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: 3/3/20

March 3, 2020

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The Girls Basketball District Tournament tipped off Monday and the biggest wave came out of the Upper Peninsula, where Gladstone set the tone as top-two seeds won 90 percent of their games but the other 10 percent earned most of the biggest headlines.

1. Girls Basketball: Gladstone earned the biggest upset of District opening night, draining a last-second 3-pointer to get past previously-undefeated Menominee 46-45 in Division 2 – Escanaba Daily Press

2. Girls Basketball: Flint Carman-Ainsworth won a Division 1 matchup of league champions, downing Flushing 48-38 – WJRT

3. Girls Basketball: Cadillac won a matchup of league champions in Division 2, downing Ludington 43-39 – Cadillac News

4. Girls Basketball: East Kentwood ended Byron Center’s 19-game winning streak with a 50-43 win in Division 1; both teams were league champions this winter – WZZM

5. Girls Basketball: Eaton Rapids upset a league champion in Chelsea 58-49 in overtime in a Division 2 opener – Chelsea Sun Times News

6. Girls Basketball: Mayville got past a league champion in Kinde-North Huron 43-41 in Division 4 – Huron Daily Tribune

7. Girls Basketball: Bridgeport also upset a league champion, downing Caro 56-35 in Division 2 – Saginaw News

8. Girls Basketball: Jackson Lumen Christi ended the season for another league champion in Springport, 42-39 in Division 3 – Jackson Citizen Patriot

9. Girls Basketball: Cass City opened Division 3 play with an upset, downing Harbor Beach 46-34 – Huron Daily Tribune

10. Girls Basketball: Megan Matson led a Division 4 upset with 33 points in Munising’s 51-47 win over Rock Mid Peninsula – Escanaba Daily Press

Also of note …

Girls Basketball: Kent City may have set an MHSAA record with 40 points in the first quarter of a big Division 3 win over Ravenna – Muskegon Chronicle

Boys Basketball: From Friday, Kinde-North Huron earned a share of the North Central Thumb League Stripes title with a big win over Akron-Fairgrove – Huron Daily Tribune

Boys Swimming & Diving: From Saturday, Battle Creek Lakeview – tied for No. 10 in Lower Peninsula Division 2 – locked up the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference championship – WWMT

Boys Swimming & Diving: From Saturday, LPD1 Ann Arbor Pioneer finished nearly 200 points ahead of a field that included three more top-10 teams to win the Southeastern Conference Red championship meet – We Love Ann Arbor