Leland Ace Finds Net in Record Fashion

August 26, 2014

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The Leland girls soccer team won its league and District this spring on the feet of a number of talented players, including one of the highest scorers in MHSAA history.

Sophomore Libby Munoz set a single-season record with 84 points and scored the second-most goals ever, 64 – and she’s already on the career goals list as well with 106 over two seasons.

Teammate Whitney Schaub made the single-season assists list with 22, and goalkeeper Jessica Fleis made the shutouts list with 14.

Click to see where all three rank in the MHSAA girls soccer record book, and read below for more recent additions. Click on each sport to see that record book in its entirety.

Baseball


  • Tyler Janish finished his outstanding career at Whittemore-Prescott in 2013 with career listings for runs (161), triples (13), stolen bases (114), walks (106) and ERA (1.66). His seven steals against Tawas in 2012 tied for second-most for one game, and his 64 steals as a senior rank fifth for one season. He also made the lists for season triples (7) and ERA (0.80), and is continuing his career at Oakland University. Former teammate Michael Arndt also was added, for five steals in a 2013 game against Roscommon.

Boys Basketball

  • Two of the highest-scoring quarters – played 57 years apart – were added after conversation was sparked by the most recent this winter. In a January 1957 game, Calumet scored 43 points – now standing third in MHSAA history for one quarter – in the final period of an 83-78 win over Ironwood. This winter, in a District opener, Lake Linden-Hubbell nearly equaled the feat with 42 points in the second quarter of an 82-41 win over Chassell. 

Girls Basketball

  • Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes’ run through Class D from 2010-13 – including three straight championships and a runner-up finish – included a number of key contributions from a strong core group of players. Lauren Robak finished with the fifth-most free throws made in MHSAA career history, 511, and also made the career 3-pointers list with 160 from 2008-11 and with 15 free throws in a game during the 2007-08 season. Younger sister Lexie Robak made the single-season 3-pointers list twice with 74 and 76, and is sixth on the career list with 232 total from 2010-13. She also finished with 106 varsity games played – tying for third most – while teammates Ava Doetsch and Jessica Parry both played in 103 games over the same four seasons. Lauren Robak played at Oakland University and now plays at Northwood University, while Doetsch plays soccer at the University of Nebraska-Omaha.

Boys Lacrosse

  • Portage Central’s expansive list of top performers were added to the MHSAA records, topped by Casey Mannes’ single-game records of 10 assists and 18 total points in a win over Kalamazoo United on April 12, 2011. He’s listed eight times including for single-season assists (42) and points (103). Former teammate Zack Grusell is listed 11 times including for season (83) and career goals (169), season assists (44), and season (127) and career points (249). He broke some of the school records of Barry Beranek, listed for season (71) and career goals (166) and season (108) and career points (253), among other categories. Matt Schuen also is listed for career points, with 231, and Isaac Hazen and Zach Kinney both made the single-game goals list. Beranek went on to play at Ithaca College in New York, while Grusell and Hazen play for the Grand Valley State University Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association team.  

  • Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern’s Christian Carlson set an MHSAA record for goals (11) in one game and had the fourth-most points (13) as his team defeated Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood 25-20 on April 19. Those two teams also were included as the first entry for combined goals scored by two teams in one game.

  • Mattawan’s David Stafford, now playing for St. John’s University, ranks third with 364 career points including 202 goals (fifth on that list) and 162 assists (second on that list) from his four-year varsity career from 2010-13. He had a single-game second-best 17 points including nine goals on April 23, 2013, against Kalamazoo United, and tied for second-most points in a game with 13 against Portage Northern on April 11 of that year. 

  • Zach Schwartz led Ann Arbor Skyline to a 14-4-1 record in only his sophomore season this spring, scoring 54 goals to go with 34 assists for 88 points. The Ann Arbor News reported that Schwartz has committed to sign with the University of Michigan to continue his career after high school.

Softball

  • Springport’s Taylor Heisler graduated this spring among MHSAA leaders in career hits (239), doubles (50), home runs (23) and RBI (184), with her hits ranked 13th and her RBI tied for 10th. She also made the single-season hits list twice with 71 in 2012 and 73 in 2014, and teammate Sam Bates was added for 73 hits in 2011 and 70 in 2012. Heisler will continue her career at Siena Heights University and Bates signed with Ferris State University.

Wrestling

  • Utica Ford’s Tevin Machart capped his career this winter with a fourth-place Division 1 Finals finish at 140 pounds. He also set an MHSAA season record with 31 technical falls and ended his career with 50 and a record of 187-35. He’ll continue to wrestle at Central Michigan University.

PHOTO: Libby Munoz, here working past a defender, has scored 106 goals in two seasons of varsity soccer. (Photo courtesy of Leland High School.)

Whiteford's Title Team Runs Into History

April 25, 2018

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Ottawa Lake Whiteford’s perfect season last fall concluded with its first MHSAA title.

The Division 8 champion also finished with a number of lasting record book accomplishments.

Whiteford set MHSAA 11-player records with 6,570 total yards and 5,167 rushing yards, and also set the record with 103 total touchdowns. The Bobcats also were added recently for a record 672 rushing attempts from 2016, when they finished Division 8 runners-up.

Read on for more recent additions to the MHSAA football record book, and click the heading to view those listings in full.

Football

Bloomfield Hills senior receiver Ty Slazinski made the record book with 14 catches twice during the early weeks of the 2017 season, but that was just the start. Slazinski set the single-game record for receptions with 22 in a 58-39 win over Oak Park on Oct. 20. Slazinski also made the record book with 224 yards receiving on Sept. 1 against West Bloomfield.

As Ionia completed the biggest comeback in MHSAA history Oct. 13, coming back from a 32-0 deficit at halftime to defeat McBain 41-40, John Meyer did his share to move the Bulldogs down the field. The senior quarterback completed 29 of 65 passes for 406 yards, making single-game lists in all three categories – the 65 attempts are tied for fifth-most in one game.

Suriya “Susu” Davenport Jr. quarterbacked Wyoming Godwin Heights to the playoffs as both a junior and then a senior last fall, making the MHSAA records with 2,414 yards and 25 touchdowns passing in 2016 and 2,173 yards passing last season. He also made the career passing yardage listing with 4,846 yards, with 259 more from his sophomore campaign. Teammate MarShawn Kneeland, a junior, was added to the records for 16 sacks and 26 tackles for loss this past season as well. Davenport will continue his career at Davenport University.

Reed City’s rush to its first Semifinal this past fall came in large part on the legs of junior Phillip Jones. His 266 total points ranked 11th for one season, and his 42 touchdowns tied for 11th. Jones also ran for 2,335 yards and 37 of those scores (tied for 11th-most rushing touchdowns), including six TDs in a game against Stanton Central Montcalm.

Milan’s Hunter Aeschbacker returned two kickoffs for touchdowns in his team’s 51-45 win over Carleton Airport on Oct. 13. The junior’s scoring sprints both came in the fourth quarter.

Dakota Knieper joined eight others who have recorded 99-yard rushing touchdowns, adding his against Hanover-Horton on Oct. 13. The Addison senior scored after an interception gave his team the ball inside its 1-yard line, and his sprint contributed to a 38-3 win that helped Addison clinch its first Cascades Conference title since 2008.

A trio of Homer quarterbacks from this decade were added in multiple categories. Alex White was added for 2,333 yards and 30 touchdown passes over 13 games in 2013, while Caleb Drumm was added for 2,400 yards and 33 TDs in 11 games in 2015 and Jordan Sherman was added for 2,237 yards and 30 TDs as well over 10 games this fall. White went on to play football and golf at Kalamazoo College.

Lawrence has been one of the top 8-player programs in Michigan since the sport began at the start of this decade, and a number of standouts were added for passing game accomplishments. Among throwers, Connor Murney now has the records for single-game (521) and single-season (3,236) passing yards, single-game (66) and single-season (276) passing attempts, single-game (40) and single-season (176) passing completions and he sits tied for the single-season passing touchdowns record of 45. Derek Gribler and Hunter Coombs also were added in multiple passing categories, Gribler most notably for 2,607 yards and 43 touchdowns in 2014 and Coombs for 2,179 yards and 33 TDs in 2015. Matthew Cammire, the go-to receiver in 2013 and 2014, moved to the top for career receiving yardage (2,832), career receptions (126) and career touchdowns (53) among other entries. Gribler and Jacob Alburtus also were added for single-game receiving accomplishments. Murney went on to play baseball at Olivet College, and Gribler plays baseball at Lake Michigan College.

Mayville senior Jackson Schenk earned the first entry for tackles for loss in the 8-player record book with 26 in the fall. The 6-foot-3, 245-pound defensive end had six in a Sept. 22 win over Burton Madison Academy to make the single-game list as well.

PHOTO: Ottawa Lake Whiteford lines up for a snap during last fall’s Division 8 Final at Ford Field.