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: 10/8/20

October 8, 2020

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The fields for this season’s Lower Peninsula Girls Golf and Boys Tennis Finals continued to fill Wednesday, with a new-look District format changing things up on the courts.

1. Girls Golf: Top-ranked Rochester Adams won its first Regional in more than two decades, with No. 9 Bloomfield Hills and No. 8 Troy also advancing in Lower Peninsula Division 1 – Oakland Press

2. Girls Golf: No. 3 Plymouth (326), No. 2 Northville (330) and unranked Ann Arbor Pioneer (349) advanced from another strong LPD1 Regional – We Love Ann Arbor

3. Boys Tennis: No. 11 Allegan advanced with a tie-breaker win over No. 7 Holland Christian in an LPD3 District Final – Holland Sentinel

4. Boys Tennis: No. 2 Traverse City St. Francis earned its 13th-straight Finals weekend berth, with an LPD4 District title – Traverse City Record-Eagle

5. Girls Golf: No. 10 Haslett, No. 9 Okemos and No. 7 Fenton took the top three places, respectively, at the LPD2 Regional at The Emerald – Flint Journal

6. Volleyball: Division 1 top-ranked Farmington Hills Mercy moved to 23-0 this fall with a second win this season over No. 3 Bloomfield Hills Marian – Observer & Eccentric

7. Girls Golf: No. 5 Michigan Center, No. 10 Adrian Lenawee Christian and unranked Hanover-Horton qualified from an LPD4 Regional at Cascades – JTV

8. Boys Soccer: Division 1 No. 3 (MPR) Detroit Catholic Central clinched the Detroit Catholic League Bishop championship with a 3-0 win over Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood – Oakland Press

9. Boys Soccer: McBain Northern Michigan Christian downed Cheboygan 2-0 to claim its first Northern Michigan Soccer League title – Cadillac News

10. Boys Tennis: No. 13 Traverse City Central received a bye and then defeated No. 15 Midland in an LPD2 District Final to advance to a sixth-straight Finals weekend – Traverse City Record-Eagle

Also of note …

Cross Country: From Tuesday, the Fairview boys and Rogers City girls clinched North Star League championships – WBKB