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: 2/8/18

February 8, 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 – Division 3 No. 2 Richmond got past No. 6 Algonac in the championship match to claim its 20th straight District title – Macomb Daily

2. Wrestling: Division 1 No. 6 Hartland also remains perfect in District competition this century after claiming its 18th straight title with wins over White Lake Lakeland and Highland-Milford – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

3. Boys Basketball: As fans packed full Michigan Tech’s arena to see two of the state’s best in Class D, Dollar Bay pushed to 12-0 by handing Ewen-Trout Creek a 51-42 loss, the Panthers’ first defeat of the season – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

4. Wrestling: No. 6 Stevensville Lakeshore earned its third win in a week over rival and No. 7-ranked Niles, this one 34-30 to claim a Division 2 District title – South Bend Tribune

5. Wrestling: With heavy hearts, Walled Lake Central won its Division 1 District two days after the death of a teammate – Oakland Press

6. Wrestling: Division 2 No. 8 St. Johns won its 10th straight team District title, downing Mount Pleasant and then Owosso – Lansing State Journal

7. Wrestling: Manistee, with its third coach in three seasons, won a Division 3 District title under former longtime Saginaw Swan Valley leader Darrell Burchfield – Manistee News Advocate

8. Wrestling: No. 3 Remus Chippewa Hills claimed its 14th straight District title, in Division 3 – Big Rapids News

9. Wrestling: Temperance Bedford came back late to get past Brownstown Woodhaven and win in Division 1, and Division 3 top-ranked Dundee got past No. 9 Ida – Monroe Evening News

10. Wrestling: Warren DeLaSalle won its first District title in wrestling, getting past Roseville in the Final – C&G Newspapers

Also of note …

Wrestling: Jonesville downed Hillsdale in Division 3 to claim a fourth straight District championship – Hillsdale Daily News

Wrestling: No. 8 Alma downed Ithaca and Portland to win its second District title in three seasons in Division 3 – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

Wrestling: Saline advanced in Division 1 with wins over Ann Arbor Pioneer and Huron – Saline Post

Wrestling: Coldwater repeated as a Division 2 District champ with wins over Marshall and Sturgis – Coldwater Daily Reporter

Wrestling: Midland edged rival Dow 39-34 to advance with a Division 1 District title – Midland Daily News

Wrestling: Grand Haven is a District champion for the fifth straight season, coming back to win in Division 1 – Grand Haven Tribune

Wrestling: No. 4 Gaylord clinched its Division 2 District title with a win over Bay City Central, setting up a possible Regional matchup with St. Johns – Gaylord Herald Times

Wrestling: Traverse City West downed rival Central to win its fourth straight team District championship, in Division 1 – Traverse City Record-Eagle

Wrestling: Dowagiac downed Constantine in their Division 3 District Final to advance – South Bend Tribune

Girls Soccer: Retired star Miami Dolphins kicker Pete Stoyanovich is taking over the South Lyon East girls soccer program – Observer & Eccentric