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: 3/5/18

March 5, 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. Wrestling: A total of 56 individual wrestling champions were crowned Saturday at Ford Field, led by four-time winners Brandon Whitman of Dundee and Jarrett Trombley of Lake Fenton – Second Half

2. Cheer: Sterling Heights Stevenson and Hudson won their first Finals championships, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep won its fifth straight and Gibraltar Carlson finished first again after coming in runner-up a year ago – Second Half

3. Bowling: Oxford’s girls and Bronson and Waterford Kettering’s boys were first-time team champions over the weekend, while Saturday’s singles saw eight first-time title winners – Second Half

4. Girls Basketball: Coldwater downed Battle Creek Harper Creek 37-29 in Class A to claim its first District title since 1995 – Battle Creek Enquirer

5. Hockey: The top three teams in Division 3 to start the playoffs were from “Copper Country” and top-ranked Hancock remains after a 4-0 Regional Final win over No. 2 Calumet – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

6. Hockey: No. 3 Brighton claimed a Division 1 Regional title with a 3-1 win over No. 2 Orchard Lake St. Mary’s – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

7. Girls Basketball: Kingsley continued its perfect run with a Class B District title win over Kalkaska, which eliminated the Stags a year ago – Traverse City Record-Eagle

8. Hockey: Midland won its first hockey Regional title since 2000 with a 9-2 win over the Tri-Valley co-op in Division 2 – Midland Daily News

9. Hockey: Holland West Ottawa upset No. 4 Grandville 2-1 in Division 1 to win its first hockey Regional title – Holland Sentinel

10. Gymnastics – Brighton and Howell tied for second at their Regional at Grand Ledge behind champion Linden to give Livingston County two teams at this Friday’s championship meet – Livingston Daily Press & Argus