MHSAA Reopening Update (6/9/20)
June 9, 2020
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The Michigan High School Athletic Association has updated its guidelines for reopening of school sports based on updated recommendations from Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s office announced Friday, June 5. All updates for MHSAA member schools are effective Wednesday, June 10.
Following are points of likely interest from today’s MHSAA update:
• As noted in the June 2 MHSAA update, member schools may begin summer activities at school facilities as long as these two conditions are met: 1. School administration has announced schools facilities are open to students and staff, and 2. The academic school year (last day of online instruction/exams) has ended.
• Schools that are reopened in Regions 6 and 8 (northwestern Lower Peninsula and Upper Peninsula, respectively) may begin indoor activities with no more than 50 people but must continue social (physical) distancing and proper cleaning of equipment as noted in the June 2 update. Schools in Regions 6 and 8 also may increase their participation in outdoor activities from 100 to a maximum of 250 people. Again, social distancing and proper cleaning must be followed.
• Competition is not yet allowed because participants must continue to follow social distancing.
• Although a group of 50 may meet indoors in Regions 6 and 8, the MHSAA recommends smaller groups of the same students continue to work out together. This will allow for a better response and easier tracing should a positive case of COVID-19 be discovered. Also, because most weight rooms cannot accommodate social distancing for groups of 50, the MHSAA recommends cycling in these smaller groups to weight rooms with proper cleaning of equipment between rotations.
• Schools in all other Regions – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7 – should continue to adhere to guidelines put forth in the MHSAA’s June 2 update. However, administrators and coaches should begin preparing for the allowance of similar opportunities now open in Regions 6 and 8.
89 Schools Fill 2020-21 Parade of Champions
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
June 24, 2021
A total of 89 schools won one or more of the 132 Michigan High School Athletic Association team championships awarded during 2020-21, with two teams earning the first Finals championship in any sport in their schools’ histories.
Detroit Douglass celebrated its first MHSAA Finals championship by winning the Division 4 boys basketball title to conclude the winter, and Owosso claimed its first by earning the Division 2 softball championship this spring.
A total of 27 schools won two or more championships this school year, paced by Marquette’s five won in boys cross country, boys golf, boys swimming & diving, and both girls and boys track & field. Ann Arbor Pioneer and Grass Lake were next both with four Finals championships. Pioneer won in girls cross country, girls and boys swimming & diving and girls tennis, and Grass Lake was a champion in girls basketball, boys bowling and girls and boys track & field. Grass Lake also had participants on the Jackson Area girls gymnastics team that won its first Finals title.
Nine schools won three MHSAA Finals championships: Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood, Bloomfield Hills Marian, Detroit Country Day, East Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids Catholic Central, Hudsonville, Petoskey and West Iron County. Winning two titles in 2020-21 were Adrian Lenawee Christian, Birmingham Seaholm, Carson City-Crystal, Detroit Catholic Central, Dollar Bay, Grand Blanc, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern, Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett, Ishpeming, Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep, Montague, Norway, Richmond, Rockford and South Lyon.
A total of 39 teams won first MHSAA titles in their respective sports. A total of 42 champions were repeat winners from either 2019-20 or 2018-19 for sports that did not award championships in Winter or Spring 2020 because of cancelations due to COVID-19. A total of 15 teams won championships for at least the third-straight season, while six teams extended title streaks to at least four consecutive seasons. The Rockford girls lacrosse and Lowell wrestling programs own the longest title streaks at eight seasons.
Sixteen of the MHSAA's 28 championship tournaments are unified, involving teams from the Upper and Lower Peninsulas, while separate competition to determine titlists in both Peninsulas is conducted in remaining sports.
Click for a sport-by-sport listing of MHSAA champions for 2020-21.