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: 3/15/23

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

March 15, 2023

1. GIRLS BASKETBALL Reigning Division 1 champion West Bloomfield handed Flint Carman-Ainsworth its lone defeat, 66-34 in a Quarterfinal – Oakland Press

2. GIRLS BASKETBALL Hart earned its first Semifinals trip with a 45-41 win over Buchanan in Division 3 – CatchMark SportsNet

3. GIRLS BASKETBALL Lansing Catholic earned its first trip to the Semifinals since 2004 with a 78-69 Quarterfinal win over Redford Westfield Prep in Division 2 – Lansing State Journal

4. GIRLS BASKETBALL Hemlock continued to build on a memorable comeback story with a 52-37 win over Elk Rapids in Division 3 – Saginaw News

5. GIRLS BASKETBALL Detroit Renaissance is headed to the Semifinals for the second time in three seasons thanks to a 52-37 win over Grosse Pointe North in Division 1 – MLIVE-Detroit

6. GIRLS BASKETBALL Blissfield edged Ovid-Elsie 45-41 to advance in Division 3 and will make its first Semifinal trip since 1973 – Monroe News

7. GIRLS BASKETBALL Two-time reigning Division 4 champion Fowler will return to Breslin Center after a 47-43 Quarterfinal win over Kingston – Lansing State Journal

8. GIRLS BASKETBALL Salem continued its memorable Division 1 run with a 55-52 win over Riverview – Hometown Life

9. GIRLS BASKETBALL Frankenmuth is headed to the Semifinals for the first time since 1996 with a 51-36 win over Houghton in Division 2 – Saginaw News

10. GIRLS BASKETBALL Maple City Glen Lake is among those returning to Breslin Center, this time in Division 4 after a 57-49 win over St. Charles – Up North Live

Also of note …

GIRLS BASKETBALL Baraga is returning to Breslin for the second-straight season thanks to a Division 4 win over Mackinaw City, 40-36 – Upper Michigan Source

GIRLS BASKETBALL Rockford is headed to Breslin for the second-straight season after a 50-36 Division 1 win over Holt – Grand Rapids Press

GIRLS BASKETBALL Madison Heights Bishop Foley will return to Breslin Center in Division 3 thanks to a 34-32 win over Sandusky – Oakland Press

GIRLS BASKETBALL Adrian Lenawee Christian also is making a repeat trip to Breslin after a 49-36 win over Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep in Division 4 – Adrian Daily Telegram

GIRLS BASKETBALL Last season’s Division 2 runner-up Grand Rapids West Catholic will contend again this weekend thanks to a 51-37 win over Holland Christian – FOX 17

GIRLS BASKETBALL Goodrich advanced in Division 2 with a 52-27 win over Warren Regina – Mid-Michigan Now