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: 9/20/17

September 20, 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. Volleyball: Class B No. 10 Montague moved to 4-0 in the West Michigan Conference by a slim margin, downing Class C No. 5 Shelby in five sets, the last 15-13Local Sports Journal

2. Boys Soccer: Portage Central, No. 4 in Division 1, downed rival Portage Northern for the first time since 2014, 3-1 – Kalamazoo Gazette

3. Cross Country: The unranked Grand Haven boys won the first Ottawa-Kent Conference Red jamboree ahead of LPD1 No. 14 Rockford, although the top-ranked Rams girls won their side of the meet – Grand Haven Tribune

4. Volleyball: Class A No. 6 Clarkston won all three sets by five or fewer points to down honorable mention Rochester Hills Stoney Creek in a matchup of first-place teams in the Oakland Activities Association Red – Oakland Press

5. Boys Soccer: Division 2 No. 2 Dexter moved to 13-0 with a 1-0 win over No. 18 Tecumseh in Southeastern Conference White play – Adrian Daily Telegram

6. Cross Country: The Manton boys and McBain girls, both honorable mentions in LPD3, won Highland Conference jamborees; the boys race also included LPD4 No. 9 Beal City – Cadillac News

7. Girls Swimming & Diving: Ann Arbor Huron downed rival Ann Arbor Pioneer in a matchup of honorable mentions in Lower Peninsula Division 1 – Ann Arbor News

8. Boys Soccer: Fruitport scored three second-half goals to down Division 3 No. 14 Grand Rapids Covenant Christian 5-2 – Grand Haven Tribune

9. Volleyball: Class B No. 8 Fruitport continued building momentum for what will be a tough weekend with a four-set win over rival Muskegon Mona Shores – Grand Haven Tribune

10. Girls Swimming & Diving: Alma earned first places in nine of 12 events, but Mount Pleasant’s depth showed through in a 98-76 win over its pool neighbor – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun