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: 2/1/16
February 1, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Incredible numbers in girls basketball and boys swimming and a matchup of undefeated rivals led the weekend’s headlines across Michigan.
Girls Basketball
Southfield-Lathrup doubled up Southfield in the final regular-season matchup between the rivals – the schools are scheduled to merge next year – Oakland Press
Grand Rapids South Christian made 11 3-pointers to stay undefeated and hand the first loss this season to Grand Rapids Catholic Central, 70-50 – Grand Rapids Press
Benton Harbor’s Kysre Gondrezick continues to climb the MHSAA career scoring list and moved past St. Joseph’s Kim Knuth for seventh place with 39 against Niles to give her 2,460 points – St. Joseph Herald Palladium
Competitive Cheer
Portage Central, Plainwell, host Otsego and Delton Kellogg won division titles at the Bulldog Invitational with Plainwell putting up the top score overall – Kalamazoo Gazette
Boys Swimming & Diving
Midland Dow won its 14th Tri-Cities Swim Invitational title, and Nehemiah Mork broke multiple meet records including one set in 1982 – Saginaw News
Wrestling
Six of the 14 champions at the Lenawee County All-Star Tournament came from Hudson – Adrian Daily Telegram
Battle Creek Lakeview won the Bill Evans Memorial Invitational ahead of a field that included Division 4 No. 7 Bronson – Battle Creek Enquirer
Macomb teams dominated the Macomb-Oakland County Challenge, led by undefeated Richmond – Macomb Daily
Unranked Niles won its fourth straight Greater Berrien County Invitational ahead of a field that included Division 2 No. 10 Stevensville Lakeshore – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium
Good Reads
Fans of all schools will be rooting for Howell coach Ken Richards, who remains the school’s freshman boys basketball coach after being given a 50-50 chance of surviving cancer this past football season – Livingston Daily
Mount Pleasant is mourning the death of longtime coach Jim Powell, who guided more than 4,000 athletes during a 60-year career – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun