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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.)

Zeeland East's TerHaar Leads Hit Parade

July 18, 2017

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Trevor TerHaar’s Zeeland East baseball career ended this spring in a 3-1 District loss to Hudsonville Unity Christian. But it also concluded with an MHSAA record for hits in a season.

TerHaar tied and then broke the previous record (set in 1998) during his final game to finish with 81 hits total in 39 games this season. He also made the MHSAA record book with a career average of .452. He will continue his athletic career on the Hope College football team.

Also for Zeeland East this season, teammate Kainan Bayn made the record book with seven triples, and the Chix tied the MHSAA team record with 25 triples while also earning listings with 410 hits and a .370 team batting average in finishing 23-16. In addition, 2015 graduate Dan Pohanka was added for being hit by pitches 24 times during a three-season varsity career.

Click the baseball heading below to see that record book in full and read on for more recent additions in that sport, football, girls lacrosse, girls soccer and softball.

Baseball

Kingsley earned two entries in the records in the hit-by-pitch category. Noah Cole is the first known Michigan player to be hit by pitches more than once in the same inning, with two during the third inning of a game against Traverse City Central on April 28. Teammate Alex Parker also was added for getting hit by 15 pitches this season.

Pitcher Brandon Reed, Jr., capped his career at Millington this spring by making the season ERA list with a 0.93 over 60 1/3 innings pitched, and the career ERA list with a 1.82 over 226 2/3 innings the last four seasons. Junior teammate Lukas Selich made the hit-by-pitch list with three in one game May 3, and Jakob Selich made the career list in that category with 28 over his four seasons. Millington as a team also made the hit-by-pitch list with 53 in 32 games this spring. Reed will continue his career at Jackson College.

Football

Ida’s Nick Levicki scored a school-record and single-season MHSAA list-making 35 touchdowns in leading the Bluestreaks to a 10-2 finish last season. Former teammate Eric Bugg formerly held that record for Ida, and he was entered on the MHSAA career touchdowns list for 70 from 2013-15. Bugg plays at Concordia-Ann Arbor.

Clinton’s Mathew Sexton played 48 varsity games from 2012-15 and earned eight record book listings. He made the single-season rushing list with 2,392 yards on 209 carries as a senior, after also making the single-season receiving list with 1,082 yards on 37 catches as a sophomore. His 602 career points rank 12th all-time, and his 99 career touchdowns are tied for seventh most. Former teammate Erik Bouse also made the records for seasons of 46 and 61 extra points and 132 total over his three-season career from 2014-16. Sexton plays at Eastern Michigan University.

Three more recent Tri-County Conference standouts joined the Clinton pair with recent entries. Morenci’s Bobby Black was added for kicking 45 extra points in 2014, and Petersburg-Summerfield’s Eric Cogan was added for his 1,219 receiving yards in 2009. Ottawa Lake Whiteford’s Jesse Kiefer was added for his 35 touchdowns and 244 points last fall and 76 touchdowns and 526 career points over a four-season varsity career. Cogan went on to play basketball at Siena Heights, while Black joined Defiance College's program after high school.

Girls Lacrosse

Sophomore Kate DeYoung found the net 10 times for Grand Rapids Christian in a 17-14 win over Portage Northern on April 21. Her goals tied for seventh most in one game.

Girls Soccer

Fenton’s Abby Quesnelle finished a fine four-season career this spring with 36 shutouts to make the career list for keepers after previously making the single-season shutouts list. She will continue her career at Notre Dame College in Ohio.

Softball

A pair of Comstock sophomore standouts were added for doubles this spring – Abby House with 16 and Grace Gostlin with 22. Gostlin also is on the career doubles list with 37.

Howard City Tri-County junior Dayoni Mahlich added three entries to the softball records with one power-packed performance. Mahlich hit three home runs in three straight at bats against Morley Stanwood on May 23, including two home runs during the fourth inning. She finished 4 for 5 after flying out in her first at bat.

PHOTO: Zeeland East’s Trevor TerHaar prepares for a pitch during a game this spring. (Photo courtesy of the Zeeland East athletic department.)