Stripes Worn Well (Muskegon Chronicle)

March 1, 2012

Tim Flahive has battled diabetes for all but a few years of his life. But he's also filled half of those years with high school sports as a longtime official based in the Muskegon area.

The Muskegon Chronicle's Mark Opfermann tells the story of Flahive's final basketball game last week -- and makes us appreciate even more the significant role our officials fill to no fanfare.

A powerful excerpt:

He left the court with no fanfare, took off his whistle and shed a few tears.

But Flahive's story isn’t just about sports and an official leaving the hobby he loves. It’s about courage, getting back up and pressing on.

So, I guess it’s a lot like sports after all. But it’s a whole lot more about life.

That’s because when Flahive took the court last week, he did it with half of his left foot missing.

Click to read on.

Today in the MHSAA: 10/4/18

October 4, 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. Boys Soccer: Comstock locked up its third straight Berrien-Cass-St. Joseph Conference Red title with a 4-0 win over Parchment – JoeInsider.com

2. Cross Country: Custer Mason County Eastern’s boys edged Walkerville by two points to win the West Michigan D League championship meet – Ludington Daily News

3. Volleyball: Petoskey moved into a first-place tie in the Big North Conference by handing Division 2 honorable mention Cadillac its first league loss – Petoskey News-Review

4. Boys Soccer: Walled Lake Central avenged its lone league loss of the season, downing Milford in a Lakes Valley Conference tournament semifinal – Oakland Press

5. Boys Soccer: Holt held off Division 3 No. 9 Williamston 2-1 in the first round of the Capital Area Activities Conference Gold Cup – Lansing State Journal

6. Volleyball: Traverse City Central downed rival West in five games to finish its first sweep of the Titans in eight years – Traverse City Record-Eagle

7. Cross Country: The Pittsford girls (LPD4 No. 4) and Hillsdale Academy boys won their third league jamborees to move closer to titles in the Southern Central Athletic Association – Hillsdale Daily News

8. Boys Soccer: Fourth-place Allen Park handed first-place Brownstown Woodhaven a 4-0 loss in a Downriver League position game – Southgate News-Herald

9. Girls Golf: Division 2 No. 9 Coldwater earned a 189-217 win over Sturgis in a “Purple Week” match – Coldwater Daily Reporter

10. Cross Country: Grosse Ile swept the second Huron League jamborees of this fall; the girls are tied for No. 10 in LPD2 – Southgate News-Herald

Also of note …

Volleyball: From Tuesday, Division 3 honorable mention Brighton Charyl Stockwell earned a five-set win over reigning Division 4 champion and current No. 6 Plymouth Christian Academy – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

Cross Country: From Saturday, Shepherd’s Amber Gall broke the girls school record time from 1978 by running a 17:27.4 – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

Boys Soccer: From Tuesday, Division 4 No. 4 Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian downed Wyoming Godwin Heights to clinch the Ottawa-Kent Conference Silver title – FOX 17