Today In The MHSAA: 11/1/21

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

November 1, 2021

1. CROSS COUNTRY Petoskey swept Lower Peninsula Division 2 Regional titles, the school’s first Regional cross country sweep since 2003; the girls are ranked No. 3 and the boys are No. 13 – Petoskey News-Review

2. BOYS SOCCER No. 12 DeWitt scored the game winner with 18 minutes to play in its 2-1 Division 2 Regional win over No. 4 Fenton – Lansing State Journal

3. CROSS COUNTRY Hart swept LPD3 titles and Benzie Central was second in both power-packed races; Hart’s girls are No. 1 and the boys No. 3 – Benzie Record Patriot

4. CROSS COUNTRY Armada’s Khon siblings swept Division 2 Regional individual titles – Macomb Daily

5. BOYS SOCCER No. 4 Elk Rapids clinched a Division 3 Regional championship with a 1-0 win over Ogemaw Heights – Traverse City Record-Eagle

6. CROSS COUNTRY The top-ranked Ann Arbor Pioneer girls and Saline boys won LPD1 Regionals at Lake Erie Metropark – We Love Ann Arbor

7. BOYS SOCCER No. 5 Clarkston Everest Collegiate downed No. 10 Bad Axe 4-0 in a Division 4 Regional Final – Huron Daily Tribune

8. CROSS COUNTRY The Tecumseh girls and No. 3 Chelsea boys won LPD2 Regional titles at Lake Erie Metropark – Adrian Daily Telegram

9. CROSS COUNTRY The No. 15 Milford boys edged White Lake Lakeland, and the No. 15 Walled Lake Northern girls finished just ahead of Milford in LPD1 at Hess Hathaway Park – Oakland Press girls | boys

10. CROSS COUNTRY Frankfort’s girls will return to the Division 4 Finals after earning a Regional title – Benzie Record Patriot

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.)