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: 3/8/18

March 8, 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 Top 10

1. Hockey: No. 9 Livonia Churchill earned its first Semifinal trip in this sport with a 3-0 win over No. 6 Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett in a Division 3 Quarterfinal – Observer & Eccentric

2. Hockey: Traverse City West earned a chance to reach its first MHSAA Hockey Final with a 1-0 Quarterfinal win over Holland West Ottawa in Division 1 – Traverse City Record-Eagle

3. Hockey: Eddie Symons scored both goals as No. 7 Saginaw Heritage advanced to the Division 1 Semifinals with a 2-1 win over Macomb Dakota – Saginaw News

4. Boys Basketball: Traverse City West upset Big North Conference champion Petoskey 50-47 in a Class A District Semifinal – Traverse City Record-Eagle

5. Boys Basketball: Maple City Glen Lake moved on in Class C with a 49-29 win over Manton, which made the Semifinals a year ago – Traverse City Record-Eagle

6. Hockey: Top-ranked Detroit Catholic Central shut out No. 5 Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood 7-0 to advance in Division 1 – Observer & Eccentric

7. Boys Basketball: Reigning Class D champion Powers North Central lives on after a 78-72 double overtime win over Bark River-Harris in a District Semifinal – Escanaba Daily Press

8. Hockey: No. 4 Detroit Country Day moved on in Division 3 with a 3-2 overtime win over No. 8 Grand Rapids Catholic Central – No coverage available

9. Boys Basketball: Detroit U-D Jesuit came back from a halftime deficit to get past Hazel Park 57-48 in a Class A District Semifinal – Detroit News

10. Boys Basketball: Tariq Woody’s tip-in at the buzzer gave Novi a 60-58 win over Canton in a Class A District Semifinal – Observer & Eccentric

Also of note …

Boys Basketball: Calumet closed out a Class C District title with a 63-41 win over Houghton – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

Hockey: Riverview Gabriel Richard held on for a 7-5 Division 3 Quarterfinal win over Chelsea – Southgate News Herald

Hockey: Division 3 top-ranked Hancock earned its trip to Finals weekend with a 5-1 Quarterfinal win over Big Rapids – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

Hockey: Reigning Division 1 champion and current No. 3 Brighton will return to the Semifinals thanks a 7-0 win over Lowell/Caledonia – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

Boys Basketball: Clarkston downed Lake Orion 62-50 in Class A as Foster Loyer returned from a knee injury – Oakland Press

Boys Basketball: Grant Peterson’s basket with 6.5 seconds to play carried Battle Creek Pennfield past Parchment 50-48 in a Class B District Semifinal – Battle Creek Enquirer