Brown Earns Place All Over Record Book
May 14, 2019
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Madison Heights Madison senior quarterback Austin Brown guided his team to its first MHSAA championship game since 2006 this past fall, and leaves behind 13 record book entries.
Among the most notable from 2018 were 238 points, 37 rushing touchdowns and 2,358 passing yards. For his four-season varsity career – which began with two seasons at Detroit Catholic Central – Brown made the records with 384 passing completions, 670 attempts, 6,909 yards (13th most) and 77 passing TDs (tied for 10th most).
Teammate Chauncey Ernest was added for 40 sacks over the last two seasons including 22 (sixth most) this past fall, while senior Caelon Eason was added for 15 sacks in the fall and 2018 graduate Deron Hood Jr. was added for 15 in 2017. As a team, Madison Heights Madison made lists with 548 points, 5,740 yards and 73 touchdowns.
Brown will play football and baseball at Grand Valley State, while Ernest will continue his football career at Saginaw Valley State and Hood plays at Hocking College in Ohio.
See below for more recent record book entries for football, girls basketball and softball, and click on the sport headings to see those record books in full.
Football
Over the last three seasons and 29 games, Chase Brown put up some of the most impressive passing numbers in MHSAA history. The Comstock Park senior finished his high school career with 22 record book entries, including for 7,283 career passing yards (11th most), 869 career attempts (seventh), 542 completions (sixth) and 64 career touchdown passes. He will continue his career at Hope College.
Sand Creek senior Alec Muck capped his high school career in the fall among the highest-scoring players in state history with 72 total touchdowns and 452 points – the TDs broken down to 59 rushing, three receiving, five on kickoff returns, two on punt returns and three on interceptions returns over 34 games and most of four seasons. He also earned entries with a 100-yard interception return score against Climax-Scotts on Aug. 30 and two kickoff return touchdowns in the same game against Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central on Oct. 26. He will continue his career at Central Michigan University.
Waterford Mott quarterback David McCullum and receiver Tariq Hardy made their way into the record book on the first day of the 2017 season, as McCullum completed a 99-yard scoring pass to Hardy to tie the longest all-time.
Morrice’s march to its first football championship this past fall was highlighted by a number of top performances. The Orioles set the 8-player record for rushing touchdowns in a season at 65, to go with their 2015 record for most overall touchdowns in a season, 84. Morrice also had the second-most rushing yards for one fall, 3,721, despite playing just 12 games (one win was a forfeit). Quarterback Hunter Nowak made the list for single-season points (254) and career points (496 from 2016-18), the career touchdowns list with 75 and set the career rushing touchdowns record as well as all 75 came on the ground. Jake Rivers made the records 12 times, including for 1,020 yards and 18 touchdowns receiving as a senior in 2015. He scored 296 points that fall on 46 touchdowns (second all-time) and 430 points over his three-season career (the first playing 11-player). He also sits alone on the list for career kickoff return touchdowns with five. Quarterback Jake Hart was added for 30 touchdown passes in 2015, including six in a game against Kinde-North Huron. Rivers plays at OIivet College.
Girls Basketball
Maxine Moore and Kaela Webb finished their Detroit Country Day careers in 2018 tied for 14th for career wins after helping their team to a combined 96-11 record over four seasons. Moore now plays at Western Michigan, and Webb is continuing at Providence.
Over the course of five days in 2014, Morrice’s Courtney Wolf made the record book twice for sinking 16 free throws – first against Byron on Feb. 11 and then against Dryden on Feb. 15. Hannah Rothney also was added for making 15 free throws in a 2006 game against Perry. Chelsea Wesley was added for 15 steals in a 2010 game against Ashley, while Krystal Hiveley was added for 391 career steals over three seasons at Morrice (but not including her 2006 steals at Grand Blanc). Ashley Rothney was added to the career blocks list with 328 over four seasons from 2003-06. Ashley and Hannah Rothney both went on to play basketball and University of Northwestern Ohio, Courtney Wolf played at Lansing Community College, Wesley played at Schoolcraft College and Hiveley went on to play softball at Mott Community College.
Kent City set multiple 3-point shooting records during its run this winter to the Division 3 Regional Finals. The Eagles made a record 25 in a win over Holton on Jan. 18 on the way to setting the season record of 263 3-pointers in 815 attempts over 24 games. Individually, Zara Weber was added for 10 in that game, tying for eighth most, 87 total for the season (also tied for eighth all-time) and 166 over her three-year career. Sophomore Jenna Harrison was added for 75 3-pointers this season.
Softball
Almont’s Breanna Cleland was added for 16 doubles in 37 games as a senior in 2015. She played the last three seasons at University of Findlay.
Morrice’s Jamie Wesley was best-known for her basketball career at Michigan State, but she also owns multiple entries in the softball record book – including the most recently-added for 28 triples during her career from 1991-94. A number of other Orioles also were added to the records, including Jadyn Wood for 18 doubles in 2015, Taylor Hewitt for 11 home runs in 2017 and nine players for driving in at least six runs in one game – Mikera Patterson, Krystal Hiveley, Lorraine McNeill, Lea Ann Fox, Hannah Rothney, Lisa Grinbergs, Shelly Shaw, Trudy Gutting and Pat Carr.
PHOTO: Madison Heights Madison's Austin Brown prepares to unload a pass during November's Division 7 Final against New Lothrop.
Standouts Finish on Record Kicks
April 11, 2014
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Never underestimate the value of a talented kicker on a high school football team.
This season’s MHSAA Finals showed again just how much that unheralded player can contribute to a championship effort.
Birmingham Brother Rice senior Jason Alessi helped his team win its third straight Division 2 championship, tying the MHSAA single-season record with 16 field goals – on 18 attempts – and finishing second on the career list with 32 on 37 tries. He also made all 59 of his extra point attempts this fall and finished his career with 135 extra points total – good for sixth on that career list – including 122 straight, which is the second-longest streak of makes.
In Division 8, Muskegon Catholic Central junior Griffin Seymour helped his team to a championship season as well. He finished on a 72-straight extra point streak (fourth longest), with his 75 extra points total tied for the sixth-most for one season.
Theirs are among recent additions to the MHSAA online record books. Read on for details on more in football, baseball, boys basketball and volleyball.
Football
- Brother Rice quarterback Alex Malzone made single-season lists for completing 190 of 281 passes for 2,782 yards and 25 touchdowns, and receiver Corey Lacanaria made single-season (65 catches/1,111 yards) and career (115/1,883 from 2011-13) lists in those categories. Defensive end Jack Dunaway made the single-season sacks list with 15, and Alessi also joined a list of 10 who have returned a kick at least 95 yards for a touchdown, doing so from that distance against Toledo St. John’s Jesuit on Sept. 6. (Former Warriors Anthony Jackson, Joey Henry and Devin Church also were added to the longest kick return touchdown list).
- It took more than 50 years to find its way into the MHSAA record books, but Bob Bentley’s 99-yard kickoff return touchdown for Corunna against Elsie on Oct. 5, 1962, has been added and is the oldest listing for this record-setting distance.
- A number of Holland Christian offensive standouts were added in a variety of categories. Among highlights: Quarterback Ross Schreur was added to four single-season lists after completing 195 of 319 passes for 2,752 yards and 25 touchdowns in 2012, and Caleb VanderLugt was added after throwing six touchdown passes against Holland last season. Schreur also completed 32 of 45 passes against Zeeland West in a 2012 game for 497 yards – eighth on the single-game passing list. Kyle Steigenga had seasons with 18 and 17 touchdown receptions, and finished his career with those 35 scores in addition to 112 catches (and 2,048 yards) total.
- Grayling is on a run for five straight playoff appearances with three straight seasons of nine wins, and much of that success can attributed to a high-powered passing attack. Quarterback Jake Swander was added for his 2012, 2013 and career totals in four categories – he finished his career last fall with 392 completions in 720 attempts for 5,281 yards and 51 touchdown passes in two seasons. Zane Tobin completed 194 of 365 attempts for 2,664 yards and 28 TDs in 2011, and Zach Wolcott threw for 2,404 yards in 2009. Tyler McClanahan finished his three-year receiving career with 160 catches for 2,378 yards and 25 touchdowns, and Cody Myers had 144 catches for 2,140 yards from 2008-10.
Baseball
- Hale’s Kaydon Reimer is on his way to finishing his career this spring as one of the most hit batsmen in MHSAA history. He entered this season tied for 15th on the career hit-by-pitch list with 30. He made the single-season list in 2013 after getting hit by 15 pitches.
- Jackson High School ran like almost no team has before in MHSAA history, totaling the third-most stolen bases, 196, in 2013. The Vikings were led by Trevor Polewka, who had 46 steals to make the individual single-season list.
Boys Basketball
- Ann Arbor Rudolf Steiner and Adrian Lenawee Christian combined to make the second-most 3-pointers in a game in MHSAA history – 27 – on Feb. 24, 2012. Rudolf Steiner connected on 13 of its 17 3-point tries, and Lenawee Christian connected on 14 of 24 from behind the arc in going on to win the game 91-62.
Volleyball
- Teagan Reeves will graduate this spring as one of the top blockers in MHSAA history. The Three Rivers senior followed up her 236 blocks as a junior (third-most for a season during the rally scoring era) with 177 this fall. She finished with 622 blocks, third most on the rally-scoring career list.
- Onaway’s Mariah Ehrke will graduate as well this spring with multiple entries for kills. She made the single-season list with 592 this fall and finished on the career list with 1,419 over four seasons. Teammate Devin Bristley added 132 aces this fall to finish her three-season career with 310.
PHOTOS: Birmingham Brother Rice’s Jason Alessi (left) and Muskegon Catholic Central’s Griffin Seymour put up some of the most impressive kicking performances in MHSAA history in 2013. (Click to see more from High School Sports Scene.)