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Linked Up: 11/22/11
November 22, 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.
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.
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: 1/31/24
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
January 31, 2024
1. BOYS BASKETBALL Muskegon Reeths-Puffer handed rival Muskegon High its only loss of the season, 63-45, ending the Big Reds’ 34-game winning streak in the Ottawa-Kent Conference Green – Muskegon Chronicle
2. GIRLS BASKETBALL Tecumseh broke a 17-game losing streak to Chelsea, capping a comeback with Alli Zajac going over 1,000 career points with the final free throws in a 60-57 win – Adrian Daily Telegram
3. BOYS BASKETBALL Port Huron clinched a share of the Macomb Area Conference Silver title with a 65-62 win over St. Clair Shores Lakeview – Port Huron Times Herald
4. BOYS SWIMMING & DIVING Zeeland – No. 6 in Lower Peninsula Division 1 – moved into position to claim a share of the O-K Rainbow Tier 1 championship with a 103-82 win over LPD3 No. 3 Holland Christian – Holland Sentinel
5. GIRLS BASKETBALL Harbor Springs moved into a first-place tie in the Lake Michigan Conference with a 48-41 win over co-leader Elk Rapids – MI Sports Now
6. BOYS BASKETBALL Schoolcraft downed Wyoming Tri-unity Christian 62-61 on a last-second putback – Kalamazoo Gazette
7. GIRLS BASKETBALL Gabby Reynolds scored 35 points to lead Holland West Ottawa past Byron Center 66-58 – Holland Sentinel
8. GIRLS BASKETBALL West Bloomfield downed Rochester Hills Stoney Creek 60-19 in a matchup of undefeated teams – Oakland Press
9. BOYS BASKETBALL Orchard Lake St. Mary’s defeated Detroit Catholic Central 64-52 – Detroit News
10. BOYS BASKETBALL Benton Harbor remained undefeated with a 66-56 win over Kalamazoo Central – Kalamazoo Gazette
Also of note …
BOYS BASKETBALL Camden Thompson became Whitehall’s all-time leading scorer in a 59-58 overtime win over Muskegon Mona Shores – CatchMark SportsNet
GIRLS BASKETBALL Mattawan fell to Grandville 53-43, but Delaney Elsmore set a school record with eight 3-pointers – Kalamazoo Gazette
BOYS BASKETBALL Flat Rock’s Graham Junge set school records with 14 3-pointers and 47 points in his team’s 97-59 win over Monroe Jefferson – Monroe News