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: 9/28/17

September 28, 2017

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Each weekday of the school year, we break down the top headlines courtesy of Michigan’s sports media.

Today's Top 10

1. Boys Soccer: Lincoln Alcona goalkeeper Conner McCoy broke the national record for career saves and did it with a shutout of Oscoda, 2-0 (check back Friday for a feature on Second Half) – Alpena News

2. Girls Tennis: The first MHSAA championships of 2017-18 were awarded Wednesday as Negaunee won its fourth straight Division 1 title and Ishpeming Westwood won its eighth in nine seasons in Division 2 – Second Half Division 1 | Division 2

3. Cross Country: Incredibly, three runners from the Battle Creek area are back on course this season after being diagnosed with a rare heart condition last year and undergoing surgery – Battle Creek Enquirer

4. Girls Golf: Three years after starting the program, Shepherd is celebrating its second straight league championship in the sport – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

5. Cross Country: The top-ranked Ann Arbor Pioneer boys and No. 10 girls edged Saline’s No. 2-ranked boys and No. 5 girls teams in the second Southeastern Conference jamboree and also matchup of contenders in Lower Peninsula Division 1 – Saline Post Boys | Girls

6. Cross Country: The Spring Lake boys, No. 9 in LPD2, and No. 10 Allendale girls won their Ottawa-Kent Conference Blue jamboree, Allendale over Spring Lake’s No. 9-ranked girls team – Grand Haven Tribune

7. Boys Soccer: Division 4 No. 19 Buckley avenged an earlier loss to No. 3 Leland with a 3-0 shutout in the rematch – Cadillac News

8. Girls Golf: LPD2 No. 10 Muskegon Reeths-Puffer won its second straight Greater Muskegon Athletic Association city championship – Local Sports Journal

9. Boys Tennis: LPD4 No. 8 Ludington downed Whitehall 5-3 to clinch a share of the Coastal Conference championship – Ludington Daily News

10. Girls Golf: LPD1 No. 2 Brighton finished its home regular-season schedule with a 23-stroke win over Hartland – Livingston Daily Press & Argus