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: 2/15/18

February 15, 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.

Today's Top 10 

1. Wrestling: No. 2 Gaylord got past No. 8 St. Johns 44-27 to clinch a Division 2 Regional title – Gaylord Herald Times

2. Wrestling: Division 3 No. 8 Alma earned its first Regional title with wins over Chesaning and Leslie – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

3. Wrestling: No. 3 Mendon claimed its first Regional title since 1991, downing Lawton and Three Oaks River Valley in Division 4 – Sturgis Journal

4. Wrestling: No. 5 Eaton Rapids earned its first Regional title since 2015 with a 31-26 championship win over No. 2 DeWitt – Lansing State Journal

5. Wrestling: No. 7 Oxford got past No. 8 Clarkston and Lake Orion to claim a Division 1 regional title – Oakland Press

6. Wrestling: No. 6 Hartland won its 17th straight Division 1 Regional title with a 38-30 championship match victory over Walled Lake Central – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

7. Wrestling: Division 3 No. 2 Richmond clinched its 10th straight Regional title, against Warren Michigan Collegiate – Macomb Daily

8. Wrestling: Dowagiac upset No. 7 Lake Odessa Lakewood to claim a Division 3 Regional title – St. Joseph Herald Palladium

9. Skiing: Rochester Adams swept Division 1 girls and boys Regional titles at Pine Knob – Observer & Eccentric

10. Wrestling: Division 1 No. 9 Hudsonville, Division 2 No. 1 Lowell, Allendale and Comstock Park earned trips to the Quarterfinals representing the Grand Rapids area – Grand Rapids Press

Also of note …

Wrestling: No. 6 Stevensville Lakeshore will return to Finals weekend after downing Coldwater and Mattawan for a Division 2 Regional title – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium

Wrestling: No. 4 Westland John Glenn got past Temperance Bedford 41-22 to claim a Division 1 Regional title – Observer & Eccentric

Wrestling: Division 3 No. 1 Dundee and Division 2 Tecumseh were among Regional champions as well – Monroe News

Wrestling: No. 3 Macomb Dakota got past rival New Boston Huron to win a Division 1 Regional title – Macomb Daily

Wrestling: No. 2 Brighton downed Grand Ledge and Holt to reach its third Division 1 Quarterfinals in four seasons – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

Wrestling: No. 7 Leroy Pine River downed Mancelona and Oscoda to claim a Division 4 Regional title – Cadillac News

Wrestling: Onaway downed St. Ignace and Ishpeming Westwood to also claim a Division 4 Regional title – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News

Wrestling: Division 3 No. 3 Remus Chippewa Hills downed Caro to claim a seventh straight Regional title – MI Sports Now

Hockey: Division 2 No. 3 Hartland won its ninth straight, 4-3 over Division 1 No. 2 Orchard Lake St. Mary’s – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

Boys Basketball: Frankfort continued to assume its place among Class D contenders with a 58-54 Northwest Conference win over reigning Class D runner-up Buckley – Traverse City Record-Eagle