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: 2/17/25
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
February 17, 2025
1. GIRLS SWIMMING & DIVING Marquette's girls claimed their fourth-straight Upper Peninsula Finals championship – MHSAA.com
2. BOYS SWIMMING & DIVING The Sentinels ran their boys Finals championship streak to six – MHSAA.com
3. BASKETBALL Detroit Renaissance swept Detroit Public School League Tournament titles, the girls defeating Mumford 55-51 and the boys defeating King 69-64 – Detroit News
4. BASKETBALL Orchard Lake St. Mary’s boys edged Detroit U-D Jesuit 58-57 to win a Catholic High School League Bishop championship, and Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard’s girls defeated Toledo Notre Dame Academy 48-31 to clinch a title – Detroit News
5. COMPETITIVE CHEER Top-ranked Sanford Meridian continued its undefeated season with a Division 4 District title – Midland Daily News
6. BOYS BASKETBALL Grass Lake downed Brooklyn Columbia Central in the Cascades Conference to win its first league title since 1971, and Mason clinched a three-peat in the Capital Area Activities Conference Red – WILX
7. GIRLS WRESTLING Mason’s Cecilia Williams remained undefeated in girls competition this season in winning her Regional bracket – Lansing State Journal
8. BOYS WRESTLING Roseville’s Jay’Den Williams was among Macomb County standouts advancing with Division 1 Regional titles – Macomb Daily
9. COMPETITIVE CHEER No. 10 Wyandotte Roosevelt in Division 1, No. 2 Gibraltar Carlson in Division 2 and No. 3 Grosse Ile in Division 3 were among District title winners from the Downriver area – Southgate News-Herald
10. BOYS BASKETBALL Bridgman clinched the Southwestern Athletic Conference Lakeshore title with a 66-58 win over South Haven – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium
Also of note …
BOYS BASKETBALL Riverview Gabriel Richard downed Jackson Lumen Christi 82-48 to clinch the CHSL Cardinal Tournament title – Southgate News-Herald
BOYS BASKETBALL Battle Creek St. Philip downed Athens to clinch the Southern Central Athletic Association West title, its first since 2013-14 – Battle Creek Enquirer
GIRLS BASKETBALL Traverse City Central downed West 55-39 to clinch the Big North Conference title – Traverse City Record-Eagle
BOYS BASKETBALL Kinross Maplewood Baptist won the Northern Lights League Tournament title with a 104-94 overtime victory over Hannahville Nah Tah Wahsh – Escanaba Daily Press
GIRLS BASKETBALL Big Bay de Noc defeated Beaver Island to clinch the Northern Lights League Tournament title – Escanaba Daily Press
BOWLING Boyne City’s girls claimed the Northern Michigan Bowling Conference championship – Traverse City Record-Eagle
BOYS BASKETBALL Elk Rapids clinched a share of the Northern Shores Conference title with a 53-49 win over Charlevoix – Traverse City Record-Eagle
GIRLS BOWLING Ishpeming Westwood's Olivia Letson claimed the Upper Peninsula individual championship – Upper Michigan's Source
BOYS BASKETBALL Thomas Maier reached 1,000 career points for Hillsdale Will Carleton Academy during a loss to Pittsford – Hillsdale Daily News