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: 9/26/18

September 26, 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. Volleyball: Division 2 top-ranked Grand Rapids Christian came back from a two-set deficit to defeat Division 1 No. 6 Hudsonville in five games – FOX 17

2. Cross Country: The New Baltimore Anchor Bay cross country teams clinched Macomb Area Conference White championships; the boys shared with Port Huron Northern, winning their first title since 2008 – Macomb Daily

3. Volleyball: Division 1 No. 9 Rochester Hills Stoney Creek swept honorable mention Clarkston in Oakland Activities Association Red play – Oakland Press

4. Girls Swimming & Diving: Unranked Zeeland earned an impressive 104-74 win over Holland Christian, the No. 4 team in Lower Peninsula Division 3 – Holland Sentinel

5. Boys Soccer: Division 4 No. 9 North Muskegon and Muskegon Oakridge tied 1-1 in a key West Michigan Conference matchup – Local Sports Journal

6. Cross Country: Hart’s LPD3 ranked teams (girls No. 1, boys No. 4) dominated in sweeping the West Michigan Conference’s second jamboree – Ludington Daily News

7. Volleyball: Traverse City St. Francis came back after losing the first set to defeat Kalkaska in four – Traverse City Record-Eagle

8. Volleyball: Lakes Valley Conference leader South Lyon downed Walled Lake Central in four sets – Oakland Press

9. Volleyball: Division 2 No. 10 Kingsley continued to surge with a sweep of Frankfort – WPBN

10. Volleyball: Division 3 No. 3 Schoolcraft remains atop the Southwestern Athletic Conference Valley after a sweep of Constantine – JoeInsider.com

Also of note:

Volleyball: From Thursday, then-No. 5 Southfield Christian upset Division 4 top-ranked Plymouth Christian Academy – MLive-Detroit

Girls Golf: From Monday, LPD1 top-ranked Northville claimed its eighth tournament championship this fall – Observer & Eccentric

Boys Soccer: From Monday, Division 4 No. 8 Hartford clinched the Southwest 10 Conference title with a 2-1 win over Bloomingdale – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium