Lund Leads Leland Scoring Charge
April 23, 2019
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Leland’s run to the Division 4 championship this past fall came in part thanks to one of the highest-scoring offenses of all-time.
The Comets scored 157 goals – third-most all-time. Senior Cobe Lund capped his career with 42 goals and 63 points. He played two seasons at Leland after two at Traverse City West and also made career scoring lists with 139 points and 49 assists over four seasons.
Defense played a key part in Leland’s success, of course – sophomore keeper Gavin Miller made the shutouts list with 16 in the fall, and the team had 17 total.
See below for more recent record book updates in boys soccer, ice hockey, girls lacrosse and volleyball. Click on the headings to see those record books in full.
Ice Hockey
Bay City John Glenn senior Cole Parks scored an incredible three goals over 17 seconds against Grand Blanc on Nov. 28, breaking the previous record for fastest three goals by six seconds. Parks played for the Bay Area Thunder, a co-op program with athletes from six schools. He scored with 5:19, 5:10 and 5:02 left in the first period. The three goals also count as the second-fastest three scored by one team, and a fourth goal scored 1:20 before Parks’ hat trick by Justin Raymond gave the Thunder four goals in 1:37 – third on the list for four goals scored over the shortest amount of time.
Nolan Lockhart also joined the fastest three goals list with three for Lowell/Caledonia over 30 seconds against Chelsea on Jan. 7. The senior scored his at 2:41, 2:22 and 2:11 of the second period of a 4-3 overtime win. His string was the third fastest for three scores.
Novi as a team broke the record for fastest four goals, netting them over 1:07 in a win over Canton on Jan. 29. Evan Chippa started the run with 5:10 left in the first period, with Ryan Pinho scoring 10 seconds later, Tanish Nichanametla scoring at 4:28 and Isaac Gibbs finishing the streak at 4:03. The first three goals, over 42 seconds, made the record book list in that category.
Girls Lacrosse
DeWitt’s Alexa Beyer earned her first two record book entries last spring as a sophomore, for seven goals in a game against East Lansing and 53 for the season. Teammate Sarai Canales, then a junior, was added for five assists in a game against Huron Valley United, and then-senior goalie Julianna Harrison was added for 198 saves – the fifth most in MHSAA history. Beyer has committed to play collegiately at St. Bonaventure University.
Boys Soccer
Ithaca keeper Riley Vernon had 306 saves over 18 games in the fall, 14th most for a single season. He had a high of 31 on Oct. 3 against Alma.
Berkley finished 19-4-3 this past fall, making the MHSAA team shutouts list with 15 over those 26 games. Senior keeper Spencer Meade was added for 13 of those 15 shutouts. Berkley also was added for its 5-5 tie with Rochester Hills Stoney Creek, which tied for the third highest-scoring tie in MHSAA history.
Dowagiac’s Cristian Wilson joined the single-game scoring list with six goals in his team’s 7-0 win over Parchment on Aug. 30. Wilson is a junior.
Brett Robinson finished his successful four-year career in net in 2017, leaving Marysville on career MHSAA lists with 645 saves and 37 shutouts over 93 games. He had 13 shutouts his senior season. Robinson plays now at Ashland University.
Volleyball
Kaitlyn Bricker finished her sophomore season in 2017 with a pair of record book entries for sharp serving. Now a junior, Bricker had 13 aces during a three-set Oct. 10 match against Mancelona and finished the season with 127 aces total.
PHOTO: Leland’s Cobe Lund (17) pushes the ball upfield during his team’s Division 4 Final win over Ann Arbor Greenhills last fall.
Mendon 8-Player Championship Game Run Paced by Record-Setting Rushing
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
May 26, 2023
Mendon’s run to the Division 2 Final last fall included some of the strongest rushing performances over the history of 8-player football.
The Hornets ran for 4,317 yards, second-most all-time, on the second-most attempts (520) and with a record-setting 682 yards Oct. 14 against Marcellus. Mendon also set the record for total offense with 692 total in that game, and made the single-season touchdowns list with 76 including 66 rushing (also second on that list).
Junior Jack McCaw made the single-season scoring list with 212 points, most coming on 29 touchdowns, and Evan Lukeman made the single-game rushing list with 401 yards against Marcellus. Mendon’s defense also earned praise, twice making the fewest-first-downs-allowed list with a low of three.
See below for more recent additions to the 8-player portion of the football record book:
8-Player Football
Athens’ Landon Bennett earned a pair of record book entries after reaching the end zone seven times during his team’s 72-0 win over Burr Oak on Sept. 8. His seven scores are tied for third-most in 8-player history and included three rushing, three on punt returns and one on an interception return. The three punt return touchdowns are a record. Bennett is a junior.
On the night Powers North Central broke its 8-player record for consecutive wins, claiming its 28th straight, senior Luke Gorzinski tied Jets great Jason Whitens for the record for interception touchdowns in a game with two, scoring on returns during the second and fourth quarters. Gorzinski has signed with Michigan Tech, and North Central’s winning streak is 37 games and counting.
A pair of Atlanta offensive playmakers and a top defensive lineman earned a total of seven entries in the record book for achievements last fall. Senior quarterback Tyler Currie threw for 30 touchdowns over eight games, and also made the records for six touchdowns and 419 passing yards against Whittemore-Prescott on Sept. 23; the passing yards are second-most for one 8-player game. Sophomore Landon Galea was added for 263 yards and five of those touchdowns against the Cardinals, and also for 1,418 yards receiving and 23 touchdowns over nine games. Junior teammate Tucker Kendrick made the tackles for loss list with five against Hillman on Oct. 6.
Adrian Lenawee Christian senior Brady McKelvey became the first to make the career extra points list in 8-player football this past fall. He bettered his previous single-season record making 64 of 66 extra-point attempts over 11 games and finishing his two-year varsity career with 123 extra points in 127 tries.
Sam McKissack reached the record book showcasing multiple skills for Crystal Falls Forest Park during the 2021 season – twice for rushing attempts in a game including with a record 59 against Ontonagon that Sept. 10, and then with a record 70-yard punt Oct. 30, 2021, against Lake Linden-Hubbell. Teammate Devon Basirico also made the record book with six fumble recoveries over 11 games that season. As a team, Forest Park was added twice for single-game rushing attempts – including 73 total in that Ontonagon game – and for 424 rushes over 11 games for the season. McKissack and Basirico are seniors this spring.
Nikolaus Lewis tied for eighth-most rushing touchdowns in an 8-player game when he reached the end zone six times for Carsonville-Port Sanilac in its win over Caseville on Oct. 7. He’s a senior this spring.
Bridgman has won 24 straight games over the last three seasons, and an exceptional offense – and exceptional offensive star – have played major roles. The Bees were added for 658 total yards in a win over Lawrence last season, that total ranking third all-time, and also 613 yards in a win over Eau Claire. Those included totals of 575 and 547 rushing yards, respectively, and Bridgman was added for 3,598 rushing yards (sixth on the list), 59 rushing touchdowns (fourth) and 76 total touchdowns (seventh). Senior Reid Haskins capped his four-year, 32-game varsity career with 13 record book entries, including for 254 points last season over nine games (tied for fifth all-time) and a record 620 career points, 41 touchdowns last season (fifth) and a record 95 for his career, 2,344 rushing yards last season (third) and a record 5,206 for his career, and 41 rushing touchdowns last season (third) and a record 94 for his career. Senior teammate Tanner Peters made the records three times including for 50 extra points last season (fourth) and 99 over 26 games and three seasons (second on the career list).
Mio's Austin Fox rewrote the 8-player passing record book this past fall, with his 621 yards in a game against Whittemore-Prescott setting a single-game record as he totaled four of the five-highest passing yardage totals. He also set a record with 3,516 over nine games for the season, another record with 289 passing attempts over those nine games and a third record for nine touchdown passes in that game against the Cardinals. His 41 touchdown passes total rank fourth. Teammates Gage Long and Nathan Hurst also earned several record book entries on the receiving end of those passes. Long’s 297 receiving yards against Whittemore-Prescott were tied for third most, and Hurst’s 266 against Alcona rank eighth. Long set a single-season record with 1,739 receiving yards, with Hurst sixth all-time at 1,321, and Long’s 14 receptions against the Cardinals and 70 for the season also rank second on those respective lists. Hurst set a record for longest 8-player kickoff return with a 99-yarder against St. Helen Charlton Heston. All three are seniors.
Peck was one of the first MHSAA 8-player champions, claiming the title in 2013, and Cody Abrego one of the state’s first 8-player stars. The Pirates were added to the MHSAA record book 52 times, and Abrego 14 times individually. Among the most notable entries for the 2015 graduate were for 462 points scored over his two-season career (ranking sixth all-time), 74 career touchdowns (sixth), 2,202 rushing yards in 2013 (fifth) and 35 rushing touchdowns in 2013 (sixth). Current senior Caleb Lentner was one of the stars statewide this past season, and he was added eight times including for 50 points scored in a game (ranking second), 272 points for a season last fall (fifth), eight touchdowns in a game (tied for second), 42 touchdowns in a season (fifth), an 8-player record of 2,694 rushing yards from last season, and 38 rushing touchdowns also last fall (fourth). Others to make the individual lists were Nathan Robar, Caleb Dudley, Steven VanConant, Kyle Abrego and Nathan Neihaus, Dudley for a record 20 career interceptions over two seasons and VanConant for a record 12 tackles for loss in a 2022 game and 36 tackles for loss for the season last fall. The Pirates also are all over the 8-player team record book, including for a record 97 touchdowns in 2013, a record 5,895 yards of total offense that season, 528 carries, 4,346 rushing yards and 73 rushing touchdowns in 2013 (all ranking second); and 24 interceptions in 2014, which ranks second on that list.
Senior quarterback JR Hildebrand was one of the most dynamic players in 8-player football in the fall in leading Martin to the Division 1 title. He had one of his most exciting nights in a playoff opener against Tekonsha, making the single-game touchdown pass list with six in a 68-6 victory.
PHOTO Mendon’s Jack McCaw (21) eludes a tackle during the 8-Player Division 2 Final in November at Northern Michigan University. (Photo by Cara Kamps.)