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: 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