Linked Up: 10/28/11
December 13, 2011
Each week I'll post links to stories that interest me most during my travels in online sports land. I was going to wait for next week for this first installment, but these seemed worthy of telling you about now.
See something high school sports-related that you think others would find valuable? Send me a link.
These two teams provide multiple reasons why 8-player football has been such a strong addition -- most notably, it is providing our smallest schools with an opportunity to still play football despite fewer players, and succeed. The sport took off in this state in 2009, and this weekend mark the start of the first MHSAA 8-player Tournament. Akron-Fairgrove will play its first postseason game since 1992, while Owendale-Gagetown will play its first since 1979.
Olivet's Peters coaching his heart out (Battle Creek Enquirer)
I covered Olivet and coach Dean Peters for more than a decade, including during last season's first-ever Eagles run to the MHSAA football finals. One of the great people in high school coaching, he needed emergency double-bypass surgery earlier this month but is back in the coaching booth. Olivet faces Lansing Catholic in a Pre-District game.
Megan Hubbard a standout for Hanover-Horton cross country (Jackson Citizen-Patriot)
This is a neat story about a runner who is second-best on her team and has never won a race -- but also is likely the second-best to ever run at her school. Usually, we hear only about who finishes first.
Standley Lake football player Rhett Gutierrez overcomes eye disease (The Denver Post)
Almost always, links I post will be Michigan-related. But this story is just incredible. We've seen athletes with different degrees of vision impairment do incredible things in high school athletics. But this is the first time I've heard of someone overcoming that obstacle to play quarterback for his football team.
Today in the MHSAA: 5/5/25
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
May 5, 2025
1. BASEBALL Division 2 No. 19 Fruitport defeated Division 3 No. 4 North Muskegon 9-1 to win its first Greater Muskegon Athletic Association championship since 1991 – MuskegonSports.com
2. GIRLS SOCCER Mia Clemence scored six goals over two games to set a Fremont career record with 109 as her team – ranked No. 11 in Division 3 – won the Newaygo County Tournament – Local Sports Journal
3. TRACK & FIELD The Farmington Invitational saw the four fastest boys 200-meter times run in the state this season, with Belleville’s Will Jaiden Smith finishing first in 21.11 seconds – Detroit Free Press
4. SOFTBALL Division 1 honorable mention Muskegon Reeths-Puffer repeated as GMAA champion with an 8-2 win over Division 3 No. 3 Ravenna – CatchMark SportsNet
5. GIRLS TENNIS Detroit Country Day – No. 2 in Lower Peninsula Division 3 – downed LPD4 No. 2 Pontiac Notre Dame Prep 7-1 – Oakland Press
6. BASEBALL Division 1 No. 4 Macomb Dakota downed No. 9 Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice 8-4 – Macomb Daily
7. SOFTBALL Division 2 No. 2 Escanaba went 2-1 against downstate opponents, falling to Division 1 No. 6 Walled Lake Northern and defeating Division 2 No. 5 Goodrich and Imlay City – Escanaba Daily Press
8. TRACK & FIELD The Muskegon Mona Shores girls and Whitehall boys earned GMAA titles – Muskegon Chronicle
9. TRACK & FIELD The Gladstone girls and Sault Ste. Marie boys claimed Escanaba Invitational championships – Escanaba Daily News
10. GIRLS TENNIS Muskegon Mona Shores took back the GMAA team title, and Fruitport’s Josalynn Nowicki won No. 1 singles – Local Sports Journal
Also of note …
GIRLS SOCCER Johannah McDonald became Dowagiac’s single-season goals record holder with her 33rd and 34th in a loss to Three Rivers – Niles Daily Star
BASEBALL Division 1 No. 5 Grosse Pointe South and Division 3 top-ranked Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett had a combined 54 players see action in their matchup at Comerica Park – Detroit Free Press