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.)
Baker-to-Watters Sets Record Book Pace for Lansing Catholic Football
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
May 6, 2022
Lansing Catholic finished the 2021 football season as 11-player Division 6 champion at Ford Field, and the Cougars offense was paced the last two seasons by a standout quarterback and receiver who both made the MHSAA record book for single-season and career accomplishments.
Joey Baker was added for 2,536 yards passing this past season, with 162 completions on 294 attempts and 28 touchdowns through the air. He made the career passing lists with 4,153 yards over 13 games.
Senior receiver Alex Watters was added for 1,193 yards receiving on 77 catches; his 2,949 yards receiving over 40 games ranks sixth for a career, his 161 catches are ninth on that stat list and his 38 TD receptions rank ninth as well.
Senior kicker Jonah Richards was added for making 49 extra points and he finished his career with 156 (in 167 tries), good for 12th on that list. Additionally, junior Brandon Lewis was added for his 262 receiving yards in a Sept. 2 game against Williamston.
Baker will continue at Hope College and Watters will be a preferred walk-on at Michigan State.
See below for more recent additions to the 11-player football record book.
11-Player Football
DeWitt’s run to the Division 3 championship game for the second-straight season this past fall came again with big numbers from senior quarterback Tyler Holtz, senior receiver Tommy McIntosh and senior kicker Brandon Soltis. Holtz threw for 2,885 yards to finish his two-season varsity career with 5,311, and he tossed 41 touchdown passes to finish with 76 over 25 varsity games. The 41 TD passes tied for eighth-most in one season. McIntosh had 1,328 yards and 22 TDs receiving and finished his three-season varsity career with 140 catches, 2,696 yards and 44 receiving touchdowns. His career yardage is 11th on that list, his 22 touchdowns last fall tied for fourth-most for a single season and his career receiving scores rank second. Soltis connected on 74 more extra points to finish with 152 in 163 attempts over three seasons; both totals rank among the top 15 on their respective lists. As a team, DeWitt was added for scoring 635 points and piling up 6,055 total yards and 89 total touchdowns over 14 games. Holtz will continue at Brown, and McIntosh will play next at Wisconsin.
A pair of Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice athletes have been added for tying the records for longest kick and interception returns. Rocco Milia brought back an interception from deep in the end zone – officially 100 yards – against Detroit Country Day on Oct. 23, 2020. Cole Lacanaria returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown last Oct. 15 against Traverse City Central. Milia was a senior in 2020-21 and now plays at Columbia in New York, and Lacanaria has signed with Lawrence Tech.
Gladwin’s perfect regular season in the fall included three performances that made the records. Junior Anna Seebeck made the single-season extra points list, connecting on 60 of 69 tries over 10 games. The Flying Gs also twice made the total offense list as a team, with 611 yards against Clare and 603 against Shepherd, both in victories.
On Sept. 10, Belding’s Owen Meinke pulled in a deflected Wyoming Kelloggsville pass deep into his team’s end zone and ran down the right sideline the length of the field for a 100-yard interception return touchdown to also tie the MHSAA record. Meinke is a junior.
Ottawa Lake Whiteford senior Cole Giesige also returned an interception 100 yards for a touchdown, on Oct. 15 against Petersburg Summerfield.
Ethan Schumaker got all of a punt during a Nov. 7, 2020, playoff game against Traverse City St. Francis. The Harbor Springs then-senior sent it 71 yards, including nearly 60 in the air, as the Gladiators took over possession from their 6-yard-line. Schumaker is punting at Michigan Tech.
Senior Bryce Stanley got off to a fast start last fall, catching 11 passes for 239 yards and four touchdowns in Carson City-Crystal’s win over Fowler. The yardage and TDs made single-game lists.
Clinton Township Chippewa Valley’s Cephus Harris and Grosse Pointe South’s Will Johnson both put up record book performances in Chippewa Valley’s 49-37 win Oct. 8. Harris made the record book scoring seven touchdowns – four rushing, two receiving and one on a kickoff return. Johnson made the receiving yardage list with 238. Harris ended up putting together one of the highest-scoring seasons in 11-player history, scoring 36 touchdowns with one two-point conversion for 218 points – making the lists for both single-season points and TDs. A senior, he’s signed with Youngstown State and Johnson signed with Michigan. Additionally for Clinton Township Chippewa Valley, it has submitted the game with the fewest first downs given up in 2021, allowing only two to Troy on Oct. 29.
Charlotte’s Braden Hill scored the first points of his team’s 60-21 win over Lake Odessa Lakewood on a 77-yard kickoff return Oct. 15, and he was just getting started. Hill also returned two more kickoffs for touchdowns, both 80 yards, to tie the record for kickoff return touchdowns in one game. Hill is a junior.
PHOTO Lansing Catholic’s Alex Watters surges forward as a Warren Michigan Collegiate defender brings him down during November’s Division 6 Final. (Click for more from Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)