Bowers Leaves Record-Caliber Mark on Kent City Hoops
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
August 4, 2021
Senior Kenzie Bowers added a pair of record book entries this past winter as she continued to help Kent City join the girls basketball elite.
Bowers scored 46 points in a win over Lakeview on Feb. 10 this winter, and also was added for 14 assists against Ravenna during a 2019-20 victory. The assists are tied for 12th-most in one game. Bowers also had earned a record book entry as a junior for drilling nine 3-pointers in a game.
Kent City reached the Division 3 championship game in April, falling just two points shy against Grass Lake in the finale. Bowers will continue her career at Illinois State.
See below for more recent record book entries for girls basketball, baseball, boys lacrosse and girls soccer.
Baseball
Nearly 50 years later, Jim Kniivila has reached the record book. The four-year Holt pitcher finished with a 0.21 ERA over 66 innings in 1973, ranking today as the eighth-lowest ERA for a single season. He went on to play at Michigan State.
Jacob Freeman capped his Gaylord career in 2016 by making the Division 2 all-state first team – and by earning a spot in the MHSAA record book with 47 stolen bases. He also hit .403 that spring.
Girls Basketball
Houghton’s Stella Wickstrom posted major rebounding performances as only a sophomore last winter. The 6-foot forward grabbed at least 25 rebounds in three games – with that many against Calumet on Feb. 15 and Iron Mountain on March 1, and a season-high 27 against Baraga on Feb. 8.
Ella Stemmer put up big numbers over her four-season, 88-game Saline varsity career – including some of the most impressive ever from the free throw line. She made the career list with 419 free throws in 506 attempts, with her 90.9-percent success this winter tying for second-highest for one season and her 82.8 career percentage ranking fifth. She’ll continue her career at Lehigh.
Comstock Park then-senior McKenna Bent connected on 10 3-pointers in two games during the 2019-20 season, against Holland that Dec. 13 and Sparta on Feb. 7. She finished with 40 and 41 points, respectively, in those games. She’s continuing her career at Saginaw Valley State.
Boys Lacrosse
Xander Roisen saved 32 shots for Pinckney in a 16-2 loss to Canton on April 23, setting an MHSAA record for most saves in one game (but to be broken three later; see below). Roisen was a senior this spring.
Warren Cousino senior Donovan Cece took over the record for saves in a game with 35 in his team’s 12-0 loss to Clinton Township Chippewa Valley on May 14.
JJ Hawkins had another of the busiest days for a goalie March 27. He made 21 saves in Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central’s 13-4 loss to Dearborn Divine Child. Hawkins was a freshman this spring.
Girls Soccer
Lily Usher tied for the seventh-most saves in a game when she made 35 in Owosso’s 6-0 loss to Goodrich on May 5. The Martians took a total of 56 shots, including those not on goal. Usher was a sophomore this spring.
PHOTO: Kent City's Kenzie Bowers gets to the basket during the Division 3 championship game against Grass Lake in April.
Oilers' Carson Continues Record Climb
August 8, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Arguably the top sophomore in the state this spring, Mount Pleasant’s Hannah Carson continued to build toward a record-setting career with one of the most impressive seasons in the state for a player of any class.
Carson, a catcher, was added to the MHSAA softball record book for 77 hits (tied for sixth most for one season), 23 doubles (tied for eighth most), and her 25 triples over two seasons are tied for 15th most for an entire career with two seasons to play. She hit .550 this spring and already is committed to play after high school at University of Michigan.
Freshman teammate Oaklie Mogg was added to the records for 18 doubles this spring, and junior Allison Conway made the single-season sacrifice list with 22. Click the softball heading below to see where they and other recent additions in that sport rank, along with a few additions in girls basketball and football as well.
Girls Basketball
Homer standout Bailey Manis graduated in 2015 with some notable numbers over her four-season varsity career, including 421 made free throws – 12th most in MHSAA history. She also made the records with 151 steals as a senior and 409 over her career. She plays at University of Northwestern Ohio.
Football
Morrice’s James Edington, already in the records for a 450-yard rushing game in 1999, also was added for a record-tying 99-yard run on Oct. 29 of that season against Kingston. Edington went on to star at Alma College as well.
Softball
St. Joseph junior Olivia Shinrock continued her impressive hitting of the last two seasons, blasting into the MHSAA record book with 15 home runs in 34 games this spring. She hit multiple homers in three games and batted .505 overall.
Reese standout Carlee Selle added a few more record book entries with a few swings of the bat May 16 against Vassar. Selle hit three home runs over two innings in a 15-0 win and a fourth straight home run in her next at bat in the second game of the day against the Vulcans. She also had eight RBI total in the first game. She finished with 12 home runs, 16 doubles and also had back-to-back home runs in an April 21 game against Marlette. A junior this spring, she’s committed to play collegiately at Kent State. Teammate Kaylee Cypher, who graduated this spring, also made the records with 16 doubles.
Recently-graduated Emma Sikina of Brownstown Woodhaven also was added for consecutive home runs, in the fourth and sixth innings of a game against Carleton Airport on June 1, and for 18 doubles as a junior in 2015. She’s signed with Madonna University.
Grandville’s Nikoma Holmen, a junior this spring, was added for 73 hits and 19 doubles as a sophomore in 2015. She hit .570 that season.
Hudson senior Lauren Valdez opened an April 28 game against Pittsford by hitting four batters with pitches and then walking the fifth. She then stuck out 20 of the next 31 batters she faced in a 9-6 win to tie for the 13th-most strikeouts for a pitcher in a seven-inning game. She’s signed to continue at Siena Heights.
Howard City Tri-County’s 24-10 finish this spring yielded a number of noteworthy accomplishments; the Vikings as a team were added for 402 hits, 63 doubles, 281 RBI and a .405 batting average. Individually, senior Brooke Dillon finished her career with 15 home runs and career totals of 178 runs, 210 hits, 29 triples, 28 home runs and 194 RBI; her career triples rank 11th and her RBI eighth. She and sophomore teammate Dayoni Mahlich both ended notable hitting streaks on May 7, Dillon’s at 24 straight games and Mahlich’s at 21. Mahlich also made the records with 74 hits and 14 triples, and senior Alexis Holappa joined both with single-game listings. Dillon will continue her career at Lawrence Tech.
Warren Fitzgerald senior Angel Perry earned a spot in the records with six RBI in one game, a 21-15 loss to Clawson on May 9. Perry was 4 for 4 with two doubles and a home run.
PHOTO: Mount Pleasant's Hannah Carson prepares to receive a pitch during a 2015 game against Midland Dow. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)