Welcome to the Second Half

January 27, 2012

More than 750 high schools are members of the Michigan High School Athletic Association. And every team in every community has a story.

“Second Half” is our place to tell them.

Combined with our parent site MHSAA.com, and our broadcast home MHSAA.tv, “Second Half” completes our picture of the best Michigan high school sports have to offer.

With MHSAA.com, “Second Half” is the home of a growing number of schedules, scores, league standings and tournament information for our sports – but also much more.  Now, we’ll look to provide visitors with the stories behind the scores.

You’ll find the report of a rare feat or the achievement that rallied the town. Behind-the-scenes looks at what we do at the MHSAA and what goes into 28 Finals tournaments each school year. We tell the inspiring tales of overcoming large obstacles, and the simple ones of lessons learned just by being a part of school sports. They’re the kind of stories all of us can relate to and enjoy, no matter where we live and which teams we support.

Michigan is the 10th-largest state in the nation. There are more than 58,000 square miles of land, and by vehicle it’s 625 miles from Calumet High School near the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula to Bedford High on the southeastern border with Ohio. Nearly 10 million people live, work and play here. MHSAA tournament events alone attract 1.6 million spectators each year.

With “Second Half”, we aim to make our state a little smaller.

If you like something we’re doing, let us know. If you’d like to see something else, I’d love to hear about it. My contact information is at the right of this screen, and my e-mail address is [email protected]. I look forward to hearing from you – and telling the entire state about the great things you’re doing.

--Geoff Kimmerly

Football, Volleyball to have Spectators

January 6, 2021

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Limited numbers of spectators will be allowed for the final rounds of the Michigan High School Athletic Association Football and Girls Volleyball Tournaments, per approval received today from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS).

Football teams will receive 125 tickets, to be divided among game participants for purchase by immediate family members via the GoFan digital ticketing platform. Volleyball teams will receive 50 tickets, also to be purchased by immediate family via GoFan.

Spectators in different households must be spaced out by six feet and maintain distancing at all other times including arrival and departure from the game facility. Spectators also must wear fact masks at all times.

Football restarts Saturday (Jan. 9) with 8-Player Semifinals and 11-Player Regional Finals, with championships for 8-player Jan. 16 and for 11-player Jan. 22-23 at sites to be announced. Volleyball restarts Tuesday (Jan. 12) with Quarterfinals and concludes with Semifinals and Finals that weekend, Jan. 14-16, at Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek.

The Lower Peninsula Girls Swimming & Diving Finals will conclude that sport’s season Jan. 15-16 at three sites. However, spectators will not be allowed at those events because those meets will include much higher numbers of participants, and adding spectators would push the total number of people in attendance past what is considered safe for indoor events.

All three Swimming & Diving Finals, as well as the Volleyball Semifinals and Finals will be streamed live on MHSAA.tv (http://www.mhsaa.tv/). FOX Sports Detroit will broadcast all Football Finals – that schedule for streaming and cable will be announced closer to those events.