Logo

Delacher Set Rockford Up for Success

April 13, 2018

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Hailey Delacher finished her high school volleyball career in the fall with 17 entries in the MHSAA record book – and as one of the most successful setters in state history.

Delacher’s 5,106 career assists over the last four seasons rank third since the beginning of rally scoring during the 2004-05 season. She added 1,310 assists as a senior to make the single-season list for the third time. She also bested her previous single-match MHSAA record by three with 70 in a five-set loss over Grand Rapids Christian on Nov. 9, her final high school match.

Delacher’s main hitter this past season was junior Lindsay Taylor, who made the records with 609 kills. Delacher will continue her volleyball career at Bradley University.

See below for more recent record book additions in volleyball and also boys lacrosse, boys tennis and wrestling. Click on the sport headings to view those record books in full.

Boys Lacrosse

Then-junior Alexander Bourgeois faced a number of shots for the Sterling Heights/Warren Mott United team last spring, totaling the fourth-most saves in MHSAA history with 250 over 13 games. He also was added to the records for a number of single-game performances, including 27 saves (tied for second most) against St. Clair on May 9, 2017.

Volleyball

Troy senior setter Kelsey Moeller and junior hitter Jessica Robinson enjoyed career nights Sept. 19 against Oxford. Moeller had 54 assists and Robinson 32 kills as their team won 28-26, 23-25, 25-11, 25-16. Both totals made single-match record book lists.

Boys Tennis

Hudsonville won all but two events (matches and tournaments) this fall and tied for 11th in Lower Peninsula Division 1 in part on the strength of four powerful doubles pairs that made the MHSAA record book – Brendan Bentley and Pierce Arangua (37-1) at No. 1, Nolan Perrin and Nick Beery (33-4) at No. 2, Bennett Elling and Evan Elling (36-2) at No. 3 and Bret Bentley and Chris Cooper (33-4) at No. 4. Bentley and Arangua’s win total is tied for seventh highest in MHSAA history, and Bentley finished his career 89-12 over three seasons of doubles; he was 24-6 playing singles as a junior. In addition to this season’s standouts, Bentley and Brandon McEachern were added for 28 wins in 2015, and the pairs of Riley Costen/Isaac Bylsma and Eric Hull/Jared VanNorman both were added for 27 wins that season. Trey Elling and Brendan Costen were added for 34 wins in 2013.

Okemos senior Karthik Kolisetty was added to the doubles career wins list with a 92-31 record over the last four seasons. He and partner Aditya Kandula won the No. 4 doubles title this fall in Lower Peninsula Division 2, helping the Chiefs to the overall team championship.

Traverse City St. Francis’ back-to-back third-place finishes at the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 4 Finals were keyed by a number of strong performances, especially in doubles. Ryan Navin, who finished his career in 2016, was added for the most career wins in doubles at 145 after capping his career with a 35-2 record with partner Joe Primeau that fall. (Navin and Jackson Richmond set the single-season doubles win record of 46 in 2014). Primeau was added for 109 doubles career wins after capping his career this past fall, and Jack Kleinrichert also made the doubles career wins list with 70 after going 38-4 this past season. Alex Thelen (35), Brendan Chouinard and Adam Chittle (37), Sean Navin (41), Luke Krcmarik and Charlie Schmude (36) and Tyler Tafelsky (39) also were added for single-season doubles wins coming off this past campaign. Richmond (30) joined Primeau/Ryan Navin, Sean Navin, Thelen, Chouinard and Kleinrichert with worthy single-season doubles totals in 2016. Primeau also was added for singles wins in one season after claiming 32 matches in the fall, and Nathan Sodini was added after winning 37.

Wrestling

Donte Rivera-Garcia was a three-time Division 1 Finals runner-up over the final three seasons of his four-year varsity career at Southgate Anderson, finishing with a 203-18 record to make the list for career wins. He competed for Muskegon Community College this season.

Blain Wood – the Division 3 112-pound runner-up in 2016 – capped his Caro career with 28 pins this winter and a career 207-27 record. Teammate DJ Daniels, this season’s Division 3 152 champ, also was added for season records of 59-4 and 58-2 over the last two, respectively. He had 43 pins this winter as a junior.

Three recent Birch Run graduates were added to the career wins list – Jerry Fenner (210-18 from 2012-15), Caleb Slavik (200-38 from 2009-12) and Lake Bennett (199-32 from 2010-13). Fenner is wrestling at Ashland University in Ohio, and Bennett is competing at Olivet College.

Marysville senior Doug Ferrier finished his four-season career with 117 pins in 213 matches. He wrestled his final three seasons with the Vikings after competing for Port Huron as a freshman, and had a high of 31 pins as a junior. He was the Division 2 runner-up at 152 pounds this season.

PHOTO: Rockford’s Hailey Delacher celebrates a point during the 2016 Class A Final against Novi at Battle Creek’s Kellogg Arena.

Softball Streaks Continue into 2014

March 31, 2014

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Softball season is on the verge of starting as the snow continues to melt and fields dry out this week.

And as games begin, we’ll be keeping an eye on a pair of standouts carrying two of the longest hitting streaks in MHSAA history – including one chasing the national record.

Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart senior Sara Hansen, also a star of the Irish’s Class D basketball championship run, is carrying an 82-game hitting streak that ranks second nationally and began May 9, 2011. She’s chasing the NFHS record of 103 straight games with a base hit.

Hayley Reitsma of Grand Rapids Christian is carrying a 34-game hitting streak into this season – her streak is third longest in MHSAA history.

She also made the MHSAA record book lists recently for 19 doubles as a sophomore, and needs only three more to qualify for the career doubles list.

Below are other recent additions to the MHSAA record listings. Click on the headings for all records for those respective sports.

Softball

  • Fremont’s McKenze Supernaw won 101 games and struck out 1,262 batters over a varsity career spanning 2009-12. Both totals were added to MHSAA career lists – the career strikeouts rank 12th – as were her 14 strikeouts in a five-inning game in 2012 and 20 in a seven-inning Regional win over Cadillac in 2011. Supernaw currently plays second base and shortstop at Grand Valley State University.
  • Sault Ste. Marie’s Megan Jean finished her career last spring as one of the state’s most accomplished power hitters, with seven entries including three for back-to-back home runs and two more for six and seven RBI in single games, respectively. Her 14 home runs in 2013 tied for 10th on that single-season list, and her 23 over three seasons tied for 14th on the career list.
  • Midland made the team single-season doubles list with 67 last spring, including 15 from Jenni Wontorcik – who made the career list with 35 over her three varsity seasons. She hit .470 in 2013 to lead the team in average as well.

Boys Basketball

  • Portland St. Patrick’s Ryan Wilcox scored 23 points during the second quarter of his team’s 74-55 win over Saranac on Dec. 9, 2011. He made four 3-pointers among eight field goals total during the period, and finished the game with 39 points. His points tied for ninth-most for one quarter.

Girls Lacrosse

  • Caledonia’s Helene Miller became the first in MHSAA history to reach the 375-save minimum for listing under career saves. She has 449 after her first three seasons.

Girls Soccer

  • Frankenmuth gave up nine or fewer goals last spring for the fourth time in nine seasons. Keeper Claire Carter finished with 14 shutouts to make the single-season list in that category and go with her 17 from 2012.

Football

  • Linden 2013 graduate Shaye Brown entered MHSAA record listings for passing yards in a season (twice) and career, passing attempts in a season and completions in a single game (three times), and passing touchdowns in a season and career. Over his two varsity seasons, Brown completed 413 of 641 passes for 5,672 yards and 53 touchdowns. His career yardage ranks 16th.  Also, teammate Ben Armstrong became the second to reach the 40-sack minimum for that career list, finishing his three-year varsity run with 44.
  • Westland John Glenn senior Devon Spalding ran for the third-most yards in MHSAA history on Oct. 4 when he carried his team to a 49-40 win over Livonia Churchill. Spalding totaled 491 rush yards – 38 off the record – on just 26 carries. He also scored six touchdown on the ground to make the list in that category. Below is video of his fifth touchdown that night.

PHOTO: Fremont's McKenze Supernaw fires a pitch during her high school career that ended in 2012. She finished with 101 wins and 1,262 strikeouts. (Photo courtesy of Fremont High School.)