Bridgman Bats Earn Homes in History
July 25, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
A pair of Bridgman underclassmen helped the Bees to their first MHSAA team record book listing for softball this spring, while also earning individual entries as well.
Sophomore Sydney Payne had seven RBI during a win over Benton Harbor, and freshman Madelyn Oman had six in a win over New Buffalo as Bridgman made the team RBI record list with 275 over 39 games. Payne and Oman’s record entries also were firsts for the school on the sport’s individual lists.
The Bees finished 25-14 this season and advanced to their Division 3 District Final.
Click the heading below to see where they rank in the softball record book as a whole and also for more recent record additions in that sport and baseball.
Baseball
Canton became the 21st team to make the all-time best ERA list for clearing 1.70, posting a 1.69 in going 34-6 this spring. Seth Marano led the way with a 0.66 ERA in going 7-1, while Dean Dawson and Turner Donlin also were 7-1 on the mound.
Pellston senior Maxwell Cleaver entered a May 15 game against Boyne Falls and hit a home run, and then hit home runs in his first two at bats May 17 against Newberry. His three straight homers made the list for most in consecutive at bats.
Holt tied for 12th in MHSAA history with a 1.48 team ERA this spring in finishing 30-8. The Rams were led by senior Jesse Heikkinen (who will play at Michigan State and was drafted by the Detroit Tigers), who finished 8-1 with a 0.97 ERA.
Potterville’s Sam Traver finished his four-season career in 2015 among all-time leaders in wins, ERA and strikeouts. For his career he was added for 34 victories (against 14 losses), a 1.16 ERA, 531 strikeouts over 311 2/3 innings pitched and 11 shutouts – the strikeouts rank seventh on that list and the shutouts tied for 10th most. He also was added for ERAs of 0.28 in 2015 and 0.82 in 2014, 178 strikeouts in 2015 and six shutouts that season. He recently finished his second season at Grand Rapids Community College.
Softball
Madison Jones finished her Romeo career this spring among the MHSAA’s all-time great power hitters, adding 15 home runs to individual records listings of 18 in 2015 and 11 last year. She finished with 47 home runs, tied for fifth most all-time, and also tied for second with 10 RBI in a game this season against Howell. She also earned listings for a .528 career average and 170 career RBI. She’ll continue her career at Oakland University.
Audrey Petoskey also finished off a four-season slugging career this spring, coming in seventh all-time with 43 home runs for Milford. She added 13 this season and also was listed for 10 in 2016 and 12 in 2015, plus for hitting back-to-back home runs three times during her career. Petoskey will continue her career at Lincoln Memorial University in Tennessee.
Lauren Kanai and Alex Herold helped Ada Forest Hills Eastern to a 28-10 record this season especially with their bats. Kanai was added for 10 home runs and 20 doubles, while Herold was added for 72 hits, 21 doubles and a 20-game hitting streak. Herold also made the doubles career list with 34, while Kanai made career lists with 52 doubles, 155 RBI and 202 hits. Kanai will continue her career at Taylor University in Indiana.
Howell posted one of the strongest offensive seasons in MHSAA history in 2017, and a number of record book entries have followed. The Highlanders finished 38-3, scoring 466 runs (fourth all-time) with 513 hits (third), 102 doubles (third), 38 triples (fourth), 388 RBI (third) and a team .441 batting average (sixth all-time). Veronica Pezzoni capped her three-season varsity career making single-season lists with 67 runs, 76 hits and 15 triples and career lists with 187 runs, 207 hits, 25 triples, a .542 batting average and for streaks of 84 straight stolen bases and hits in 38 consecutive games. Teammate Emma Johnson earned entries this spring with 69 runs and 71 hits and career listings for 172 runs and 34 doubles over her four-year career. Maddie Gillett (23) and AJ Militello (16) were added to the single-season doubles list for their work this spring. Pezzoni will continue at University of Tennesee-Martin, while Johnson will play at Hillsdale College.
Byron earned a number of record book listings for offensive production this spring, scoring 406 runs with 437 hits, 95 doubles, 293 RBI and with a .437 batting average. Junior Alexis Andrews finished her season on a 31-game hitting streak and hit 10 home runs, while sophomore Greta L’Esperance enjoyed a 28-game streak and batted .691 while scoring 74 runs. Parker Viele hit 18 doubles this season and finished her four-year career with 911 strikeouts; she’ll continue at Lake Erie College in Ohio.
PHOTOS: Sydney Payne (left) and Madelyn Oman both made the single-game RBI list in helping Bridgman to a team record book listing. (Photos courtesy of Bridgman High School.)
Howardsville Star Joins Hoops Legends
July 31, 2019
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Dylan Jergens put up numbers this past boys basketball season – and over his four-season career – that may not be matched for many years to come.
He finished at Marcellus Howardsville Christian with 21 record book entries; his most notable was an all-time best 971 points over 24 games this past winter – at a 40.5 ppg average that ranks second all-time – to break by two points the record set by Hastings’ Mark Brown during the 1984-85 season. Jergens graduated with 2,782 points over 94 games to rank third on the career scoring list, trailing only Brown with 2,789 points and record-holder Jay Smith, who scored 2,841 for Mio before graduating in 1979.
Jergens, who will continue his career at Central Michigan University, scored a quarter-high of 25 points and also made the season scoring list as a junior with 805. His 98 3-pointers as a senior were tied for seventh most, with his 320 career 3-pointers second for that category. He also had 183 free throws made this winter, good for 14th most for one season, and his 536 career free throws rank fifth all-time. He made the career assists list with 477 and the career steals list with 318, which ranks eighth.
See below for more recent record book additions in boys basketball, baseball, girls lacrosse, football and girls soccer, and click on the headings to see those record books in full.
Baseball
Adrian Williams was a four-year standout for Detroit Southeastern from 1992-95, and his 52 career doubles rank eighth all-time. Williams also was a standout pitcher and helped Southeastern to the Class A Quarterfinals in 1993.
Boys Basketball
Iron Mountain junior Marcus Johnson became one of six players in MHSAA boys hoops history to top 100 3-pointers in a season this winter, draining 102 of 216 attempts (47.2 percent) to tie for fourth most all-time. He also moved up the career list with 216 3-pointers over his first three high school seasons.
Ann Arbor Skyline’s Ryan Wade closed his career this winter with one of the top 3-point shooting performances all-time. The senior made 97 3-pointers on 295 attempts and reached the career list as well with 189 in 580 attempts over 68 games and three seasons. He will continue his career at College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts.
Hartford improved seven wins this season to finish 18-4 in part on sharp 3-point shooting. The Indians made the single-season team 3-pointers list with 197 and with Bangor tied for ninth most between two teams in one game as they combined to make 23 (Hartford connecting on 14) in Hartford’s 85-57 win Jan. 25. Brandon Galvan just missed making the single-season individual 3-pointers list, drilling 78 over 21 games.
Bellevue went a combined 87-11 over the last four seasons with Wyatt Waterbury and Gino Costello helping pace the defensive effort with record list totals of 347 and 250 steals, respectively. Waterbury made the single-season steals list three times with a high of 95 as a sophomore, and his total ranks fifth on the career list. He also made the career 3-pointers list with 206. Additionally, Evan Bloch was added for 11 steals in a game against Waldron on Dec. 11, 2011.
Zac Clark closed his Britton Deerfield career this winter with more than 1,000 points and on the career rebounds list with 811 over four seasons and 71 games (and despite playing just six games as a freshman). He will continue his career at Concordia-Ann Arbor.
Football
Freeland’s then-junior Jayce Bourcier blasted a 77-yard punt during his team’s 35-18 win over Carrollton on Oct. 13, 2017. The punt flew nearly 60 yards in the air and ranks 10th for distance all-time.
Jake Burger capped his three-year varsity career last fall all over the Pittsford record book. He also earned lines in the MHSAA record book with 4,310 career passing yards and six passing touchdowns in a playoff loss Oct. 26 against eventual Division 8 champion Reading. He will continue his career at Hillsdale College.
Girls Lacrosse
Emma Murphy and Grace Wilson earned Midland Dow’s first girls lacrosse record book entries for offense this spring with single-game accomplishments. Wilson, a sophomore, had five assists during a 21-0 win over Grand Blanc on April 23. Murphy, a freshman, scored 11 goals during a 19-9 win over Lake Orion on May 3. Murphy’s goals tied for seventh most in one game.
Girls Soccer
Delton Kellogg won its first District title this spring with help from a pair of standout juniors who also earned record book accolades. Holly McManus scored 50 goals – including seven in one game – and also made the single-season list with 58 total points. She’s also on the career goals list with 83 over 45 games and parts of three seasons. Amber Mabie also is a three-year varsity player, and she was added for 25 assists this spring.
Marshall’s Kate Face was added for scoring 88 goals over her four-season career that finished this spring. She previously had made the single-season scoring list with 32 goals as a sophomore. She will continue her career at Indiana State University.
Danae Moriarty made the records with 45 goals, 23 assists and 68 points total during her junior season this spring for Plymouth Christian Academy, and the goals pushed her onto the career list as well with 82 over three seasons. She will not be playing as a senior, instead spending the school year as an exchange student in Germany.
Kayla Beebe capped her career this spring by leading Kalamazoo Christian to its third straight Division 4 runner-up finish, scoring 37 goals to end her four varsity seasons with 103. She will continue her career at Calvin University.
Tecumseh freshman Madalyn Freitas started her high school career with one of the most memorable individual performances in MHSAA history. She scored 62 goals, fifth most all-time, and finished with 76 points, tying for sixth most during one season.
PHOTO: Howardsville Christian’s Dylan Jergens gets to the basket during a 2018 Quarterfinal against Hillsdale Academy. (Photo courtesy of JoeInsider.com.)