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: 11/15/23

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

November 15, 2023

1. VOLLEYBALL No. 10 Clarkston Everest Collegiate earned its first Semifinals trip with a Division 4 sweep of No. 6 Marlette – Oakland Press

2. VOLLEYBALL Milan continued its program-best run with a sweep of Dearborn Divine Child in Division 2 – Monroe News

3. VOLLEYBALL After they split four matches during the regular season, honorable mention Farmington Hills Mercy defeated No. 4 Bloomfield Hills Marian in a Division 1 Quarterfinal – Detroit News

4. VOLLEYBALL No. 4 Kalamazoo Christian swept No. 2 Pewamo-Westphalia to advance in Division 3 – WWMT

5. VOLLEYBALL No. 10 Cass City lost a set for the first time this postseason, but came back to defeat No. 8 Saginaw Valley Lutheran 3-1 in a Division 3 Quarterfinal – Mid-Michigan Now

6. VOLLEYBALL Top-ranked North Branch is headed back to Battle Creek after a Division 2 sweep of No. 7 Frankenmuth – WJRT

7. VOLLEYBALL No. 5 Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern also is returning to Kellogg Arena after sweeping honorable mention Grand Haven in Division 1 – Grand Rapids Press

8. VOLLEYBALL No. 4 Leland swept No. 5 Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart in a Division 4 Quarterfinal – MI Sports Now

9. VOLLEYBALL No. 5 Traverse City St. Francis lost the first set but won the next three to get past No. 7 Calumet in Division 3 – Traverse City Record-Eagle

10. VOLLEYBALL Top-ranked Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central swept No. 3 Plymouth Christian Academy to move on in Division 3 – Monroe News

Also of note …

VOLLEYBALL No. 3 Clarkston swept Macomb L’Anse Creuse North to advance in Division 1 – Oakland Press

VOLLEYBALL Grand Rapids West Catholic advanced in Division 2 with a win over honorable mention Ludington – FOX 17

VOLLEYBALL No. 9 Crystal Falls Forest Park will be returning to the Division 4 Semifinals thanks to a four-set win over Newberry – Upper Michigan Source

VOLLEYBALL Top-ranked Adrian Lenawee Christian earned a trip to Battle Creek with a sweep of St. Joseph Our Lady of the Lake Catholic in Division 4 – Adrian Daily Telegram

VOLLEYBALL No. 2 Grand Rapids Christian swept Edwardsburg in a Division 2 Quarterfinal – Niles Daily Star

VOLLEYBALL No. 2 Northville swept Portage Northern to make the Division 1 Semifinals – Twitter

VOLLEYBALL Pewamo-Westphalia’s Taylor Smith was named this year’s Miss Volleyball Award winner – Lansing State Journal