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: 4/12/18

April 12, 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. Baseball: Orchard Lake St. Mary’s impressed in its Detroit Catholic League opener, sweeping Division 2 No. 5 Dearborn Divine Child – Detroit News

2. Girls Soccer: Muskegon Mona Shores earned an impressive early-season win, 1-0 over Division 2 No. 19 Spring Lake – Local Sports Journal

3. Girls Soccer: Traverse City Central connected on a late penalty kick to get past Petoskey in a Big North Conference matchup – MI Sports Now

4. Baseball: Division 1 top-ranked Saline won a pair of one-run games against Fenton to open the season – Saline Post

5. Softball: Midland Bullock Creek scored a combined 25 runs in a sweep of Saginaw Valley Lutheran – Midland Daily News

6. Girls Soccer: Division 1 No. 5 Portage Central moved to 4-0 with a 4-0 win over Plainwell – JoeInsider.com

7. Girls Soccer: Allen Park and Gibraltar Carlson both remained undefeated in Downriver League play with a 1-1 draw – Southgate News Herald

8. Baseball: Birmingham Groves improved to 3-0 with a 7-2 win over previously undefeated Troy – Oakland Press

9. Boys Soccer: East Lansing coach Nick Archer, who began that program in 1977 and led it to five MHSAA Finals championships, has retired after pioneering the sport locally and statewide – Lansing State Journal

10. Girls Basketball: The Upper Peninsula basketball community is mourning the late Harvey Filppula, who built Dollar Bay’s girls program – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette