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.)

Mort Assists Corunna in Record Run

January 10, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Special for Second Half

Senior setter Lexi Mort and junior hitter Elizabeth Norris led Corunna’s varsity volleyball team to its first MHSAA Semifinals this fall with record book-caliber contributions.

Mort had 1,529 assists (10th all-time) to go with 1,429 as a junior and to finish her career with 4,322, which ranks sixth all-time. She also made the single-match assist list with 54 against Mount Morris, when Norris had 33 kills.

Norris had 879 kills this season, 13th-most on that list. Freshman Ellie Toney was added for 11 aces in a match against Burton Genesee Christian. The Cavaliers finished the fall 50-7-5, with District and Regional titles in Division 2. Mort will run collegiate track at Saginaw Valley State University.

See below for more recent record book additions in volleyball, football and boys soccer, and click on the headings to see those sports’ record books in full.

Football

Clinton Township Chippewa Valley’s Division 1 championship season this fall included a number of record-setting performances. David Ellis returned four kickoffs for touchdowns, good for second most all-time. Niko Kepi made the season extra point list with 73 and the career list with 104 in 109 attempts over the last three seasons. Quarterback Tommy Schuster threw 26 touchdown passes for the second straight season and made career lists with 4,960 passing yards, 509 attempts, 330 completions and 67 scores through the air over the last three seasons. As a team, Clinton Township Chippewa Valley made lists with 546 points and 76 touchdowns over 14 games. Ellis will continue his career at Indiana University. Also, Jeff Deliz was added for a 93-yard punt return in 2003 and Chris Lomasney for six rushing touchdowns in a game in 2000. Deliz went on to play at Navy and Lomasney at Michigan Tech.

Sanford Meridian’s Kyle Stockford found his way to the end zone in multiple record-setting ways over the last two seasons. This fall, he made the record book for two kickoff return touchdowns in one game, against Lake City, scoring from 87 and 85 yards out. He also made the season kickoff return touchdown list with four despite playing only six games. The senior also returned two interceptions for touchdowns in a game this fall against Houghton Lake – after accomplishing the same feat as a junior against Farwell.

Among highlights of Hudsonville Unity Christian’s Division 5 championship run this season was a 57-20 win over Hamilton on Oct. 5, when Unity totaled 637 yards – which sits fifth all-time. Its 629 rushing yards, on 39 carries, is one of two totals on the list for most rushing yards in one game.

Quanelle Pritchett had a solid senior season receiving for Warren Fitzgerald in the fall – augmented by a record book-worthy accomplishment against Sterling Heights on Sept. 14. Pritchett caught seven passes for 239 yards in the 52-13 win to make the single-game receiving yardage list.

Boys Soccer

Jack Vezmar had 17 shutouts this fall in leading Marshall to a 23-1-1 record and Division 2 District title. Those shutouts tied for 11th-most in one season and helped him make the career shutout list with 28 over the last two seasons.

For the second straight fall, Midland Dow made the team record lists for total shutouts and consecutive shutouts, this time with 18 overall in 24 games and nine straight from Aug. 18-Sept. 12. Dow also tied for ninth all-time by giving up only eight goals on the way to finishing 20-1-3 on the season.

Volleyball

Longtime southwest Michigan coach Tony Hooley has reached the 500-win plateau, actually doing so in 2017 at Marcellus and adding to his total this fall leading Dowagiac to a 25-15-2 finish. Hooley has coached at Centreville and White Pigeon as well plus two seasons at Glen Oaks Community College, and his high school record stands at 538-311-92 over 18 seasons.

After two seasons of varsity volleyball, Vermontville Maple Valley sophomore Keilyn Carpenter has four record book entries. She’s been added three times for kills in a match – twice reaching 32 – and for this fall totaling 623 kills over 126 games.

Bronson’s fourth straight MHSAA championship – this one in Division 3 in the fall – included, predictably, a number of outstanding individual performances. Sophomore Meagan Lasky had 1,775 assists this past season to rank third on that list, while senior sister Kiera Lasky added to her career aces total to finish with 454 – fifth most all-time. Senior Ashton Wronikowski made the season aces list with 137, and junior Keona Salesman did as well with 122 to go with her entry for 766 kills. She’s also on the career kills list with 1,679 over three seasons and with one to play. Kiera Lasky will continue her career at Davenport University, and Wronikowski will continue at West Liberty University in West Virginia.

PHOTO: Lexi Mort cheers on her Corunna teammates during their Division 2 Semifinal against Pontiac Notre Dame Prep in November.