Linked Up: 11/22/11
December 20, 2011
Thanksgiving week means a short one for most -- and more time for family, shopping, relaxation, watching the MHSAA Football Finals and hopefully a little additional reading.
Here are some suggestions from the last week and as we get ready to leave the fall and jump into the winter sports season.
Remember, if you find something high school sports-related that you think others would find useful or inspiring, send me a link at [email protected] and I'll check it out.
Okemos girl's cancer battle inspires Spartans (Lansing State Journal)\
We believe high school sports are about community. While not high school-related, this is a story about community and its power to do great things. Joe Rexrode tells us about 11-year-old Paige Duren and her battle against brain cancer – with the support of her community including big assists from the Michigan State football and basketball teams. She’s a two-sport athlete herself – playing soccer and basketball – and an inspiration to those who’ve come to know her. Rexrode makes it easy to understand why.
Sister act: Shaw, Halberg share much in common, despite more than 2,000 miles between them (Petoskey News)
That the Grunch sisters are excellent volleyball coaches isn’t a coincidence, Charlevoix people surely would say. But it’s a neat one that Liz (Grunch) Shaw and Christine (Grunch) Halberg both led their teams to their best finishes since 1989 (Halberg) or ever (Shaw). Shaw coaches their alma mater, while Halberg coaches 2,300 miles away in Washington. Steve Foley fills us in on how this worked out.
Avenall the right choice to lead Clarkston into volleyball history (NorthOaklandSports.com)
Clarkston coach Kelly Avenal was part of some great teams as a player, but until this past weekend Clarkston had never reached an MHSAA Finals weekend. Dan Stickradt tells us how she’s taken the program to the elite level while also giving a brief history lesson on how it got rolling toward that trip to Battle Creek.
Natural fit: Superior Dome was easy choice for 8-man final according to MHSAA (Marquette Mining Journal)
A few of us spent Friday night at Northern Michigan University’s Superior Dome, and count me among those who will look forward to making a return trip. Here’s some of the story behind the MHSAA’s selection of the Superior Dome as home of the inaugural 8-Player Football Final, as well as Semifinals most years.
Lowell's Noel Dean to Receive 2011 Power of Influence Award (AFCA.com)
The Red Arrows are headed back to Ford Field on Friday for the Division 2 Final, but Dean also will be scheduling a January trip to San Antonio, Texas, to receive this prestigious award from the American Football Coaches Association and American Football Coaches Foundation. Dean started his head coaching career at Bendle in 1991 before heading to Lowell in 1996. He's led teams to three MHSAA championships, and also the fundraising of $425,000 for cancer support through the "Pink Arrow Project."
Today in the MHSAA: 2/4/19
February 4, 2019
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
This weekend saw the first Michigan girls wrestling state champions awarded, a rematch of last season’s Division 2 Hockey Final and two top-ranked bowling teams face off – and that's just a sampling of the headliners.
1. Wrestling: The Michigan Wrestling Association awarded 15 championships at its first Girls Wrestling Finals – Adrian Daily Telegram | MLive
2. Gymnastics – Reigning MHSAA champion Farmington United finished more than three points ahead of the field at the Canton Invitational, generally considered the most competitive event of the regular season – Coldwater Daily Reporter
3. Hockey: No. 2-ranked Trenton downed No. 1 Hartland in a rematch of last season’s Division 2 Final, this time at the Michigan Interscholastic Hockey League Showcase – Southgate News-Herald
4. Girls Basketball: Midland Dow upset reigning Class A champion Saginaw Heritage 52-48, handing the Hawks their first defeat this winter – Midland Daily News
5. Bowling: Sturgis downed Three Rivers 29-1 in a matchup of the top-ranked boys teams in Divisions 2 and 3, respectively – Sturgis Journal
6. Wrestling: Division 1 No. 2 Brighton, No. 5 Hartland and No. 4 Westland John Glenn took the top three places, respectively, at the Kensington Lakes Activities Association tournament – Livingston Daily Press & Argus
7. Boys Basketball: Benton Harbor’s Carlos Johnson and Ypsilanti Lincoln’s Emoni Bates both scored 35 points in the Tigers’ 86-83 win at Grand Rapids Union – FOX 17
8. Wrestling: Division 4 No. 9 Bronson claimed the Big 8 Conference championship outright, its first league title in the sport – Coldwater Daily Reporter
9. Boys Swimming & Diving: LPD1 No. 4 Detroit Catholic Central repeated as Oakland County meet champion – Oakland Press
10. Wrestling: Brownstown Woodhaven clinched the outright Downriver League championship after sharing the title the last two seasons – Southgate News-Herald
Also of note …
Boys Swimming & Diving: Warren DeLaSalle, No. 8 in Lower Peninsula Division 2, edged Macomb Dakota to claim the Macomb County meet championship – Macomb Daily
Wrestling: Division 4 No. 2 New Lothrop, Division 2 No. 3 Goodrich and Holly won Flint-area league tournaments titles – Flint Journal
Wrestling: Parma Western clinched the Interstate 8 Athletic Conference championship – Coldwater Daily Reporter
Wrestling: Edwardsburg, Division 2 No. 7 Niles, White Pigeon and Schoolcraft earned league tournament titles in the southwestern Lower Peninsula – JoeInsider.com
Wrestling: Iron Mountain won the Mid-Peninsula Conference tournament title – Iron Mountain Daily News
Boys Basketball: St. Clair Shores Lake Shore downed Utica to clinch the outright Macomb Area Conference Blue title – Macomb Daily
Wrestling: Division 3 No. 4 Remus Chippewa Hills had five individual champs and Division 4 No. 8 Leroy Pine River won a team title in more league tournament action – Big Rapids News
Girls Basketball: From Thursday, Cierra Molina became the fifth player to score 1,000 career points for Rudyard, reaching the milestone against Brimley – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News