Linked Up: 10/28/11

December 13, 2011

Each week I'll post links to stories that interest me most during my travels in online sports land. I was going to wait for next week for this first installment, but these seemed worthy of telling you about now.

See something high school sports-related that you think others would find valuable? Send me a link.

Akron-Fairgrove and Owendale-Gagetown eager for long-awaited playoff games in first season of eight-man football bracket (Bay City Times)

These two teams provide multiple reasons why 8-player football has been such a strong addition -- most notably, it is providing our smallest schools with an opportunity to still play football despite fewer players, and succeed. The sport took off in this state in 2009, and this weekend mark the start of the first MHSAA 8-player Tournament. Akron-Fairgrove will play its first postseason game since 1992, while Owendale-Gagetown will play its first since 1979.

Olivet's Peters coaching his heart out (Battle Creek Enquirer)

I covered Olivet and coach Dean Peters for more than a decade, including during last season's first-ever Eagles run to the MHSAA football finals. One of the great people in high school coaching, he needed emergency double-bypass surgery earlier this month but is back in the coaching booth. Olivet faces Lansing Catholic in a Pre-District game.

Megan Hubbard a standout for Hanover-Horton cross country (Jackson Citizen-Patriot)

This is a neat story about a runner who is second-best on her team and has never won a race -- but also is likely the second-best to ever run at her school. Usually, we hear only about who finishes first.

Standley Lake football player Rhett Gutierrez overcomes eye disease (The Denver Post)
 
Almost always, links I post will be Michigan-related. But this story is just incredible. We've seen athletes with different degrees of vision impairment do incredible things in high school athletics. But this is the first time I've heard of someone overcoming that obstacle to play quarterback for his football team.

Today in the MHSAA: 2/23/24

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

February 23, 2024

1. BOYS BASKETBALL Saginaw Heritage doubled up Flint Powers Catholic to clinch a share of the Saginaw Valley League title for the second time in program history – Saginaw News

2. BOYS BASKETBALL Baldwin clinched the West Michigan D League title with a 57-45 win over Pentwater – Big Rapids Pioneer

3. GIRLS BASKETBALL Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central defeated Jefferson 52-41 to clinch a share of the Huron League title, then ended up with the championship outright as Flat Rock edged co-leader Riverview 46-45 – Monroe News

4. BOYS BASKETBALL Harbor Light Christian downed Mackinaw City 71-32 to claim the Northern Lakes Conference title for the first time since 2011 – Traverse City Record-Eagle

5. BOYS BASKETBALL Dearborn Edsel Ford and Brownstown Woodhaven are co-champions of the Downriver League after Edsel’s 48-32 win – Southgate News-Herald

6. BOYS BASKETBALL Whitehall finished a perfect regular season and West Michigan Conference Lakes title run with a 75-57 victory over Muskegon Oakridge – Muskegon Chronicle

7. BOYS BASKETBALL Saginaw Nouvel clinched a repeat Tri-Valley Conference White title with an 81-40 victory over Michigan Lutheran Seminary – WJRT

8. GIRLS BASKETBALL Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard defeated Detroit Renaissance 54-39 to claim the Operation Friendship meeting of league champions – MLIVE-Detroit

9. BOYS BASKETBALL Bay City All Saints finished perfect in the North Central Thumb League Stripes, defeating Carsonville-Port Sanilac – Bay City Times

10. BOWLING Holton and Ravenna’s boys and girls teams advanced to Division 4 Finals, Ravenna finishing first and Holton second for girls and with the order reversed for the boys Regional – Local Sports Journal

Also of note …

BOYS BASKETBALL The Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan announced its Mr. Basketball Award finalists – Detroit Free Press

BOYS BASKETBALL Greg Lawson II became Davison’s all-time leading scorer as his team defeated Saginaw Arthur Hill 68-57 – Mid-Michigan Now

BOYS BASKETBALL Traverse City Central downed Alpena 71-49, but Alpena’s Tucker Bright reached 1,000 career points – Alpena News

HOCKEY No. 2 Marquette defeated Escanaba 7-1 in a Division 3 Regional, giving Marquette coach Doug Garrow his 200th win – Upper Michigan’s Source

GIRLS BASKETBALL Portage Central completed an outright championship run in the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference with a 46-36 win over second-place Stevensville Lakeshore – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium

BOYS BASKETBALL Portage Central also finished an outright SMAC run on the boys side with a 58-33 win over Lakeshore – Kalamazoo Gazette