Bronson's Ratkowski True Record 'Setter'
March 31, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Bronson senior Alexa Ratkowski was honored over the weekend at the Breslin Center as one of 32 MHSAA/Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete Award winners, and she’ll also leave high school this spring as an MHSAA volleyball record holder.
The Vikings’ senior setter finished a four-season varsity career with the most assists, 5,610, during the rally scoring era (2005-) in leading Bronson to the Class C championship in the fall.
She had 1,675 as a senior, with that total third-highest for one season. Ratkowski also made the career aces list with 320, and teammate Jill Pyles made the single-season list as a junior in the fall with 184.
Click to check out the volleyball record book in full, and see below for more recent listings in basketball, football, softball and wrestling.
Boys Basketball
Jackson Schrameyer became one of 15 players to make at least 20 free throws in a game when he connected on 20 of 21 attempts for Traverse City Central in a game against Traverse City West on Dec. 15.
A performance from nearly 40 years ago was added for most points in a quarter. Bronson’s Rod Hathaway scored 27 during the fourth quarter of a 1977 Class C District Final win over Cassopolis, tying for what remains the second-most points in one quarter. He finished the game with 45 points.
Football
Tyler Santangelo started for his third season in the fall for Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood, and the junior led the Cranes to a 9-2 record, its best since 2004. He made the MHSAA records six times, for 180 completions, 291 pass attempts, 2,085 yards, 26 completions in a win over Madison Heights Lamphere on Aug. 27 and six touchdown passes in both a half and for the game in a win over Madison Heights Bishop Foley on Sept. 13.
Despite a 55-28 loss to Boyne City, senior receiver Tyler Case made the records for Kingsley catching six passes for 253 yards; two receptions ended in touchdowns, and his yardage made up all but 44 for his team in the game. Case finished his season with 14 catches for 423 yards and five touchdowns.
Longtime Millington football coach Tim Furno finished his career with a 208-110 record after the 2009 season to rank among the winningest coaches in the sport. He took over the program in 1978 and led the team to five seasons of at least 10 wins, with a best 11-2 finish in his final season.
Longtime Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart coach Rick Roberts retired after this fall with a 202-145-1 record over three decades and tenures at four schools – Saranac from 1978-85, Vestaburg 1986, Stanton Central Montcalm 1987-89 and Sacred Heart from 1993-2015. His Irish finished 6-4 in his final season.
Softball
Rochester’s Haley Lenderman struck out 21 Oxford hitters on April 1, 2015, although her team lost 4-1 (only two of the runs were earned.). She’ll continue her career this spring at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington.
Jordyn Look is in line for a strong finish to a great career at Tawas. She’s in the MHSAA record listings for doubles in a season twice – 18 as a freshman in 2013 and 16 last season – and also for career doubles with 48 and with a season to play. Former teammate Courtney Flory also was added for her 17 doubles in 2014. The 2014 Tawas team was added with 66 doubles and the 2015 team with 82 doubles and 244 runs batted in, and Look also made the hitting streak list for a 20-game run during April and May of last season.
Wrestling
Dearborn Heights Annapolis coach Victor McGuire has joined the list of winningest coaches in his sport. His team finished 38-4 this winter to push McGuire’s coaching record to 548-184 dating to the 1992-93 season.
Whiteford's Title Team Runs Into History
April 25, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Ottawa Lake Whiteford’s perfect season last fall concluded with its first MHSAA title.
The Division 8 champion also finished with a number of lasting record book accomplishments.
Whiteford set MHSAA 11-player records with 6,570 total yards and 5,167 rushing yards, and also set the record with 103 total touchdowns. The Bobcats also were added recently for a record 672 rushing attempts from 2016, when they finished Division 8 runners-up.
Read on for more recent additions to the MHSAA football record book, and click the heading to view those listings in full.
Football
Bloomfield Hills senior receiver Ty Slazinski made the record book with 14 catches twice during the early weeks of the 2017 season, but that was just the start. Slazinski set the single-game record for receptions with 22 in a 58-39 win over Oak Park on Oct. 20. Slazinski also made the record book with 224 yards receiving on Sept. 1 against West Bloomfield.
As Ionia completed the biggest comeback in MHSAA history Oct. 13, coming back from a 32-0 deficit at halftime to defeat McBain 41-40, John Meyer did his share to move the Bulldogs down the field. The senior quarterback completed 29 of 65 passes for 406 yards, making single-game lists in all three categories – the 65 attempts are tied for fifth-most in one game.
Suriya “Susu” Davenport Jr. quarterbacked Wyoming Godwin Heights to the playoffs as both a junior and then a senior last fall, making the MHSAA records with 2,414 yards and 25 touchdowns passing in 2016 and 2,173 yards passing last season. He also made the career passing yardage listing with 4,846 yards, with 259 more from his sophomore campaign. Teammate MarShawn Kneeland, a junior, was added to the records for 16 sacks and 26 tackles for loss this past season as well. Davenport will continue his career at Davenport University.
Reed City’s rush to its first Semifinal this past fall came in large part on the legs of junior Phillip Jones. His 266 total points ranked 11th for one season, and his 42 touchdowns tied for 11th. Jones also ran for 2,335 yards and 37 of those scores (tied for 11th-most rushing touchdowns), including six TDs in a game against Stanton Central Montcalm.
Milan’s Hunter Aeschbacker returned two kickoffs for touchdowns in his team’s 51-45 win over Carleton Airport on Oct. 13. The junior’s scoring sprints both came in the fourth quarter.
Dakota Knieper joined eight others who have recorded 99-yard rushing touchdowns, adding his against Hanover-Horton on Oct. 13. The Addison senior scored after an interception gave his team the ball inside its 1-yard line, and his sprint contributed to a 38-3 win that helped Addison clinch its first Cascades Conference title since 2008.
A trio of Homer quarterbacks from this decade were added in multiple categories. Alex White was added for 2,333 yards and 30 touchdown passes over 13 games in 2013, while Caleb Drumm was added for 2,400 yards and 33 TDs in 11 games in 2015 and Jordan Sherman was added for 2,237 yards and 30 TDs as well over 10 games this fall. White went on to play football and golf at Kalamazoo College.
Lawrence has been one of the top 8-player programs in Michigan since the sport began at the start of this decade, and a number of standouts were added for passing game accomplishments. Among throwers, Connor Murney now has the records for single-game (521) and single-season (3,236) passing yards, single-game (66) and single-season (276) passing attempts, single-game (40) and single-season (176) passing completions and he sits tied for the single-season passing touchdowns record of 45. Derek Gribler and Hunter Coombs also were added in multiple passing categories, Gribler most notably for 2,607 yards and 43 touchdowns in 2014 and Coombs for 2,179 yards and 33 TDs in 2015. Matthew Cammire, the go-to receiver in 2013 and 2014, moved to the top for career receiving yardage (2,832), career receptions (126) and career touchdowns (53) among other entries. Gribler and Jacob Alburtus also were added for single-game receiving accomplishments. Murney went on to play baseball at Olivet College, and Gribler plays baseball at Lake Michigan College.
Mayville senior Jackson Schenk earned the first entry for tackles for loss in the 8-player record book with 26 in the fall. The 6-foot-3, 245-pound defensive end had six in a Sept. 22 win over Burton Madison Academy to make the single-game list as well.
PHOTO: Ottawa Lake Whiteford lines up for a snap during last fall’s Division 8 Final at Ford Field.