Did you see that? (10/1-10/7)
October 8, 2012
The first MHSAA championships of the 2012-13 school year highlight the best of non-football events from the last week.
Tennis
Titles for three: Kingsford and Negaunee shared the Upper Peninsula Division 1 girls tennis championship, and Ishpeming Westwood won the Division 2 title as the first MHSAA Finals of 2012-13 were played. Escanaba’s Codi Jenshak won her second straight championship at No. 1 singles. (Marquette Mining Journal - D1) (Marquette Mining Journal - D2)
Country Day tops the top-ranked: Division 1 No. 2 Ann Arbor Huron, Division 2 No. 1 Midland Dow, Division 3 No. 1 Detroit Country Day and Port Huron Northern met for a boys tennis quad that ranked among the most competitive in the state this season. Country Day finished 3-0, while Huron was 2-1 and Dow was 1-2. (Midland Daily News)
First in 60: The Otsego boys tennis team claimed its first league championship since 1952. Otsego edged Allegan by a point after also beating Allegan for the first time ever during the dual season. (Grand Rapids Press)
Swimming
LaDuke swims on: Seventy stitches and a broken leg from a boat propeller couldn't keep Marysville senior Ally LaDuke out of the pool this fall. She's recovered from those serious injuries to contribute to the top team in the Macomb Area Conference White. (Port Huron Times-Herald)
Cross country
Saline girls repeat: Saline, ranked No. 3 in Division 1, won the Portage Northern Invitational for the second straight season against a field that included five the top 10. (Mlive.com)
Multiple records fall: The small-school boys and the large-school girls race records were set at the Hudson Booster Cross Country Invitational. (Monroe Evening News)
Honors
The Animal returns: Jim Myers, also known as George "The Animal" Steele of professional wrestling fame, returned to Madison Heights Madison for a ceremony honoring the namesake of the school's stadium. Myers was a teacher and coach at Madison while also pursuing his wrestling career. (The Oakland Press)
Former Howell, Hartland coach honored: Jim Downs has coached swimming for 46 years, and was honored by the Michigan Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association with its Matt Mann Award for his leadership in the sport. (Livingston County Daily Argus & Press)
Story of the Week
Bellevue plays for Coach: The Bellevue co-ed soccer team has only 14 players and had just one win midway through last week. But the Broncos have major inspiration this fall. Bellevue has dedicated its season to former volunteer head coach Larry Denniston, who was shot and killed in March. (Battle Creek Enquirer)
'Region Report' Tells More of Your Stories
August 17, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
We hope the first three years of Second Half have made it a must-read for MHSAA Finals coverage, as well as a great place to start your day during the weeks leading up to our championship competitions.
Starting Tuesday, you'll find more reason to tune in daily as we introduce locally-centered coverage from all regions, all over the state, supplied by some of the most experienced voices in Michigan high school sportswriting history.
Our correspondents, averaging more than 30 years of experience covering MHSAA sports, will take turns delivering compelling stories four days each week of the regular season beginning this week and into our final tournaments in June.
We’ve split Michigan into eight regions, and each “Region Report” will be of interest to that area but with statewide appeal as well. Plus, each month we’ll publish a historical perspective looking back at notable moments of Michigan’s rich high school sports past.
See below for our correspondents, their coverage areas and contact information, listed in order of when their region's first stories will appear over the next two weeks.
Mid-Michigan
Geoff Kimmerly joined the MHSAA as its Media & Content Coordinator in Sept. 2011 after 12 years as Prep Sports Editor of the Lansing State Journal. He has served as Editor of Second Half since its creation in Jan. 2012. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for the Barry, Eaton, Ingham, Livingston, Ionia, Clinton, Shiawassee, Gratiot, Isabella, Clare and Montcalm counties.
Bay & Thumb
Bill Khan served as a sportswriter at The Flint Journal from 1981-2011 and currently contributes to the State Champs! Sports Network. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Genesee, Lapeer, St. Clair, Sanilac, Huron, Tuscola, Saginaw, Bay, Arenac, Midland and Gladwin counties.
Greater Detroit
Tom Markowski is a columnist and directs website coverage for the State Champs! Sports Network. He previously covered primarily high school sports for the The Detroit News from 1984-2014, focusing on the Detroit area but also contributing to statewide coverage of football and basketball. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties.
Upper Peninsula
Denny Grall retired in 2012 after 39 years at the Escanaba Daily Press and four at the Green Bay Press-Gazette, plus 15 months for WLST radio in Escanaba; he served as the Daily Press sports editor from 1970-80 and again from 1984-2012. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for the Upper Peninsula.
Southwest Corridor
Pam Shebest served as a sportswriter at the Kalamazoo Gazette from 1985-2009 after 11 years part-time with the Gazette while teaching French and English at White Pigeon High School. She continues to freelance for MLive.com covering mainly Kalamazoo Wings hockey and can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Calhoun, Kalamazoo and Van Buren counties.
Wes Morgan has reported for the Kalamazoo Gazette, ESPN and ESPNChicago.com, 247Sports and Blue & Gold Illustrated over the last 12 years and is the publisher of JoeInsider.com. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Berrien, Cass, St. Joseph and Branch counties.
West Michigan
Tom Kendra worked 23 years at The Muskegon Chronicle, including five as assistant sports editor and the final six as sports editor through 2011. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for Muskegon, Oceana, Mason, Lake, Oceola, Mecosta and Newaygo counties.
Dean Holzwarth covered primarily high school sports for the Grand Rapids Press and MLive for 16 years and more recently served as sports editor of the Ionia Sentinel and as a sports photojournalist for WZZM. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Allegan, Kent and Ottawa counties.
Northern Lower Peninsula
Dennis Chase worked 32 years as a sportswriter at the Traverse City Record-Eagle, including as sports editor from 2000-14. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, Roscommon, Ogemaw, Iosco, Alcona, Oscoda, Crawford, Kalkaska, Grand Traverse, Benzie, Leelanau, Antrim, Otsego, Montmorency, Alpena, Presque Isle, Cheboygan, Charlevoix and Emmet counties.
Southeast & Border
Chip Mundy served as sports editor at the Brooklyn Exponent and Albion Recorder from 1980-86, and then as a reporter and later copy editor at the Jackson Citizen-Patriot from 1986-2011. He also co-authored Michigan Sports Trivia. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for Jackson, Washtenaw, Hillsdale, Lenawee and Monroe counties.
MHSAA History
Ron Pesch has taken an active role in researching the history of MHSAA events since 1985 and began writing for MHSAA Finals programs in 1986, adding additional features and "flashbacks" in 1992. He inherited the title of MHSAA historian from the late Dick Kishpaugh following the 1993-94 school year, and resides in Muskegon. Contact him at [email protected] with ideas for historical articles.