Base by Base, St Patrick Circles Them All
December 7, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Portland St. Patrick’s run to the Division 4 baseball title this spring was fueled by its ability to manufacture runs – and some of those statistical performances will be remembered among the best achieved in MHSAA history.
As a team, Portland St. Patrick was hit by 46 pitches over 38 games and also stole 170 bases to make those team record book lists. Senior Brendan Schrauben – who is continuing his career at Alma College – capped his four-season varsity career with 168 runs scored, and Graham Smith finished his with 46 hit-by-pitches – good to tie for sixth on that list.
See below for more recent record book entries in baseball, football, girls lacrosse and softball, and click on the sport headings to see those record books in full.
Baseball
Homer’s 36-6 finish in 2017 was the result of a number of record book-worthy performances. Offensively, the Trojans hit .359 with 380 runs scored, 88 doubles and 310 RBI, which all made team lists, plus their pitchers totaled 308 strikeouts. Now-senior Kyle Klepper was added for hitting two home runs in the first inning against Manchester on May 13, and Joe Roth – also now a senior – was added for a 1.69 career ERA over 132 2/3 innings pitched the last two seasons. Coach Scott Salow was added to the coaching wins list; he’s 507-152 having coached Taylor Light & Life in 1993 and 1994 and at Homer since 2001.
Football
Hudson’s 2000 team finished 9-3 on the strength of a rushing attack that now sits atop the season rushing attempts (601) and yardage (4,196) lists. Three running backs rushed for at least 1,000 yards for the Tigers. Hudson ran for a season-high 476 yards against Dundee and for at least 440 yards in two more games.
Richmond’s Anthony Tavano got on the single-game receiving touchdowns list with four thrown from quarterback Chase Churchill in a 57-7 win over Armada on Sept. 1, 2016. Tavano played this season at University of Mount Union in Ohio.
Muskegon Catholic Central’s Tommy Scott made a series of scoring lists in helping the Crusaders to a perfect season in 2014. Scott scored 216 points on 36 touchdowns, including 34 rushing touchdowns. All three totals made MHSAA record lists, and his 99-yard kickoff return against Munising in the Division 8 championship game tied the longest in MHSAA history. In addition, teammate Nate Jones was added for returning two interceptions for touchdowns in the first quarter of a 2015 playoff win over Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart. Muskegon Catholic Central as a team was added for scoring 651 points in 2014 and 612 in 2016, both over 14 games. Scott is playing at Saginaw Valley State, and Jones is playing at Hillsdale College.
Bath’s Zach Parry and Gavin Parry became the latest to tie the record for longest pass play when Zach connected with Gavin on a 99-yard touchdown toss on Sept. 29 against Dansville. However, the Aggies won the game 20-12.
Girls Lacrosse
A trio of Dexter players were added for their accomplishments this spring. Junior Skylar Waddington was added three times for 11 goals in a game against Ann Arbor Skyline on May 4, 86 goals total over 16 games and 97 points as well this spring. Junior Marin Waddington also was added for goals this spring, tallying 50 in 16 games, and sophomore Bruna Meister was added for making 17 saves against Saline on May 10.
Softball
Fenton’s Logan Carter capped her career this spring on career lists with 50 doubles, 32 home runs and 172 RBI over the last four seasons. She also earned eight more entries for single-game multiple home runs, single-game RBI and twice for home runs in a season – with a high of 15 in 33 games this past spring. Carter, a catcher, is continuing her career at Western Michigan University.
A potent Lowell offense made the team record book lists with 67 doubles, 33 triples and 278 RBI this past spring as the team went 24-14. Then-junior Mackenzie North was added for 16 of those doubles, plus for home runs in an inning and consecutively when she hit a pair in the first inning against Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills on April 24 – and she also drove in six RBI that game. Teammate and then-sophomore Madison Jordan became the first to be listed in the MHSAA records for triples in a game with four against Ottawa Hills on April 18, and she also was added for six RBI in an inning and 11 overall in that game, plus for six RBI in the April 24 win and for 16 triples overall last season. Her season triples rank eighth on that list. North has signed to continue her career after next season at Jackson College.
PHOTO: Portland St. Patrick’s Brendan Schrauben rounds third base during last season’s Division 4 championship game against Hudson.
Rangers Net Historic Accomplishments
April 27, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Special for Second Half
Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central’s boys tennis team finished fourth in Lower Peninsula Division 2 in the fall, led by a single star and a powerful doubles lineup whose accomplishments have been added to the MHSAA record book.
No. 1 singles champion Connor Genschaw was added to the records for his 34-4 finish, while Jack Ziegler and Peyton Herbert were runners-up at No. 2 doubles and added at 31-9 in separate entries (they went 25-6 together and 6-3 with other partners). Aidan Rynbrandt and Jacob Wiltjer were added for going 31-9 at No. 1 doubles, while Mike Battiste was part of the No. 3 pair and went 28-11 and the No. 4 pair of Tyler George and Ali Azeem made the list at 27-13.
Herbert (97-15), Battiste (94-17), Ziegler (90-22) and Rynbrandt (90-23) finished on the doubles career wins list as well. Reed Aleck, a senior in 2016-17, also was added to the career list at 80-22 after he and Justin James went 27-6 that fall.
Click to see the boys tennis record book in full, and see below for more recent entries in ice hockey, boys lacrosse, softball and wrestling. Click on the sport headings to view those record listings in their entirety.
Ice Hockey
Royal Oak Shrine Unified’s 9-3 win over Allen Park Cabrini on Jan. 20, 2017, saw a pair of MHSAA records set. Shrine’s Josef Mehall scored two goals five seconds apart during the second period – setting the record for the fastest two goals both by an individual and team – and Shrine added a third during the same minute to give it three goals over 34 seconds, which ranks fifth on that list. Mehall added an assist on that third goal, which was scored by Jamison Terbrack. Both were seniors; Mehall played junior hockey this season for the Maine Wild.
Calumet scored four goals over 1:24 against Negaunee on Feb. 8, becoming the second-fastest team to score four goals in one game. The Copper Kings did so with their first of the period 5:03 in and their fourth at 6:27. Brent Loukus, Dean Loukus, Rylan Anderson and Tyler Johnson scored during the string. Calumet went on to win 9-0.
Canton sent 104 shots on goal against Ann Arbor Huron during an 8-2 win Jan. 17, ranking as the second most shots on goal in a game. Huron senior Ethan St. Pierre set the MHSAA saves record in turning away 96 of those shots.
Boys Lacrosse
Tecumseh’s Dylan Day continued to move up the career lists in 2017, adding eight record book entries. He joined the career points list with 220 (148 goals and 72 assists) over the last two seasons and with this season yet to play and also was added for goals, assists and points (7/9/16) in a win over Temperance Bedford last May 24. Now-senior teammate Justin Weasel was added for eight goals in that game, and senior Drake Ringer was added for 42 assists last season. Now-junior goalie Kobe Jennings was added four times for saves in a game with a high of 20, and also earned the first entry for season shutouts with four. As a team, Tecumseh’s 266 goals were added, as were its 26 against Bedford in that 26-5 win.
Softball
Grosse Pointe South shortstop Grace Foster powered her way to a few more entries in the record book last season, hitting 11 home runs over 31 games – including two in an inning against Romulus after also hitting two consecutively in a game against St. Clair Shores Lakeview. The then-junior also made the records with six RBI in an inning and eight in that game against Romulus, and seven more in a game against Detroit Renaissance.
Flint Powers Catholic’s McKenna King hit 23 doubles in 2017 to make the single-season list in that category. The Chargers’ then-freshman tied for 12th most in one season.
Another freshman in 2017, Frankfort’s Haley Myers, made record lists with 18 doubles and 74 runs scored – the runs tied for 11th most. Now-senior teammate Olivia Tomaszewski also was added for 18 doubles and now-junior Natalie Bigley was added for 70 runs. Myers, now a sophomore, also was added for hitting back-to-back home runs against Lake City this April 12.
Elizabeth Evers became one of the first to be added for an accomplishment this spring. The Sterling Heights senior drove in six runs in her team’s 15-14 win over Clawson on March 23.
Wrestling
Otisville-LakeVille became the ninth on a list of teams that have scored 84 points in a dual match. The Falcons put up the perfect 84-0 score against Manistique on Jan. 13.
Gavin Morgan joined the list of record holders for fastest pins during his Mount Morris team’s invitational on Jan. 20. He pinned his Capac opponent at 160 pounds in four seconds. Morgan is a sophomore.
PHOTO: Forest Hills Central’s Connor Genschaw returns a volleyball during the LPD2 Finals last fall. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)