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.)

Kennedy Completes Record Power Surge

September 11, 2018

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Michigan has a new softball career home run leader.

Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard’s Julia Kennedy hit 22 this spring – tied for third most in a season – to finish her four-year career with 55 homers over 125 games. That’s one more home run than Harrison Township L’Anse Creuse’s Brooke Nadolny, who will enter her senior season in 2019 with 54.

Kennedy also was added for 18 doubles this season, and freshman teammate Savannah Wing made that list with 22. Kennedy will continue her career at Miami University of Ohio.

See below for more recent record book entries in softball and football, and click the headings to see those record books in full.

Football

A handful of teams made the move from 11 to 8-player football for the 2009 season, making Nick Zaleski’s performance of Oct. 10 of that season one the earliest to grab headlines in the new format. Zaleski scored 11 touchdowns – nine rushing and two on kickoff returns – to lead Owendale-Gagetown to a 90-52 win over Posen. He also gained 431 yards rushing on 21 carries.

Grant Dittmer grabbed four interceptions in an Oct. 23, 2015, win over Mesick to help Bay City All Saints clinch its first playoff berth at the time since 2010. Those interceptions are tied for fourth most in one game (three players grabbed five in a game).

Auburn Hills Avondale enjoyed three highlight-reel returns that made the MHSAA records in 2017. Derrick Hinton Jr. produced two of them – a 99-yard kickoff return touchdown against Troy on Aug. 24 and a 97-yard punt return touchdown against Macomb Lutheran North on Oct. 20. Zeke Ringstaff also added to the scoring in that Week 9 win over Lutheran North that put Avondale into the playoffs – he brought back a fumble 100 yards for a score. Hinton’s kickoff return and Ringstaff’s return tied MHSAA records. Both are seniors this fall. 

Softball

Anna Dixon closed her Farmington Hills Mercy career this spring on career lists with 177 runs, 226 hits and 42 doubles. She also made the hitting streak list with at least one in 33 straight games from May 12, 2017, through May 5 of this spring. Dixon will continue her career at Hillsdale College.

Pinckney’s Elizabeth Kramer hit her way nearly to the top of one of the longest category lists for any sport in the MHSAA record book, knocking 28 doubles as a sophomore in 2017. That total ranks third all-time for one season. Kramer is a senior this fall.

Brownstown Woodhaven’s Alyssa Harris capped her four-year varsity career this spring with 46 doubles, 27 homers and 150 RBI over 137 games. She’s continuing her career at University of Findlay.

Tessa Nuss’ junior season for Lake Orion was one of the most impressive in MHSAA history. She hit .654 this spring with 89 hits and 79 runs scored – the hits were the fourth most all-time and the runs tied for sixth most in one season. Nuss will sign with Binghamton University in New York.

Faith Howe capped her four-year Beaverton career this spring on the strikeouts list with 1,037, which included a career-high 397 in 2017 when she went 34-4. Teammate Ann-Marie Hicks was added for 42 career doubles over her four-year run with the Beavers, and senior Amaya Ware was added for six RBI in a game this April against Breckenridge. Howe also was added for three homers – including two consecutive – against Pinconning in May.  Beaverton made team record lists going 38-4 in 2017 with 68 doubles, 250 RBI and 432 pitching strikeouts. Howe is continuing her career at Lincoln Memorial University in Tennessee, and Hicks will continue at St. Clair County Community College.

Averi Munro completed an incredible four-year career in 2016 among the MHSAA’s best all-time in a number of categories. The Morrice standout earned 25 record book entries. Her 81 runs scored in 2015 rank fourth, her 266 career runs are third, her 271 career hits are tied for fifth, her 67 career doubles rank eighth, her 93 RBI in 2016 came in fourth, while her 287 career RBI are second most and her .630 career batting average ranks fourth as well. She continuing her career at Alma College.

PHOTO: Gabriel Richard’s Julia Kennedy powers through a pitch this spring. (Photo courtesy of the Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard softball program.)