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: 2/19/19

February 19, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

With teams statewide taking advantage of a chance to play make-up basketball games, Monday was full of highlights with league title celebrations galore and two of the best in girls Division 1 facing off for the second time this winter.

1. Girls Basketball: DeWitt handed East Lansing its first loss, 58-46, to create a tie atop the Capital Area Activities Conference Blue standings – Lansing State Journal

2. Boys Basketball: Mount Pleasant edged Midland 57-54 in overtime to clinch a share of the Saginaw Valley League Red title – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

3. Boys Basketball: Howell edged Wayne Memorial 58-57 to advance to the Kensington Lakes Activities Association championship game – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

4. Boys Basketball: Traverse City St. Francis downed Elk Rapids 57-40 to clinch its third straight Lake Michigan Conference title – Traverse City Record-Eagle

5. Boys Basketball: Sturgis clinched the Wolverine Conference South title with a 49-40 win over Edwardsburg – Sturgis Journal

6. Boys Basketball: Unionville-Sebewaing downed Caro 54-40 to clinch a share of the Greater Thumb Conference West title – Huron Daily Tribune

7. Boys Basketball: Oscoda downed Hillman 60-43 in setting a program record with its 18th victory this season – Alpena News

8. Boys Basketball: Tyler Beauchamp went over 1,000 career points as Kingsford downed Menominee 78-68 – Iron Mountain Daily News

9. Girls Basketball: Saugatuck’s Madelyn Moore went over 1,000 career points during her team’s loss to Delton Kellogg – Holland Sentinel

10. Boys Basketball: Canton will face Howell in the KLAA championship game thanks to an 80-51 semifinal win over Belleville – Detroit News

Also of note …

Girls Bowling: From Saturday, Cheboygan won the Northern Michigan Bowling Conference Tournament after tying for first in the league during regular-season competition – Cheboygan Daily Tribune