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: 9/28/17

September 28, 2017

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 Soccer: Lincoln Alcona goalkeeper Conner McCoy broke the national record for career saves and did it with a shutout of Oscoda, 2-0 (check back Friday for a feature on Second Half) – Alpena News

2. Girls Tennis: The first MHSAA championships of 2017-18 were awarded Wednesday as Negaunee won its fourth straight Division 1 title and Ishpeming Westwood won its eighth in nine seasons in Division 2 – Second Half Division 1 | Division 2

3. Cross Country: Incredibly, three runners from the Battle Creek area are back on course this season after being diagnosed with a rare heart condition last year and undergoing surgery – Battle Creek Enquirer

4. Girls Golf: Three years after starting the program, Shepherd is celebrating its second straight league championship in the sport – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

5. Cross Country: The top-ranked Ann Arbor Pioneer boys and No. 10 girls edged Saline’s No. 2-ranked boys and No. 5 girls teams in the second Southeastern Conference jamboree and also matchup of contenders in Lower Peninsula Division 1 – Saline Post Boys | Girls

6. Cross Country: The Spring Lake boys, No. 9 in LPD2, and No. 10 Allendale girls won their Ottawa-Kent Conference Blue jamboree, Allendale over Spring Lake’s No. 9-ranked girls team – Grand Haven Tribune

7. Boys Soccer: Division 4 No. 19 Buckley avenged an earlier loss to No. 3 Leland with a 3-0 shutout in the rematch – Cadillac News

8. Girls Golf: LPD2 No. 10 Muskegon Reeths-Puffer won its second straight Greater Muskegon Athletic Association city championship – Local Sports Journal

9. Boys Tennis: LPD4 No. 8 Ludington downed Whitehall 5-3 to clinch a share of the Coastal Conference championship – Ludington Daily News

10. Girls Golf: LPD1 No. 2 Brighton finished its home regular-season schedule with a 23-stroke win over Hartland – Livingston Daily Press & Argus