Linked Up: 12/19/11
December 20, 2011
We've hit a bit of a slow spot with schools out for break and most contests reserved for holiday showcases and the like.
Here are some suggestions if you have some time for some reading between now and the start of 2012.
High school coaches try to bring basketball back to basics (Detroit News)
For most of the last decade, we've heard about the recessing of basketball fundamentals even among elite high school players. Enter Ben Kelso, Marshall Thomas and a number of other Michigan coaches who have pledged to end that trend. Tom Markowski tells us how the Metro Detroit Basketball Coaches Association aims to do so.
Lantzy retires after more than 4 decades as Ike grid coach (Macomb County Advisor & Source)
Utica-Eisenhower coach Bob Lantzy has been his school's only varsity football coach. He took four teams to MHSAA Finals and this fall became one of only nine state football coaches to win more than 900 games. He has retired after 41 seasons, and Kevin Lozon fills us in on the legacy.
Tabahn Afrik poised for greatness in pool for West Ottawa (Holland Sentinel)
The Holland area has its next big swimming star. Dan D'Addona introduces us to Tabahn Afrik, a freshman at Holland West Ottawa who qualified for the MHSAA Division 1 Finals in two events in his first meet this season.
High school basketball: History of class hoops is just that (South Bend Tribune)
"Hoosiers" made Indiana's former one-class basketball tournament known on a grander scale. But Indiana went to classes (similar to Michigan's) beginning in 1997-98. Al Lesar tells us how some in the state are attempting to revert to one class.
Today in the MHSAA: 5/25/18
May 25, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Each weekday of the school year, we break down the top headlines courtesy of Michigan’s sports media.
1. Girls Soccer: Division 3 No. 5 Grand Rapids South Christian downed second-place and Division 2 No. 8 Ada Forest Hills Eastern to clinch the Ottawa-Kent Conference Gold championship outright – FOX 17
2. Boys Golf: Hartland edged Northville by a mere stroke to win the Kensington Lakes Activities Association tournament, but Northville emerged as the overall league champion – Observer & Eccentric
3. Softball: Battle Creek Pennfield won its third straight All-City championship, edging Lakeview 11-10 in the championship game – Battle Creek Enquirer
4. Baseball: Morley Stanwood swept Holton to share the Central State Activities Association Silver championship with the Red Devils – Big Rapids News
5. Boys Golf: Gaylord St. Mary clinched the North Wood Golf Conference championship at the league tournament after finishing the match schedule undefeated – Gaylord Herald Times
6. Track & Field: Pickford’s boys and Brimley’s girls won Eastern Upper Peninsula Conference meet and overall championships – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News
7. Softball: North Adams-Jerome celebrated a league championship with a sweep of Camden-Frontier – Hillsdale Daily News
8. Girls Soccer: Holland Black River shut out Byron Center Zion Christian to clinch a second straight Alliance League title – Holland Sentinel
9. Track & Field: The Lincoln Alcona girls and Whittemore Prescott boys (No. 3 in Lower Peninsula Division 4) also finished league title runs, in the North Star League – Alpena News
10. Baseball: No. 4 Pontiac Notre Dame Prep edged No. 2 Detroit Country Day 5-4 in a matchup of two of the best in Division 2 – Oakland Press
Also of note …
Softball: From Wednesday, Schoolcraft’s Lydia Goble hit three home runs against Delton Kellogg to take ownership of the MHSAA single-season record alone with 25 this spring – Kalamazoo Gazette