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: 2/27/18

February 27, 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. Boys Skiing: Petoskey tied an MHSAA boys skiing record with its eighth straight Finals championship, in Division 2, and Marquette won its sixth straight in Division 1 – Second Half

2. Girls Skiing: Marquette claimed its third straight Division 1 title, while Houghton-Hancock made it an Upper Peninsula sweep with a comeback win in Division 2 – Second Half

3. Girls Basketball: Bethany Baldwin went over 2,000 career points with 41 total in Watersmeet’s 64-46 win over Bessemer in a Class D District opener – Ironwood Daily Globe

4. Girls Basketball: Port Huron upset rival Port Huron Northern 52-49 in overtime to kick off their Class A District – Port Huron Times Herald

5. Girls Basketball: Maple City Glen Lake downed Traverse City St. Francis 52-47 in Class C in a matchup of teams that entered a combined 35-5 – Traverse City Record-Eagle

6. Girls Basketball: Detroit Catholic League Central co-champ Farmington Hills Mercy hung on for a 51-48 Class A win over Birmingham Groves, the co-champ of the Oakland Activities Association White – Oakland Press

7. Hockey: Byron Center took Holland West Ottawa to double overtime before West Ottawa emerged with a 3-2 win in a Division 1 Pre-Regional – Holland Sentinel

8. Girls Basketball: Alycia Patterson’s last second shot got Niles past Buchanan 44-42 in a Class B opener – South Bend Tribune

9. Hockey: Division 1 No. 6 Utica Eisenhower opened its Pre-Regional with a 5-0 win over previously-ranked Rochester United – Macomb Daily

10. Girls Basketball: Big Rapids opened with a 50-28 win over Alma in Class B to set up another matchup with rival Stanton Central Montcalm – Big Rapids News

Also of note ...

Girls Basketball: Wayne Memorial's Camree' Clegg, East Lansing's Jaida Hampton, Ypsilanti Arbor Prep's Lasha Petree and Detroit Country Day's Kaela Webb are candidates for this season's Miss Basketball Award – Detroit Free Press