Today in the MHSAA: 2/26/19

February 26, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Four Skiing Finals champions were crowned Monday – see coverage under “Latest Posts” to the right – as Hockey Regionals and Boys Basketball Districts also got underway and made significant opening-night headlines.

1. Boys Basketball: Detroit Martin Luther King came back from a 12-point deficit to defeat rival Cass Tech 55-51 in double overtime – Detroit News

2. Boys Basketball: Rochester Adams downed two-time reigning Class A champion Clarkston 38-37 also in Division 1 – State Champs!

3. Hockey: No. 5 Rochester United opened the postseason with a 3-0 win over No. 12 Utica Eisenhower – Macomb Daily

4. Boys Basketball: After sharing the Saginaw Valley League Blue title with Flint Carman-Ainsworth, Grand Blanc eliminated the Cavaliers with a 40-39 win in Division 1 – WJRT

5. Hockey: Big Rapids avenged a 3-0 loss three days earlier to Midland Dow by defeating the No. 13 Chargers 6-2 in a Division 3 Regional opener – Big Rapids News

6. Boys Basketball: In a Division 3 matchup of teams entering with a combined 39-1 record, Iron Mountain remained unbeaten with an 87-38 win over Ironwood – Iron Mountain Daily News

7. Boys Basketball: Mattawan also remains undefeated after a 34-31 win over Kalamazoo Central in Division 1 – FOX 17

8. Boys Basketball: Flint Kearsley earned its first District win since 1999, downing Flint Southwestern 78-54 in Division 1 – Flint Journal

9. Boys Basketball: Brighton earned its first District win in a decade, 69-51 over Dexter in Division 1 – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

10. Boys Basketball: Blissfield upset Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central 77-74 in overtime in Division 3 – Adrian Daily Telegram

Also of note …

Girls Basketball: Autumn Rasner scored 33 points and went over 1,000 for her career in Stephenson’s big win over Rapid River – Escanaba Daily Press

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.