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.
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: 8/20/20
August 21, 2020
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
After five months filled with anxiety and uncertainty, high school sports returned to Michigan on Wednesday – and Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern's Lilia Henkel gave us all something to immediately cheer about.
1. Girls Golf: Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern was the biggest winner on the first day of high school sports since March, winning the Muskegon Mona Shores Invitational while senior Lilia Henkel shot an incredible 60 to finish first individually – FOX 17
2. Girls Golf: St. Joseph shot a first-place 355 and Maya Hunter was medalist with a 75 at the Gull Lake Invitational – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium
3. Boys Tennis: Traverse City St. Francis defeated Haslett and Lansing Catholic as senior Charlie Schmude went over 100 career wins – Traverse City Record-Eagle
4. Girls Golf: Michigan Center shot a school-record 365 to win the Hanover-Horton Invitational by nearly 40 strokes – JTV
5. Girls Golf: Traverse City West’s Anci Dy shot a 69 to lead the Lober Classic’s individual standings after the first round, while Flint Powers Catholic was the first-day team leader at 332 – Up North Live
6. Boys Tennis: Niles Brandywine earned coach David Sidenbender his 100th win with a 5-3 victory over South Haven – Niles Daily Star
7. Girls Golf: Freeland edged Frankenmuth by a stroke to win the opening Tri-Valley Conference jamboree – Saginaw News
8. Boys Tennis: Midland Dow opened 1-0-1 with a win over Grand Blanc and tie of Troy Athens – Midland Daily News
9. Boys Tennis: Bay City Western and Central both finished 2-0-1 to pace an opening quad – Bay City Times
10. Boys tennis: Coldwater earned first-year coach Nathan Waterbury his first win with the program, shutting out Brooklyn Columbia Central – Coldwater Daily Reporter
Also of note …
Boys Basketball: Flint Beecher is mourning the death of longtime coach Moses Lacy, who led the program to Class B championships in 1985 and 1987 – ABC 12