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: 5/11/21

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

May 11, 2021

1. Boys Lacrosse: Hartland’s Bo Lockwood set the single-game assist record with 13, upped his single-season assist record to 97 and tied the single-game points record with 19 in the Division 1 No. 3 Eagles’ 28-0 win over Howell – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

2. Girls Track & Field: Remus Chippewa Hills secured an 18th-straight league title with another win in the Central State Activities Association Gold – Big Rapids News

3. Boys Golf: Individual medalist Daniel Gladki paced Saginaw Heritage to a Saginaw County Invitational championship – Saginaw News

4. Boys Lacrosse: Midland downed Grand Blanc 15-3 to clinch a share of its sixth Saginaw Valley League championship in seven seasons – WJRT

5. Boys Lacrosse: Division 1 No. 4 Saline downed Ann Arbor Huron 25-3 to finish a perfect run through the Southeastern Conference Red – Saline Post

6. Girls Soccer: Division 2 No. 6 Spring Lake scored the lone goal to down Division 1 No. 14 Muskegon Mona Shores 1-0 – Local Sports Journal

7. Baseball: No. 5 Johannesburg-Lewiston swept No. 20 Gaylord St. Mary in a league matchup of top statewide Division 4 teams – MI Sports Now

8. Girls Soccer: Division 1 No. 20 Midland Dow defeated Midland High for the first time in seven years, 2-0 – Midland Daily News

9. Softball: Norway improved to 13-2 by handing Rapid River its second and third losses this spring, 10-9 and 13-12 – Iron Mountain Daily News

10. Boys Lacrosse: Bowen Sparks scored eight goals for Walled Lake United in its 15-3 win over Huron Valley United – Oakland Press

Also for note:

Track & Field: From Saturday, Ann Arbor Skyline’s Hobbs Kessler (8:54.42) led five runners under nine minutes in the 3,200 at the New Balance Invitational at Farmington – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

Volleyball: After leading Schoolcraft to Division 3 runner-up finishes the last two seasons, coach Erin Onken is taking over at Portage Northern – Kalamazoo Gazette

Girls Basketball: Former Lake Michigan College women’s coach Patrick Daniel is bringing winning experience at that level in taking over Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills – FOX 17