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: 1/8/17

January 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 top-ranked Dundee scored 348 points to set a record at the Monroe County Sheriff’s Invitational, breaking its previous record by nearly 50; Division 2 No. 4 New Boston Huron finished runner-up – Monroe Evening News

2. Hockey: Orchard Lake St. Mary’s scored three unanswered goals to upend host Hancock 3-2; OLSM is No. 3 in Division 1, and Hancock is the top-ranked team in Division 3 – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

3. Hockey: Brownstown Woodhaven downed Riverview Gabriel Richard 4-2 to win its New Year Tournament and give coach Bryan Sullivan his 400th career win – Southgate News Herald

4. Wrestling: Division 2 No. 3 Gaylord finished 5-0 to win the Grand Ledge Invitational, with a win by tie-breaker criteria over No. 5 Eaton Rapids – Gaylord Herald Times

5. Cheer: Reigning Division 3 runner-up Richmond kicked off this season by winning the Division 1 portion of its home invitational – Port Huron Times Herald

6. Girls Basketball: Lexi Niepoth set a Bellaire record with 27 rebounds to go with 24 points in a 54-21 win over Johannesburg-Lewiston – Traverse City Record-Eagle

7. Wrestling: Division 1 top-ranked Detroit Catholic Central won its annual invitational topping a field that included No. 7 Oxford – Oakland Press

8. Wrestling: Adrian improved to 15-1 this season with a championship at its dual invitational – Adrian Daily Telegram

9. Boys Swimming & Diving – LP Division 1 No. 5 Northville moved to 7-0 this winter with wins over honorable mentions South Lyon Unified and Canton, and Plymouth – Observer & Eccentric

10. Cheer: Adrian Madison won its invitational by nearly 30 points to top a field of 10 varsity teams – Adrian Daily Telegram

Also of note …

Girls Basketball: Kingsford and Iron Mountain filled the gym for the Flivvers’ 72-56 win, a show of support less than a week after two Kingsford classmates died in a car crash – Iron Mountain Daily News