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: 9/15/25

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

September 15, 2025

1. CROSS COUNTRY The Ann Arbor Pioneer girls and Northville boys – ranked No. 1 on their respective Lower Peninsula Division 1 lists – won the Elite races at the Spartan Invitational which also awarded championships to the LPD1 No. 15 Novi, Holland and LPD3 No. 7 Jackson Lumen Christi girls and LPD1 No. 6 Grand Ledge and LPD3 No. 3 Jackson Lumen Christi boys among several – Athletic.net

2. CROSS COUNTRY Holly’s Duane Raffin Festival of Races crowned 10 champions across five divisions: LPD1 No. 7 Ann Arbor Skyline, Midland Dow, LPD2 No. 11 Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard, Bronson and LPD4 No. 1 Whitmore Lake’s girls; and LPD1 No. 15 Ann Arbor Skyline, LPD2 No. 11 Richland Gull Lake, Flint Powers Catholic, Ann Arbor Greenhills and LPD4 No. 5 Whitmore Lake’s boys – Midland Daily News | Athletic.net

3. BOYS TENNIS LPD2 No. 2 Midland Dow defeated No. 3 Byron Center, No. 6 Portage Central and Grosse Pointe North at the Sunsational Invitational, which included Chargers’ coach Terry Schwartzkopf’s 400th match – Saginaw News

4. VOLLEYBALL Division 4 No. 7 Crystal Falls Forest Park downed honorable mention Hancock to win its first championship at The Rock Tournament in Gladstone – Escanaba Daily Press

5. GIRLS GOLF LPD4 No. 2 Montague carded a 357 to win its Wildcat Invitational by 10 strokes – Local Sports Journal

6. VOLLEYBALL Division 1 No. 6 Grand Haven went undefeated and downed Zeeland East in the deciding match to win its invitational – Grand Haven Tribune

7. BOYS TENNIS Bay City Western was first and St. Clair second at the Fenton Invitational – Bay City Times

8. CROSS COUNTRY The LPD3 No. 2 Pewamo-Westphalia girls and No. 12 boys swept Don Baese Invitational championships – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun | Athletic.net

9. GIRLS TENNIS Norway won three flights on the way to the Kingsford Invitational title – Escanaba Daily News

10. GIRLS SWIIMMING & DIVING Flint Kearsley finished first among seven contenders at the Ogemaw Heights Falcon Invitational – Flint Journal