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: 10/11/18

October 11, 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.

1. Girls Golf: Top-ranked North Muskegon claimed a Regional title in Lower Peninsula Division 4, finishing 11 strokes better than runner-up and No. 5 Kalamazoo Hackett – Local Sports Journal

2. Boys Soccer: Division 1 No. 6 Detroit Catholic Central won its third straight Catholic League A-B title with a 3-0 win over Division 2 No. 9 Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood – Observer & Eccentric

3. Girls Golf: Petoskey claimed its first LPD2 Regional championship, edging Traverse City Central by seven strokes – Petoskey News-Review

4. Boys Soccer: Macomb L’Anse Creuse North downed New Baltimore Anchor Bay 2-0 to clinch the Macomb Area Conference White title, its first league championship since 2005 – Macomb Daily

5. Girls Golf: No. 3 Muskegon Reeths-Puffer won its second straight LPD2 Regional title, this time led by freshman medalist Karlie VanDuinen – Local Sports Journal

6. Boys Soccer: Division 3 No. 10 Gladwin clinched its fourth straight Northern Michigan Soccer League championship with a 3-2 shootout win over Ogemaw Heights – MI Sports Now

7. Boys Soccer: Utica Eisenhower clinched its first league title since 2012 with a 2-0 win over Utica in the Macomb Area Conference Red – Macomb Daily

8. Boys Soccer: White Lake Lakeland downed Walled Lake Central to add a Lakes Valley Conference tournament title to its regular-season championship – Oakland Press

9. Boys Soccer: Brownstown Woodhaven downed Melvindale 2-0 to claim the Downriver League championship – Southgate News-Herald

10. Boys Soccer: Division 1 No. 9 Brighton downed Dearborn Fordson 4-0 to win the Kensington Lakes Activities Association tournament championship – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

Also of note …

Officiating: The Lansing State Journal addressed the growing need for more high school officials, spending time with an officiating class at Eaton Rapids that’s helping fill the ranks – Lansing State Journal

Officiating: Recent Sand Creek graduate Bryant Moore is among those stepping in to help with the officials shortage in southeast Michigan – Adrian Daily Telegram

Cross Country: The Rock Mid-Peninsula girls (UPD3 No. 3) and Rapid River boys claimed Skyline Central Conference championships – Escanaba Daily Press

Boys Soccer: Caledonia tied Rockford 1-1 to earn a share of the Ottawa-Kent Conference Red championship – FOX 17

Boys Soccer: Grand Haven claimed the other share of the O-K Red with a 4-0 win over Hudsonville – Grand Haven Tribune

Cross Country: The Mancelona boys and Indian River Inland Lakes girls won Ski Valley Conference championships – Athletic.net

Volleyball: From Wednesday, Mount Pleasant locked up a share of the Saginaw Valley League North title with a sweep of Saginaw High – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

Boys Soccer: From Wednesday, Division 1 No. 3 Saline finished a perfect run through the Southeastern Conference Red – Saline Post