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: 2/28/22

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

February 28, 2022

1. WRESTLING Davison, Lowell, Dundee and Hudson were this season’s Team Wrestling Finals champions, Lowell extending its record streak to nine and Dundee and Davison also repeating – Second Half

2. COMPETITIVE CHEER Richmond was first and Pontiac Notre Dame Prep second in a Division 3 Regional featuring teams that have combined to win the last 10 Finals championships – Macomb Daily

3. BOYS SWIMMING & DIVING Battle Creek Harper Creek – an honorable mention in Lower Peninsula Division 3 – claimed its first league title in this sport since 1989, in the Southwestern & Central Conference; additionally, Battle Creek Lakeview won the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference title – Battle Creek Enquirer

4. COMPETITIVE CHEER Allen Park and Gibraltar Carlson have combined to win the last 14 Division 2 Finals, and they finished first and second, respectively, at their Regional on Saturday – Southgate News-Herald

5. HOCKEY Division 3 No. 7 Calumet edged No. 4 Houghton 3-2 in overtime of a Regional Final – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

6. COMPETITIVE CHEER Two-time reigning Finals champion Rochester Adams won its third-straight Division 1 Regional title competing with a field that included Rochester and Stoney Creek – Southgate News-Herald

7. BOYS SWIMMING & DIVING LPD3 No. 4 Pinckney edged Chelsea 552-522 to win the Southeastern Conference White championship meet – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

8. BOYS SWIMMING & DIVING Rochester Hills Stoney Creek, Farmington and Lake Orion won Oakland Activities Association championships, and LPD1 honorable mention South Lyon finished a run to the Lakes Valley Conference title – Oakland Press

9. BOYS BASKETBALL Rudyard clinched the Eastern Upper Peninsula Conference title and EJ Suggitt became his school’s all-time leading scorer during a win over Pickford – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News

10. BOWLING The top-ranked New Boston Huron boys and No. 7 South Lyon East girls claimed Division 2 Regional titles – Monroe News

Also of note …

BOYS BASKETBALL Benzie Central clinched its first Northwest Conference title in a decade with a 58-45 win over Maple City Glen Lake – Traverse City Record-Eagle

GIRLS BASKETBALL Bay City All Saints earned a share of the North Central Thumb League Stripes title with a win over Caseville – Bay City Times

GIRLS BASKETBALL Coleman’s Katelyn Pnacek became her school’s all-time leading scorer during a 63-50 win over Vestaburg – Midland Daily News

BOYS BASKETBALL Flint Carman-Ainsworth’s Mehki Ellison eclipsed 1,000 career points in his team’s 62-53 win over Mount Pleasant – Mid-Michigan Now

BOYS SWIMMING & DIVING Lake Fenton was first and Corunna second at the Flint Metro League championship meet – Owosso Argus-Press