Century of School Sports: MHSAA Record Books Filled with 1000s of Achievements

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

September 25, 2024

Notable achievements cover only one chapter of 100 years of MHSAA history we are celebrating during the 2024-25 school year.

But few states tell this part of their story in as much detail as the MHSAA does through one of the nation’s most robust record books.

The first layers of the MHSAA record book go back to the Association’s early years. Track & Field Finals records from the first quarter-century of championship meets were listed in the appendix of Lewis L. Forsythe’s book “Athletics in Michigan High Schools – The First Hundred Years” published in 1950.

Of course, those were just the start.

The MHSAA record book today, housed on the “Records” pages for each sport of MHSAA.com, is rooted in the work of longtime historian Dick Kishbaugh, who served in that voluntary role until 1994 and after a half-century of compiling data. He was succeeded by current historian Ron Pesch, whose work over the last 40 years has brought significant structure to the record book at it has continued to expand, and whose research continues to fill in otherwise long-lost accomplishments.

All 28 sports for which the MHSAA sponsors postseason play have at least one section of a record book – with plans for adding several more sections as time allows. The amount of data can be mind-boggling. Our softball individual record book alone has more than 3,000 listings. We have team records listings as well for most sports, and several of our head-to-head sports have pages tracking our winningest coaches, and we update those every season. Nearly all of our sports have pages dedicated specifically to records from our Finals events as well – and in fact, some of our sports’ record books are completely derived from championship performances, where we know playing conditions are similar for all (like in track & field, where wind-aided times are not allowed).

As the MHSAA record book continued to evolve, it began to be patterned against the record book produced by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). That book was printed annually beginning with its 1978-79 edition and through 2010 before the NFHS lists went completely online at NFHS.org. The first NFHS printed record book touted having more than 50,000 listings, and several were from Michigan – including the first two photos, of Central Lake baseball player Doug Smith sliding into third base in 1977 and then the 1962 Grand Haven baseball team. While the MHSAA has added categories from time to time, generally what’s collected in Michigan reflected what’s collected nationally.

The MHSAA has played a significant role in the policy-making for the NFHS record book, primarily through the leadership of longtime communications director John Johnson during his multiple terms on the national record book committee. The criteria for adding records nationally – and by relation, to the MHSAA book – remains the same today.

Every potential record book listing is scrutinized. Almost always, candidates for the record book are submitted by an MHSAA member school. Most fill out an NFHS application linked on every record book page of this website, signed by a school administrator and the athlete involved. All applications must include documentation of the achievement – perhaps a box score for a single-game listing in softball, or the team’s season stats for a single-season accomplishment, or season stats for every season that athlete played for a career record.

Over the last decade, we’ve also received more video clips – often for something like a 99-yard football run – and a few full soccer games have been watched to make sure goalkeeper saves have been counted correctly.

We also will add record book listings based on media reports, which is especially helpful for achievements we hear about from decades ago. Yes, the MHSAA record books are living documents, and we frequently add accomplishments that take several years to get to us.

We are always eager to add to our collection of history. But it’s important to keep in mind that this is not an immediate process.

Submissions stack up quickly. We currently have 108 under consideration, and another 127 requiring additional documentation.

Additions generally are made during offseasons as we are most focused on our sports currently being played during the busiest months of the school year – and on the athletes making history for us to include as our record books continue to grow.

Previous "Century of School Sports" Spotlights

Sept. 18: Why Does the MHSAA Have These Rules? - Read
Sept. 10: 
Special Medals, Patches to Commemorate Special Year - Read
Sept. 4:
Fall to Finish with 50th Football Championships - Read
Aug. 28:
Let the Celebration Begin - Read

PHOTOS Clockwise from top left: (1) The lead-in to Track & Field Finals records listed in “Athletics in Michigan High Schools – The First Hundred Years” shows a few of the elite performances from our earliest meets. (2) Leland volleyball star Alisha Glass celebrates with her teammates; she still holds four MHSAA records in that sport. (3) Every day this school year, the MHSAA is posting a record on its Instagram and X social media channels, and the great majority took place on that specific day. (4) Brimley’s John Payment still holds the all-Finals record for high jump, 7-foot-1, from 1989. (Glass and Payment photos from MHSAA archives.)

Trenton Pair Scores Record Book Fame

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

August 9, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

McKenna Mahoney and Makenna Mascaro drove Trenton to the Division 2 Regional Finals in 2018, with a half-dozen reminders of that successful run now part of the MHSAA record book – including a listing for the best offensive season all-time.

Mahoney, a senior that spring, scored 64 goals – tying for second most in one season – and finished with an MHSAA record 89 points. She also made the single-season assists list in 2018 and finished her career with 112 goals over four seasons and 87 games. Mascaro was a junior in 2018 and made the single-season lists with 38 assists and 62 points, her assists tying for fifth most all-time.

Mahoney tied for the team lead in goals during her freshman season at Adrian College last fall, and Mascaro will join her there this season.

Click to see the girls soccer record book in full, and read on for more recent records additions in girls and boys basketball, football, boys lacrosse and softball. Click on those sports’ headings to see those record books in full.

Girls Basketball

Carly Hickey earned Gladwin’s first entry in the girls basketball record book when she grabbed 26 rebounds in a 58-49 District win over Pinconning on Feb. 27, 2017. Hickey was a senior at the time and just finished her second season at Mid Michigan College.

Boys Basketball

Mitchel Skym added to the list of top long-distance shooting games with 11 3-pointers in Corunna’s 68-51 win over Lake Fenton on Jan. 11. The Cavaliers’ senior made six 3-pointers during the first quarter, falling just one shy of tying that record.

Football

Grayling quarterbacks are listed all over the MHSAA record book, and Cam Summers took his place after setting school career passing yards and touchdown records from 2014-16. Summers capped his career completing 152 of 298 passes for 2,662 yards and 22 touchdowns as a senior, and he finished with 311 completions on 645 attempts for 5,597 yards and 52 touchdowns – amassing seven record book entries total – over three seasons.

West Bloomfield receiver Tre Mosley finished his three-season varsity career last fall among the all-time career leaders in three categories with 108 receptions, 2,001 receiving yards and 21 receiving touchdowns over 37 games. He is a freshman at Michigan State University. Mosley’s quarterback last season, then-junior C.J. Harris, was added to the records for his 2,001 passing yards over 12 games. Harris reportedly has committed to sign with Ohio University.

Gabe Ellis capped his Davison three-season varsity football career in 2017 with 26 tackles for loss that fall, tying for ninth most on that list. Ellis is continuing his career at Grand Valley State University.

Although their team eventually was defeated by Temperance Bedford on Sept. 25, 2015, Darryn Davis and Hunter Rison helped Ann Arbor Skyline mount a second-half comeback with single-game passing and receiving yardage performances that both made the records. Davis finished with 425 yards passing, completing 21 of 41 attempts. Rison finished with 12 catches for 339 yards, the yardage ranking fourth all-time. Rison played at Michigan State and Kansas State and reportedly will play this fall at Fullerton College in California, while Davis plays baseball at University of Toledo.  

Boys Lacrosse

A trio of Muskegon Reeths-Puffer athletes were added for single-game contributions over the course of a week during the 2016 season. Nick Schanhals had seven goals and 11 total points in his team’s 23-6 win over Comstock Park on May 5, 2016, and teammate Gavin Poulin was added for five assists in that game. Reeths-Puffer’s Jake Kovalcik was added for five assists the previous game, May 3 in an 18-2 win over Grand Rapids South Christian. All three were seniors that season.

Pontiac Notre Dame Prep senior Maximilian Stowe finished high school this spring with a highlight-filled season, making the record book eight times including for 68 goals, 48 assists and 116 points over 20 games. He also made single-game lists in all three categories with highs of seven goals, six assists and 12 points.

Softball

Erica Zandarski earned Three Oaks River Valley’s first entry in the softball record book with six RBI in an April 28, 2016 win over Niles Brandywine. She went on to play at Lake Michigan College.

PHOTO: Trenton’s McKenna Mahoney, right, jumps into the arms of teammate Makenna Mascaro during the 2018 season. (Photo courtesy of the Southgate News-Herald.)