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: 6/6/19

June 6, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The Girls and Boys Lacrosse Finals pairings are set after eight Semifinals on Thursday, with a number of close finishes and the ascension of a new contender in that sport, plus a few surprises from Regional Semifinals on the baseball diamond.

1. Boys Lacrosse: No. 3 Ada Forest Hills Eastern earned its first championship game berth in this sport with a 9-6 win over No. 2 East Grand Rapids – FOX 17

2. Girls Lacrosse: No. 4 Brighton earned a return to the Division 1 championship game with a 12-10 Semifinal win over No. 3 Hartland – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

3. Boys Lacrosse: No. 2 Detroit Catholic Central will play for another title after getting past No. 6 Lake Orion 14-13 in overtime – Oakland Press

4. Girls Lacrosse: No. 2 Bloomfield Hills Marian also won a close Semifinal, downing No. 4 Okemos 15-13 in Division 2 – Detroit News

5. Baseball: Grand Rapids Catholic Central scored on a walk-off single to edge No. 4 Holland Christian and Miami Marlins draft pick Chris Mokma in a Division 2 Regional Semifinal – FOX 17

6. Baseball: No. 14 Three Oaks River Valley upended No. 2 Muskegon Catholic Central 4-3 to move on in Division 4 – Muskegon Chronicle

7. Baseball: No. 17 Fowlerville moved on to a Division 2 Regional Final with a 2-1 win over No. 12 Tecumseh and Texas Rangers draft selection Cameron Wagoner – Lansing State Journal

8. Lacrosse: The Rockford and East Grand Rapids girls (Nos. 1 in Division 1 and 2, respectively) and Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central and Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice boys (Nos. 1 in Division 2 and Division 1) also won Semifinals – Grand Rapids Press

9. Baseball: A fifth-inning run pushed Boyne City past No. 14 Traverse City St. Francis 1-0 in a Division 3 Regional Semifinal – Petoskey News-Review

10. Baseball: Jake Riggs had 15 strikeouts and a grand slam to lead No. 6 Brethren past Fowler in Division 4 – Manistee News Advocate