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: 9/11/17

September 11, 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. Cross Country: The Traverse City West girls and Saginaw Heritage boys won Midland Bullock Creek’s Lancer Invitational titles, with Midland Dow sophomore Anna Jensen dominating in claiming an individual championship – Midland Daily News | Athletic.net

2. Cross Country: Saline’s teams swept against strong fields at the Bath Bret Clements Invitational, the boys 21 points ahead of Hudsonville and the girls 13 in front of DeWitt – Saline Post Boys | Girls | Athletic.net

3. Cross Country: St. Clair swept the Division 2-4 races of the Algonac Muskrat Classic Invitational, the boys by 53 points – Port Huron Times Herald | Athletic.net

4. Cross Country: Hudson’s girls dominated the Homer Invitational field winning by 53 points, while Michigan Center’s boys won in a tie-breaker over the Tigers – Adrian Daily Telegram | Athletic.net

5. Cross Country: Traverse City St. Francis also swept invitational titles, at Buckley, with the girls claiming victory by 38 points – Traverse City Record-Eagle | Athletic.net

6. Cross Country: Spring Lake’s boys finished a point ahead of Grand Haven to win the Bredeweg Invitational at Holland West Ottawa, while the girls race was won by the host – Grand Haven Tribune | Athletic.net

7. Volleyball: Petoskey downed Midland Dow in the championship match to win its home invitational for the third straight season – Petoskey News-Review

8. Volleyball: Houghton downed Escanaba in the semifinal and host Gladstone in the championship match to win The Rock Invitational for the second straight season – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

9. Cross Country: The Milford boys and Troy girls won titles at the Averill Distance Meet at Kensington Metropark – Livingston Daily Press & Argus | Athletic.net

10. Volleyball: McBain downed Manistee, Maple City Glen Lake, Marion, Benzie Central and the host in the final to win Leroy Pine River’s Invitational – Cadillac News