Hartland Star's Career Stands Among Best
July 16, 2014
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Amber Crouse finished her girls lacrosse career by helping Hartland to its third straight MHSAA Semifinal this spring after also playing a big part in her team’s run to a Division 1 runner-up finish in 2012.
Along the way this spring, Crouse set a single-game record with 14 assists, against Walled Lake Northern/Western, and had the second-most single-game assists in MHSAA history three days later against Waterford Kettering/Mott. Her 70 assists this season rank fifth on that list, with her 117 career assists also fifth on that list.
Teammate Amy Longe added the scoring punch to this season’s Semifinal run, scoring seven goals three times and 95 goals total – tying for seventh on the single-season goals list. Goalie Brooke Eicher had the fourth and fifth-most saves for one game, 21 and 19, respectively, both against Brighton, and finished with 176 saves to rank fourth on that single-season list.
Click to view the full girls lacrosse record book, and read on for more recent additions to the MHSAA’s listings.
Boys Basketball
- Owendale-Gagetown’s Brett Stockton was one of the state’s top scorers during the final two years of his high school career that finished in 2013. One of his most special nights came on Feb. 1 of that year, when Stockton tied the MHSAA record with 25 free throws (in 29 attempts) in an 84-69 win over Kingston. Stockton finished that game with 50 points – including 24 with 20 free throws during the fourth quarter.
- Mackinaw City’s Noah Morse capped his three-year varsity career this winter among MHSAA leaders in single-game, single-season and career steals. He twice had 12 steals in a game to tie for third-most, with his 115 steals this season tied for 10th on the single-season list and his 258 career steals – again, in only three seasons – ranking 11th.
Boys Lacrosse
- Andrew Kransberger ended his career at Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central this spring as one of the leading scorers in the MHSAA’s decade-long history in this sport. His 211 career goals, 156 career assists and 367 career points all rank second on those respective lists, although Kransberger didn’t join the starting lineup until his sophomore season. He also made the single-season lists for goals, assists or points a combined eight times.
- Temperance Bedford goalie Alex Wallace saw his share of shots during the 2014 season, finishing with the second-most saves on record, 231. That included 23 (tied for fourth-most) in an April 17 loss to Ann Arbor Skyline.
Girls Soccer
- Riverview’s Kirsten Chambers made the single-season assists list twice with 33 as a junior and 26 this spring as a senior, ranks third on the career list with 100 and also made the career goals (71), single-season points (54) and career points lists (171) during her outstanding four-year run. Her career points rank 15th.
- Brooklyn Columbia Central’s Danielle Eastman capped her career with 54 points including 42 goals this spring, with both totals making MHSAA lists. She also made the career goals list with 104 over the last three seasons.
- Frankenmuth keeper Claire Carter added to her 17 shutouts in 2012 with 17 more this season and finished her four-year varsity career with 54 – good for seventh-most on that list. She also had 14 shutouts as a junior in 2013.
Softball
- Beaverton’s Alix Price finished her career in 2013 as a finalist for the statewide Miss Softball Award – and with a number of high-ranking career stat totals. Her 41 triples over four seasons rank second, with her career average of .537 ranking 10th and her 261 hits fourth. She also made career lists with 56 doubles and 211 runs.
- Howard City Tri-County’s Brooke Dillon tied for 11th on the single-season triples list with 13 this spring, and also joined a large group with back-to-back home runs accomplishing that feat April 26 against Holland. Teammate Alexis Holappa made the single-game RBI list with six May 28 against Wyoming Godwin Heights.
PHOTO: Hartland’s Amber Crouse (right) finished her high school career among MHSAA leaders in assists and total points (Photo courtesy of Hartland High School.).
MCC's Holt Ties National HBP Record
December 8, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Muskegon Catholic Central’s runs to the 2015 Division 4 baseball championship and 2016 Quarterfinals relied for obvious reasons on the ability to limit opponents’ hits – but also to take them.
The Crusaders set an MHSAA record in 2016 by being hit by pitches 87 times after also setting the record with 74 HBPs in 2015. Jacob Holt, who graduated this spring, tied the national record and broke the previous MHSAA record by eight with 65 times being hit by pitches over his four-season varsity career.
In addition, MCC was added to the MHSAA record book for a 1.13 team ERA and 161 stolen bases during the 2015 title run. Nicholas Holt, a senior on that team and Jacob’s brother, finished his pitching career 37-3 to make the career wins list and won 28 straight games over his final three seasons to tie for third on the list for consecutive pitching victories. Also, teammate Anthony Woodard was added for scoring 65 runs in 2015.
Nicholas Holt played this spring at Hope College, and Jacob is playing at Aquinas College. Woodard is playing at Benedictine University in Illinois.
See below for more recent record book additions, and click the headings to see those sports’ record books in full.
Baseball
Homer’s Brock Ridgeway finished his four-year varsity career this spring on MHSAA career lists for runs scored (163), hits (184), RBI (142) and being hit by pitches (47) after being hit by 18 pitches this past season and three times in one April game. The 47 career HBP is tied for fourth-most all-time, and he also just missed the career pitching wins list with 32. Homer as a team this spring made season lists with a .354 batting average and 53 HBPs. Ridgeway is a freshman on the Central Michigan University baseball team.
A pair of senior pitching aces from the 2008 Grass Lake team that finished 34-6 and won the Division 3 championship were added for performances that season. Charlie Fisher made the ERA list at 0.96 and also had seven shutouts that spring to make the list in that category. Casey Hall was added for his 0.57 ERA. Grass Lake as a team ranks fourth for its 354 strikeouts that season. Hall went on to play at Western Michigan University and Fisher played at Hillsdale College.
Boys Basketball
Jordan Weber knocked down 73 3-pointers last season for East Jordan to finish his four-year varsity career with 278 – fifth-most in MHSAA history. He made nearly 34 percent of his 818 career attempts and averaged 17.1 points per game total as a senior.
Football
A pair of Gaylord athletes were entered for impressive scores more than 30 years ago. Kurt Kakaviska made the records for his 90-yard punt return touchdown against Petoskey in 1982, while Mark Johnston was added for two interception touchdowns in one quarter in a 1986 game, also against Petoskey. Johnston actually scored a third defensive touchdown in that same third quarter, on a fumble recovery. Kakaviska went on to play at Northern Michigan University.
Cody Richardson played a significant part in Athens’ 12-0 shutout of Bellevue in the teams’ opener Aug. 26. Richardson, a junior, had four interceptions to tie for fourth-most in one game.
Softball
A pair of Reese hitters were added for batting prowess. Emily Schrader made the single-season hits list with 72 in 2010, while Monica Hagen – already on the single-season list with 73 in 2014 – was added to the career hits list with 209 over 132 games from 2011-14. Schrader went on to play at Delta College.
Grosse Pointe South's Grace Foster picked up her first record book listing as a sophomore this spring, hitting 19 doubles in 35 games. She hit .500 for the season.
Kennedy Kunnert joined the list of those who have hit back-to-back home runs, drilling hers out of the park for Pinckney in the first and second innings of a 12-5 loss to Hartland on May 11. Kunnert was a junior this spring.
Wrestling
Hastings coach Mike Goggins joined the group with more than 400 coaching wins last season, moving to 415-137 since taking over the program at the start of the 1998-99 season. His team finished 26-11 last winter with league and District championships.
PHOTO: Muskegon Catholic Central's Jacob Holt watches after connecting with a pitch during the 2015 Division 4 Baseball Final.