Today in the MHSAA: 12/20/19

December 20, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Basketball teams got an early start on the weekend and holiday break with a number of Thursday night games, topped by a girls rivalry between high-powered neighbors.

“Today in the MHSAA” will take a break as well over the next two weeks and return Jan. 6.

1. Girls Basketball: Midland improved to 5-0 with its first win over rival Dow in two seasons, 38-31 – Midland Daily News

2. Girls Basketball: Muskegon put up an impressive defensive performance on the road at Kalamazoo Central to earn a 52-34 win – Muskegon Chronicle

3. Girls Basketball: Bay City John Glenn edged Freeland 42-40 in a matchup of annual contenders – Bay City Times

4. Boys Basketball: Camden-Frontier won a matchup of unbeaten teams, 67-46 – Hillsdale Daily News

5. Boys Basketball: Clare handed Beaverton its first defeat of the season, 54-48 – MI Sports Now

6. Boys Basketball: Montabella came back from a double-digit deficit, but Merrill held on for a 52-50 overtime win – Saginaw News

7. Hockey: Division 2 No. 9 Lake Orion got past Rochester Hills Stoney Creek 5-2 – Oakland Press

8. Girls Basketball: Unbeaten Macomb Dakota got past Grosse Pointe North 44-30 – Macomb Daily

9. Boys Basketball: Powers North Central moved to 2-0 with a 46-41 win over Carney-Nadeau – The Upbeat

10. Boys Basketball: South Lyon East won its first game and handed Salem its first loss, 45-36 – Observer & Eccentric

Linked Up: 10/28/11

December 13, 2011

Each week I'll post links to stories that interest me most during my travels in online sports land. I was going to wait for next week for this first installment, but these seemed worthy of telling you about now.

See something high school sports-related that you think others would find valuable? Send me a link.

Akron-Fairgrove and Owendale-Gagetown eager for long-awaited playoff games in first season of eight-man football bracket (Bay City Times)

These two teams provide multiple reasons why 8-player football has been such a strong addition -- most notably, it is providing our smallest schools with an opportunity to still play football despite fewer players, and succeed. The sport took off in this state in 2009, and this weekend mark the start of the first MHSAA 8-player Tournament. Akron-Fairgrove will play its first postseason game since 1992, while Owendale-Gagetown will play its first since 1979.

Olivet's Peters coaching his heart out (Battle Creek Enquirer)

I covered Olivet and coach Dean Peters for more than a decade, including during last season's first-ever Eagles run to the MHSAA football finals. One of the great people in high school coaching, he needed emergency double-bypass surgery earlier this month but is back in the coaching booth. Olivet faces Lansing Catholic in a Pre-District game.

Megan Hubbard a standout for Hanover-Horton cross country (Jackson Citizen-Patriot)

This is a neat story about a runner who is second-best on her team and has never won a race -- but also is likely the second-best to ever run at her school. Usually, we hear only about who finishes first.

Standley Lake football player Rhett Gutierrez overcomes eye disease (The Denver Post)
 
Almost always, links I post will be Michigan-related. But this story is just incredible. We've seen athletes with different degrees of vision impairment do incredible things in high school athletics. But this is the first time I've heard of someone overcoming that obstacle to play quarterback for his football team.