Did you see that? (10/8-10/14)
October 16, 2012
The postseason got underway in girls golf and boys tennis, with those finishes among the non-football highlights from the week of Oct. 8-14.
Tennis
Upset special: Regionals were played all over the state in advance of this weekend’s Finals, and the blast heard loudest probably came from Portage, where Billy Heckman downed reigning MHSAA Division 2 No. 1 singles champion Davis Crocker of Kalamazoo Loy Norrix in straight sets (although the first was decided in a tie-breaker). Click the MHSAA link for Finals qualifiers from every Regional. (MHSAA) (Kalamazoo Gazette)
Golf
Bulldogs beat the elements too: Frosty weather made for tough conditions as golfers also played Regionals last week. But despite a delay to open the Division 1 tournament at Plymouth’s Fox Hills, Brighton emerged from a group that included five of the 10 state-ranked Division 1 teams to win and advance to this week’s MHSAA Final. Click the MHSAA link for Finals qualifiers. (MHSAA) (Livingston County Daily Press & Argus)
Volleyball
It’s St. Philip, again: The Battle Creek All-City Invitational pits teams from the biggest and smallest classes and all corners of Battle Creek – Central, Harper Creek, Pennfield, Lakeview and St. Philip – and has decades of history. The recent portion belongs to the Tigers, who won their fifth-straight All-City title. (Battle Creek Enquirer)
Cross country
Greatest and Best: The East Lansing girls and Mason boys won Saturday’s Greater Lansing Invitational, a meet that annually pits more than 40 schools from the Greater Lansing area. Mason’s victory was by just a point over runner-up Ionia. (Lansing State Journal)
Swimming and Diving
Tough competition at EMU: Zeeland East’s Morgan Bullock won multiple events as a number of the state’s top swimmers and divers competed at the annual MISCA Meet at Eastern Michigan University. Links to individual results can be found in the orange box located in the center area of the MISCA site. (MISCA)
Soccer
All Chieftains: Okemos, ranked No. 7 in Division 1, beat Division 2 No. 6 Mason 6-0 to claim the Capital Area Activities Conference Gold Cup championship. The tournament pits the best teams from all four CAAC divisions. (Lansing State Journal)
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)