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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.).

Mendon volleyball

Smith's Record-Caliber Swing Lifts Mendon to Multiple Titles

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

August 12, 2021

Anna Smith’s four-year varsity career capped in November included helping Mendon to back-to-back Division 4 championships in 2018 and 2019, and she finished last season among the top hitters in MHSAA history.

Smith graduated with 2,234 kills to rank 18th all-time since the start of rally scoring. She has eight record book entries total, also including for a career-high 740 kills as a junior, a tied-for-second 24 aces in a match last fall, and a career total of 398 aces to rank 13th on that list.

She’s continuing her career at College of Charleston (S.C.).

Click to see the volleyball record book in full, and read on for more recent record book updates in baseball, football and girls lacrosse.

Baseball

Saugatuck’s baseball success over the last three seasons has been tied in part to its work on the base paths – with its total steals in 2018, 2019 and 2021 all making the record book. Saugatuck’s 222 steals in 248 attempts in 2018 remain the second-most steals for one season, while its 182 steals in 2019 rank 10th and its 166 steals this spring were tied for 22nd-most.

11-player Football

Belleville senior quarterback Christian Dhue-Reid became the first to be added to the football record book for the 2020 season after throwing for seven touchdown passes – including six during the first half – of his team’s win over Dearborn Fordson last Sept. 25. The first-half TD passes tied for sixth-most in a half, and the seven total tied for eighth-most in a game.

Mitchell Middleton showed his powerful leg in Middleville Thornapple Kellogg's Sept. 17, 2019, win over Wyoming. The then-senior booted a 52-yard field goal to make the list for longest.

DeWitt’s championship run last season included a number of record book performances, on both sides of the ball. Then-junior quarterback Tyler Holtz made the records for 2,396 passing yards over 12 games, and for a single-game high of 405, and also for 35 passing touchdowns. Senior Tommy McIntosh was added for 245 yards and four touchdowns in the same game, against Grand Ledge, and Nathaniel Deppin was added for a 96-yard kickoff return in that same game. The Panthers as a team made the touchdown list with 70, and also for giving up only 80 points over the season. Additionally, senior Brandon Soltis finished his two-year varsity career with 78 extra points and also was added for his 45 as a junior. A number of others were added for accomplishments over the last four seasons, including Blake Gatfield, Noah Koenigsknecht, Alan Smith, Jack Horan, Carson Hayes and Luke Bresser. Koenigsknecht and Bresser play for Northwood.

Then-junior Nick Kay earned his first record book entry last Sept. 25 with a 52-yard field goal for Walled Lake Central against Troy. Also added was past quarterback Nick Krumm, who scored eight total touchdowns (six rushing) during a 2013 game against Waterford Mott. Krumm was a junior that season; he went on to play at Michigan State.

North Muskegon then-senior Brendan Moat navigated some tough weather in his team’s 2019 playoff loss to Pewamo-Westphalia to drill a 74-yard punt, tying for 17th longest in MHSAA history. Moat is playing currently at Kalamazoo College.

Despite a shortened 2020 season, Brady Hessbrook finished his four-season Ithaca career with record-book highlights. He made the single-season passing yards list with 2,002 over eight games, and the career list with 4,091 over 37 games total. He made the lists for passing touchdowns in one half and a single game with six against Michigan Lutheran Seminary on Oct. 9, on the way to making the single-season passing TD list with 30 and career list with 51. Hessbrook is continuing his career at Wayne State.

Livonia Stevenson senior Caden Woodall put together one of the most impressive rushing seasons in state history over just eight games last fall. On just 186 carries, Woodall ran for 2,228 yards and 34 touchdowns, making single-season lists for both. He scored six touchdowns in a game twice and totaled more than 200 yards rushing in seven straight games. He’s continuing his career at Harvard.

Girls Lacrosse

Three Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central players earned single-game entries during the 2021 season. Sophomore Gabriella Hendricks was added for eight goals in a May 19 game against East Grand Rapids, seven goals on May 14 against Ann Arbor Skyline and five assists on May 10 against Grandville. Sophomore Shannon Murphy also had seven goals in that Skyline game and seven against Grand Rapids Christian on May 20, and sophomore Delaney Smith had five assists against Holland West Ottawa on March 29.

PHOTO: Mendon’s Anna Smith follows through on a kill attempt during the 2019 Division 4 championship match against Leland.