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: 10/18/17

October 18, 2017

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. Boys Soccer: Division 4 No. 9 Elk Rapids came back from a two-goal deficit to get past Northport 4-3 in overtime and advance in their District – Traverse City Record-Eagle

2. Volleyball: Class C No. 7 Calumet finished an outright Western Peninsula Athletic Conference title with a five-set win over rival Houghton, coming back after losing the second and third games – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

3. Boys Cross Country: Although it didn’t win the final Blue Water Area Conference jamboree, Yale clinched its first boys league title in 22 years – Port Huron Times Herald

4. Boys Cross Country: Jonesville claimed its first league title since 2003, finishing ahead of rival Concord (No. 7 in LPD4) to win the Big 8 Conference – Hillsdale Daily News

5. Volleyball: New Haven improved to 27-0 and clinched the Macomb Area Conference Bronze title with a sweep of Clinton Township Clintondale – Macomb Daily

6. Girls Cross Country: The Lower Peninsula Division 2 No. 10 Remus Chippewa Hills girls finished a sweep of Central State Activities Association Gold jamborees to claim the league title – Big Rapids News

7. Cross Country: Bad Axe’s boys won their first league title since 2009, as both Ubly teams and the Reese girls also won repeat championships in the Greater Thumb Conference East and West; Ubly’s boys are No. 4 in LPD4 and the girls are No. 6 – Huron Daily Tribune

8. Cross Country: Spring Lake’s boys (No. 8 in LPD2) and girls (No. 11) also swept league titles, winning in the Ottawa-Kent Conference Blue – Grand Haven Tribune

9. Boys Soccer: Fruitport downed Sparta 5-0 in Division 2 as Zack Shane scored all five goals and broke his school’s single-season scoring record – Local Sports Journal

10. Cross Country: The Pittsford girls (No. 11 in LPD4) and Battle Creek St. Philip boys (No. 6) also finished league title runs, in the Southern Central Athletic Association – Hillsdale Daily News

Also of note:

Volleyball: Gwinn got past Iron Mountain in five sets and after dropping the first two to secure a share of the Mid-Peninsula Conference championship – Marquette Mining Journal

Cross Country: From Monday, the St. Ignace girls (No. 1 in UPD2) and Brimley boys (No. 3 in UPD3) finished sweeps of Eastern Upper Peninsula Conference jamborees to claim league titles – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News

Boys Soccer: From Monday, Division 4 No. 6 Hillsdale Academy won an early big-time matchup, downing No. 7 Adrian Lenawee Christian 2-0 in District play – Adrian Daily Telegram