Today in the MHSAA: 1/26/17
January 26, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Arguably the most exciting night of wrestling duals statewide this season saw top-ranked teams face off and some of the best in Division 1 do battle on the mat, while another team celebrated its first league title in 25 years.
Each weekday during the school year, we’ll gather and post media links covering the most significant and intriguing high school events from all over the state.
Boys Basketball
Sault Ste. Marie moved to 9-0 as a go-ahead basket by Matt Knowles with three seconds to play gave the Blue Devils a 49-48 win over Alpena – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News
Buckley junior Denver Cade went over 1,000 points for his career in an 85-47 win over Kingsley – Cadillac News
Beaverton trailed Harrison by a bucket at halftime but came back to win 49-33 and stay perfect in the Jack Pine Conference – Midland Daily News
From Tuesday, Powers North Central tied Chassell’s 65-game winning streak record with a 76-24 win over Rock Mid-Peninsula – Escanaba Daily Press
Girls Basketball
Also from Tuesday, Munising remained undefeated at 11-0 as Frankie Mattson became the school’s all-time leading scorer – Marquette Mining Journal
Erie-Mason's Mary Liedel also set her school's scoring record in a loss to Ida – Monroe Evening News
Hockey
Scott Klavon’s overtime goal gave Traverse City Central a 3-2 win over rival Traverse City West – Traverse City Record-Eagle
Wrestling
Alma won its first league wrestling championship in 25 years, downing Saginaw Swan Valley to clinch the Tri-Valley Conference Central – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun
The top-ranked teams in Divisions 3 and 4 faced off in Lenawee County Athletic Association action, with Division 3 Dundee coming away with a 41-24 win over Hudson – Adrian Daily Telegram
Division 1 top-ranked Detroit Catholic Central cleared another ranked hurdle, downing No. 5 Oxford 45-13 – Oakland Press
Hartland, No. 3 in Division 1, topped No. 7 Brighton 34-27, thanks in part to an unexpected contributor – Livingston Daily Press & Argus
Oscoda claimed the North Star League championship outright with wins over Rogers City and Whittemore-Prescott – Bay City Times
Good Read
Two weeks ago, Clinton Township Chippewa Valley volleyball coach Nichole Wouters was diagnosed with lung and brain cancer. Now she’s into her fight, with her community backing her at every step – Macomb Daily
Linked Up: 10/28/11
October 28, 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.
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.