Boyne Falls Star Rises on Record Lists

April 28, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Marcus Matelski finished his brilliant high school basketball career at Boyne Falls this winter among the all-time leaders in MHSAA history in both points and steals.

Matelski’s scoring listings include 24 points in the first quarter of a game against Traverse City Christian on Feb. 1 and 2,421 points for his career – good for ninth-most in MHSAA history and at an average of 28.2 per game. His 425 free throws rank 14th on that career list, and his 80.6-percent success rate from the line sits 12th.

His steal numbers are similarly impressive – he had 12 or more steals in three games this season to rank among the top-five for one contest, and his 146 steals set the single-season record. Matelski’s career steals total of 341 sits fourth, although that will drop one spot when Gage Kreski's record career total at St. Ignace is added next week. Matelski, who will next play at Northern Michigan University, also made the career rebounds list with 838 over 86 games.

Click the “Boys Basketball” heading below for more on the 6-foot-2 guard’s accomplishments and other recent additions to records lists for his sport, and on the other headings for the latest to be added for baseball, girls basketball, hockey and volleyball.

Baseball

Tyler Waldrop earned a spot on the single-season ERA list for the second straight, improving on his 0.69 ERA as a junior with a 0.50 last spring as a senior as he finished 10-1. His ERA paced Grand Ledge’s team mark of 1.33 as the Comets finished 31-6-1. Waldrop pitches now at Wayne State University.

Boys Basketball

Shawn Pardee made the MHSAA records in two categories during a 99-85 overtime win over Carrollton on Jan. 25. He scored 20 points during the fourth quarter, making the single-quarter scoring list. Eight that quarter came on free throws, and he made the single-game free throw list with 21 in 23 attempts. He finished the game with 48 points. Millington as a team made the single-game free throw list with 36 that game (in 45 attempts). The Cardinals also made team records listings with 367 free throws this season (in 477 attempts, for a 77 percent success rate), free throws made (415) and attempted (549) in 2014-15 and free throws made (410) and attempted (581) in 2013-14. The 415 makes tied for third-most in a season and the 410 rank fifth, while the 581 attempts rank sixth for one winter.

Joe Duncan’s 25 points in a quarter for Cedarville against Rudyard on Feb. 11, 2015, tied for eighth-most in MHSAA history and included a tied record with 21 of those points coming on seven 3-pointers – he is one of two players to make that many shots from beyond the arc in a quarter. He played this season at Alpena Community College.

Girls Basketball

North Muskegon had a tough season this winter, but Mya Duncan was sharp in helping the Norsemen to their first victory, Jan. 29 against Scottville Mason County Central. Duncan made all 16 of her free-throw attempts to make the MHSAA records listings for most free throws made in a game and most consecutive in one game. She finished with 24 points in the 57-52 win. 

Pellston senior Hanah Carter found the basket enough to earn two basketball record listings in separate games. She scored 46 points against Mancelona in a 74-53 win on Dec. 18 to make the single-game points list, and drilled 16 of 22 free throws against Mackinaw City on Nov. 30 to make the single-game free throws list as well.

Ellie Mackay’s strong free throw shooting has placed her near the top of multiple MHSAA lists. The Novi sophomore made 17 straight free throws in a 39-26 win over Livonia Stevenson on Feb. 9 – the 17 straight are tied for fourth-most consecutive in one game. She then made 22 of 27 attempts in a 53-46 overtime win over Walled Lake Western on Feb. 19; her made free throws in that game are second-most on the single-game list for that statistic.

Football

Clinton Township Chippewa Valley quarterback Pat Briningstool capped his high school career in the fall with 10 listings in the MHSAA football records. In his final season he threw for 2,375 yards over 10 games, completing 187 of 293 passes including 25 for touchdowns. For his career, he completed 301 of 492 passes over 22 games for 4,226 yards and 52 scores (including 27 as a junior). Teammate Stefan Clairborne made the career receptions list with 102 over four seasons, and kicker Dane Haggarty was added for single-season extra points as a sophomore and junior and for 140 in 145 tries over 33 games from 2013-15 – his total makes rank 11th on that career list and included 80 straight. Previous accomplishments were added for Matt Schweiger (four touchdown catches in a game in 2006, a 97-yard kickoff return for a score in 2005) and KyeRell Williams (a 95-yard kickoff return touchdown in 2008). Briningstool has signed to continue his career this fall at Emporia State University in Kansas, and Claiborne signed with Western Michigan.

Bart Williams quarterbacked Grand Blanc to a 15-8 record over the 2011-12 seasons, posting passing numbers among the best in MHSAA history. His 6,302 passing yards rank 14th despite coming in only 24 games, with his 792 career attempts 11th and 454 completions 10th (while his single-season numbers in both categories rank at least among the top six in each category). He threw 73 touchdown passes, which rank tied for 13th for a career, and his 37 in 13 games as a junior are tied for 14th. Jordan Fields, his leading receiver in 2011, made MHSAA records lists with 67 catches and 1,088 receiving yards in a season. Williams now plays at Grand Valley State University and threw 45 touchdown passes last season; Fields went on to play at Central Michigan University.

Ice Hockey

Cooper Jenkins became the first player to make the career assists list since 1993, finishing his four-season Pinckney career in 2015 with 132 assists in 109 games after tallying 44 and 45, respectively, over his final two seasons.

Volleyball

Hanah Carter also finished her varsity volleyball career with 945 assists in the fall – and 3,029 over her three years to make the MHSAA career assists list. The senior setter earned Class D all-state honorable mention after her final high school season. 

PHOTOS: Marcus Matelski scores some of his more than 2,000 points during a four-season varsity career. (Photos by Rachel Lange.)

Lenawee Christian Standout Scores with State's All-Time Best

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

April 27, 2021

Bree Salenbien finished one of the most memorable careers in MHSAA girls basketball history this season as one of the leading scorers of all time – and despite playing two shortened seasons to finish her run at Adrian Lenawee Christian.

Salenbien suffered a knee injury in the regular-season finale in 2019-20, and missed out on three games before COVID-19 ended that season prior to the Regional Final. This winter, with its late start, led to Lenawee Christian playing only 17 games including the postseason.

But appearing in 92 games over four seasons makes her 2,059 career points, including 425 free throws, and 287 blocked shots that much more impressive. The Gonzaga signee is joined in the record book by teammates Libby Miller and (also sister) Dani Salenbien, who made the career 3-pointers list with 185 and 157, respectively, over four varsity seasons before both graduated in 2020. Dani Salenbien plays at Hillsdale College.

The Cougars also made the team record book for a number of accomplishments over the last five seasons, including with 202 3-pointers (sixth-most) in 2019-20 and 175 in 2018-19. The 2018-19 team also made the fifth-most free throws, 308, at a fourth-best percentage of .730, on the way to winning the Division 4 championship.

Click to see the girls basketball record book in full and see below for recent record book additions in boys basketball and volleyball.

Boys Basketball

A pair of Bellevue standouts were added for achievements over either their senior seasons in 2019-20 or careers. Grant Morgan tied for ninth all-time with 12 steals in a game against Colon on Jan. 13, 2020, and he also made the single-season steals list with 105. Teammate Carson Betz was added to the career lists with both 809 rebounds and 256 steals over four varsity seasons.

Morrice made the record book list with a school-record 17 3-pointers March 3, 2020, in a 69-23 win over Akron-Fairgrove. The Orioles attempted 56 shots from beyond the arc and were led by Hunter McGowan with 15 points all on long-range shots.

Greg Esler retired last summer after more than three decades of coaching boys varsity basketball and with a record of 558-235. He led St. Clair Shores Lake Shore from the 1987-88 through 1993-94 seasons, and then Warren De La Salle Collegiate through 2019-20.

Jager Mix quickly made an impact on Onaway’s success in 2019-20. Just a sophomore that season, he made the record book with 321 rebounds.

Tyler Eedy may be best at golf – he’s a freshman at Michigan State – but he’s part of the MHSAA record book in basketball after connecting on 41 straight free throws as an Ogemaw Heights senior. He also made the records list for free-throw percentage, connecting on 92.1 percent (82 of 89) of his attempts in 2019-20. The percentage ranks fourth all-time, and the streak is seventh longest.

Carson Irwin scored 25 points including making all 20 free throws he shot in Dundee’s 61-56 win over Clinton on March 17. The junior made the list for most free throws in a game and tied for third-most consecutive free throws in one contest.

Nearly 60 seasons have passed since Tom Pacynski averaged 38.8 points per game for Bay City St. Mary during the 1963-64 season. But with an assist from the Bay City Times, his average – which ranks fourth-highest for a single season, all-time – was added as well as his 62 points in a game that season against Pinconning St. Michael. Pacynski went on to play at Boston College.

Volleyball

Andelyn Simkins completed her Schoolcraft career in 2019 on career lists with 2,574 kills and 310 aces. The kills rank ninth on that list and include season highs of 760 as a senior and 748 as a junior. She’s playing currently at Western Michigan.

West Bloomfield senior Grace Allread closed her four-season varsity career in the fall on the career assists list with 2,524 over 395 games. She has signed to continue at Liberty.

PHOTO: Adrian Lenawee Christian’s Bree Salenbien pushes the pace against St. Ignace during the 2019 Division 4 Final at Calvin College.