Brown City Standout Joins Spiking Elite

June 29, 2017

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Brown City senior Becki Krause finished off a celebrated three-season varsity career with a memorable run last fall, leading her team to its first Class C championship game and a runner-up finish.

Her 36 kills in a Semifinal win over Adrian Madison made the MHSAA record book single-match list, and she made the single-season kills list as well with 661 total. Brown City finished 45-9-6 after also advancing to the Semifinals in 2015.

Read on for another recent volleyball record book entry plus more additions in baseball, boys and girls basketball, football, girls soccer, softball and wrestling, and click on the headings to see those record books in full.

Baseball

Three straight no-hitters during the final weeks of the 1973 season earned Robert Nowotny from tiny Carsonville a paragraph in the Detroit Free Press and a shared MHSAA record for most consecutive no-hitters. His came over Kingston, Peck and Kinde North Huron.

Boys Basketball

Powers North Central rewrote the record book section for victories over the last four seasons, breaking its previous records by going 56-0 over the last two and 83-0 over the last three while also setting the record (that remains active) with an 83-game winning streak through this past season’s Class D Final. Standout senior Jason Whitens finished his career on record book lists for 2,062 points, 770 rebounds, 601 assists and 264 steals and set a record for 109 varsity games played. His career assists rank fifth all-time. He will continue his career at Western Michigan University.

Girls Basketball

Kelsey Wyman and Brooke Henning finished successful four-season varsity careers this winter by leading Blissfield to a 23-3 record and run to the Class C Quarterfinals. Wyman made the records with 175 assists and 578 (eighth all-time) for her career, while Henning made lists for 25 rebounds in a game twice, 402 this season (seventh all-time) and 303 as a junior, and 1,007 rebounds for her career. Wyman will continue at Ferris State, and Henning will play softball at Grand Valley State.

Football

A trio of Frankenmuth kickers entered the MHSAA record book, led by recent graduate Jack Lee after he made all 54 extra points he attempted last fall. Aaron Krafft was added to the career list for 76 extra-point kicks during the 2013-14 seasons, and Bryce Frahm joined Lee on the single-season list with 47 PATs in 2012. Running back Kyle Raycraft also was added for tying the longest rush with his 99-yarder against Caro in 2003. Lee will play soccer this season at Calvin College.

Frankfort junior Griffin Kelly also was added for a 99-yard run, for a score on Sept. 16 against Mancelona. He scored twice more that game, including on a 75-yard reception.

Girls Soccer

Christina Wynn led Trenton on an impressive run over her four-year career that ended this spring with 55 shutouts, good to tie for seventh most all-time, and with three entries for single-season shutouts including a high of 18 as a junior. Her Trenton teams earned five record book entries, most notably for 145 goals (fifth most all-time) this spring and an 18-game shutout run in 2016 that set an MHSAA record. Junior Sara Vinca also was added for her 33 goals this season.

Morgan McKerchie capped a three-season varsity career at Flint Powers Catholic with 34 assists in 2014 to finish with 72 – both earned record-book listings, as did teammate Heather Rolls’ 18 shutouts in 2012. Powers also made the team shutouts list with that total that season, and for giving up only eight goals in 21 games in 2014. McKerchie plays at Michigan State and Rolls went on to play at Georgetown.

Softball

Kelsie Swanson finished up a four-year varsity career at Flint Powers Catholic with a number of entries, mostly for career accomplishments – a .529 average, 198 runs, 244 hits (tied for 12th most), 55 doubles (including 21 as a senior) and 28 triples. She started this season for Oakland University.

Volleyball

Madison Dowd had 59 assists for Bloomfield Hills Marian in its four-set win over rival Farmington Hills Mercy last Sept. 15, good to tie for ninth-most assists in a match. A sophomore, Dowd finished the season with 1,434 assists, 15th-most all-time.

Wrestling

Longtime Blanchard Montabella coach Shaun Balhorn was added to the career wins list as his total went over 400 this past winter. Balhorn has led Montabella to a 409-192 record since taking over in 1997-98, with a high of 33 wins in 2003-04.

PHOTO: Brown City’s Becki Krause winds up for a kill attempt during last season’s Class C Semifinal against Adrian Madison. 

P-W, Spitzley Shine with Record Range

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

May 22, 2018

Three-point shooting played a big part in Pewamo-Westphalia’s run to the Class C Girls Basketball Semifinals this winter, led by senior guard Emily Spitzley.

She has been added to the MHSAA record book for 71 3-pointers this season and 165 over her four-season career. As a team, the Pirates made the list with 489 3-point attempts this winter – and tied for sixth all-time with 190 3-pointers made over 26 games.

Spitzley will continue her career at Grand Valley State University.

Click to see where she ranks in the girls basketball record book, and read on for more recent record book additions in baseball, boys basketball, girls soccer, softball, boys tennis and wrestling. Click on the headings to see those record books in full.

Baseball

Frankfort’s 36-1 season in 2017 included a pair of team accomplishments that rank among the best all-time. The Panthers finished with a 1.07 team ERA, good for fifth on that list, and with Jack Morrow (0.97) and Kirk Myers (1.07) making the individual record book. Additionally, Frankfort hit .361, and Brett Zimmerman was added for being hit with 16 pitches. All three players are seniors this spring. Morrow will continue his career at Albion College, while Zimmerman will play at Wayne State.

North Adams-Jerome had a busy first inning May 1 against Litchfield, scoring 27 runs. And junior Gabriele Voisin played a record-setting part. He was hit with pitches all four plate appearances in the inning to double up the previous record for HBP in one frame.

Boys Basketball

Thanks to an alum’s observation this spring, Benton Harbor’s 1964-65 Class A championship team was added for scoring 97.1 points per game – good for the second-highest average in MHSAA history. The Tigers scored more than 100 points in seven games, with a high of 120 on the way to finishing 23-0.

Mio freshman Drew Hess opened his high school career this winter with multiple achievements worthy of record book mention. He drilled 81 3-pointers in helping his team to the Class D Regional Finals, and also made 85 percent of his free throw attempts to rank on that list.

Girls Soccer

A pair of Grosse Ile standouts capped their careers in 2016 among the most accomplished in state history. Caroline Fleming had 39 goals and 28 assists as a senior to finish with 121 goals, 101 assists and 222 points over four years – her career assists rank third all-time and her career points are fourth. Keeper Olivia Reckley added 18 shutouts for a career total of 72, which ranks second on that all-time list. Lindsay Miles, now a senior, had 25 assists that spring of 2016. As a team, Grosse Ile was added for scoring 150 goals, giving up only nine and tallying 20 shutouts on the way to the Division 3 Semifinals. Fleming plays at Adrian College, and Reckley plays at Wellesley College in Massachusetts.

Softball

Muskegon Reeths-Puffer junior MaKayla Thompson earned a record-book entry against one of the state’s best teams April 12. Thompson made the list for most strikeouts in an extra-inning game, fanning 26 against Muskegon Oakridge, which is ranked No. 8 in Division 2 this week. Thompson struck out 12 of the 14 batters she faced after the seventh inning of her team’s 4-3 win. She has committed to continue her career after high school at Kent State University.

Madelin Skene has earned 10 entries in the MHSAA record book and will move up at least two career lists when this season is done. Among the Hartland senior’s accomplishments were nine RBI in one game against Clarkston last season, 10 home runs as both a sophomore and junior, 27 career home runs entering this spring and 150 career RBI with a season to play as well. Senior teammate Brianna Robeson was added for 71 hits in 2017 and a 29-game hitting streak stretching over the end of her sophomore season and most of her junior year. Senior Hannah Mourad had home runs in three straight at bats this May 16 against Brighton, and senior Delanie Grundman was added for homers in consecutive at bats against Grand Blanc on April 25; 2016 graduate Delaney Greene also was added multiple times for homers in consecutive at bats. As a team, Hartland was added nine times including for 427 hits and 303 RBI in 2017 and 76 doubles in 2015. Skene will continue her career at University of Michigan-Dearborn, Robeson will play at Hillsdale College, Grundman has signed with Northwood and Greene plays for Cleary University.

Boys Tennis

Midland Dow tied for second in Lower Peninsula Division 2 in the fall on the strength of another group of record setters. Junior Tyler Conrad made the singles single-season wins list with a 34-5 record, and he’ll carry 39 career wins of 6-0, 6-0 and 23 career tournament victories into his final season. On the doubles side, Aditya Middha and Saketh Kamaraju both were added for 36 wins in 2017, with Gopal Parthasarathy and Daniel Zhang tallying 31. Zhang finished his four-year career with 109 doubles wins and 19 doubles tournament championships. Ryan Killmaster was added for 93 doubles wins over four seasons, with Noah Nichols making the career list with 88, Parthasarathy with 85 and Middha with 71.

Wrestling

Gaylord’s Derek Giallombardo capped his high school career this winter with a Division 2 championship at 125 pounds and three entries in the record book. He was added to the single-season wins list for going 59-4 as a junior and 58-3 as a sophomore, and to the career wins list at 207-14. He will continue his career at Ohio University. 

PHOTO: Pewamo-Westphalia’s Emily Spitzley (32) passes to a teammate during the Class C Semifinal against Detroit Edison at Calvin College.