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Kraatz' Goal: Set Teammates Up to Score

April 10, 2014

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Allen Park Inter-City Baptist's Evan Kraatz will graduate this spring as the most accomplished passer in MHSAA history. 

And that's not just because of Kraatz' publicized accomplishment this winter. 

The Chargers' senior made headlines in reportedly breaking the MHSAA career basketball assists record (that milestone will be added to the records upon confirmation). But Kraatz also had a flare for dishing on the soccer field, finishing with 102 career assists on the pitch – second only to his assistant coach Nathan Chatfield’s total of 105 tallied during the latter’s career at Burt Lake Northern Michigan Christian. 

Kraatz also made the MHSAA single-season assists list three times with a high of 30 during Inter-City Baptist’s Division 4 championship season of 2011. His 185 points total (including 83 goals) rank 12th on the MHSAA career list for that category.

See below for additional recent entries to the MHSAA boys soccer and other record listings, and click on the headines to see all entries for those respective sports.

Boys Soccer

  • As Kraatz led that 2011 Inter-City Baptist team in assists, teammate Steven Fiema was added for his 43 goals and 59 points during the title run. Fiema now plays for NAIA Grace College in Indiana. 

  • St. Joseph Lake Michigan Catholic junior Danny McEachen is climbing the career points list as well with 143 over his first three seasons. His 52 goals and 64 points this fall both made the single-season lists for those categories, and total he’s scored 103 goals for Lake Michigan Catholic.

  • Bellaire’s Drew Emery also has a talent for setting up teammates, posting a school-record 26 assists this fall and finishing his four-year career with 72 – good for ninth on that list. Teammate Denny Hall was added to the single-game assists list for tallying five in a 6-1 win over Roscommon on Sept. 19. Emery will play at Albion College this fall.

Boys Basketball

  • Jake Daniels ranked 22nd on the single-season free throw percentage list, making 84 of 98 for a .857 success rate for Holly this season. Daniels, a junior, was one of the top scorers in the Flint Metro League.

Football

  • A pair of Comstock Park quarterbacks and a receiver they both enjoyed were added for multiple categories. Jake Brown was included additionally to previous listings after finishing his career in 2012 with 368 completions in 646 attempts for 5,189 yards. Pat Naughton, the quarterback last season, completed 153 of 252 passes for 2,282 yards to make those single-season lists. Receiver Jake Bush caught 80 passes – 10th on the single-season receptions list – in 2012, and 141 passes – tied for 15th most in a career – from 2011-13.

Softball

  • Comstock Park’s Casey Cherry was added to a group of 15 who have thrown back-to-back no-hitters. Cherry held Cedar Springs hitless in both ends of a doubleheader on May 7, 2009, as her team won 10-0 and 8-1. She struck out 13 over the two games.

Volleyball

  • New Buffalo’s Jade Madison is finishing off an outstanding three-sport career that’s included all-state recognition in basketball and an MHSAA discus championship in track and field – she’ll continue to compete in that sport at Western Michigan University. Madison also left her mark on the volleyball court with 1,502 career kills, including 579 as a senior.

  • Frankenmuth’s Lindsey Mertz had a record-setting performance to finish off her freshman season this fall. She totaled 48 assists in a Class B District match to make that single-match list, although the Eagles fell in four games to Mount Morris.

Wrestling

  • Durand’s Roger Wildmo won three MHSAA championships and 118 straight matches before graduating in 2011. He’s listed for various accomplishments, including 59-0 seasons as a junior and senior, a 230-2 career record and 163 career pins. Teammate Evan Lowell made the single-season escapes list with 77 and career list with 152 before also graduating in 2011. Wildmo now wrestles at Michigan State University.

  • Imlay City had a pair added to the career record list – Sam Lyscas, who won 209 matches before graduating in 2012, and Kevin Ahrens, who won 192 before graduating in 2009. Ahrens also made the career pins list with 119. 

PHOTO: Allen Park Inter-City Baptist's Evan Kraatz (10, in blue) pushes the ball upfield during his four-year career that came to an end this fall. (Photo courtesy of the Inter-City Baptist soccer program.)

Antes Launches Fulton's Title Drive

May 27, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Fulton advanced to the Class D Semifinals the last two seasons anchored by the long-range shooting of Colton Antes – who finished his career this winter among the sharpest shooters in MHSAA history. 

The senior guard ended with 292 3-pointers over four seasons to rank fourth on the career list for long-range shots. He also made the single-season list with 97 3-pointers this winter, which tied for sixth most.

Click the boys basketball heading below to see how his and other recent record book additions stack up, and also see the other recent additions for girls basketball, football, girls and boys soccer and softball.

Boys Basketball

Lansing Christian’s Matthew Havey tied the MHSAA record with seven 3-pointers in the second quarter of a game against Lake Odessa Lakewood on Jan. 15. His 21 points also made the single-quarter scoring list. He was a junior this season.

Lutheran Westland junior guard Kory Barikmo had 192 assists in 23 games this season for an average of 8.3 per game. He also averaged 6.7 ppg for a team that finished 22-1. 

Bridgman made 15 3-pointers in an 89-78 loss to Niles Brandywine on March 11, and the teams combined to make 23 total – both made the MHSAA team records. The game was a District Final, and Bridgman’s Haiden Meyer connected on seven 3-pointers, which made the single-game list for an MHSAA Tournament game. The Bees finished with 218 3-pointers – good for ninth most in one season – over 23 games this winter. 

Girls Basketball

Midland Dow finished 19-4 this winter also in part because of sharp shooting; the Chargers set an MHSAA team record with a .737 free-throw shooting percentage and also made the 3-point attempts list with 423, connecting on 145. The long-range shooting was led by junior Ellie Taylor, who made 10 of 13 in an 81-62 win over Saginaw Arthur Hill on Dec. 1 and 73 of 174 total this season. Taylor committed in the fall to sign with Division I St. Louis University. 

Football

Michael Gergely became only the fourth player to be credited with four fumble recoveries in one game when he tied the MHSAA record with four for Mattawan against Battle Creek Central on Oct. 9. A senior, he finished the season with seven fumble recoveries, tied for fourth-most, in nine games. 

Girls Soccer

Abigail Gilmore became the 15th player to have at least five assists in a game when she helped on five in Lansing Catholic’s 8-0 win over Ionia on May 2. Gilmore is a senior this spring.

Boys Soccer

Already listed as the MHSAA boys basketball record holder for steals in a season, Howard City Tri-County senior Dylan Matulis now also is ranked among the top soccer scorers of all-time. His 72 goals in 21 games last fall rank second, and his 59 as a junior are tied for ninth-most with his career total of 166 coming in fifth. Matulis also is listed with 46 career assists, 86 points last season (tied for fifth-most) and 212 career points, which also are tied for fifth-most in MHSAA history.    

Softball

Imlay City sophomore Alison Harper earned the 26th entry among those who have hit at least three home runs in one game when she knocked three solo shots in a win May 3 over Algonac. Senior teammate Madison Whitsett joined the list of those with at least six RBI in a game, driving in six in the 19-9 victory.   

Three Niles Brandywine players have driven in six runs in a game this month; Grace Polomcak had six RBI against Watervliet Grace Christian on May 20, McKenna Hartline had six against Parchment the day before, May 19, and Michaela Hartline had six against Berrien Springs on May 3.

PHOTO: Fulton's Colton Antes follows through on a 3-point attempt against Powers North Central in March at the Breslin Center.