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: 8/22/17
August 22, 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
Football: Livonia Clarenceville is preparing for Saturday’s ceremony to rename its stadium after former star Tim Shaw, a continuing program supporter who went on to play at Penn State and in the NFL and is fighting Lou Gehrig’s disease – Observer & Eccentric
2. Boys Tennis: Reigning Lower Peninsula Division 2 runner-up Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central and Traverse City St. Francis (tied for third in LPD4 in 2016) tied for the Elliott Pearce Invitational title at Forest Hills Central – Traverse City Record-Eagle
3. Girls Golf: Division 1 power Traverse City West won the Grayling Invitational, but by only a stroke over Division 4 contender Harbor Springs – Petoskey News-Review
4. Girls Cross Country: Reigning Lower Peninsula Division 2 champ Kayla Windemuller is flying out of the gate again this fall, winning the Muskegon Orchard View Invitational in 18:23 in leading Holland Christian to the team title – Holland Sentinel
5. Boys Cross Country: Spring Lake dominated the boys Orchard View Invitational, scoring 38 points to finish 47 ahead of the field – Grand Haven Tribune
6. Boys Soccer: Milford scored on a late penalty kick to prevail 3-2 over Waterford Mott in an opener in the new Lakes Valley Conference – Oakland Press
7. Boys Soccer: St. Joseph and Western Michigan University recruit Jaylen Shannon got off to a great start with a 6-0 win over Vicksburg thanks in part to two goals by the future Bronco – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium
8. Volleyball: Colon came back from a 2-0 deficit to down Three Oaks River Valley 3-2 – Sturgis Journal
9. Boys Soccer: Gibraltar Carlson improved to 4-0 with a Downriver League opener win over Brownstown Woodhaven – Southgate News Herald
10. Boys Soccer: Petoskey bounced back from an opening 4-0 loss to Ann Arbor Skyline by shutting out Midland 2-0 – Petoskey News-Review
Also of note …
Boys Tennis: From Saturday, Birmingham Brother Rice won a loaded quad; the Warriors placed ahead of Midland Dow, which was second just ahead of Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central and Rockford. Brother Rice finished sixth in LPD1 last season, Rockford was 11th, Dow is the reigning champ in LPD2 and Forest Hills Central was second in LPD2 last year – Midland Daily News
Boys Soccer: Also from Saturday, Detroit Catholic Central downed Walled Lake Northern, Saline and Salem to claim the Balconi Invitational championship at Plymouth-Canton Educational Park – Observer & Eccentric