Today in the MHSAA: 2/5/24
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
February 5, 2024
1. WRESTLING Division 2 No. 6 Three Rivers won the Wolverine Conference championship, its first league title in this sport since 2004 – Sturgis Journal
2. WRESTLING Division 4 No. 3 Union City edged No. 5 Bronson to finish a Big 8 Conference championship run – Coldwater Daily Reporter
3. WRESTLING Division 3 No. 9 Otisville LakeVille Memorial dominated in claiming the Mid-Michigan Activities Conference championship – Owosso Argus-Press
4. WRESTLING Gaylord claimed its 16th-straight Big North Conference championship – Traverse City Record-Eagle
5. WRESTLING Division 2 No. 7 Hamilton won the Ottawa-Kent Conference Blue championship, its first since 2013 – Holland Sentinel
6. WRESTLING Laingsburg earned its first Central Michigan Athletic Conference championship on the mat – Owosso Argus-Press
7. WRESTLING Division 2 No. 4 Mason won the overall Capital Area Activities Conference title – Lansing State Journal
8. BOYS SWIMMING & DIVING Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood – ranked No. 1 in Lower Peninsula Division 3 – won its first Oakland County championship – Oakland Press
9. WRESTLING Division 1 No. 2 Hartland won its third-straight Kensington Lakes Activities Association West championship – Livingston Daily Press & Argus
10. WRESTLING Jackson Northwest had four individual champions in claiming the Interstate 8 Athletic Conference team title – Jackson Citizen Patriot
Also of note …
WRESTLING Division 4 No 8 Climax-Scotts/Martin had six individual champions in claiming a Southwestern Athletic Conference team title – Battle Creek Enquirer
WRESTLING Gibraltar Carlson didn’t win the Downriver League Tournament, but clinched the overall league title – Southgate News-Herald
WRESTLING Division 2 No. 5 Monroe Jefferson, Division 3 No. 1 Dundee and Division 1 No. 3 Temperance Bedford all locked up league championships – Monroe News
WRESTLING Division 4 No. 2 St. Louis and Remus Chippewa Hills clinched outright league titles, and Clare earned a share – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun
BOYS SWIMMING & DIVING St. Clair Shores Lakeview edged 2023 champion Fraser to win the Macomb County title – Macomb Daily
HOCKEY Division 1 No. 1 Detroit Catholic Central edged Division 3 top-ranked Houghton 2-1 in the headlining matchup from the MIHL Showcase – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette
WRESTLING LeRoy Pine River won the Highland/Mid Michigan Conference Tournament – Cadillac News
BOYS BASKETBALL Benton Harbor clinched a share of the Lakeland Conference title with a 74-36 win over Dowagiac – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium
BOYS BASKETBALL Cass City clinched a share of the Greater Thumb Conference West title with a 62-60 win over Caro – Bay City Times
BOYS BOWLING/WRESTLING The Bay City Western boys bowling team and Division 2 No. 3 Bay City John Glenn wrestling team also were among the weekend’s league champions – Bay City Times
WRESTLNG Division 3 No. 2 Whitehall and No. 7 Hart were West Michigan Conference champions in their respective divisions – CatchMark SportsNet
BOYS BASKETBALL Greg Lawson II went over 1,000 career points in Davison’s 66-57 win over Grand Blanc – Mid-Michigan Now
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.)