High 5s - 4/17/12
April 17, 2012
Each week, Second Half gives "High 5s" to multiple athletes and a team that have performed exceptionally on the field or made a notable impact off of it.
Please offer your suggestions by e-mail to [email protected]. Below are this week's honorees:
Sarah Appold
Saginaw Valley Lutheran senior
Softball
Appold is putting the final touches on a career that places her among the best ever at Saginaw Valley Lutheran. She holds multiple Chargers strikeout records and appears three times in the MHSAA record book for strikeouts in a game -- her best of 15 in a 2010 contest is tied for fifth-best in MHSAA history. Appold is 2-0 this season with batters hitting just .098 against her. She's also earned all-state recognition for volleyball and basketball this school year.
Up next: Appold has signed to play softball at Saginaw Valley State University and intends to study nursing.
I learned the most about pitching from: "Probably my dad, Randy Appold. He was pitching coach up until my seventh grade year. And Doug Gillis (out of Wixom), my pitching coach now."
My favorite athletes are: Detroit Tigers Austin Jackson and Justin Verlander. "My parents always took me to Tigers games when I was little, and I like watching them."
Try to keep up: Although Appold has never pitched to her baseball-playing friends, a few have caught her. "I've had a lot of people since freshman year ask me to pitch against them, to see how they'd do. I think I'd handle myself against them. ... There's a lot of different movement (to softball pitches)."
Nick Stiles
Bath senior
Baseball
Stiles is finishing up an all-state career for the Bees that included a trip to the Division 3 Semifinals in 2010. He's currently tied with former standout Brennan Powers for Bath's career pitching wins record with 33, enough to also get him on the MHSAA record book list in that category. Stiles is 2-0 this season and has yet to give up an earned run -- including over 10 innings Monday, although he didn't get a decision in either game that afternoon. He also plays center field.
Up next: Stiles said a few colleges said they'd like to watch him this season before offering a scholarship. Also his school's valedictorian, Stiles, has been accepted by Michigan State and could go there as a student only. He'd major in human biology with an eye on becoming an orthopedic surgeon -- which began to interest him after he suffered an ankle injury as a sophomore. He also might consider walking-on at MSU or playing on the club team.
My best pitch is: "My fastball. I've got the most control over it. I can put it pretty much anywhere I want."
I learned the most about pitching from: "My 14-and-under baseball coach Dave Morena. He had a certain way of doing things, and he knew what he was talking about. He taught me pretty much everything I know."
I look up to: "Justin Verlander. He works fast. He does throw his fastball a lot too. He's confident in his other pitches, but he likes to go to his fastball."
My career highlight: "The state Semifinal run. Records are records, made to be broken and all of that nonsense. But the run of the team; we weren't expected to do it, and the whole town followed us. Even though we lost, it was a great experience."
Grand Rapids West Catholic boys golf
After falling just five strokes short of winning the Kent County Classic on April 12 at The Highlands (behind top-ranked Division 1 Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central), West Catholic took on some of the state's top Division 2 and 3 teams the next day at Michigan State's Forest Akers East -- and edged reigning Division 2 champion DeWitt by a stroke with a 303 to win the Haslett Invitational.
The Forest Akers field including Division 2 Nos. 1 and 2 DeWitt and Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood, respectively, and Division 3 No. 1 Jackson Lumen Christi and No. 9 Hanover-Horton -- with West Catholic ranked No. 4 in Division 3 entering the tournament. Junior Sam Weatherhead was medalist at both the Kent County Classic and Haslett Invitational, shooting 68 and 69, respectively, to win by four and three strokes.
GR Catholic Central, Cheboygan's Maybank Make History at The Meadows
By
Dean Holzwarth
Special for MHSAA.com
June 12, 2021
ALLENDALE – The beginning of the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 3 Final wasn’t ideal for the Grand Rapids Catholic Central boys golf team.
The conclusion, however, turned out just fine and resulted in a history-making performance.
The Cougars won the program’s first Finals championship Saturday after shooting a two-day total of 612 at The Meadows at Grand Valley State.
Cheboygan sophomore PJ Maybank won the individual title and set a new LP Division 3 Finals scoring record carding a 135.
Catholic Central finished 28 strokes ahead of runner-up Big Rapids, which tied Hanover-Horton, but won on a fifth-score tiebreaker.
“They actually started out a little bit shaky,” longtime Catholic Central coach Kim Napieralski said. “I wasn’t sure which team I brought (Friday) morning, but then they righted the ship. I think they were a little bit nervous, especially with a young team. The senior leadership was there, but there were some nerves the first few holes. They were fine after that and finished strong.”
The championship capped off a highly successful sports season for Catholic Central, which won football and boys basketball Finals titles in the fall and winter, respectively.
The Cougars, who hadn’t been to the Finals in boys golf since 2015, were led by freshmen Will Preston and Matthew Sokorai, who shot matching 155s to tie for 13th. Senior Andrew Armock was next at 157, and junior John Harmon carded a 160. Junior Luke Preston and senior Thomas Grile combined to shoot a 162 over the weekend.
“They are young, but they are talented and focused so I thought they could do it this year,” Napieralski said. “We don’t have a weak link at all. Anybody could flip for anybody, and it’s been that way all season.”
Catholic Central shot a stellar 306 on Friday to gain control with a 14-stroke lead. The top four golfers shot in the 70s.
“The best teams in sports are the ones that are close with each other and can rely on each other,” Armock said. “We have good chemistry and we all get along, and for our coach to win Regionals and state at the same time for the first time ever is really special.”
Grile, who’s been on varsity all four years, tied his personal low with a final-round 78.
“It’s one thing to shoot 78 with my friends, but this was with tough competition and all eyes on you,” he said. “It was pretty cool to shoot that score and tie my record, and we were always just trying to make it to the state finals. To win it is amazing.”
Grile said the freshmen were welcomed additions.
“They are great kids and they score well, but they are fun to be around, too.” Grile said. “It’s a pleasure to have them on our team, and just having them help us win a state championship is great.”
Maybank, in his Finals debut, shot a scorching 6-under 66 in the first round and then followed it with a 69 on Saturday.
He broke the record previously held by Grand Rapids West Catholic’s Sam Weatherhead, who shot a 136 in 2012.
“I hit it great on Friday, and I did everything really, really solid,” Maybank said. “Today wasn’t as good as yesterday, but it was another good day. I started out a little shaky, but I started to hit it really good after the seventh or eighth hole and then made some nice putts.”
Maybank, who won his first junior golf tournament when he was 7, was one stroke from tying the all-time Finals’ record of 134, held by Hamilton’s Nick Carlson (2015).
“My approach shots were really solid, and I think I hit the most greens I’ve ever hit in a tournament and that really helped,” Maybank said. “This was definitely one of my goals, to win Regionals and win state, so to do both and play this well is definitely all I could ask for.”
Big Rapids experienced another heartbreaking near-miss finishing second for the fourth season in a row.
Junior Luke Welch led the Cardinals with a 154, placing 11th individually.
“We didn’t have too many kids with state finals experience, and we sent our seniors out with four straight runner-up finishes and we had a third,” Big Rapids coach Mark Posey said. “You won’t find too many programs in the state that have that in the last five years. We’re proud of that, and these boys work hard, they listen to their coaches and they know what it takes to play well.”
PHOTOS: (Top) A Grand Rapids Catholic Central golfer hits an approach during Friday’s first round at The Meadows. (Middle) Cheboygan’s PJ Maybank holds up his champions sign after shooting one of the lowest rounds in Finals history. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)