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: 8/26/19

August 26, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Girls swimming & diving and volleyball teams launched into their seasons over the weekend and wasted no time helping fill today’s list of notable performances from Friday and Saturday.

1. Cross Country: The Traverse City Central and McBain girls and Grand Rapids Christian and Roscommon boys won championships at Benzie Central’s Pete Moss Invitational – Traverse City Record-Eagle

2. Cross Country: Brighton’s boys won the South Lyon Invitational ahead of reigning Lower Peninsula Division 1 champion Plymouth, while Brighton’s girls edged Plymouth’s with the tie-breaker – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

3. Girls Swimming & Diving: Ann Arbor Pioneer won the Huron Relays by eight points over Saline and 14 ahead of Northville – We Love Ann Arbor

4. Girls Swimming & Diving: Midland Dow and Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central shared the championship at the Battle Creek Relays – Midland Daily News

5. Volleyball: Host Battle Creek St. Philip won the Carrie Adams Invitational with a 2-1 finale victory over Centreville, which advanced with a semifinal win over reigning Division 3 champion Bronson – Three Rivers News

6. Cross Country: Both individual course records were broken and the Blissfield girls and Clinton boys won team titles at Addison’s Keunner Invitational – Adrian Daily Telegram

7. Volleyball: Marquette swept Calumet in the championship match to claim the Kingsford Invitational – Iron Mountain Daily News

8. Volleyball: Petoskey won the Sault St. Marie Invitational for the fourth straight season, downing Alpena in the final – Petoskey News-Review

9. Boys Soccer: Gaylord downed Adrian and Boyne City by a combined score of 12-1 to win its Sunrise Side Soccer Cup Challenge – Gaylord Herald Times

10. Volleyball: Manistique swept Brimley to clinch the Munising Invitational championship – Escanaba Daily Press