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: 6/4/18

June 4, 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. Today's report does not include coverage of Track & Field and Girls Tennis Finals; Second Half covered all 18 of those meets.

1. Softball: Honorable mention Clinton Township Chippewa Valley got past reigning Division 1 champion and current No. 4 Macomb Dakota to finish a District title run – Macomb Daily

2. Softball: Custer Mason County Eastern downed Pentwater and then Onekama in Division 4 to claim an incredible 33rd consecutive District championship in this sport – Ludington Daily News

3. Boys Golf: No. 4 Gaylord and Brendon Gouin swept Lower Peninsula Division 2 Regional titles as the Blue Devils prevailed ahead of top-ranked Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern – Gaylord Herald Times

4. Baseball: Grosse Pointe South swept Grosse Pointe North and then No. 2 University Liggett to claim a Division 1 District title – Detroit News

5. Boys Lacrosse: No. 2 Hartland downed No. 5 Brighton 19-7 in a Division 1 Quarterfinal – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

6. Boys Lacrosse: Reigning 13-time Division 1 champion Birmingham Brother Rice hung on through a 9-8 Quarterfinal win over Northville – Observer & Eccentric

7. Baseball: Brighton avenged two regular-season losses to No. 4 Howell with a 3-0 Division 1 District win that broke the Highlanders’ six-year streak of titles – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

8. Baseball: Armada upset No. 3 Pontiac Notre Dame Prep 1-0 in Division 2 to win its first District title since 2005 – Macomb Daily

9. Baseball: No. 9 Brownstown Woodhaven got past Temperance Bedford 8-4 in Division 1 to claim its first District title in baseball – Southgate News Herald

10. Girls Soccer: Waterford Mott downed Walled Lake Central in Division 1 to claim its first District title in girls soccer – Oakland Press