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: 2/8/18

February 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. Wrestling – Division 3 No. 2 Richmond got past No. 6 Algonac in the championship match to claim its 20th straight District title – Macomb Daily

2. Wrestling: Division 1 No. 6 Hartland also remains perfect in District competition this century after claiming its 18th straight title with wins over White Lake Lakeland and Highland-Milford – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

3. Boys Basketball: As fans packed full Michigan Tech’s arena to see two of the state’s best in Class D, Dollar Bay pushed to 12-0 by handing Ewen-Trout Creek a 51-42 loss, the Panthers’ first defeat of the season – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

4. Wrestling: No. 6 Stevensville Lakeshore earned its third win in a week over rival and No. 7-ranked Niles, this one 34-30 to claim a Division 2 District title – South Bend Tribune

5. Wrestling: With heavy hearts, Walled Lake Central won its Division 1 District two days after the death of a teammate – Oakland Press

6. Wrestling: Division 2 No. 8 St. Johns won its 10th straight team District title, downing Mount Pleasant and then Owosso – Lansing State Journal

7. Wrestling: Manistee, with its third coach in three seasons, won a Division 3 District title under former longtime Saginaw Swan Valley leader Darrell Burchfield – Manistee News Advocate

8. Wrestling: No. 3 Remus Chippewa Hills claimed its 14th straight District title, in Division 3 – Big Rapids News

9. Wrestling: Temperance Bedford came back late to get past Brownstown Woodhaven and win in Division 1, and Division 3 top-ranked Dundee got past No. 9 Ida – Monroe Evening News

10. Wrestling: Warren DeLaSalle won its first District title in wrestling, getting past Roseville in the Final – C&G Newspapers

Also of note …

Wrestling: Jonesville downed Hillsdale in Division 3 to claim a fourth straight District championship – Hillsdale Daily News

Wrestling: No. 8 Alma downed Ithaca and Portland to win its second District title in three seasons in Division 3 – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

Wrestling: Saline advanced in Division 1 with wins over Ann Arbor Pioneer and Huron – Saline Post

Wrestling: Coldwater repeated as a Division 2 District champ with wins over Marshall and Sturgis – Coldwater Daily Reporter

Wrestling: Midland edged rival Dow 39-34 to advance with a Division 1 District title – Midland Daily News

Wrestling: Grand Haven is a District champion for the fifth straight season, coming back to win in Division 1 – Grand Haven Tribune

Wrestling: No. 4 Gaylord clinched its Division 2 District title with a win over Bay City Central, setting up a possible Regional matchup with St. Johns – Gaylord Herald Times

Wrestling: Traverse City West downed rival Central to win its fourth straight team District championship, in Division 1 – Traverse City Record-Eagle

Wrestling: Dowagiac downed Constantine in their Division 3 District Final to advance – South Bend Tribune

Girls Soccer: Retired star Miami Dolphins kicker Pete Stoyanovich is taking over the South Lyon East girls soccer program – Observer & Eccentric