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: 4/26/21

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

April 26, 2021

This spring weekend felt more like winter in many places across the state but was filled with accomplishments including school and tournament records and first-time championships.

1. Boys Golf: Traverse City Central won its first TC Tee Off since 2004 with a 302 on the second day of the tournament – Traverse City Record-Eagle

2. Girls Track & Field: Howell won its Highland Games Invitational thanks in part to Mackenzie Wright’s school record in the 3,200 – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

3. Boys Golf: Haslett won the Division 1 team title and Williamston’s Wyatt Vogel was the top individual with a tournament record 68 at the annual Dick’s Sporting Goods Invitational – Owosso Argus-Press

4. Softball: Essexville Garber won its first Bay County championship with a 7-2 win over Bay City Western – Bay City Times

5. Track & Field: Benzie Central swept championships at Cadillac’s Gary Rathbun Invitational with Hunter Jones breaking the boys school 3,200 record – Benzie Record Patriot

6. Baseball: Division 1 No. 11 Macomb Dakota followed up a Thursday loss to No. 16 Romeo with a 9-6 win in Friday’s rematch – Macomb Daily

7. Boys Track & Field: Harbor Springs’ Evan Schwab broke a 50-year-old school long jump record at the Mancelona Invitational – Petoskey News-Review

8. Softball: Escanaba added wins over Macomb Dakota and Frankenmuth to a downstate trip that also saw losses to Hartland and Farmington Hills Mercy – Escanaba Daily Press

9. Boys Lacrosse: Landon Taylor’s goal with 10 seconds to play gave Muskegon Mona Shores a 14-13 win over Reeths-Puffer – Local Sports Journal

10. Baseball: Division 3 No. 15 Traverse City St. Francis won its tournament with a walk-off 8-7 win over Evart in the finale 9&10 News

Also of note …

Girls Basketball: After a season at Flint Carman-Ainsworth, former Flint Northern star and coach Tonya Edwards is headed back to the WNBA as an assistant coach for the Chicago Sky – Flint Journal