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.)
Stockbridge Pair Tally 53 Record Entries
December 13, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Stockbridge’s Mason Gee-Montgomery graduated this spring with 37 entries in the MHSAA football record book, while teammate and top receiver Kolby Canfield finished his high school career appearing 16 times for accomplishments they frequently collaborated on over the 2014, 2015 and 2016 seasons.
Gee-Montgomery was recently added in part for his 303 passing attempts, 211 completions, 2,609 yards and 40 touchdown tosses as a senior. His career totals also were updated to reflect 866 attempts, 601 completions, 8,269 yards and 124 touchdown passes over three seasons and 30 games – with his seven touchdowns passes in a 2016 game against Leslie tying his MHSAA record and his career touchdown passes setting a new standard.
Canfield, meanwhile, had 93 receptions for 1,190 yards and 20 touchdowns as a senior in 2016, and 201 receptions for 2,773 yards and 40 scores over his 23-game career. His 19 catches in a 2016 game against Parchment are an MHSAA record, and his 201 career catches rank second while his 40 career touchdown grabs are tied for fifth most. He and Gee-Montgomery also together helped tie an MHSAA team record with 23 straight pass completions in a 2015 game against Vermontville Maple Valley – Gee-Montgomery completed 22 passes during the string, with Canfield adding one more.
Gee-Montgomery recently completed his first season as a quarterback at Case Western Reserve in Ohio, while Canfield played this fall at Albion College.
Read on for more recent record book additions for football, boys basketball, boys soccer, volleyball and wrestling, and click on the sport headings to see those record books in full.
Boys Basketball
On Feb. 2, 1993, Fremont’s Adam Bowen made 12 of 17 3-point attempts to tie (what was at the time) the record for most 3-pointers in one game. His 12 3-pointers now sit tied for third on the list.
Hudsonville Unity Christian coach Scott Soodsma was added to the career wins list with a 527-251 boys record entering this season. Soodsma has coached Unity’s boys since 1992-93 and previously coached at McBain Northern Michigan Christian and in South Dakota. He also has a 105-36 girls basketball coaching record.
Football
Clinton Township Chippewa Valley shut down and shut out Utica 44-0 on Sept. 29, and in the process made the records by allowing only five first downs. The Big Reds finished 10-2 this fall.
A senior during the 1989 season, Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett’s John Dodds had five sacks in a 55-0 win over Hamtramck on Oct. 27 of that fall. His sacks led to Hamtramck losing a combined 57 yards, and he also ran for a touchdown in that game.
Spencer Peterson tied the record for most touchdowns in a quarter with five in Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian’s 55-20 win over Hamtramck on Aug. 29, 2015. He also made the record book list with six rushing touchdowns total. Peterson is playing at Wheaton College.
Carsonville-Port Sanilac then-senior Justin Ritchie’s 30 carries for 464 yards and eight rushing touchdowns against Akron-Fairgrove on Sept. 9, 2016, gave him records for most rushing yards and touchdowns and overall touchdowns in an 8-player game. Carsonville-Port Sanilac as a team made the record list with 549 rushing yards and set a record with nine touchdowns on the ground in the 64-38 win.
Boys Soccer
Zack Shane capped his four-year varsity career at Fruitport with a number of accomplishments this fall, including a high of 43 goals that made the MHSAA record book. He’s also listed for 102 career goals, 139 career points, six goals in a game Sept. 5 against Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills and a goal seven seconds into a game against Greenville his junior season.
Volleyball
Saranac was among the top teams in a strong Central Michigan Athletic Conference that had two MHSAA Finals runners-up this fall, and senior Ally Couturier earned a pair of record entries as a top setter. She had 46 assists in a five-set loss to eventual Class D runner-up Fowler on Sept. 13, and then 45 assists in a four-set win over Pewamo-Westphalia.
Wrestling
Longtime Bangor coach Dennis Paquette was added to the career wins list with a 512-218-5 record since taking over the program during the 1991-92 season. Bangor’s 314 pins and 1,342 takedowns during the 2003-04 season also made record book lists; the team finished 33-7-1 that winter.
PHOTO: Stockbridge quarterback Mason Gee-Montgomery surveys the field during the 2015 season. (Photo by Brian Frazzini.)