Linked Up: 10/28/11

October 28, 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.

Akron-Fairgrove and Owendale-Gagetown eager for long-awaited playoff games in first season of eight-man football bracket (Bay City Times)

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: 10/30/19

October 30, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The regular season is speeding toward its conclusion in volleyball, and Tuesday that meant a number of championships were decided – with two matches including top-ranked teams statewide.

1. Volleyball: Division 4 No. 4 Camden-Frontier earned a second-straight outright Southern Central Athletic Association title with a four-set win over top-ranked Battle Creek St. Philip – Hillsdale Daily News

2. Volleyball: Division 1 top-ranked Farmington Hills Mercy swept No. 5 Bloomfield Hills Marian to win the Detroit Catholic League Bishop tournament championship – C&G Newspapers

3. Girls Swimming & Diving: Zeeland, an honorable mention in Lower Peninsula Division 1, got past LPD3 No. 4 Holland Christian 104-80 to clinch a share of the Ottawa-Kent Conference Green championship – Holland Sentinel

4. Volleyball: Macomb Lutheran North downed Warren Regina 3-1 to finish a Catholic League Cardinal tournament championship run – Macomb Daily

5. Volleyball: Division 3 honorable mention Beal City downed Manton to lock up the Highland Conference championship for the second-straight season – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

6. Volleyball: Midland Dow earned the overall Saginaw Valley League championship with a five-set win over Grand Blanc, which had beaten the Chargers twice this fall – Midland Daily News

7. Volleyball: Marquette swept Escanaba to complete an outright championship run in the Great Northern Conference – Escanaba Daily Press

8. Volleyball: Division 2 honorable mention Onsted earned a share of the Lenawee County Athletic Association title with three more wins – Adrian Daily Telegram

9. Cross Country: The Three Rivers girls and Sturgis boys earned St. Joseph County championships – Sturgis Journal

10. Volleyball: Division 3 honorable mention Harbor Beach finished a perfect run through the Greater Thumb Conference East with a sweep of Memphis – Huron Daily Tribune

Also of note …

Volleyball: Brownstown Woodhaven finished its perfect run through the Downriver League with a comeback win over Allen Park – Southgate News-Herald