Today in the MHSAA: 6/5/19
June 5, 2019
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Nearly all of this week’s Girls Soccer Regional Semifinals were played Tuesday – and a bracket shake-up in Division 2 leads off the list of headliners across all four divisions.
1. Girls Soccer: Unranked Fenton handed top-ranked DeWitt its first and only loss this season, 2-1 in a Division 2 Regional Semifinal – Flint Journal
2. Girls Soccer: No. 2 Royal Oak Shrine will get the chance to play for its first Regional title after downing No. 4 Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central in Division 4 – Oakland Press
3. Girls Soccer: Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central, also unranked, upset No. 9 Grand Haven 4-2 in a Division 1 Regional Semifinal – Grand Haven Tribune
4. Girls Soccer: No. 2 Warren Regina held on through a late rally by No. 9 Grosse Ile to move on in Division 3 with a 3-2 win – C&G Newspapers
5. Girls Soccer: Top-ranked Novi got past No. 14 Livonia Stevenson 2-0 in a Division 1 rematch of their league title game – Observer & Eccentric
6. Girls Soccer: No. 7 Houghton Lake won a matchup of ranked Division 4 teams 2-1 over No. 12 Elk Rapids – WPBN
7. Girls Soccer: No. 9 Marshall made a first-half goal stand to the end in a 1-0 win over No. 10 Dexter in Division 2 – Chelsea Sun Times News
8. Girls Soccer: Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard advanced to a Division 3 Regional Final with a win over Delton Kellogg, after beginning this season 0-11-1 – Ann Arbor News
9. Girls Soccer: No. 7 Midland got past Portage Central in a shootout to move on in Division 1 – Kalamazoo Gazette
10. Girls Soccer: Top-ranked North Muskegon moved to 19-2 with a 5-0 win over Grandville Calvin Christian – Local Sports Journal
Also of note …
Boys Golf: Gaylord locked down its third straight Big North Conference championship with a one-stroke tournament win – Traverse City Record-Eagle
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.)