Today in the MHSAA: 2/10/20

February 10, 2020

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

League and county championships in wrestling and swimming & diving, respectively, signaled the start of the winter postseason over the weekend – and a matchup of basketball powers foreshadowed a possible playoff meeting to come as well.

1. Boys Basketball: Benton Harbor won a matchup of Division 2 title contenders, 64-51 over Grand Rapids Catholic Central – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium

2. Boys Swimming & Diving: Detroit Catholic Central – No. 1 in Lower Peninsula Division 1 – won the Oakland County meet championship ahead of runner-up and LPD2 top-ranked Farmington – Oakland Press

3. Wrestling: New Boston Huron, Division 3 No. 1 Dundee and Division 1 No. 5 Temperance Bedford locked up league championships – Monroe News

4. Boys Swimming & Diving: Macomb Dakota won the Macomb County title, ending Warren De La Salle Collegiate’s seven-year run as champion – Macomb Daily

5. Wrestling: Division 2 No. 7 Stevensville Lakeshore finished its run to the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference championship – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium

6. Wrestling: Brownstown Woodhaven broke a three-way tie for first to claim its fourth-straight Downriver League championship – Southgate News-Herald

7. Wrestling: Six Gladstone wrestlers earned individual championships to lead the team to the Mid-Peninsula Conference title – Escanaba Daily Press

8. Girls Basketball: White Pigeon handed Centreville its first league loss since 2016, 48-44 – Sturgis Journal

9. Bowling: Elk Rapids’ boys delivered Cadillac’s first league defeat since joining the Great Northwest High School Bowling Conference three seasons ago – Traverse City Record-Eagle

10. Wrestling: Division 4 No. 7 Leroy Pine River claimed the Highland/Mid-Michigan Conference championship – Cadillac News

Also of note …

Wrestling: Niles Brandywine finished an outright championship in the Berrien-Cass-St. Joseph Conference – Niles Daily Star

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.