Today in the MHSAA: 10/8/20

October 8, 2020

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The fields for this season’s Lower Peninsula Girls Golf and Boys Tennis Finals continued to fill Wednesday, with a new-look District format changing things up on the courts.

1. Girls Golf: Top-ranked Rochester Adams won its first Regional in more than two decades, with No. 9 Bloomfield Hills and No. 8 Troy also advancing in Lower Peninsula Division 1 – Oakland Press

2. Girls Golf: No. 3 Plymouth (326), No. 2 Northville (330) and unranked Ann Arbor Pioneer (349) advanced from another strong LPD1 Regional – We Love Ann Arbor

3. Boys Tennis: No. 11 Allegan advanced with a tie-breaker win over No. 7 Holland Christian in an LPD3 District Final – Holland Sentinel

4. Boys Tennis: No. 2 Traverse City St. Francis earned its 13th-straight Finals weekend berth, with an LPD4 District title – Traverse City Record-Eagle

5. Girls Golf: No. 10 Haslett, No. 9 Okemos and No. 7 Fenton took the top three places, respectively, at the LPD2 Regional at The Emerald – Flint Journal

6. Volleyball: Division 1 top-ranked Farmington Hills Mercy moved to 23-0 this fall with a second win this season over No. 3 Bloomfield Hills Marian – Observer & Eccentric

7. Girls Golf: No. 5 Michigan Center, No. 10 Adrian Lenawee Christian and unranked Hanover-Horton qualified from an LPD4 Regional at Cascades – JTV

8. Boys Soccer: Division 1 No. 3 (MPR) Detroit Catholic Central clinched the Detroit Catholic League Bishop championship with a 3-0 win over Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood – Oakland Press

9. Boys Soccer: McBain Northern Michigan Christian downed Cheboygan 2-0 to claim its first Northern Michigan Soccer League title – Cadillac News

10. Boys Tennis: No. 13 Traverse City Central received a bye and then defeated No. 15 Midland in an LPD2 District Final to advance to a sixth-straight Finals weekend – Traverse City Record-Eagle

Also of note …

Cross Country: From Tuesday, the Fairview boys and Rogers City girls clinched North Star League championships – WBKB

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.

The band performs at Holland West Ottawa's athletics complex.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.)