Cepo Sets Up Teammates at Record Pace

April 10, 2018

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

For the second straight season this past fall, Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central sophomore Zachary Cepo tallied 48 assists – tying the MHSAA record he set in 2016 as a freshman.

He’s also put together a career-full of assists – with two more years to play.

His 96 career assists already rank fifth all-time, and Cepo also finished 2017 with 71 points to push his career total in that category to 129.

See below for more recent record book updates in boys and girls soccer and softball, and click on the sport headings to view those record books in full.

Boys Soccer

Midland Dow senior goalkeeper Kyle Hop had a string of 10 straight shutouts from Sept. 25-Oct. 21 this past season and finished the fall with 18 shutouts – tied for fourth most in MHSAA history. That string of 10 straight and 19 overall for the Midland Dow also made team record book lists, as did its 108 goals in finishing 21-4-1.

Comstock’s Evan Veenhuis earned four entries for his work in the fall, starting with six goals in his team’s win over Niles Brandywine on Sept. 13. Veenhuis also was added for 52 goals and 62 points over 22 games, and he’s on the career points list as well with 121 over his first three years on varsity and with one more to play.

Brooklyn Columbia Central junior Micah Sonnenberg added a pair of season and career entries to his previous two for goals in a game from 2016. Sonnenberg had 45 goals this past fall to make the single-season list, and his 101 goals are on the career list with one more season to play. He also had 60 points in the fall and has 130 total to make the season and career lists, respectively, in that category.


Girls Soccer

Cadillac’s Alexus Little capped her three-year varsity career last spring with a pair of goal-scoring entries. Her 35 goals in 2017 made the single-season list, as did her career total of 80 from 2015-17. She finished with 111 points total.

Softball

A trio of Vicksburg four-year standouts graduated last spring with their accomplishments all over the MHSAA record book. Shaidan Knapp capped her career with 13 entries, including for 247 runs scored (fifth all-time), 234 hits, 63 doubles (10th all-time), 20 triples, 25 home runs, 173 RBI and 95 walks drawn. Teammate Carlie Kudary was added for her 189 runs and 223 career hits, plus a 37-game hitting streak in 2016 that is tied for fifth longest in MHSAA history. Grace Stock made career lists with 179 runs, 224 hits, 55 doubles and 195 RBI – those RBI rank 11th all-time. Knapp is continuing her career at Central Michigan University, while Kudary is playing at University of Missouri-St. Louis and Stock is playing at Calvin College.

Mattawan celebrated the final campaign for three record-setting four-year seniors last spring with one of the most impressive offensive runs in MHSAA history. The Wildcats, who finished 32-8 in 2017, set an MHSAA record with 126 doubles, while their 492 hits total ranked 10th, their 46 home runs ranked sixth, their 348 RBI came in ninth and their .437 batting average is tied for ninth all-time. Joanna Bartz, Alexis Taube and Meaghan Markus left their marks all over the records as well. Bartz had 75 hits and 22 doubles last season and 229 hits, 54 doubles, 29 home runs and 194 RBI over her career. Taube had 71 hits, 20 doubles and 13 homers last season and 42 doubles, 30 homers and 164 RBI for her career. Markus had 41 doubles and 23 homers over her career to go with a single-season 11 home runs in 2016. Junior Emily Koperdak also was added for her 21 doubles last spring. Bartz is now playing at Michigan State, with Taube at Kent State.

Byron’s Parker Viele capped her career last spring with five record book entries, including for 56 career doubles and 29 career triples over 143 games. She also had two single-season marks for doubles and another for career pitching strikeouts. She’s playing at Lake Erie College in Ohio.

Mercede Daugherty capped her Watervliet career in 2017 with eight record book entries, including for 48 career doubles, 24 career home runs and 157 career RBI over three seasons and 104 games. She’s continuing her career at Trine University.

Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard’s Julia Kennedy has entered her senior season this spring with 33 career home runs, 16 off the record, and with a career-high of 18 as a sophomore in 2016. Her total that season is tied for sixth-highest in one season, and she’s already tied for 15th on the career list. She will continue her career after high school at Miami University (Ohio). 

PHOTO: Monroe St. Mary's Zach Cepo surveys the field during a game last season. (Photos courtesy of Monroe News.) 

Summerfield Surges All Over Diamond

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

January 8, 2020

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Petersburg Summerfield earned its first MHSAA Finals baseball championship in 2019 thanks to timely hitting and pitching and with plenty of valuable base-running mixed in – and all three at record book-caliber levels.

The Bulldogs made the MHSAA team record book with a .350 batting average, 166 stolen bases and 1.29 ERA over 32 games. Now-senior Derek Clark was added to the individual listings for 52 stolen bases and a 0.20 ERA – his ERA the seventh-lowest for one season.

Clark also was added for 45 steals in 2018 and has committed to continue his career at Northwood University.

See below for more recent record book additions in baseball, girls basketball and 8-player football.

Baseball

On June 2, 2018, Muskegon Orchard View’s Chase Keller became the first pitcher statewide since 2013 to throw consecutive no-hitters. His 7-0 win over Howard City Tri County followed a 13-0, five-inning win May 29 against Grant. Keller is a senior this school year.

Zach Butters closed his Homer career last spring on career records lists for runs scored (161), RBI (140) and ERA (1.15) over four seasons with another single-season entry as well in that category (1.01). Teammate Jacob Wilson also was added for a season ERA of 0.74 and sits on the career list at 0.91 after three years with the varsity. As a team in 2019, Homer made the records hitting .359, with a top-ranking 69 sacrifices and 1.60 ERA. He’s playing next for Glen Oaks Community College.

Croswell-Lexington’s Joey Johnston finished his four-year varsity career in the spring on career lists with 46 doubles and a 1.49 ERA over 221 1/3 innings pitched. He also made the single-season doubles list with 20 as a junior. He’s continuing his career at Northwood University.

Brett Sikorski finished his Bronson career last spring on four MHSAA career lists, with 161 runs, 194 hits and 48 doubles over four seasons and 152 games. His hits tied for 14th most, and he’s tied for 16th on the doubles list. Sikorski also was added for a 0.98 ERA over 86 innings in going 11-3 on the mound as a senior. He’s continuing at Kalamazoo Valley Community College.

Wyatt Rush posted a 0.69 ERA with five shutouts for Grand Ledge as a senior in 2017, making MHSAA records lists in both categories and also with a 0.96 ERA over 146 innings and three seasons. Recent Comets graduate Aaron West also was added after finishing his three-season varsity run last spring with a .460 career batting average. Grand Ledge as a team was added for a 1.50 ERA in 2019. Rush began his college career at Lansing Community College and now plays at Michigan State, and West will continue at Grand Rapids Community College.

Girls Basketball

Four decades after grabbing 40 rebounds in a District win over Belding, Ionia’s Mary Fox received her due for an MHSAA single-game record. She grabbed those 40 rebounds and scored 28 points in the Bulldogs’ 65-52 victory on Nov. 27, 1979.

Fowlerville made the single-game lists for 3-pointers attempted and made against Lansing Eastern on Jan. 25, 2018, connecting on 14 of 43 attempts. The Gladiators won 77-37, with Grace Wallace making a team-high four 3-pointers.

Kent City’s Jenna Harrison wasted little time earning a record book entry this season. The junior made nine 3-pointers to help her team past Comstock Park 51-48 in its season opener Dec. 3.

8-Player Football

Felch North Dickinson senior Cameron Schultz enjoyed a career receiving night Aug. 29 against Eben Junction Superior Central. He made 8-player lists with 234 yards and five touchdowns through the air, although his team fell 52-40. Schultz ended the season with 1,043 yards receiving on 52 catches over nine games – good for the fourth-most receiving yards in 8-player history.

PHOTO: Summerfield’s Mark Keller rounds second base during his team’s Division 4 championship game win over Saginaw Nouvel last June.