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: 2/14/18

February 14, 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. Skiing: Brighton became the first school in a decade of KLAA championships to claim both the boys and girls titles in skiing in the same season – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

2. Hockey: Division 3 top-ranked Hancock downed Division 2 No. 7 Marquette 5-2 to clinch the Great Lakes Hockey Conference regular-season championship – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

3. Girls Basketball: Howell got Brighton 51-45 to claim the Kensington Lakes Activities Association Gold title – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

4. Boys Basketball: Hillman clinched its fifth straight North Star League title with a 63-50 win over Oscoda in the Big Dipper division – Alpena News

5. Girls Basketball: Erie Mason’s Mary Liedel scored 22 points against Sand Creek to become the leading scorer in Monroe County Region history with 1,679 total – Monroe News

6. Girls Basketball: Clare senior Natalee Kunse went over 1,000 points for her career in a win over Leroy Pine River – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

7. Girls Basketball: Fruitport Calvary Christian sophomore Kelsey Richards scored 29 in a win over Hart to go over 1,000 for her career – Grand Haven Tribune

8. Boys Basketball: East Kentwood’s Ja’Moni Jones got a steal and made a halfcourt shot at the buzzer to send Holland West Ottawa to 14-2 with a 56-53 upset – Holland Sentinel

9. Girls Basketball: Midland Dow continued to shake up the Saginaw Valley League standings with a 54-42 win over Bay City Western – Midland Daily News

10. Hockey: In a rivalry game featuring state-ranked teams, Division 3 No. 2 Calumet got past No. 3 Houghton 3-0 – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

Also of note …

Boys Basketball: East Lansing avenged its early-season loss to Grand Ledge with a 74-67 overtime comeback victory – Lansing State Journal

Girls Basketball: In a matchup of teams that have both been state-ranked this season, Coldwater got past Battle Creek Pennfield 53-50 in overtime to stay tied for first in the Interstate 8 Athletic Conference – Battle Creek Enquirer

Boys Basketball: Detroit Pershing earned a spot in the Detroit Public School League championship game with a 60-49 win over Martin Luther King – Detroit News