#SocialStudies V 2.1
September 13, 2012
By Andi Osters
Second Half social media guru
Welcome back, video mongers! A new school year has begun, and with it #SocialStudies 2.0.
Ready for your weekly dose of clips to peep? I hope so.
A quick refresher on #SocialStudies – I give you a selection of video clips I spotted in my never-ending quest to find the end of the Internet (which I’m convinced involves a cat video of some sort). These videos will typically highlight the amazing, dazzling, funny or weird side of sports – some high school, some college, some pro… and some which defy categorization.
And sometimes, we’ll simply show you a clip that is interesting and/or unique enough to be worth sharing.
We welcome your submissions and ideas for this weekly feature, so feel free to email us a link or raw footage. Seriously: we love videos. That said, let’s get to the meat & potatoes.
1. Give him a hand (he needs only one)
Here’s a high school football player from South Carolina who apparently was born with mattress springs attached to his legs instead of feet. The slo-mo replay of this interception (courtesy of PlayOn! Sports) is simply jaw-dropping.
2. Oh, Buddy ...
If Blake Griffin was at a gymnasium and I also happened to be in that very same gymnasium, I would absolutely tell my dignity to have a seat and allow that monster NBA dunk-master slam one over my head. I’d probably react to the experience just like this guy did, too.
3. Swing, swing a song
And now, for something completely un-sporty. Well, almost. There’s definitely activity happening in this brief short about an art installation in Montreal. I’m always fascinated by the intersection of musical creation and physical motion. Enjoy this giant human-powered instrument.
4. Summer School
And file this last one under In-Case-You-Missed-It-Over-The-Summer – here’s a recap of our Student Advisory Council’s 2nd Annual camp retreat to Mystic Lake in June. The 16-member council enjoyed time on the high ropes course, team building activities, bonfires and strategizing an action plan for the 2012-13 school year.
That's enough for this school year's first lesson. See something over the weekend that caught your eye? Snag something at a pep assembly that we should see? Upload it to YouTube and send it on over.
You might just see it on Second Half’s #SocialStudies.
Division 3 Final: Eaglets Fly Again
November 29, 2011
Five times since its most recent MHSAA football championship, Orchard Lake St. Mary returned to the championship game – and lost.
Saturday night there was no stopping the Eaglets – or their running attack – at the Division 3 Final at Ford Field.
St. Mary rushed for 478 yards – and after near-misses the last two seasons won its first championship since 2000 with a 45-7 win over top-ranked Mount Pleasant.
"I knew what it felt like to lose, so it gave me the fire and other teammates the fire to win,” St. Mary senior running back Spencer McInnis said. “It’s unexplainable. It’s awesome. It’s something I’ve wanted since I was a kid. I always knew I was going to go to St. Mary’s. It’s just a great feeling.”
The Eaglets (12-2) had fallen by eight and three to East Grand Rapids in the last two Finals, and in a five-overtime classic in 2007. They entered the playoffs ranked No. 4 by The Associated Press – but as champions of the Detroit Catholic League Central, which sent three teams to Ford Field this fall.
“It was great to win again,” said St. Mary coach George Porritt, who finished his 23rd season leading the program. “It’s a collective effort from these kids, and it’s been all year long.”
McInnis ran for 213 of the team’s 478 rushing yards, and took three of his 23 carries into the end zone. Junior brother Parker McInnis ran for 96 yards and a score, as did junior fullback Grant Niemiec. Senior James Ross added another running touchdown.
“We were in position to make some tackles, and it wasn’t a scheme thing or guys getting blocked. It’s just that their athletes made our guys miss, or we couldn’t tackle them,” Mount Pleasant coach Jason McIntyre said. “I’ve never seen backs that we couldn’t tackle one on one or two on one. A lot of teams will have one great back, and you can focus and rally there. But they had three and four.”
The Oilers’ usually-strong running game finished with just 122 yards, led by senior quarterback Ryan Elliott’s 40. He also had Mount Pleasant’s lone score. It was the team’s first Finals appearance – and only loss this fall as it finished 13-1.
Junior defensive back Cory Williams led the Oilers with nine tackles. Senior lineman Dylan Zerki led the Eaglets with 11, and Ross had 10.