Linked Up: 11/8/11

December 16, 2011

My online travels over the last 10 days have taken me to just about every media entity in Michigan as we've been tracking down football, volleyball and soccer results. Below are some of the intriguing stories I happened upon that you might want to check out as well.

See something high school sports-related that you think others would find valuable? Send me a link at [email protected].

State meet an experience to savor  (Livingston County Daily Press & Argus)

Reporter Katie Noble ran at the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Cross Country Finals for Kinde North Huron in 2001. She explains how her perspective has changed during the 10 years since -- something any former high school athlete can appreciate.

Lincoln football: More than just football (AnnArbor.com)

Although Ypsilanti Lincoln's first playoff run ever ended after just one game, it gave those fans plenty to celebrate -- and AnnArbor.com's Jeff Sainlar put together a great multimedia look at how the team made history after going 0-9 in 2010.

Twin sisters key players for both Dow and Midland volleyball teams (Midland Daily News)

We hear a lot of stories of teams having two or three siblings, a set of twins or an occasional crew of triplets. But Saturday's District final at Saginaw Heritage included two teams from the same city both receiving major contributions sets of twins. Dan Chalk explained how similarities among those pairs benefited their respective teams in similar ways.

Marshall Thomas' coaching tree produces state titles on way to Saginaw County Hall of Fame induction (Saginaw News)

Thomas coached five sports and served as athletic director during his tenure at Saginaw High. But he's best known for leading a boys basketball power that has produced two more coaches who have gone on to win MHSAA titles. A fantastic legacy left by one of the friendliest people I've met in high school athletics, and Geoff Mott tells us about it.

Deckerville Eagles will move to 8-man football (Port Huron Times-Herald)

The Port Huron area looks to continue to be a center for 8-player football with another solid program set to make the switch. But it's not always an easy decision, and Jim Whymer tells us why and how Deckerville decided it was time.

Today in the MHSAA: 6/9/25

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

June 9, 2025

(Please also see Finals coverage of girls and boys lacrosse, and Lower Peninsula boys golf throughout MHSAA.com.)

1. SOFTBALL Top-ranked Escanaba downed No. 3 Gaylord 10-0, ending the Blue Devils’ two-year reign atop Division 2 – Escanaba Daily Press

2. BASEBALL No. 2 Bay City Western advanced to the Division 1 Semifinals with a 3-1 win over No. 4 Hudsonville – Bay City Times

3. BASEBALL Top-ranked Portland St. Patrick advanced to the Division 4 Semifinals with wins over No. 2 Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart and No. 18 Maple City Glen Lake – Lansing State Journal

4. SOFTBALL Kenzie Greene shut out No. 4 Bellaire and Buckley and went over 500 career strikeouts during No. 5 Holton’s Division 4 Regional title run – Local Sports Journal

5. SOFTBALL Honorable mention Paw Paw defeated Edwardsburg and honorable mention Wayland to clinch its first Regional title, in Division 2 – Kalamazoo Gazette

6. SOFTBALL Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary also claimed its first Regional title with wins over Mio and No. 10 Fowler in Division 4 – Saginaw News

7. SOFTBALL South Lyon downed No. 7 Northville 3-0 to claim a Division 1 Regional title, and after Northville had upset top-ranked Farmington Hills Mercy a game earlier – Oakland Press

8. SOFTBALL No. 6 Walled Lake Northern downed No. 5 Grand Blanc to clinch a third-straight Division 1 Regional championship – Oakland Press

9. BASEBALL No. 2 Standish-Sterling advanced to the Division 2 Semifinals with wins over No. 9 Petoskey and No. 12 Fruitport – Bay City Times

10. SOFTBALL No. 9 Brownstown Woodhaven downed No. 8 Allen Park and Detroit Cass Tech for a Division 1 Regional title – Southgate News-Herald

Also of note ... 

SOFTBALL Gogebic – made up of Bessemer and Wakefield-Marenisco – clinched its first Regional title with a 2-0 win over Lake Linden-Hubbell in Division 4 – Upper Michigan’s Source