Brothers Shine as Baseball Aces

April 2, 2014

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Remus Chippewa Hills baseball was in good hands over the last six seasons – those of brothers Erik and Jake Tarbell.

The pair combined to go 76-15 on the mound with 774 strikeouts from the start of Erik’s career in 2008 to the close of Jake’s last spring.

Total, Erik Tarbell finished 37-7 with a 1.68 ERA and 371 strikeouts from 2008-11, while Jake Tarbell finished 39-8 with a 1.61 ERA and 403 strikeouts from 2010-13. Erik now plays for NAIA Union College in Kentucky, while Jake is beginning his first season with Delta College.

Their career marks plus a pair of individual accomplishments were among those added to MHSAA record book listings Wednesday. Read on for more, including some top softball hitters, a 2,000-point basketball scorer, and another who frequently found the goal – with a soccer ball.  

Baseball

  • Saline’s three straight Division 1 runner-up seasons from 2008-10 included a number of strong performances from three-year varsity players Mark Weist and Al Zeiher. Weist in 2010 tied for the second-most hits in one season, with 78, and eighth-most doubles with 22. He also hit eight triples and .595 for the spring, finishing his career with a .492 average – to make record listings for all five categories. Zeiher pitched to a 0.45 ERA that season and 1.01 ERA over his three – his career ERA ranks ninth on that list. Saline as a team hit 93 doubles (tied for sixth), 22 triples (second) and carried a .385 average. Also, Gage Hammond was added to the record book for his nine triples in 2012.
  • A trio of Gobles standouts finished their careers in 2013 with totals that made the MHSAA record lists. Seth Johnson finished his four-year varsity run with a .488 career average, 164 runs, 45 doubles, 25 home runs and 167 RBI. Teammate Cam Hansen also made the career runs list with 167, and Ty Rock made the career shutouts list with 10.

Girls Basketball

  • Alissa Herlan finished a four-year varsity career at Coldwater in 2012 with 173 3-pointers – good for 16th on the career list. She connected on 67 as a senior to make the single-season list as well.

Boys Basketball

  • There have been 35 players who have scored at least 2,000 points during their careers, and Spencer Krannitz is the latest to be added to the list. The 2012 North Muskegon graduate scored 2,008 points from 2009-12. He now plays at Central Michigan University.
  • The Dec. 4, 2012, game between East Jordan and Mancelona was one for the record books – literally – as the teams combined for 21 3-pointers and East Jordan alone made 17 in an 82-70 victory. East Jordan’s Joe Manville was the game’s top sharp-shooter with six 3-pointers, all coming over the final three quarters.
  • Chesaning’s Josh Kunik found the basket frequently from all over the floor during his high school career that ended in 2013. But he was especially dangerous from the free-throw line as a senior, making 89 of 98 attempts from the stripe for a .908 percentage – good for sixth all-time for a single season.

Boys Soccer

  • Leland’s Dylan Jolliffe led his team on its second trip to the MHSAA Division 4 Semifinals in 2012, scoring 65 goals that season – good for fourth-most in MHSAA history. He scored 40 as a junior, also making that single-season list, and finished his career with 145 to tie for sixth on the career list. He currently plays at Kalamazoo College.

Softball

  • Tawas’ Ivy Schaaf finished her varsity career in 2013 with 34 doubles, 20 home runs and 197 runs scored during her four seasons, including 10 home runs as a junior. All made MHSAA record listings, with the 197 runs ranking 18th. Teammates Jordyn Look and Amber Yates also made the lists with 18 doubles in a season and 39 career doubles, respectively. Tawas as a team was added for 385 hits, 80 doubles and 250 RBI, all from last spring. Schaaf is playing at Western Michigan University this season.
  • Swartz Creek’s Hayley Cruthers finished her career last season with a number of season and career totals ranking among the top 20 in MHSAA history in their respective categories. Among them was a 35-game hitting streak that tied for second longest, 256 career hits (fifth), 212 career runs (11th), 72 career doubles (tied for second) and 31 career home runs (11th). She’s playing at Ball State University this season. Swartz Creek as a team hit 77 doubles last season to make that list.

PHOTO: Remus Chippewa Hills' Jake Tarbell prepares to unleash a pitch during his team's Quarterfinal game against Mount Pleasant in 2013. (Click to see more from High School Sports Scene.)

Scane's Scoring Provides Lofty Goal for Future Stars

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

May 11, 2021

Isabelle Scane finished her four-season varsity girls lacrosse career in 2018 with a pair of records that may not be challenged for some time.

The Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood standout scored 461 goals – 52 more than the next highest scorer on that list – and her 577 career points over 93 games are 54 more points than the rest of the list. She also finished with 116 career assists to rank eighth in that stat category.

Scane has continued her career at Northwestern and earned All-America honors as a sophomore.

Click to see the girls lacrosse record book in full, and see below for more recent additions for baseball, 8-player football and softball.

Baseball

Muskegon Mona Shores grad Austin Flowers capped his career in 2018 with a .390 batting average – and added significantly to his ability to get on base by being hit by pitches 21 times. That total ranks sixth for one season in MHSAA history.

8-player football

Colon’s quest to finish undefeated and win the 2019 Division 1 championship saw the Magi set an 8-player record with 91 touchdowns. Their 59 rushing touchdowns ranked third all-time, and they also made the list with the second-most interceptions for an 8-player season, with 20. Senior Austin Stoll was added for kicking 51 extra points over his 12 games. 

Au Gres-Sims quarterback Caden Zeien can be found all over the passing record book for both 11 and 8-player football after a four-year career that saw him lead teams in both formats. He’s among career 11-player leaders with 430 completions, 748 attempts, 5,906 yards and 72 touchdowns over 28 games and the 2015-17 seasons. After his program switched to 8-player in 2018, Zeien capped his career making single-season lists with 2,125 yards and 36 touchdowns through the air over 12 games. Zeien is playing now at Alma College.

Portland St. Patrick’s run to the 8-player Division 2 championship game this season saw the Shamrocks score 85 touchdowns, second-most in 8-player history, led in part by 35 passing TDs by quarterback Connor Cross. Scoring tosses made up nearly 37 percent of his passes, and 18 of those scores were to senior Zach Spitzley, who caught 30 passes overall for the season but for 1,047 yards. Along with Cross’ scoring passes, Spitzley’s yards and receiving TDs made the record book as did his 1,721 yards and 24 touchdowns over three years playing offense and four on varsity overall. The Shamrocks also made the list four times for holding teams to five or fewer first downs in a game – tying the record by allowing two Sept. 27. Cross will be a senior this fall.

Mayville senior Jacob Miller capped his career last fall with a pair of 8-player record accomplishments, with 30 tackles for loss for the season and nine in a game against Genesee. Teammate Jeffrey Frost also was added to a career record list with the third-most touchdown receptions, 33 over 39 games and four seasons.

Bridgman earned the first entry for come-from-behind victory for 8-player on Oct. 23. The Bees came back from a late second-quarter 47-0 deficit to defeat Wyoming Tri-unity Christian 54-53 in overtime.

Clay Ayers became the first to be listed in the 8-player record book for both extra points in a game and consecutive during one game, making 10 of 10 in Adrian Lenawee Christian’s 78-14 playoff win over Mayville on Nov. 6. Ayers was a junior this season.

Softball

From 2013-19, Unionville-Sebewaing won three Division 4 championships and finished Division 3 runner-up twice – and with that run came a number of totals eligible for record book placement. Individually, 2019 grad Rylee Zimmer was added for 71 hits and 11 home runs that season, and 39 career doubles over three seasons. Katelyn Englehardt, a senior in 2018, was added for 22 doubles that season and 33 over three years on varsity, while now-senior Brynn Polega was added for 20 doubles in 2019 and 2014 grad Stephanie Neuman was added for 18 doubles her junior season. As a team, USA is listed 33 times for achievements over the years; the most impressive of those added recently might have been 421 runs scored over 42 games in 2013, 100 doubles (seventh most) over 40 games in 2018, 365 RBI (eighth most) over 42 games in 2013 and 30 shutouts (fifth most) over 41 games in 2014. Neuman went on to play at Ferris State, Zimmer plays volleyball at Saginaw Valley State and Polega will continue next season at Northwood.

PHOTO: Cranbrook Kingswood’s Isabelle Scane is introduced before the start of the 2018 Division 2 championship game.