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: 10/29/18

October 29, 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.

Lower Peninsula cross country teams ran for their chance to compete at this weekend’s Finals at Michigan International Speedway – with at least a pair of first-time Regional champs in the sport – and the final boys soccer Regional titles were awarded over the weekend as well. (We didn’t find coverage, but in addition to three shown below, Hudsonville Unity Christian and Burton Genesee Christian also moved on to this week’s soccer Semifinals.)

1. Cross Country: The Division 3 No. 15 Bloomingdale girls and No. 10 Berrien Springs boys won their first Regional cross country titles – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium

2. Cross Country: The No. 3 Brighton boys won their first Regional title since 1993, and the No. 10 (tied) Pinckney girls dominated in Division 1 races – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

3. Cross Country: Petoskey’s girls (No. 3) won their first Regional title since 2003, while the Fremont boys (also No. 3) also claimed a title in Division 2 – Petoskey News-Review

4. Boys soccer: Warren DeLaSalle held on for a 2-1 overtime win over Utica Eisenhower in a Division 1 Regional Final – Macomb Daily

5. Cross Country: Ann Arbor Pioneer’s girls (No. 3) and boys (No. 2) teams swept Division 1 Regional championships with Saline (No. 7 both teams) finishing second in both races – We Love Ann Arbor

6. Cross Country: The No. 3 Grandville Calvin Christian girls won their seventh straight Division 3 Regional title – Grand Rapids Press

7. Boys Soccer: No. 9 Ludington repeated as a Regional champion, downing Muskegon Orchard View 5-1 in Division 3 – Ludington Daily News

8. Boys Soccer: Top-ranked Grosse Ile moved on to this week’s Semifinals with a big Division 3 Regional Final win over Brooklyn Columbia Central – Southgate News-Herald

9. Cross Country: The top-ranked Northville girls won their seventh straight Division 1 Regional title, and the top-ranked Plymouth boys also repeated – Observer & Eccentric Girls | Boys

10. Cross Country: In Division 4, the No. 8 Ubly girls extended their Regional title streak to five, while the No. 7 Unionville-Sebewaing boys won for the first time since 2010 – Huron Daily Tribune Girls | Boys