Today in the MHSAA: 10/20/17
October 20, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Each weekday of the school year, we break down the top headlines courtesy of Michigan’s sports media.
Today's Top 10
1. Football: Bellevue is having an incredible first season of 8-player football, and quarterback Gino Costello is building on an already impressive effort with a heavy heart after his mom died after a fight with cancer at the start of this month – Battle Creek Enquirer
2. Football: West Bloomfield kicker Nick O’Shea lost his father unexpectedly from a heart attack just 10 days ago. But how he and West Bloomfield’s coaches and players have rallied is also truly inspiring – Detroit Free Press
3. Volleyball: Harbor Springs Harbor Light Christian finished a perfect run through the Northern Lakes Conference with a sweep of Vanderbilt – Petoskey News-Review
4. Volleyball: Class B No. 8 Spring Lake clinched a share of the Ottawa-Kent Conference Blue title with a win over Comstock Park – Grand Haven Tribune
5. Boys Soccer: No. 7 Coldwater earned a rematch with No. 6-ranked Marshall by getting past perennial power Mason 2-0 to advance in Division 2 – Coldwater Daily Reporter
6. Volleyball: Class C No. 8 Unionville-Sebewaing clinched its sixth Greater Thumb Conference West title in seven seasons with a four-set win over Reese – Huron Daily Tribune
7. Cross Country: The Highland Milford girls (No. 10 in LPD1) and White Lake Lakeland boys (No. 5 in LPD1) clinched the inaugural Lakes Valley Conference championships – Observer & Eccentric Girls | Boys
8. Boys Soccer: Walled Lake Northern dealt rival Division 1 No. 15 Walled Lake Central a draw this year as the Vikings finished 15-0-1 in the Lakes Valley Conference, but Central avenged that tie with a 3-0 Division 1 win – Oakland Press
9. Volleyball: Houghton claimed the Copper Spike traveling trophy for the fourth straight season with a sweep of rival Hancock – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette
10. Conference realignment: The Western Peninsula Athletic Conference is set to expand significantly with most of the Upper Peninsula’s 11-player football schools filling out the league – Marquette Mining Journal
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.)