Today in the MHSAA: 2/20/17
February 20, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
League titles … District titles … Regional titles … and we even crowned our first MHSAA Finals champions of the winter during a weekend of celebrations. Check out this sizable collection of links to find out more.
Each weekday during the school year, we’ll gather and post media links covering the most significant and intriguing high school events from all over the state.
Girls Basketball
Marshall won the outright Interstate 8 Athletic Conference title with a 50-29 win over rival Jackson Northwest – Battle Creek Enquirer
DeWitt earned a share of the Capital Area Activities Conference Red title with a 54-43 win over Haslett – Lansing State Journal
Farmington Hills Mercy clinched the Detroit Catholic League A-B championship with a 45-36 win over Bloomfield Hills Marian – Detroit Free Press
Battle Creek Lakeview finished an outright Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference East title with a 72-32 win over Kalamazoo Loy Norrix – Battle Creek Enquirer
Sault Ste. Marie downed Newberry 45-34 to clinch its first Straits Area Conference title since 2007-08 – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News
Ludington repeated as champ of the Lakes 8 Athletic Conference with a 60-40 win over Manistee – Ludington Daily News
Warren Cousino clinched the Macomb Area Conference Red-White tournament title with a 53-34 win over Port Huron Northern – Macomb Daily
Royal Oak Shrine downed Waterford Our Lady 52-49 in the Detroit Catholic League C-D Final to clinch its first league title in 23 years – Oakland Press
Detroit Martin Luther King clinched its sixth straight Detroit Public School League tournament title by downing Mumford 56-33 – Detroit News
Boys Basketball
East Lansing clinched a share of the Capital Area Activities Conference Blue title with a 66-61 win over Holt – Lansing State Journal
Kinross Maplewood Baptist won the Northern Lights League tournament by downing Mackinac Island in the final – Escanaba Daily Press
A game-winning 3-pointer gave Sturgis a 52-51 upset of Benton Harbor – Sturgis Journal
Detroit Cass Tech won its first Detroit PSL title in more than 20 years with a 55-47 win over King – Detroit News
Bowling
The St. Charles boys – No. 1 in Division 4 – won their fourth straight Tri-Valley Conference championship and placed three of the top five in singles – Saginaw News
Gaylord’s girls claimed the Northern Michigan Bowling Conference championship – Petoskey News-Review
Grand Haven’s boys, ranked No. 8 in Division 1, capped a dominating run through the Ottawa-Kent Conference Red – Grand Haven Tribune
Cheer
Division 1 honorable mention Southgate Anderson clinched its ninth straight District championship – Southgate News-Herald
Top-ranked Gibraltar Carlson made it nine straight Division 2 District titles, finishing four points ahead of No. 3 Dearborn Divine Child and also ahead of No. 2 Allen Park – Southgate News-Herald
Gymnastics
Northville won a close race for the KLAA league meet title, edging Plymouth by fewer than two points – Observer & Eccentric
Hockey
Division 1 top-ranked Brighton downed Division 2 No. 2 Hartland to claim the overall Kensington Lakes Activities Association title – Livingston Daily Press & Argus
Swimming & Diving
Brighton’s boys earned a share of the KLAA West championship with Howell and Grand Blanc by winning the league meet – Livingston Daily Press & Argus
Marquette’s boys claimed their fourth straight Upper Peninsula Finals championship – Second Half
Houghton’s girls outlasted a competitive field to claim the Upper Peninsula Finals title – Second Half
Wrestling
Lowell advanced 13 to the MHSAA Individual Finals in Division 2, including five Regional champions – Grand Rapids Press
Davison is sending 12 wrestlers to the Division 1 Individual Finals, including six who won titles Saturday – Flint 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.)