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: 4/22/16

April 22, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

A top Michigan high school football coach will say good-bye while another longtime winner in tennis has celebrated a milestone win.

Baseball

Adrian Madison and Britton Deerfield split an “unusual” doubleheader indeed with Britton Deerfield winning 5-4 and then Madison 22-1 in the second game – Adrian Daily Telegram

In another unexpected turn, Grand Rapids Union’s Sergio Diaz no-hit Zeeland East, but East won with two unearned runs – Holland Sentinel

Division 2 No. 4 DeWitt got a one-run win and a comeback tie at Division 4 No. 4 Beal City – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

Division 1 No. 10 Grosse Pointe South came back from four down to edge Clinton Township Chippewa Valley 6-5 – Detroit News

Girls Soccer

Traverse City Central delivered Cadillac the latter's first loss this season, 2-1 in Big North Conference play – Cadillac News

Softball

A matchup of teams that recently made MHSAA Semifinals in different divisions ended in a split as Stevensville Lakeshore opened with a win over Portage Central, but Central won the second game – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium

Dayna Fennell hit her seventh and eighth home runs to break the Gladwin single-season record in only the team’s eighth game this spring – Midland Daily News

Girls Tennis

From Wednesday, Ludington gave longtime coach Tom Kudwa his 200th career victory with a win over Fremont – Ludington Daily News

Track & Field

The Powers North Central boys and Ontonagon girls finished this week’s series of Superior Dome Classic meets with Division 3 championships at Northern Michigan University – Marquette Mining Journal

Football

Longtime and successful Allen Park football coach Tom Hoover has resigned after 20 seasons as head coach and 30 overall, with a 171-50 varsity record – Detroit Free Press

Good Read

The Battle Creek Enquirer caught up with this season’s MHSAA Norris Award winner, Linda Hoover, who is in her 36th year as an MHSAA registered official while also considered one of the elite softball umpires nationwide – Battle Creek Enquirer