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: 9/28/18

September 28, 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: Coldwater, No. 9 in Lower Peninsula Division 2, won a tie-breaker – both in the regular-season standings and then at the league tournament – to edge LPD3 No. 7 Marshall for the Interstate 8 Athletic Conference championship – Coldwater Daily Reporter

2. Girls Swimming & Diving: LPD1 No. 9 Holland West Ottawa upset No. 4 Rockford, edging the Rams by a point, 158-157, in league competition – Holland Sentinel

3. Boys Soccer: Division 1 No. 2 Portage Central clinched a share of the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference title with a 1-0 win over Richland Gull Lake – the teams entered the night tied for first – JoeInsider.com

4. Boys Soccer: Division 1 No. 7 Detroit Catholic Central avenged its earlier loss to Birmingham Brother Rice with a 2-0 win – Oakland Press

5. Girls Golf: LPD4 No. 4 Harbor Springs completed an overall Lake Michigan Conference championship with a big win at the league tournament – Petoskey News-Review

6. Volleyball: Division 1 No. 3 Lake Orion remained undefeated in league play with a four-set win over honorable mention Clarkston – Oakland Press

7. Volleyball: Division 2 No. 7 Spring Lake claimed 2-1 wins over honorable mention Whitehall and No. 8 Fruitport to improve to 27-4 – Local Sports Journal

8. Boys Soccer: Division 4 top-ranked Muskegon Western Michigan Christian took over the lead alone atop the Lakes 8 Conference with a 3-1 win over Division 3 No. 4 Ludington – Ludington Daily News

9. Girls Swimming & Diving: LPD1 No. 8 Hudsonville also earned a key Ottawa-Kent Conference Red win, edging honorable mention Grand Haven by 19 – Grand Haven Tribune

10. Boys Soccer: Division 3 No. 7 Elk Rapids broke Boyne City’s nine-game winning streak with a 2-1 victory – Petoskey News-Review

Also of note …

Girls Tennis: From Wednesday, reigning Upper Peninsula Division 1 champion Negaunee won the Mid-Peninsula Conference tournament ahead of reigning Upper Peninsula Division 2 champ Ishpeming Westwood – Marquette Mining Journal

Girls Tennis: From Wednesday, reigning UP Division 1 runner-up Marquette edged Menominee by two points to clinch the Great Northern Conference title – Escanaba Daily Press

Girls Swimming & Diving: From Tuesday, LPD1 No. 2 Saline won more relays and swimming events, but honorable mention Ann Arbor Pioneer prevailed with a three-point victory – Saline Post