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: 2/13/20
February 13, 2020
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The MHSAA Team Wrestling Tournament kicked off Wednesday night, and a number of teams got things rolling quickly with their first championships in a decade or longer.
1. Wrestling: Muskegon Orchard View won its first Team District championship since 1996 by defeating Traverse City West and Central in Division 1 – Muskegon Chronicle
2. Wrestling: Wyoming Godwin Heights defeated Hudsonville Unity Christian in Division 3 to claim its first District title in this sport since 2003 – FOX 17
3. Wrestling: Livonia Churchill won its Division 1 District, downing Stevenson 35-33 in the final after Stevenson ended Franklin’s 14-year District title run in the opening match – Observer & Eccentric
4. Wrestling: Division 4 No. 5 Hart downed No. 7 LeRoy Pine River on the way to a District title – Cadillac News
5. Bowling: The Division 4 No. 1 Grass Lake boys downed Division 3 top-ranked Jonesville 21-9 –Jackson Citizen Patriot
6. Girls Basketball: Undefeated Detroit Edison handed Farmington Hills Mercy just its second loss, 59-41 – Detroit News
7. Boys Basketball: Carlos Johnson posted his second-straight triple double, this time to lead Benton Harbor past Coloma – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium
8. Wrestling: Dexter downed Ann Arbor Pioneer and Skyline in Division 1 to earn its first District title since 2007 – Chelsea Sun Times News
9. Girls Basketball: Athens downed Camden-Frontier 50-38 in a matchup of Division 4 contenders – Hillsdale Daily News
10. Wrestling: Remus Chippewa Hills won its 16th straight District title with match victories over Big Rapids and Farwell in Division 3 – Big Rapids News
Also of note …
Boys Basketball: Connor Arnold became the first player in Coleman boys hoops history to go over 1,000 career points with 28 against Blanchard Montabella – Midland Daily News
Hockey: From Tuesday, Division 2 No. 5 Marquette handed Division 3 top-ranked Calumet only its second loss, 4-0 – Marquette Mining Journal