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: 11/14/18

November 14, 2018

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Each weekday of the school year, we break down the top headlines courtesy of Michigan’s sports media.

We’ve linked up coverage of all 16 Girls Volleyball Quarterfinals from Tuesday plus a special announcement celebrating this fall’s top player.

1. Volleyball: Top-ranked Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central came back from a 2-1 deficit to down No. 5 Manchester in a Division 3 Quarterfinal – Monroe Evening News

2. Volleyball: No. 3 Lake Odessa Lakewood fell in the first set but won the next three over No. 5 Wixom St. Catherine in Division 2 – Ionia Sentinel-Standard

3. Volleyball: Top-ranked Grand Rapids Christian swept No. 6 Hamilton a Division 2 Quarterfinal – WZZM

4. Volleyball: No. 4 Southfield Christian made its first Semifinals in this sport with a Division 4 sweep of Kingston – Oakland Press

5. Volleyball: No. 9 Carney-Nadeau moved on to its first Semifinal with a five-set win over honorable mention Onaway in Division 4 – Escanaba Daily Press

6. Volleyball: After falling in the first set, No. 8 Traverse City St. Francis came back to win the next three over honorable mention Beal City in Division 3 – MI Sports Now

7. Volleyball: No. 2 Mendon swept No. 7 Adrian Lenawee Christian to advance to the Division 4 Semifinals – WWMT

8. Volleyball: No. 1 Farmington Hills Mercy added to an impressive two-month streak with a sweep of Sterling Heights Stevenson in Division 1 – C&G Newspapers

9. Volleyball: No. 8 Northville swept Livonia Churchill to move on in Division 1 despite the absence of a top player – Observer & Eccentric

10. Volleyball: No. 2 Lake Orion swept honorable mention Flushing to move on in Division 1 – Oakland Press

Also of note …

Volleyball: No. 7 Rockford swept Richland Gull Lake to advance to the Division 1 Semifinals – WOOD TV

Volleyball: Corunna swept Kingsley in a matchup of honorable mentions to advance to the Division 2 Semifinals – Owosso Argus-Press

Volleyball: No. 2 Pontiac Notre Dame Prep swept Detroit Communication Media Arts to advance in Division 2 – Oakland Press

Volleyball: No. 6 Unionville-Sebewaing came back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat Brown City in five in Division 3 – Huron Daily Tribune

Volleyball: No. 2 Bronson swept honorable mention Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian to move on in Division 3 – FOX 17

Volleyball: Top-ranked Leland swept Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart to win its Division 4 Quarterfinal – Traverse City Record-Eagle

Volleyball: Notre Dame Prep senior Maddy Chinn was named this season’s Miss Volleyball Award winner by the Michigan Interscholastic Volleyball Coaches Association – Oakland Press