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: 2/18/16
February 18, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The postseason was in full swing for two sports Wednesday, as wrestling teams battled to make the MHSAA Quarterfinals and ski teams also competed in Regionals with an opportunity to make the final meet of the season.
Girls Basketball
New Baltimore Anchor Bay earned its first league championship in 27 years with a 60-48 victory over Warren Mott that clinched the Macomb Area Conference Blue title – Macomb Daily
From Tuesday, Spring Lake junior Reiko Johnson scored 31 points in a win over Montague to go over 1,000 for her career – Grand Haven Tribune
Boys Basketball
Also from Tuesday, Gage Kreski set the St. Ignace career scoring record with 1,997 points after scoring 26 in a win over Brimley – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News
Ice Hockey
Division 3 No. 1 Saginaw Heritage finished the Saginaw Valley League undefeated for the first time since 2009, capping the run with a 4-1 win over Bay City – Saginaw News
Skiing
Cadillac’s boys and girls teams swept their Division 2 Regionals at Caberfae Peaks, with freshman Alex Netzley winning both boys races – Cadillac News
Wrestling
In arguably the night’s most impressive Regional win, Division 2 top-ranked Lowell made its sixth straight Quarterfinals by defeating undefeated and No. 8 Sparta – Grand Rapids Press
Also in Division 2, No. 3 St. Johns just got past No. 7 Eaton Rapids, 32-30, after losing to the Greyhounds in this round last season – Lansing State Journal
Unranked Grand Ledge eliminated No. 4 and reigning Division 1 champion Brighton, then defeated Holt in the Final – Livingston Daily
Sturgis celebrated its first Regional title in school history after downing Battle Creek Harper Creek 49-27 – Sturgis Journal
In a matchup of ranked Division 3 teams, No. 2 Lake Fenton took down No. 9 Lake Odessa Lakewood at Ithaca – Ionia Sentinel-Standard