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: 2/26/18

February 26, 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: Lowell downed Gaylord to tie the record for most consecutive Team Finals championships with its fifth straight, while Detroit Catholic Central shut out Brighton, Dundee edged Richmond and Hudson repeated Saturday at Wings Events Center. All four entered the postseason ranked No. 1 in their respective divisions – Second Half

2. Competitive Cheer: No. 2 Sanford Meridian Early College edged top-ranked Farwell by three points to claim its second Division 4 Regional title in three seasons – Midland Daily News

3. Boys Swimming & Diving: Lower Peninsula Division 1 honorable mention Novi upset No. 5 Northville by just 20 points to claim its second straight Kensington Lakes Activities Association championship – Observer & Eccentric

4. Boys Basketball: Detroit U-D Jesuit came back from six down in the fourth quarter to win its sixth straight Catholic League A-B championship with a 64-55 win over Warren DeLaSalle – Detroit Free Press

5. Girls & Boys Bowling: The Division 1 No. 5 Brownstown Woodhaven girls and Division 2 No. 5 New Boston Huron boys repeated as Regional champions – Southgate News Herald

6. Boys Bowling: The No. 7 Sturgis boys edged No. 4 Battle Creek Pennfield to claim a Division 2 Regional title – Sturgis Journal

7. Girls Bowling: Unranked Muskegon Mona Shores won the Division 2 Regional at Sherman Lanes by more than 300 pins – Local Sports Journal

8. Boys Swimming & Diving: Allen Park and Gibraltar Carlson tied for first at the Downriver League meet, giving Allen Park the overall league title – Southgate News Herald

9. Hockey: Lake Orion came back during the third period to down Rochester Hills Stoney Creek 3-2 and claim a second straight Oakland Activities Association Red title – Oakland Press

10. Boys Basketball: Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood claimed its first Catholic League tournament title with a 52-36 win over Madison Heights Bishop Foley – Observer & Eccentric

Also of note …

Boys Basketball: Coldwater needed overtime but finished a comeback win over Hastings 61-54 to earn the Interstate 8 Athletic Conference title – Coldwater Daily Reporter

Boys Basketball: Undefeated Unionville-Sebewaing claimed a share of the Greater Thumb Conference West title with a 51-35 win over Elkton-Pigeon-Bayport Laker – Huron Daily Tribune

Boys Basketball: Bear Lake clinched a share of the West Michigan D League championship with a win over Pentwater – Manistee News Advocate

Boys Swimming & Diving: Ludington clinched the Coastal Conference championship – Ludington Daily News

Hockey: Holland West Ottawa earned a share of the Ottawa-Kent Conference Tier 2 title with a 6-5 win over Byron Center – Holland Sentinel

Boys Bowling: Scottville Mason County Central freshman Michael Lammi won a Division 4 Regional singles championship – Ludington Daily News