![](/sites/default/files/imported/Photos/3_Secondhalf.jpg)
Linked Up: 11/22/11
December 20, 2011
Thanksgiving week means a short one for most -- and more time for family, shopping, relaxation, watching the MHSAA Football Finals and hopefully a little additional reading.
Here are some suggestions from the last week and as we get ready to leave the fall and jump into the winter sports season.
Remember, if you find something high school sports-related that you think others would find useful or inspiring, send me a link at [email protected] and I'll check it out.
Okemos girl's cancer battle inspires Spartans (Lansing State Journal)\
We believe high school sports are about community. While not high school-related, this is a story about community and its power to do great things. Joe Rexrode tells us about 11-year-old Paige Duren and her battle against brain cancer – with the support of her community including big assists from the Michigan State football and basketball teams. She’s a two-sport athlete herself – playing soccer and basketball – and an inspiration to those who’ve come to know her. Rexrode makes it easy to understand why.
Sister act: Shaw, Halberg share much in common, despite more than 2,000 miles between them (Petoskey News)
That the Grunch sisters are excellent volleyball coaches isn’t a coincidence, Charlevoix people surely would say. But it’s a neat one that Liz (Grunch) Shaw and Christine (Grunch) Halberg both led their teams to their best finishes since 1989 (Halberg) or ever (Shaw). Shaw coaches their alma mater, while Halberg coaches 2,300 miles away in Washington. Steve Foley fills us in on how this worked out.
Avenall the right choice to lead Clarkston into volleyball history (NorthOaklandSports.com)
Clarkston coach Kelly Avenal was part of some great teams as a player, but until this past weekend Clarkston had never reached an MHSAA Finals weekend. Dan Stickradt tells us how she’s taken the program to the elite level while also giving a brief history lesson on how it got rolling toward that trip to Battle Creek.
Natural fit: Superior Dome was easy choice for 8-man final according to MHSAA (Marquette Mining Journal)
A few of us spent Friday night at Northern Michigan University’s Superior Dome, and count me among those who will look forward to making a return trip. Here’s some of the story behind the MHSAA’s selection of the Superior Dome as home of the inaugural 8-Player Football Final, as well as Semifinals most years.
Lowell's Noel Dean to Receive 2011 Power of Influence Award (AFCA.com)
The Red Arrows are headed back to Ford Field on Friday for the Division 2 Final, but Dean also will be scheduling a January trip to San Antonio, Texas, to receive this prestigious award from the American Football Coaches Association and American Football Coaches Foundation. Dean started his head coaching career at Bendle in 1991 before heading to Lowell in 1996. He's led teams to three MHSAA championships, and also the fundraising of $425,000 for cancer support through the "Pink Arrow Project."
![Today In The MHSAA](/sites/default/files/2021-03/Today%20In%20The%20MHSAA_8.png)
Today In The MHSAA: 5/24/22
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
May 24, 2022
1. GIRLS SOCCER Division 1 top-ranked Northville downed No. 8 Livonia Stevenson 2-1 to win the overall Kensington Lakes Activities Association championship – Observer & Eccentric
2. GIRLS SOCCER Division 1 No. 2 Hudsonville clinched the outright O-K Red title with a 3-0 win over No. 11 Rockford – FOX 17
3. SOFTBALL Millington won a matchup of the top-ranked teams in Divisions 3 and 4, respectively, 3-1 and 5-3 over Unionville-Sebewaing – Saginaw News
4. BOYS GOLF Ovid-Elise secured its first league title since 2005 with a win at the Mid-Michigan Activities Conference Tournament – Owosso Argus-Press
5. GIRLS SOCCER Muskegon Mona Shores defeated Zeeland East 3-2 to finish a fifth-straight Ottawa-Kent Conference Green title run – Local Sports Journal
6. SOFTBALL Division 2 honorable mention Hamilton and Division 1 honorable mention Zeeland West clinched their division championships in the O-K Conference – Holland Sentinel
7. SOFTBALL Division 2 honorable mention Milan clinched the Huron League title outright with a 9-0 win over New Boston Huron – Ann Arbor News
8. BASEBALL Division 2 No. 7 Essexville Garber clinched the outright Tri-Valley Conference 8 title with a sweep of Birch Run – Saginaw News
9. BASEBALL Division 2 No. 2 New Boston Huron clinched a share of the Huron League title with a 2-0 win over Milan – Monroe News
10. GIRLS SOCCER Division 1 No. 10 Rochester Adams delivered No. 6 Midland Dow its first defeat of the season, 1-0 – Midland Daily News
Also of note …
BOYS BASKETBALL Andrea Cabana, who coached Grass Lake’s girls to the 2021 Division 3 championship, was hired to take over Chelsea’s boys program – Ann Arbor News
GOLF The Kingsford girls and Marquette boys won Great Northern Conference Tournament titles – Iron Mountain Daily News
SOFTBALL/BASEBALL Rochester Adams and Birmingham Seaholm softball and Division 1 No. 9 Adams baseball clinched division titles in the Oakland Activities Association – Oakland Press
GIRLS TENNIS/GIRLS SOCCER Traverse City St. Francis – No. 9 in Lower Peninsula Division 4 – won the Lake Michigan Conference Tournament by a point, and Traverse City West clinched a share of the Big North Conference title with a 2-1 win over Petoskey – Traverse City Record-Eagle