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: 5/14/19

May 14, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The Saugatuck track & field teams celebrated Monday like they have for most of this decade, and South Lyon’s girls soccer team celebrated like never before as more league championships were clinched and postseason play began in boys lacrosse.

1. Track & Field: The Saugatuck girls and boys teams both won their sixth straight Southwestern Athletic Conference Lakeshore meet championships – Holland Sentinel

2. Girls Soccer: South Lyon clinched its first league title in this sport, downing Waterford Mott 1-0 in Lakes Valley Conference play – Oakland Press

3. Girls soccer: Division 2 top-ranked DeWitt downed Division 3 No. 14 Williamston 4-2 in a Capital Area Activities Conference Gold Cup quarterfinal – Lansing State Journal

4. Baseball: Division 3 No. 2 Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian improved to 15-3 with a 12-0 win over Division 2 No. 10 Belding – FOX 17

5. Softball: Grace Lehto threw a no-hitter as Division 2 No. 3 Eaton Rapids opened Greater Lansing Hall of Fame Softball Classic play with a 6-0 win over DeWitt – Lansing State Journal

6. Boys Golf: Tecumseh shot a 336 to win the Lenawee County tournament title – Adrian Daily Telegram

7. Boys Golf: Clarkston, No. 1 in Lower Peninsula Division 1, shot a 300 to win the Chemical City Invitational in Midland – Midland Daily News

8. Boys Lacrosse: Traverse City United’s co-op team defeated Muskegon Southside’s 21-3 in a Division 1 Pre-Regional game – WPBN

9. Softball: Midland swept Division 4 top-ranked Coleman 7-6 and 8-3 – Midland Daily News

10. Baseball: Hemlock and Division 3 No. 19 Pinconning split, Hemlock’s win also the first Tri-Valley Conference West loss for first-place Pinconning since it joined the league in 2016-17 – Bay City Times

Also of note …

Athlete of the Year: Detroit Edison’s Rickea Jackson and Madison Heights Bishop Foley’s Kendel Taylor were named this year’s statewide Athlete of the Year Award winners by the Detroit Athletic Club – State Champs Sports Network

Girls Tennis: From Saturday, LPD3 No. 3 Allegan finished first and Sturgis second at the Wolverine Conference tournament – Sturgis Journal