Missed Junior Season Can't Keep Mercy's Smith from All-Time Greatness
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
May 18, 2023
Despite the 2020 season being canceled due to COVID-19, Jillian Smith finished her Farmington Hills Mercy career in 2021 with 49 record book listings – and one of the most accomplished careers in MHSAA girls lacrosse history.
Despite not playing a junior season, Smith tallied 340 goals – third-most all-time – and 423 points, good for sixth all-time on that career list. She had 119 goals and 157 total points over 17 games as a senior, and did set the single-game points record with 21 against Canton that spring.
Smith is continuing to star at Michigan.
See below for more recent record book additions for girls lacrosse:
Girls Lacrosse
Grandville’s Madeline Kreiger was added to the single-game goals list twice last spring, both times for seven goals. The then-sophomore scored seven in her team’s 24-5 win over Lowell on April 18, 2022, and then seven again in a 20-6 win over Jenison on April 25.
A trio of Hartland standouts earned record book listings for their accomplishments in 2022. Then-junior Ava Gilardone was added twice for seven goals in a game and for 69 goals and 87 points for the season. Madeline Turcotte, also a junior last spring, was added for eight goals in a game, five assists in another, and 59 goals, 44 assists and 103 points for the season. Senior Tessa Chuba was added for seven goals in a game twice, 83 goals and 104 points for the season and also 50 goals in 2021. Senior Rebecca Schaller was added for a 2021 junior-year achievement, when she posted 188 saves, good to tie for eighth all-time.
Bloomfield Hills now-junior Ella Lucia earned five record book entries during the 2022 season, including for six goals and 12 total points in a June 1 game against Birmingham United. She also made the single-game assists list with five in an April 11 game against Clarkston, the single-season goals list with 50 and the single-season points list with 89 over 20 games. Now-senior teammate Ilana Watson also was added for five assists in a game twice, and now-junior goalie Sydney Butler made the single-season saves list with 165 across 21 games.
Several standouts helped Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central reach the Division 2 Regional Finals last spring, including four who made the record book. Now-senior Gabby Hendricks had 111 points and earned seven listings total including for 69 goals and 42 assists. Also now a senior, Shannon Murphy earned six entries including for 68 goals and 101 points, and Julia Brown earned three entries including for 78 goals and 92 points in her final season. Another senior this school year, goalie Tori Bates, was added for her 18 saves in a 21-16 win over Grand Rapids Catholic Central. Brown is playing at Hope College, Murphy has committed to Marquette University, Hendricks has committed to Jacksonville University, and Bates has committed to George Mason University.
Stella Bottum capped her Caledonia career last spring with four record book entries. She made the single-season goals list with 76 – including eight in one game – and the career goals list with 134 over 48 games and three seasons (due to the cancelation of 2020). She also made the single-season points list with 90. She’s playing at Aquinas College.
Warren Regina’s Holly Watson earned seven record book entries last spring, including for 175 saves over 12 games – which is tied for 13th-most all-time. She had a season-high of 27 against Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett on April 25, which is tied for second most in one game. She’s a senior this school year.
Jenna Allie finished her two-season varsity career at Dearborn Divine Child last spring with her second scoring 68 goals – and she also made the single-season points list with 93 over 19 games. Allie’s 136 career goals also earned a record book entry, and her scoring last season contributed significantly to Divine Child making the team single-season goals list with 274. Additionally, then-senior teammate Sam Stevens was added for 15 goal saves against Bloomfield Hills last May 16. Allie is continuing her career at Siena Heights.
Amanda Granader capped her career last spring by leading Brighton to the Division 1 championship, and she made the MHSAA record book 18 times – including for career goals and points again despite the 2020 season being canceled. She made the single-game goals list several times including with a high of 10 last April 30 against Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central. Her 113 goals last spring rank 10th, and her 118 as a junior are eighth on that list – as are her 259 over three seasons. Granader’s 322 points for her career rank 11th all-time.
Lansing Catholic’s Leah Reid is cruising into the elite of scoring all-time in this sport, and entered this season with nine record-book entries. She had at least seven goals in a game six times and finished last season with 89 goals over 20 games. She also made the single-season points list with 106 total as a junior.
PHOTO Farmington Hills Mercy's Jillian Smith directs the attack during her team's 2021 Semifinal against Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood. (Photo courtesy of Detroit News.)
This Time It's Brighton's Time as Bulldogs Celebrate Championship
By
Scott DeCamp
Special for MHSAA.com
June 11, 2022
ROCKFORD – Ryan Skomial and the Brighton girls lacrosse program had experienced nothing but disappointment and heartbreak in their respective, previous MHSAA Finals trips to Rockford over the last 10 years.
That changed for both parties Saturday afternoon. The Skomial-coached Bulldogs exhibited determination in an abrupt momentum swing early in the second half, which ultimately led to elation.
Brighton erased a six-goal deficit and captured the program’s first MHSAA Division 1 girls lacrosse championship since 2011 with a 12-11 overtime victory over Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern/Eastern at Carlson-Munger Stadium.
It was the Bulldogs’ fourth straight Finals appearance at Rockford, with the 2020 season canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. They lost in Finals to Rockford in the Rams’ home stadium in 2018, 2019 and 2021.
This time, Brighton senior Ella Boose’s goal with 1:33 left in the first of two three-minute overtime periods proved the game winner. Sophomore goalkeeper Gabrielle Buckenberger helped make that tally stand. Afterwards, Buckenberger and her teammates felt “satisfaction” and “relief.”
“I saw the lane when Abbey (Burchfield) passed it to me and after I scored, I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh. It’s overtime. This is our chance, and we can win this game now,’” said Boose, whose team finished with a 16-4 record.
“I think at halftime we just said, ‘Who wants it more?’ We knew we could win. We’ve come back from worse, and we knew this was our last game of the season, last half. I think we just gave it all we could.”
Brighton lost its first Finals appearance in 2011 to Rockford, 19-11. The next year, the Bulldogs edged Ann Arbor Pioneer, 17-15 in overtime. Both of those matches were played at Troy Athens.
In 2012, Skomial led Hartland to the Division 1 Final at Rockford, where her team lost to Birmingham United by the same 12-11 overtime score by which her Brighton team was victorious Saturday.
Brighton lost its previous three Finals games against Rockford 25-5 in 2018, 21-6 in 2019 and 19-16 in 2021 – but the Bulldogs appeared to close the gap each time. On Saturday, they got over the hump against the Forest Hills Northern/Eastern co-op team that beat Brighton twice during the regular season, 15-7 and 11-7.
“I played here and lost in double overtime, sudden death, so as soon as that overtime happened, I was like, ‘Ooh, man, we’ve been here before,’” Skomial, a high school All-American, said while she patted her chest in relief. “I knew these girls had something different. I knew that they had the drive and the patience and the mentality to finish this. I’m so proud of them.”
FHNE seemed bound and determined to complete the season sweep against Brighton and capture the big trophy in just its second season as a program. The BirdDogs held a 7-2 lead at halftime and extended it to 8-2 in the first minute of the second half.
Brighton was not playing along anymore, however. The Bulldogs tallied seven of the next eight goals to knot the match at 9 with 10½ minutes remaining.
It was anybody’s game at that point.
“You know, we made some turnovers, and they got on a run,” said FHNE coach Joe Curcuru, whose squad finished with a 21-2 record. “Lacrosse is a game of runs, and they started scoring some goals and the momentum just shifted.
“We used both of our timeouts in the second half, and we tried to just settle down. But this is an exciting stage, it’s a big stage and we just couldn’t get that momentum back.”
Brighton got on the board first against FHNE on senior Amanda Granader’s tally 1:28 into the contest, but then FHNE went on a goal-scoring barrage with six in a row and seven of the next eight to enjoy a comfortable halftime lead.
Junior Alayna Davis scored 56 seconds into the second half, the third of her co-game-high four goals, to put FHNE up six. Brighton took over from there, however, as Granader scored and added two more in the half in her four-goal performance. Senior Gabriella Mainhardt scored two in a row during the Bulldogs’ surge.
FHNE senior Carly Wittlinger scored her third goal of the night with 2:06 left to put her team ahead 11-10, but Granader tied it with 1:39 remaining.
Skomial called Buckenberger’s performance “remarkable,” classifying her as one of the most talented, naturally-gifted goalies she’s seen. Buckenberger made five saves compared to eight by her FHNE counterpart, junior Sommer Grieser.
“We really just felt like this was our year. We touched the Regional trophies, we’re wearing white, we felt like it was our year and we just really wanted to win,” Buckenberger said. “It starts with the goalie feeling confident, and it just spreads, and if we have the sidelines and the crowd just cheering us on, we’ll have it, too. We just kept saying, ‘One more, one more.’
“I’ve got hives,” she said with a laugh when asked about the excitement of winning the title. “This felt great.”
Skomial said she was proud of the fact that her players never got down on themselves despite the early deficit. The Bulldogs hung in there and wrestled momentum away from the BirdDogs.
Prior to the first overtime period, cheers from the Brighton huddle on the sideline could be easily heard atop the stands on the opposite side of the field. It was more than a rah-rah speech – the Bulldogs believed it was their time.
“It’s definitely amazing. I mean, we’ve been to the state championship the last few years and we’ve lost every year, so to end my senior year like this, it’s a great feeling,” said Boose, who scored three goals in her final high school match. She will continue her academic and lacrosse pursuits at Grand Valley State University.
“This is my favorite team I’ve ever been on. We’re really a family.”
PHOTOS (Top) Brighton celebrates its Division 1 championship Saturday at Rockford High. (Middle) The Bulldogs’ Amanda Granader (27) works to get off a shot with FHNE’s Daniella Washburn (5) and Sommer Grieser (25) defending. (Click for more from Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)