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: 5/24/23

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

May 24, 2023

1. TRACK & FIELD The Lower Peninsula Division 2 top-ranked Shepherd girls and No. 9 Gladwin boys won Jack Pine Conference meet titles, both ahead of LPD3 top-ranked teams from Clare – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

2. SOFTBALL Division 2 top-ranked Gaylord finished a second-straight perfect season in the Big North Conference and third-straight title run with a sweep of Alpena – Petoskey News-Review

3. GIRLS TENNIS LPD4 No. 4 Traverse City St. Francis clinched the Lake Michigan Conference championship just ahead of No. 9 Elk Rapids – Traverse City Record-Eagle

4. BOYS GOLF LPD1 No. 2 Brighton won its first league title in this sport since 2007, shooting a 293 to finish a championship run in the Kensington Lakes Activities Association – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

5. TRACK & FIELD The Tri-County Conference season finished with a combined five league champions – the LPD3 No. 9 Adrian Madison, Erie Mason and Ottawa Lake Whiteford girls, and Mason and LPD3 No. 4 Whiteford boys. Additionally, Onsted’s boys and Ida’s girls clinched Lenawee County Athletic Association titles – Adrian Daily Telegram

6. TRACK & FIELD The Brownstown Woodhaven girls won their third-straight Downriver League meet, while the Allen Park boys won their first championship as part of the conference – Southgate News-Herald

7. SOFTBALL Division 1 No. 4 Farmington Hills Mercy downed Dearborn Divine Child 1-0 in eight innings to claim the Detroit Catholic League Bishop title, and Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett won the Cardinal final 9-1 over Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes – Detroit News | Oakland Press

8. SOFTBALL Division 2 honorable mention Big Rapids swept Newaygo to complete a 20-0 run in the Central State Activities Association – MI Sports Now

9. TRACK & FIELD Monroe Jefferson’s LPD2 No. 5 girls and boys teams finished repeat runs in the Huron League – Monroe News

10. SOFTBALL Division 2 honorable mention Muskegon Oakridge swept Montague, with an incredible six home runs in an inning in the second game, to finish a perfect run through the West Michigan Conference Lakes – CatchMark SportsNet

Also of note …

TRACK & FIELD Centreville finished a sweep of Southwest 10 Conference championships – Sturgis Journal

SOFTBALL Division 2 honorable mention New Boston Huron clinched a share of the Huron League title with a 4-3 eight-inning win over Milan – Monroe News

SOFTBALL/BASEBALL Beal City’s teams both swept LeRoy Pine River to clinch shares of Highland Conference championships; Beal City softball shared with Division 3 top-ranked Evart, which swept Manton. Beal City baseball is No. 5 in Division 4 – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun | Big Rapids Pioneer

TRACK & FIELD The Lake City boys and LPD3 No. 6 McBain girls finished repeats in the Highland Conference – Cadillac News

SOFTBALL Division 2 No. 3 Essexville Garber finished an outright title run in the Tri-Valley Conference Red with a sweep of Alma – Bay City Times

BASEBALL Homer and Jonesville split to also share the Big 8 Conference championship – Jackson Citizen Patriot

BASEBALL Division 2 No. 8 Bay City John Glenn swept Bridgeport to complete an outright title run in the TVC Red – Bay City Times

GIRLS TENNIS Flushing won the top two singles flights on the way to a Flint Metro League team title – WJRT

TRACK & FIELD The Kingsley girls and Benzie Central boys won Northwest Conference titles – Traverse City Record-Eagle

TRACK & FIELD The Midland Dow girls and Saginaw Heritage boys are Saginaw Valley League champions – Midland Daily News