Linked Up: 10/28/11

October 28, 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: 6/12/24

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

June 12, 2024

1. SOFTBALL Gretchen Weiland no-hit No. 9 Hancock over six innings of a 12-0 Division 4 Quarterfinal victory for No. 7 Hillman – Alpena News

2. SOFTBALL Megan Beemer hit three home runs to lead No. 2 Hudsonville past honorable mention Midland in Division 1 4-3 – Grand Rapids Press

3. SOFTBALL Top-ranked Unionville-Sebewaing will play for a fifth-straight Division 4 title after a 2-0 Quarterfinal win over No. 4 Plymouth Christian Academy – Huron Daily Tribune

4. SOFTBALL Kaitlyn Pallozzi struck out 19 as top-ranked Farmington Hills Mercy downed No. 7 Allen Park 3-0 in Division 1 – Detroit News

5. GIRLS SOCCER No. 6 Kalamazoo Christian downed No. 7 Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian 2-1 in a Division 4 Semifinal – WWMT

6. SOFTBALL No. 4 Vicksburg is headed back to the Division 2 Semifinals thanks to a 7-1 win over No. 2 Hudsonville Unity Christian – Kalamazoo Gazette

7. SOFTBALL Rylee Limberger’s homer sent No. 10 Lake Orion past White Lake Lakeland 9-7 in Division 1 – Oakland Press

8. SOFTBALL No. 3 South Lyon will return to the Division 1 Semifinals thanks to a 6-0 win over honorable mention Hartland – Hometown Life

9. SOFTBALL No. 8 Clare advanced in Division 3 with a 5-0 win over honorable mention New Lothrop – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

10. SOFTBALL No. 3 Buchanan also moved on in Division 3 with a 3-1 win over No. 5 Ravenna – Niles Daily Star

Also of note …

GIRLS SOCCER No. 6 Rochester Adams edged Salem 2-1 to advance to the Division 1 Final – Oakland Press

SOFTBALL No. 5 Holton is headed to the Division 4 Semifinals after a 12-9 win over No. 8 Beal City – CatchMark SportsNet

GIRLS SOCCER Jackson Lumen Christi advanced in Division 4 with a 3-1 win over No. 8 Auburn Hills Oakland Christian – Jackson Citizen Patriot

GIRLS SOCCER No. 11 Hartland earned a trip to East Lansing in Division 1 with a 2-1 Semifinal win over Grand Haven – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

SOFTBALL North Branch got off to a fast start in an 8-1 Division 1 Quarterfinal win over St. Clair – WJRT

SOFTBALL No. 4 Evart moved on in Division 3 with a 9-0 win over honorable mention Gladstone – Cadillac News

SOFTBALL Last season’s Division 4 runner-up and current No. 3 Mendon will play to reach the Final again after a 12-0 win over Dansville – Sturgis Journal

SOFTBALL Reigning champion and top-ranked Gaylord advanced in Division 2 with an 18-1 win over honorable mention Muskegon Oakridge – Petoskey News-Review

SOFTBALL Milan in Division 2 and Ottawa Lake Whiteford in Division 3 earned Semifinal berths; they are honorable mentions in their respective divisions – Monroe News