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: 2/20/17
February 20, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
League titles … District titles … Regional titles … and we even crowned our first MHSAA Finals champions of the winter during a weekend of celebrations. Check out this sizable collection of links to find out more.
Each weekday during the school year, we’ll gather and post media links covering the most significant and intriguing high school events from all over the state.
Girls Basketball
Marshall won the outright Interstate 8 Athletic Conference title with a 50-29 win over rival Jackson Northwest – Battle Creek Enquirer
DeWitt earned a share of the Capital Area Activities Conference Red title with a 54-43 win over Haslett – Lansing State Journal
Farmington Hills Mercy clinched the Detroit Catholic League A-B championship with a 45-36 win over Bloomfield Hills Marian – Detroit Free Press
Battle Creek Lakeview finished an outright Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference East title with a 72-32 win over Kalamazoo Loy Norrix – Battle Creek Enquirer
Sault Ste. Marie downed Newberry 45-34 to clinch its first Straits Area Conference title since 2007-08 – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News
Ludington repeated as champ of the Lakes 8 Athletic Conference with a 60-40 win over Manistee – Ludington Daily News
Warren Cousino clinched the Macomb Area Conference Red-White tournament title with a 53-34 win over Port Huron Northern – Macomb Daily
Royal Oak Shrine downed Waterford Our Lady 52-49 in the Detroit Catholic League C-D Final to clinch its first league title in 23 years – Oakland Press
Detroit Martin Luther King clinched its sixth straight Detroit Public School League tournament title by downing Mumford 56-33 – Detroit News
Boys Basketball
East Lansing clinched a share of the Capital Area Activities Conference Blue title with a 66-61 win over Holt – Lansing State Journal
Kinross Maplewood Baptist won the Northern Lights League tournament by downing Mackinac Island in the final – Escanaba Daily Press
A game-winning 3-pointer gave Sturgis a 52-51 upset of Benton Harbor – Sturgis Journal
Detroit Cass Tech won its first Detroit PSL title in more than 20 years with a 55-47 win over King – Detroit News
Bowling
The St. Charles boys – No. 1 in Division 4 – won their fourth straight Tri-Valley Conference championship and placed three of the top five in singles – Saginaw News
Gaylord’s girls claimed the Northern Michigan Bowling Conference championship – Petoskey News-Review
Grand Haven’s boys, ranked No. 8 in Division 1, capped a dominating run through the Ottawa-Kent Conference Red – Grand Haven Tribune
Cheer
Division 1 honorable mention Southgate Anderson clinched its ninth straight District championship – Southgate News-Herald
Top-ranked Gibraltar Carlson made it nine straight Division 2 District titles, finishing four points ahead of No. 3 Dearborn Divine Child and also ahead of No. 2 Allen Park – Southgate News-Herald
Gymnastics
Northville won a close race for the KLAA league meet title, edging Plymouth by fewer than two points – Observer & Eccentric
Hockey
Division 1 top-ranked Brighton downed Division 2 No. 2 Hartland to claim the overall Kensington Lakes Activities Association title – Livingston Daily Press & Argus
Swimming & Diving
Brighton’s boys earned a share of the KLAA West championship with Howell and Grand Blanc by winning the league meet – Livingston Daily Press & Argus
Marquette’s boys claimed their fourth straight Upper Peninsula Finals championship – Second Half
Houghton’s girls outlasted a competitive field to claim the Upper Peninsula Finals title – Second Half
Wrestling
Lowell advanced 13 to the MHSAA Individual Finals in Division 2, including five Regional champions – Grand Rapids Press
Davison is sending 12 wrestlers to the Division 1 Individual Finals, including six who won titles Saturday – Flint Journal