Dow Duo Rises to Top in Doubles
April 4, 2014
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Midland Dow’s fifth straight MHSAA championship in the fall was keyed by another outstanding group of veterans who have grown up winning in the program – including the most successful doubles players in MHSAA history.
Senior Jason Chang finished with the most career doubles wins (139), most consecutive doubles wins (50) and most tournament championships (37), while his No. 1 doubles partner and senior Vikram Shanker will graduate second to his teammate with 132 doubles wins including 42 straight and 36 tournaments won.
A number of other Dow standouts were added to the MHSAA boys tennis record listings. Senior Patrick Eschbach finished his career with 116 doubles wins and 21 tournaments won, and senior Julian Guerra finished tied for 10th with 119 singles career wins including 25 not giving up a point. Sophomore Michael Szabo and freshman Varun Shanker also made the single-season singles wins list, with senior Seamus Bartlett, junior Daniel Magno and sophomores Spencer Bouck and Colin Angell adding entries under the single-season doubles list.
Guerra became the sixth to win four MHSAA singles titles, and Chang became the first to win four in doubles. Click to see the MHSAA boys tennis record book, and read on for more recent entries for other sports.
Volleyball
- Warren Mott’s Katie Murphy finished her four-year varsity career in 2009 as the top blocker in her school’s history – and now with all of the MHSAA’s blocks records as well. She had games with 27, 21 and 20 blocks as a senior (solo and assisted blocks combined), 343 total that fall, and 867 for her career – 187 more than the next highest entry during the rally scoring era. She finished her college career in the fall for Samford University in Alabama.
- Michigan Center’s Elora Pittman capped her high school career in the fall with a big blocking season as well. She made MHSAA record lists five times for single-match blocks – including a season-high of 16 in a District Semifinal win over Hanover-Horton – and also made the season blocks list with 175 total, to tie for 15th.
- Trenton’s Aevah Hebda also joined the single-match blocks list, against Wyandotte Roosevelt on Oct. 1. She had 13 over five games, to tie for 11th most, and added 26 kills in the win.
- Traverse City St. Francis advanced to an MHSAA Final in 2012 for the first time keyed by a pair of standouts who are now listed a combined five times. Setter Kaitlyn Hegewald had 46 assists in a five-game Class C Semifinal win over Unionville-Sebewaing and also made the season aces and career assists lists – her 3,205 assists over three seasons rank 13th during the rally scoring era. Hitter Bridget Bussell also made the single-season aces list and the single-season list for kills with 580.
- Utica Eisenhower’s Hailee Seifert made the single-match aces list with 10 in a two-set win over Holly at the Goodrich Invitational on Sept. 28. She also had seven kills and five digs in that match, and Eisenhower went on to win the tournament.
- Flushing coach Shawn Andrews has been added to the career victories list with a record after this season of 596-243-34. She has led her teams to nine straight league championships – with 65 straight league wins dating to Feb. 2, 2006 – and this fall to a 32-16-5 overall finish.
Football
- Novi’s Derek Ince had quite a game against Livonia Stevenson on Sept. 9, 2011, and more to the point, quite a first half. He entered the MHSAA record book for throwing five touchdown passes over the first two quarters of his team’s 49-13 win and finished having completed 15 of 22 passes for 338 yards and those five scores.
Girls Basketball
- Carson City-Crystal junior Mikayla Duflo has been one of the state’s top 3-point shooters over the last two seasons as the Eagles have ascended to Class C elite. She made the MHSAA listings with 68 3-pointers during her sophomore season of 2012-13.
Boys Soccer
- Kian Evans entered the single-season assists list with 26 this fall in leading Milan to its first District title and first appearance in a Regional Final. He had three assists in four games and a string of five straight games with at least two assists.
PHOTO: Midland Dow’s Vikram Shanker (left) and Jason Chang hold the Division 2 championship trophy after winning No. 1 doubles to help the Chargers claim their fifth straight MHSAA team title. (Click to see more from High School Sports Scene.)
Leslie's Storr Takes Down MHSAA Record
May 4, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Kanen Storr began his varsity career with a 58-0 record as a freshman in 2012-13 and finished with a 58-0 record this winter in winning his third MHSAA individual championship for Leslie.
Along the way, Storr also joined the MHSAA career wins list with a final 227-3 record and set a career takedowns record with 1,185.
The Iowa State University recruit also made career lists with 1,223 team points, 146 pins and 126 two-point near falls. His championships came at 103 pounds as a freshman, 135 as a junior and 145 during this final high school season.
Click to see where he ranks in all categories of the MHSAA wrestling record book, and see below for more recent record book additions for baseball, girls and boys basketball and boys soccer.
Baseball
Jackson’s Trevor Polewka finished his high school career in 2015 with a second single-season entry for stolen bases, with 51, and now the fifth spot on the career stolen bases list with 147 over four varsity seasons. He plays currently at Kellogg Community College.
Karyssa Austin made the MHSAA records with 71 3-pointers in 183 tries over 20 games for Marine City this winter. The junior also has 156 3-pointers over three varsity seasons to make the career list with another season to play – and with a similar showing as this winter would finish among the top 10 all-time in the category.
Kent City continued to earn entries in the team 3-pointer records lists with games of 18, 16 and 13 3-pointers this season – the 18 against Hesperia on Dec. 11 were second-most for one game behind the program's 23 in a game in 2013. Kent City’s 722 attempts in 24 games this winter rank third on that list, and its 194 made 3-pointers rank fourth.
Boys Basketball
Brandon Dingman finished his Mancelona career in 2015 with 2,050 points over 86 varsity games and four seasons, for an average of 23.8 points per game. The 6-foot-2 guard also made MHSAA records lists with 375 career free throws (in 469 attempts) and for his free throw percentages both during his sophomore season (.851) and over his career (.800) – his career percentage is tied for 13th highest.
Demetrius Lake’s outstanding junior season this winter at Holland included a record list-making performance during a 69-56 loss to Holland Christian. Lake scored 44 points, including 24 during the fourth quarter to tie for 11th on the MHSAA list for points in a quarter.
Paw Paw sophomore Luke Toliver set an MHSAA Tournament record with 12 3-pointers in a District Semifinal win over Vicksburg on March 7, with his 50 total points tying for seventh-most in one game in MHSAA postseason history. Those 12 3-pointers also tied for third most for one game, regular or postseason.
St. Ignace’s Gage Kreski finished among the most productive players in MHSAA history on both ends of the floor. His 2,178 points in 90 varsity games over four seasons (24.2 ppg) are 16th most on the career scoring list. But his 450 steals are most impressive – his total cleared the previous career record, set in 2000, by 87 steals, and his 137 this winter were third only to two others who also broke the previous record this season. Kreski also made the career lists with 425 free throws and 904 rebounds, and the single-game steals list with 11 twice over the last two seasons. Kreski, also a 6-foot-2, 195-pound quarterback and defensive back on the Saints’ football team, will join the Central Michigan University football program as a preferred walk-on.
Howard City Tri-County senior Dylan Matulis had 13 steals in an 84-72 win over Newaygo on Jan. 15 to tie for second on the single-game steals list, and his 156 steals this winter set the MHSAA record (two others also broke the previous record this season, but Matulis' total cleared the field by 10). Teammate Colton Harris was added for scoring 22 points (out of 40 total) during the fourth quarter of a 71-55 win over Kent City.
Boys Soccer
Lapeer East’s Colin Owen, already entered into the MHSAA records for 13 shutouts as a junior and 17 as a senior, now also sits seventh on the career list in that category with 43 from 2008-11. He went on to play at Jackson Community College.
PHOTO: Kanen Storr flashes three fingers to the crowd after winning his third MHSAA individual championship this season. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)