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: 4/11/18

April 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. Boys Lacrosse: Joey Kamish scored in overtime to give Detroit Catholic Central its first win over 13-time reigning champion Birmingham Brother Rice since 1994, 10-9 – Observer & Eccentric

2. Girls Soccer: Division 3 power Hudsonville Unity Christian downed Division 2 No. 4 Holland Christian 2-0 – FOX17

3. Girls Soccer: Sarah Dawson scored half of her team’s goals in Jonesville’s 6-1 win over Hillsdale – Hillsdale Daily News

4. Baseball: Holland Christian’s Chris Mokma threw a five-inning perfect game as his team swept Hudsonville Unity Christian – Holland Sentinel

5. Baseball: Detroit Edison won a matchup of two of the best in the Detroit Public School League, 8-7 over Detroit Martin Luther King – Detroit News

6. Boys Golf: Holland West Ottawa shot a 333 to win the Wooden Shoe Invitational by 20 strokes – Holland Sentinel

7. Baseball: Essexville Garber and Standish-Sterling split a doubleheader, with Spencer Mahar’s walk-off double in the eighth inning of the Dukes’ 7-6 win among highlights – Bay City Times

8. Girls Soccer: Sidney McClay scored with just under three minutes to play to give Romeo a 1-0 win over Berkley – Oakland Press

9. Baseball: Brett Sikorski threw a five-inning no-hitter to lead Bronson in its doubleheader sweep of Union City – Coldwater Daily Reporter

10. Boys Soccer: Longtime Parma Western coach Ron Rudland, the only coach in program history, retired after 33 seasons – Jackson Citizen Patriot

Also of note …

Coaches: Fruitport Calvary Christian girls basketball coach Brad Richards has put together a Class D power over the last many years. This past winter also included a large role in a fascinating reality show airing on the History Channel; he’s part of a search for Confederate gold in Lake Michigan – Local Sports Journal