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: 6/14/23

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

June 14, 2023

2. GIRLS SOCCER No. 10 Grosse Ile earned its first Finals trip with a shootout win over No. 6 Flint Powers Catholic in a Division 3 Semifinal – Southgate News-Herald

2. GIRLS SOCCER Both of No. 4 East Grand Rapids’ goals came over the final five minutes of its 2-1 Division 2 Semifinal win over No. 11 Plainwell; the Pioneers will face unranked Grosse Pointe North, which defeated No. 10 Linden 1-0 – FOX 17

3. SOFTBALL No. 10 (tied) Brownstown Woodhaven advanced to its first Semifinals in this sport with a 5-1 win over Canton – Detroit News

4. SOFTBALL Honorable mention Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart advanced in Division 4 with a sixth postseason shutout, this one over honorable mention Lake Leelanau St. Mary – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

5. SOFTBALL Honorable mention Ravenna turned 15 hits into a 12-6 win over No. 4 Buchanan in a Division 3 Quarterfinal – CatchMark SportsNet

6. GIRLS SOCCER Top-ranked Hudsonville Unity Christian advanced in Division 3 with a 6-0 win over No. 3 Elk Rapids – MI Sports Now

7. SOFTBALL No. 10 Standish-Sterling continued its surge with a 3-1 Division 3 Quarterfinal win over No. 5 Gladstone – Bay City Times

8. SOFTBALL No. 6 Grand Blanc is headed back to the Semifinals for the first time in 17 years thanks to a 4-2 win over No. 7 Jenison – WNEM

9. SOFTBALL No. 7 Laingsburg continued its historic run with an 8-6 win over honorable mention Cass City in Division 3 – Lansing State Journal

10. SOFTBALL A homer off the scoreboard highlighted top-ranked Gaylord’s 4-1 win over No. 7 Hudsonville Unity Christian in Division 2 – Up North Live

Also of note …

SOFTBALL No. 2 Mendon edged honorable mention Fowler 13-12 to advance in Division 4 – Sturgis Journal

SOFTBALL Honorable mention Johannesburg-Lewiston also moved on in Division 4 with a 7-1 win over Hancock – Petoskey News-Review

SOFTBALL Honorable mention Southfield Christian opened the scoring, but top-ranked Unionville-Sebewaing continued its pursuit of a fourth-straight Division 4 title with a 7-4 win – Bay City Times

SOFTBALL Unranked Dearborn Divine Child advanced in Division 2 with an 11-3 win over honorable mention Trenton – Dearborn Press & Guide