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: 4/10/19

April 10, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

A perfect softball pitching performance leads off today’s list of Tuesday’s top achievers that also includes highlights from baseball, boys lacrosse, boys golf and girls soccer.

1. Softball: Gabbie Sherman tossed a perfect game to kick off Division 3 No. 2 Millington’s doubleheader sweep of Division 2 honorable mention Saginaw Swan Valley – Saginaw News

2. Baseball: Division 3 top-ranked Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett earned a pair of shutout wins over No. 16 Madison Heights Bishop Foley – Detroit News

3. Softball: Traverse City West won its opener 7-3 over Division 4 No. 7 Frankfort, and was up 8-0 in the second game before it was called after three innings – Traverse City Record-Eagle

4. Boys Lacrosse: Traverse City St. Francis edged Petoskey 5-4 – WPBN

5. Girls Soccer: McKenzie Swarts scored four goals in Muskegon Oakridge’s big win over Mason County Central – Local Sports Journal

6. Softball: Mackenzie Noah had a combined 29 strikeouts over two games as Division 3 No. 6 Allen Park Cabrini swept Riverview Gabriel Richard – Southgate News-Herald

7. Baseball: Nico Maloney’s 2-0 shutout win led off Division 3 No. 2 Riverview Gabriel Richard’s doubleheader sweep of Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard – Southgate News-Herald

8. Boys Golf: Aaron Fauser shot a 38 to lead Clinton to the win in the opening Tri-County Conference jamboree – Adrian Daily Telegram

9. Baseball: Farmington scored eight runs, but Division 1 No. 11 Rochester put up 16 – Oakland Press

10. Girls Soccer: Gaylord improved to 3-0 with a 4-1 win over Harbor Springs – Gaylord Herald Times

Also of note …

Baseball: From Monday, Division 3 No. 4 New Lothrop swept Montrose, along the way earning coach Ben Almasy his 500th career win – Flint Journal

Baseball: From Monday, No. 13 Brighton defeated No. 5 Howell 14-3 in a matchup of top Division 1 teams – Livingston Daily Press & Argus