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: 2/14/24

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

February 14, 2024

1. GIRLS BASKETBALL Mackinaw City clinched a sixth-straight Northern Lakes Conference title with a 45-24 win over Harbor Light Christian – Cheboygan Daily Tribune

2. BOYS BASKETBALL Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart finished an outright championship run in the Mid-State Activities Conference with a 65-28 win over Carson City-Crystal – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

3. GIRLS BASKETBALL Ishpeming defeated Baraga 70-43 in a matchup of Upper Peninsula and statewide small-school elite – Upper Michigan Source

4. GIRLS BASKETBALL Chelsea moved back into the lead in the Southeastern Conference White with a 51-35 win over Tecumseh, avenging a loss in their first meeting – Ann Arbor News

5. BOYS BASKETBALL Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice and Orchard Lake St. Mary’s advanced to the Catholic High School League Bishop final – Oakland Press Brother Rice | OLSM

6. BOYS BASKETBALL Saginaw Heritage remains in contention in the Saginaw Valley League after a 74-59 win over Davison – Flint Journal

7. GIRLS BASKETBALL Grandville Calvin Christian moved into a first-place tie with Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian in the Ottawa-Kent Conference Silver with a 48-35 win over the co-leader – FOX 17

8. BOYS BASKETBALL Burton Bendle scored the game-winner with under a minute to play in defeating Flint Beecher 55-53 – WJRT

9. GIRLS BASKETBALL Julie Ashbaugh became Grant’s all-time leading scorer with 22 more points in a 66-26 win over Holton – Muskegon Chronicle

10. BOYS BASKETBALL Graham Junge went over 1,000 career points in Flat Rock’s 73-40 win over Grosse Ile – Monroe News

Also of note …

GIRLS BASKETBALL Pinckney defeated Brighton Livingston Christian 59-20, but Livingston Christian’s Audrey Johnson went over 1,000 career points – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

BOYS BASKETBALL Cam Harju broke Port Huron Northern’s single-season 3-pointers record, but Grosse Pointe South prevailed 67-63 Port Huron Times Herald