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: 2/21/18

February 21, 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.

Today's Top 10 

1. Girls Basketball: Reigning Class C champion Detroit Edison edged Saginaw Heritage 57-55 in double overtime, handing the Class A Hawks their first defeat this season – Saginaw News

2. Girls Basketball: Kingsley capped a perfect regular season and outright Northwest Conference title with a 70-66 win over second-place Maple City Glen Lake – Traverse City Record-Eagle

3. Boys Basketball: Muskegon secured its fifth straight league title in the Ottawa-Kent Conference Black with a 67-46 win over Jenison – Local Sports Journal

4. Boys Basketball: Kalamazoo Christian downed Delton Kellogg 59-21 to clinch a share of the Southwestern Athletic Conference West title – FOX17

5. Girls Basketball: Hamilton downed Zeeland West 53-15 to secure the outright O-K Green title – Holland Sentinel

6. Girls Basketball: Walled Lake Western clinched the Lakes Valley Conference title with a 59-19 win over White Lake Lakeland – Oakland Press

7. Girls Basketball: Muskegon finished its outright O-K Black title with a 59-45 win over Jenison – Muskegon Chronicle

8. Girls Basketball: Lauren Turner became the first player in Sterling Heights Parkway Christian basketball history, girls or boys, to score 1,000 career points when she reached the milestone in a win over Warren Michigan Collegiate – Macomb Daily

9. Boys Basketball: Grant downed Fremont and Reed City defeated Big Rapids to keep the night’s losing teams tied for first place in the Central State Activities Association Gold – Muskegon Chronicle

10. Boys Basketball: Calumet downed Iron River West Iron County 58-46 to climb into a first-place tie with the Wykons in the Western Peninsula Athletic Conference – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette