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: 2/19/24

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

February 19, 2024

1. GIRLS SWIMMING & DIVING Grace Sobczak won two races and swam on two winning relays to lead Marquette to a third-straight Upper Peninsula Finals title – MHSAA.com

2. BOYS SWIMMING & DIVING Marquette outpaced the field by more than 100 points to win its 31st UP boys championship – MHSAA.com

3. COMPETITIVE CHEER Carleton Airport edged reigning Division 2 champion Gibraltar Carlson to win their District – Southgate News-Herald

4. BOWLING Cheboygan’s girls downed Gaylord 23-7 to clinch an eighth-straight Northern Michigan Bowling Conference title – Cheboygan Daily Tribune

5. GYMNASTICS Hartland claimed the Kensington Lakes Activities Association title with a school-record 144.300 points – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

6. HOCKEY Drew Basha scored four goals to lead Romeo to a 6-4 win over New Baltimore Anchor Bay that clinched the Macomb Area Conference Red title – Macomb Daily

7. BOYS BASKETBALL Detroit Cass Tech edged Renaissance 72-70 in the Public School League Tournament final – Detroit News

8. WRESTLING Pontiac’s Adam Polk was among the undefeated who advanced from Individual Regionals – Macomb Daily

9. WRESTLING Gaylord’s Sunni LaFond will be among Ford Field returnees after winning her Individual Regional with three pins and a decision – Traverse City Record-Eagle

10. BOYS BASKETBALL Niles Brandywine handed Benton Harbor its only loss to create a shared Lakeland Conference title – Niles Daily Star

Also of note …

BOYS BASKETBALL Orchard Lake St. Mary’s edged Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice 58-55 in the Catholic High School League Bishop final – Detroit News

GIRLS BASKETBALL Detroit Renaissance finished its PSL Tournament run with a 66-27 championship win over Cass Tech – Detroit Free Press

GIRLS BASKETBALL Lake City downed Manton 37-29 to claim the outright Highland Conference title – Cadillac News

GIRLS BASKETBALL Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard won the CHSL Bishop title with a 61-47 victory over Toledo Central Catholic – Ann Arbor News

GIRLS BASKETBALL St. Louis owns a share of the Tri-Valley Conference White title thanks to a 56-34 win over Saginaw Valley Lutheran – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

BOYS BASKETBALL Detroit Old Redford claimed the Charter School Conference Tournament title with a 52-51 win over Romulus Summit Academy – Detroit News

BOYS BASKETBALL Clarkston Everest Collegiate earned the CHSL St. Anne Tournament title with a 49-29 win over Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes – Detroit Catholic