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: 3/16/22

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

March 16, 2022

1. GIRLS BASKETBALL No. 9 Rockford earned its first Semifinal trip with a 54-43 win over No. 14 East Lansing in Division 1 – FOX 17

2. GIRLS BASKETBALL Overall top seed Detroit Edison will return to the Division 2 Semifinals after a 53-35 win over reigning champion and No. 3 Portland – MLive-Detroit

3. GIRLS BASKETBALL No. 7 Madison Heights Bishop Foley will be making its first Semifinal trip after a 55-48 win over No. 14 Reese in Division 3 – Oakland Press

4. GIRLS BASKETBALL No. 4 Hartland avenged last season’s Quarterfinal loss to No. 2 Midland Dow with a 56-51 overtime win – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

5. GIRLS BASKETBALL No. 8 Grand Rapids West Catholic advanced to the Division 2 Semifinals with an 82-27 win over No. 6 Edwardsburg – FOX 17

6. GIRLS BASKETBALL No. 5 Kent City will be returning to the Division 3 Semifinals after a 34-33 win over No. 6 Schoolcraft – Local Sports Journal

7. GIRLS BASKETBALL Ludington advanced in Division 2 with a 30-27 win over No. 5 Frankenmuth – Ludington Daily News

8. GIRLS BASKETBALL Reigning Division 4 champ and No. 3 Fowler advanced its chance to finish a repeat run after a 58-26 win over No. 8 Gaylord St. Mary – Lansing State Journal

9. GIRLS BASKETBALL No. 10 Baraga will be making the trip to the Division 4 Semifinals after a 57-40 win over No. 7 Pickford – UP Matters

10. GIRLS BASKETBALL Overall No. 1 seed Plymouth Christian Academy will advance to the Division 4 Semifinals after a 54-44 win over Genesee Christian – Flint Journal

Also of note …

GIRLS BASKETBALL No. 16 Wayne Memorial earned a return to the Semifinals with a 44-33 win over Riverview in Division 1 – Detroit News

GIRLS BASKETBALL No. 6 West Bloomfield downed Troy 67-32 in Division 1 to earn its first Semifinals trip in nearly two decades – Oakland Press

GIRLS BASKETBALL Detroit Country Day earned a repeat trip to Breslin with a 59-55 win over Marysville in Division 2 – Oakland Press

GIRLS BASKETBALL Overall top seed Ypsilanti Arbor Prep also earned a return trip to Breslin with a 69-51 win over Dansville in Division 3 – Ann Arbor News

GIRLS BASKETBALL No. 8 Maple City Glen Lake advanced in Division 3 with a 50-29 win over Lake City – Up North Live

GIRLS BASKETBALL No. 4 Adrian Lenawee Christian is returning to the Division 4 Semifinals after a 69-36 win over Muskegon Heights Academy – Adrian Daily Telegram