Today in the MHSAA: 8/27/18
August 27, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Each weekday of the school year, we break down the top headlines courtesy of Michigan’s sports media.
1. Cross Country: Adelyn Ackley led the Hart girls to another fast start with a championship finish ahead of Northville and Ann Arbor Pioneer at the Benzie Invitational; other notable champs included Spring Lake’s boys and McBain with a sweep of small-school titles – Athletic.net
2. Boys Tennis: Traverse City St. Francis won the Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett Invitational, defeating reigning Division 4 champion Liggett in the finale – Traverse City Record-Eagle
3. Boys Tennis: Grosse Pointe South downed Midland Dow 6-2 in a matchup of top-10 Finals finishers from 2017 – Midland Daily News
4. Volleyball: Rain forced teams to leave the “boardwalk,” but Grand Haven went inside to win the Battle on the Boardwalk for the sixth time – Grand Haven Tribune
5. Cross Country: Fowlerville’s boys won the Laingsburg Invitational with three freshmen scoring – Livingston Daily Press & Argus
6. Volleyball: Niles went 7-0 to win the Kalamazoo Loy Norrix Invitational, at one point winning 14 straight sets – Niles Daily Star
7. Volleyball: Centreville swept all five opponents in winning the East Jackson Invitational – Sturgis Journal
8. Boys Tennis: Grand Haven edged Petoskey by two points to win the Holland Invitational – Grand Haven Tribune
9. Cross Country: The Holland girls and Sparta boys won Muskegon Catholic Central Invitational titles – Holland Sentinel
10. Cross Country: Mancelona’s boys and Boyne City’s girls won Mancelona Invitational titles – Petoskey News-Review
Also of note …
Officials: Deerfield’s Bill Gomoluch, a past girls and boys basketball coach at southeastern Michigan high schools and four-time MHSAA Softball Finals official, was named the National Pro Fastpitch Umpire of the Year – Adrian Daily Telegram
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.