Jankoska Takes Place With Scoring Elite
January 13, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Former Freeland star Tori Jankoska has had a week filled with milestones, setting two Michigan State women’s basketball records Tuesday against Ohio State. The 2013 Miss Basketball Award winner also was added this week to the MHSAA record book four times for her scoring prowess.
Jankoska now ranks 13th for her 741 points (30.9 ppg) as a high school senior in 2013, ninth for her 2,333 points (24.1 ppg) over a four-year varsity career, seventh for 237 3-pointers over those 97 games and 10th with 436 career free throws in 585 attempts.
A four-sport athlete, Jankoska also played volleyball, soccer and participated in track & field for the Falcons. Against the Buckeyes, she set the Spartans’ single-game (42) and career (1,818) scoring records.
Click to see the MHSAA girls basketball record book in full, and read below for more recent additions in football, boys lacrosse, boys soccer and volleyball.
Football
Najon Moore had one of the busiest rushing nights in MHSAA history Sept. 16. The Warren Fitzgerald senior ran 46 times to make the record book for single-game rush attempts, finishing with 291 yards in his team’s 24-20 win over St. Clair Shores South Lake.
Ewen-Trout Creek helped fill out significantly the recently-created 8-player individual record book with a number of entries for senior quarterback Austin Berglund and junior receiver Jacob Witt. Berglund was entered six times, once each for his 257 attempts and 2,020 passing yards this fall, and also for 52 attempts and 29 completions against Ontonagon on Oct. 7, seven touchdown passes against Baraga on Sept. 9 and six scoring passes against Eben Junction Superior Central on Oct. 15. Witt was added 11 times. His seven touchdown catches against Baraga made two categories, and he was added for 249 receiving yards that game, 325 against Superior Central and 232 against Pickford on Oct. 1. His 1,698 yards and 25 touchdowns this season made both the single-season and career lists in those categories, and he also is listed for 71 catches this season and six touchdown grabs in that Superior Central game.
New Haven Merritt Academy's Matthew Shather also was added to the 8-player records for some impressive pass-catching this fall. He had 234 yards in an Oct. 14 game against Carsonville-Port Sanilac, and also is listed for 21 touchdowns this season in 11 games and 23 over his four-year varsity career.
Boys Lacrosse
Although Grandville had a tough afternoon last April 29 against Holland West Ottawa, Bulldogs goalie Zach Tykocki shined. The then-sophomore had 26 saves – tied for third-most in MHSAA history – in his team’s 12-4 loss.
Boys Soccer
Zach Cepo made quite a debut in high school soccer in the fall. The freshman midfielder totaled an MHSAA record 48 assists in helping Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central to 142 goals – fifth-most in MHSAA history – and a 23-2-2 record. Cepo also had 10 goals to make the season points list with 58.
A record was tied this fall for fastest goal scored after the start of a game. Dansville junior Gerald Schmidt sent the opening kickoff into the back of the net from midfield for the Aggies against Hillsdale Will Carleton Academy on Oct. 11. The kick took four seconds to score.
A boys soccer state record also was set in Allen Park Inter-City Baptist’s 10-3 win over Lutheran Northwest on Sept. 29. Nathaniel Pardo broke the previous single-game assist record by one with eight total, while teammate Malachi Zuhorski made the single-game goals record list with seven – which tied for fifth in that category. Both are seniors.
Volleyball
Zeeland East junior Sophie Riemersma has joined the elite hitters both in the state currently and in MHSAA history. With a season to play, she’s made the career kills list with 1,579 over three seasons but mostly over the last two; her 592 kills as a sophomore and 819 as a junior both made the single-season kills list, this year’s total ranking 15th all-time. She also made the single-match kills list twice, with 36 in a District win over Grandville on Nov. 1 and then 39 in another 3-1 District victory over Jenison on Nov. 5. The 39 kills tied for eighth most since the beginning of the rally scoring era in 2004.
Grand Rapids West Catholic’s Brooke Norder was a sharp server Sept. 6 against Comstock Park. Norder, a junior, made the single-match aces list with 10 in a four-set win.
PHOTO: Tori Jankoska works to get past an opponent during a game her senior season at Freeland. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Orchard View Sluggers Continue Climb
July 16, 2019
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
A pair of Muskegon Orchard View softball standouts are climbing MHSAA record book career lists with one more season to play.
Halee Holman drove in 71 runs over 36 games this spring as a junior to raise her career RBI total to 227, which ranks eighth all-time. She also made the record book with 21 doubles this season and sits on career lists as well with 51 doubles and 24 home runs.
Junior teammate Cassidee White had made the career doubles list with 40 and career runs list with 195, with a single-season best 17 doubles this spring and her best run total coming as a freshman when she crossed the plate 70 times over 41 games.
See below for more recent softball record book additions – with more to be published later this week. Click the heading below to see the record book in full.
Softball
Frankfort’s Natalie Bigley finished her four-year varsity run this spring with 227 runs scored – 14th most all-time and one of 11 entries for her in the MHSAA record book. Six were added from a May 10 win over Bellaire where Bigley hit three straight home runs, including two in an inning and two grand slams and drove in six runs in that fourth frame and 10 for the game. She finished her career with 30 homers over 151 games. Junior teammate Haley Myers moved up career lists in runs (210), doubles (49) and home runs (29) with a season to play. Bigley will continue her career at Calvin University (formerly Calvin College).
Muskegon Reeths-Puffer’s MaKayla Thompson ranks 23rd with 1,141 career strikeouts after adding 266 in 150 innings pitched as a senior this spring. She threw 643 innings over her four-season varsity career and will continue at Kent State University.
Jada Bolhuis left a sizable impression on the record book during just her first season at Otsego this spring, finishing with the fourth-most hits in MHSAA history, 91, and 12th-most runs scored, 75, while also earning mention with a .674 batting average. Sophomore Kendra VanderLugt joined her teammate with six entries, including for 14 home runs and 88 RBI this year, with the latter ranking eighth all-time. Junior Skylar Anderson earned a line as well with 19 doubles. As a team, Otsego was added for 450 hits, a .423 batting average, 62 doubles, 29 homers and 290 RBI over 36 games.
Brooklyn Columbia Central freshman Kenadee Tompkins also got her high school career off to a quick start with 16 doubles to make the single-season list in that category.
Sydney Stapf also made a stellar debut. The West Bloomfield freshman made the single-season home runs list with 12.
Niles Brandywine’s Kennedy Byrd was added for driving in eight runs during an April 13 win over Saugatuck, and also for hitting 12 home runs with 53 RBI for the spring. She was a junior.
Mackenize Nagelhout’s noteworthy debut came in 2018, when as a freshman she hit 19 doubles for Howard City Tri County to make the single-season list in that category. This spring, Tri County junior Alayna Merlington was added for six RBI in a May 17 game against Morley Stanwood.
Lauren Kuffel struck out 22 batters – including four in one inning – as Mio held on for a 5-4 District Final win in 10 innings over Au Gres-Sims on May 31. Kuffel, a senior, tallied 14 of those strikeouts and didn’t give up a run over the final six innings.
Mara Sczecienski became the second player in North Farmington history to be listed in the records for softball, finishing her career this spring with 202 hits, 55 doubles and 23 home runs over 127 games and four seasons. She also made the single-season doubles list with 17 as a junior. She is continuing at University of Hartford in Connecticut.
PHOTO: Orchard View’s Cassidee White watches a pitch come her way during a doubleheader this spring against Muskegon Western Michigan Christian. (Photo courtesy of Local Sports Journal.)