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: 10/10/18

October 10, 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. Boys Soccer: Division 1 No. 2 Portage Central got past Division 2 No. 6 Mattawan 3-1 to win the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference championship match – WWMT

2. Boys Tennis: Northville – No. 5 in Lower Peninsula Division 1 – edged reigning league champion and No. 8 Novi to claim the Kensington Lakes Activities Association A tournament championship – Observer & Eccentric

3. Boys Soccer: Division 2 No. 4 East Lansing scored the game’s lone goal in the 43rd minute and made it stand in its Capital Area Activities Conference Gold Cup championship victory over Haslett – Lansing State Journal

4. Cross Country: St. Louis’ girls and boys teams secured Tri-Valley Conference West championships with wins at the final league jamboree; the girls are tied for No. 10 in LPD3 – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun girls | boys

5. Cross Country: Brighton’s LPD1 top-ranked boys clinched the KLAA West title, and the No. 14 Bulldogs’ girls won their races led by an inspirational first-place finisher – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

6. Cross Country: Benzie Central swept championships at the Northwest Conference finals; the girls are ranked No. 7 and the boys are No. 8 in LPD3 – Traverse City Record-Eagle

7. Volleyball: Division 4 No. 2 Mendon clinched the Southwest 10 Conference title with a sweep of Marcellus – Sturgis Journal

8. Cross Country: Shepherd’s girls and boys clinched TVC Central titles with wins at the final league jamboree, both teams are ranked No. 4 in LPD3 – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

9. Volleyball: Division 4 No. 10 Onaway swept honorable mention Bellaire to clinch a share of the Ski Valley Conference championship – Alpena News

10. Volleyball: Morley Stanwood clinched a share of the Central State Activities Association Silver title with a 3-1 win over Kent City – Big Rapids News

Also of note …

Girls Swimming & Diving: LPD3 No. 8 Hamilton downed No. 6 Holland Christian 98-88 led by record-setting diver Rayah Blood – Holland Sentinel

Volleyball: Division 2 No. 9 Whitehall completed a perfect run through the West Michigan Conference with a sweep of Shelby – Local Sports Journal

Boys Soccer: Division 1 top-ranked Troy Athens finished a perfect run through the Oakland Activities Association Red with a 3-0 win over North Farmington – Oakland Press

Volleyball: Division 1 No. 5 Northville swept No. 10 Novi in a key KLAA West matchup – Observer & Eccentric

Boys Tennis: From Monday, Gibraltar Carlson won the Downriver League tournament to clinch the outright league title – Southgate News-Herald