Why be an Official? (Grand Rapids Press)

January 25, 2012

The Grand Rapids Press' Jane Bos tells the story of some of the most valuable, yet often-criticized people who help make our games go -- the officials enforcing the rules. 

Consider this interesting point: On a Tuesday or Friday, the O-K Conference must come up with 150 officials to work its basketball games. And it, like most if not all leagues, always is looking for more.

She also explains how another former Press sportswriter, Howie Beardsley, got into the reffing game.

Check it out:

"Why West Michigan high school referees say you should consider wearing stripes"

Today in the MHSAA: 10/11/19

October 11, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The MHSAA Lower Peninsula Boys Tennis Finals fields began to take shape with the first Regionals for that sport played Thursday, while the LP Girls Golf Finals fields are set after the last of those Regional tournaments finished up.

1. Boys Tennis: Top-ranked Ann Arbor Greenhills swept every flight to win its Lower Peninsula Division 3 Regional, with No. 3 Detroit Country Day finishing runner-up in seven flights – We Love Ann Arbor

2. Boys Tennis: LPD3 No. 10 Petoskey won every flight on the way to an 11th straight Regional team championship – Petoskey News-Review

3. Girls Golf: Unranked Troy edged runner-up and No. 6 Rochester Adams by two strokes to win their LPD1 Regional – Oakland Press

4. Boys Tennis: Gibraltar Carlson outpaced runner-up Allen Park by a point to win its fifth straight Regional title, in LPD2 – Southgate News-Herald

5. Boys Tennis: St. Joseph claimed its 22nd Regional title over the last 24 seasons, in LPD3 – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium

6. Girls Golf: LPD1 No. 8 Grand Blanc shot a 329 to edge LPD3 No. 1 Flint Powers Catholic by two strokes and win the Saginaw Valley League Tournament – Midland Daily News

7. Boys Soccer: Alpena won its first MHSAA Tournament game in at least nine years, 5-0 over Mount Pleasant in Division 2 – Alpena News

8. Volleyball: No. 6 Clarkston got past honorable mention Lake Orion in a key Oakland Activities Association Red matchup – Oakland Press

9. Cross County: Saugatuck’s girls and boys teams swept the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship meet titles; the girls are ranked No. 14 in LPD3 and the boys are ranked No. 3 – Holland Sentinel

10. Girls Swimming & Diving: No. 7 Ann Arbor Skyline outpaced No. 10 Huron 114-72 in a matchup of two of the three ranked Ann Arbor schools in LPD1 – We Love Ann Arbor