Today in the MHSAA: 2/15/16

February 15, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Two of Michigan’s last undefeated girls basketball teams saw perfect records fall over the weekend, while wrestlers all over the state kept their seasons going during the first round of the individual tournament and a last-second shot sent one of Detroit’s best to a league final.  

Boys Basketball

Jaylin McFadden’s steal and basket at the buzzer sent Detroit East English to the Public School League championship game with a 71-70 win over Detroit Collegiate Prep – Detroit Free Press

Big Rapids – coached by Kent Ingles – downed Howard City Tri-County, coached by his son Zach Ingles, in a rare father/son matchup – Big Rapids News

Girls Basketball

Midland Dow handed the first loss this season to Class A top-ranked Saginaw Heritage, 48-40 – Midland Daily News

Niles Brandywine extended its home winning streak to 77 straight in handing Stevensville Lakeshore its first loss this season, 53-44 – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium

Detroit Country Day came back from a 19-point deficit to defeat Ypsilanti Arbor Prep 37-33, scoring the game’s final 23 points – Detroit Free Press

Bowling

Wayland’s girls won the Ottawa-Kent Conference Green/Gold title by 207 pins – Grand Rapids Press

Swimming & Diving

The Howell boys team downed Brighton by 45 points to cap its first undefeated regular season – Livingston Daily

St. Clair set five school records during the Michigan Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association meet – Port Huron Times Herald

Wrestling

All 14 of Richmond’s wrestlers advanced and 11 won championships at Saturday’s Division 3 Individual District on its home mat – Macomb Daily

Davison had 11 finalists and seven champions at its Division 1 Individual District at Bay City Western – Flint Journal

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.