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.
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: 2/19/18
February 19, 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: Top-ranked Detroit Catholic Central qualified all 14 of its competitors for Finals weekend at its Division 1 Individual Regional – Observer & Eccentric
2. Competitive Cheer: No. 2 Gibraltar Carlson won its 10th straight District title in Division 2, ending No. 5 Southgate Anderson’s District title run at nine straight – Southgate News Herald
3. Girls Basketball: Marysville handed St. Clair Shores Lakeview its first loss, 53-44, to win the Macomb Area Conference Blue/Gold championship – Port Huron Times Herald
4. Hockey: Division 2 top-ranked Livonia Stevenson shut out No. 3 Hartland 3-0 to win the Kensington Lakes Activities Association title – Livingston Daily Press & Argus
5. Boys Swimming & Diving: Houghton claimed the last event of the Upper Peninsula Finals to edge Marquette for the overall title – Second Half
6. Girls Swimming & Diving: Gladstone claimed its second Upper Peninsula Finals championship in three seasons – Second Half
7. Competitive Cheer: Division 4 No. 2 Sanford Meridian Early College won its first District title since 2000, finishing ahead of Shelby and No. 7 Pewamo-Westphalia – Midland Daily News
8. Competitive Cheer: No. 3 Muskegon Mona Shores posted a school-record Round 3 score to secure its Division 2 District title just ahead of No. 4 Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills – Muskegon Chronicle
9. Girls Basketball: Bloomfield Hills Marian downed Dearborn Divine Child to claim the Detroit Catholic League A-B championship – Oakland Press
10. Competitive Cheer: Reigning Division 2 champion and top-ranked Allen Park claimed its District title ahead of No. 9 Dearborn Divine Child – Southgate News Herald
Also of note …
Boys Basketball: Class D Southfield Christian handed Class B River Rouge its first defeat, 68-45, in a matchup of teams that made MHSAA Semifinals last season – MLive-Detroit
Boys Basketball: Haslett edged DeWitt 43-40 to claim the Capital Area Activities Conference Red championship – Lansing State Journal
Girls Basketball: Petoskey downed Gaylord 38-25 to clinch the Big North Conference title for the first time in six years – Petoskey News-Review
Wrestling: Division 4 No. 2 Clinton qualified a school-record 11 athletes from its Individual Regional – Adrian Daily Telegram
Boys Basketball: Holland West Ottawa clinched its second straight Ottawa-Kent Conference Red title with a 46-43 win over Grandville – FOX17
Competitive Cheer: Sturgis cleared the field by more than five points to win its Division 2 District – JoeInsider.com
Girls Basketball: Muskegon, Kent City and Muskegon Western Michigan Christian clinched at least shares of league titles – Muskegon Chronicle
Hockey: Traverse City Bay Reps’ co-op downed Petoskey 2-1 to claim a third straight Northern Michigan Hockey League title – Traverse City Record-Eagle