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: 5/30/17

May 30, 2017

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The last weekend before the busiest sports week of the school year still had plenty of action, as the Michigan Interscholastic Track Coaches Association hosted its team championship meets and a home run record was tied in softball.

Each weekday during the school year, we’ll gather and post media links covering the most significant and intriguing high school events from all over the state.

Baseball

Division 1 No. 2 Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett downed Division 3 No. 4 Homer 7-0 in the Memorial Day Heart Classic at Comerica Park – Jackson Citizen Patriot

Reese swept Vassar to claim a share of the Greater Thumb Conference West title – Bay City Times

Birch Run earned a share in the Tri-Valley Conference East with Division 2 No. 6 Essexville Garber, winning 1-0 in eight innings over Caro to finish a game started (and played through seven innings) in April – Saginaw News

Division 1 No. 20 Gibraltar Carlson tied its record for wins, set in 1977, with 30 thanks to a sweep of New Boston Huron – Southgate News Herald

Warren DeLaSalle junior Bryce Bush set a school record and entered MHSAA record book consideration with his 15th home run during a doubleheader against Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett – Macomb Daily

Softball

Division 1 No. 10 Mount Pleasant edged Frankenmuth 7-6 to win the Eagle Memorial Classic – Saginaw News

Harrison Township L’Anse Creuse’s Brooke Nadolny hit three home runs against Division 2 No. 2 Richmond to tie the MHSAA single-season record of 20 – Macomb Daily

Division 1 top-ranked Macomb Dakota won the New Baltimore Anchor Bay Invitational, downing Division 3 top-ranked Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central (but not ace pitcher Meghan Beaubien) 12-1 in the final – Macomb Daily

Track & Field

The fourth-ranked Pittsford girls continued a season of successes by winning the MITCA Lower Peninsula Division 4 team title – Hillsdale Daily News

Clare’s top-ranked boys won the MITCA LP Division 3 team title on their home track – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

Additional MITCA team champions were the Rockford boys (No. 2) and girls (No. 1) in LP Division 1, the No. 4 Zeeland East boys and No. 2 Grand Rapids Christian girls in LP Division 2, the No. 3 Frankenmuth girls in LP Division 3 and the top-ranked Whittemore-Prescott boys in LP Division 4 – MITCA.org

Oak Park’s girls won the Oakland County championship for the fourth straight season, and the boys made it three county titles in a row – Oakland Press