish a venue for multiple sports and attract the entire community to utilize the facility.
“This is a one-of-a-kind facility for West Michigan, and it’s been wonderful to see student-athletes from across the state enjoy the complex’s unique amenities,” said Nate Bosch, a landscape architect with GMB. “The collaboration needed to make this project come to life was an inspiring process to be a part of, and we are so pleased to celebrate this accomplishment with West Ottawa.”
This is the first time a GMB project has been awarded a multi-field facility of the year honor by the ASBA. GMB also has received four Project of the Year honors in the outdoor tennis category and 20 distinguished awards from ASBA for other athletic facility projects over the past 12 years.
(Photos by M-Buck Studio.)