Mancelona's Derrer Delivers Nat'l Record
September 9, 2013
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Mancelona’s Dakota Derrer will enter her final high school softball season as an MHSAA and national record holder.
The senior shortstop has been added to the MHSAA record book for 20 triples she hit in 2012 as a sophomore, which bested the previous single-season high of 18 by LeAnn Covey of South Haven in 1993 and Alex Price of Beaverton, also during 2012.
Derrer's total also has been submitted to the National Federation of State High School Associations and when added will tie the 2003 total by Alabama’s Haley Wilkins for tops on the national record book list.
Derrer’s biggest hit as a sophomore might’ve actually been a single – she drove in the winning run in a 2-1 District Final win over Boyne City that gave Mancelona its first District title. The Ironmen didn’t advance this spring, but Derrer earned significant recognition with a Division 4 all-state honorable mention from the Michigan High School Softball Coaches Association.
She also plays volleyball and on the Traverse City Bay Reps boys ice hockey team, a nine-school co-op headed by Traverse City St. Francis that includes players from smaller schools in the Traverse City area.
See below for more recent additions to the MHSAA record books. (Click on the heading for each section below to view the full MHSAA record book for that sport.)
Softball
- Erika Underwood’s quote in the May 31 edition of the Adrian Daily Telegram sums up her power-hitting approach well: “I don’t go up thinking about hitting a home run. If I do, I usually hit a pop-up. I think more about hitting line drives. Sometimes, I hit them right over the fence.” She hit 17 home runs this spring as a sophomore at Addison to tie for second all-time for one season, and also made the single-season triples list with 14 as freshman.
- Burton Bentley’s Angel Campbell became the latest to hit home runs in consecutive at bats, doing so during the fourth and fifth innings of her team’s 4-3 win over Byron on April 25.
- Olivet’s Renae Morton made the single-game strikeouts list for extra-inning games, tallying 24 in an 11-inning game against Dansville on April 27.
Boys Basketball
- Kraatz is a well-known sports name in Allen Park, and Evan Kraatz is carrying on the high-achieving reputation at Inter-City Baptist. Kraatz, a senior, has multiple listings on the single-season steals (high of 93) and assists (high of 239) lists, and his career numbers of 243 steals and 585 assists also make those all-time lists with a season to play. Next up on the all-time career assists list, in third place, is his father Mark with 679 tallied at Inter-City Baptist from 1982-85.
- Kris Smith, a standout as a player at Morrice who has gone on to successfully coach the girls varsity team, had 257 steals during his three-year career from 1995-98. He had a high of 96 as a junior in 1996-97.
- Fulton-Middleton’s Tyler Walden led the Pirates to the 2011 Class D Final with sharp 3-point shooting, and now ranks fourth all-time for career 3-pointers with 272 in 695 attempts for his career covering 2008-12. He also made the single-season list with 83 during the 2011 season, and teammate Corey Hungerford made the all-time career rebounding list with 798 during his four varsity seasons at Fowler and then Fulton.
- Some of the most impressive totals from Leslie’s basketball history have been added: Chuck Finkbeiner’s 25 rebounds in a game during the 1968-69 season, Rod McMichael’s 335 rebounds total during 1967-68 and Derick Ward’s 188 assists in 1999-2000.
Girls Basketball
- Byron’s Calla Bartlett had multiple games over the last two seasons during which she attempted at least 20 free throws. And she sank nearly all of them. Bartlett made the single-game free throw lists for making 15 of 20 against Dryden during the 2011-12 season and then 16 of 21 on Jan. 30 of this winter. She finished with 29 and 24 points, respectively, in those two games.
Volleyball
- Brittany Cherwinski of Johannesburg-Lewiston earned her second listing on the single-match aces list thanks to 10 over three games against Gaylord St. Mary last season. Teammate Julia Nieman made the single-match assists list with 45 over five games against Fife Lake Forest Area.
Girls Soccer
- New Baltimore Anchor Bay’s Michelle Dear was added to all-time single-season scoring list for her 30 goals during the 2012 season. Her 30th came in a 4-1 District Final win over Macomb L’Anse Creuse North.
Football
- Oxford’s Prescott Line put together one of the strongest offensive seasons for a running back in MHSAA history in 2011 with 2,457 rushing yards on 362 carries and 38 total touchdowns for 230 points; he ran for six touchdowns in one game. All are listed in the MHSAA football record book. He now plays at Southern Methodist University in Texas.
PHOTO: Mancelona's Dakota Derrer will enter her senior season as an MHSAA record holder. (Photos courtesy of Derrer family.)
Leslie's Storr Takes Down MHSAA Record
May 4, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Kanen Storr began his varsity career with a 58-0 record as a freshman in 2012-13 and finished with a 58-0 record this winter in winning his third MHSAA individual championship for Leslie.
Along the way, Storr also joined the MHSAA career wins list with a final 227-3 record and set a career takedowns record with 1,185.
The Iowa State University recruit also made career lists with 1,223 team points, 146 pins and 126 two-point near falls. His championships came at 103 pounds as a freshman, 135 as a junior and 145 during this final high school season.
Click to see where he ranks in all categories of the MHSAA wrestling record book, and see below for more recent record book additions for baseball, girls and boys basketball and boys soccer.
Baseball
Jackson’s Trevor Polewka finished his high school career in 2015 with a second single-season entry for stolen bases, with 51, and now the fifth spot on the career stolen bases list with 147 over four varsity seasons. He plays currently at Kellogg Community College.
Karyssa Austin made the MHSAA records with 71 3-pointers in 183 tries over 20 games for Marine City this winter. The junior also has 156 3-pointers over three varsity seasons to make the career list with another season to play – and with a similar showing as this winter would finish among the top 10 all-time in the category.
Kent City continued to earn entries in the team 3-pointer records lists with games of 18, 16 and 13 3-pointers this season – the 18 against Hesperia on Dec. 11 were second-most for one game behind the program's 23 in a game in 2013. Kent City’s 722 attempts in 24 games this winter rank third on that list, and its 194 made 3-pointers rank fourth.
Boys Basketball
Brandon Dingman finished his Mancelona career in 2015 with 2,050 points over 86 varsity games and four seasons, for an average of 23.8 points per game. The 6-foot-2 guard also made MHSAA records lists with 375 career free throws (in 469 attempts) and for his free throw percentages both during his sophomore season (.851) and over his career (.800) – his career percentage is tied for 13th highest.
Demetrius Lake’s outstanding junior season this winter at Holland included a record list-making performance during a 69-56 loss to Holland Christian. Lake scored 44 points, including 24 during the fourth quarter to tie for 11th on the MHSAA list for points in a quarter.
Paw Paw sophomore Luke Toliver set an MHSAA Tournament record with 12 3-pointers in a District Semifinal win over Vicksburg on March 7, with his 50 total points tying for seventh-most in one game in MHSAA postseason history. Those 12 3-pointers also tied for third most for one game, regular or postseason.
St. Ignace’s Gage Kreski finished among the most productive players in MHSAA history on both ends of the floor. His 2,178 points in 90 varsity games over four seasons (24.2 ppg) are 16th most on the career scoring list. But his 450 steals are most impressive – his total cleared the previous career record, set in 2000, by 87 steals, and his 137 this winter were third only to two others who also broke the previous record this season. Kreski also made the career lists with 425 free throws and 904 rebounds, and the single-game steals list with 11 twice over the last two seasons. Kreski, also a 6-foot-2, 195-pound quarterback and defensive back on the Saints’ football team, will join the Central Michigan University football program as a preferred walk-on.
Howard City Tri-County senior Dylan Matulis had 13 steals in an 84-72 win over Newaygo on Jan. 15 to tie for second on the single-game steals list, and his 156 steals this winter set the MHSAA record (two others also broke the previous record this season, but Matulis' total cleared the field by 10). Teammate Colton Harris was added for scoring 22 points (out of 40 total) during the fourth quarter of a 71-55 win over Kent City.
Boys Soccer
Lapeer East’s Colin Owen, already entered into the MHSAA records for 13 shutouts as a junior and 17 as a senior, now also sits seventh on the career list in that category with 43 from 2008-11. He went on to play at Jackson Community College.
PHOTO: Kanen Storr flashes three fingers to the crowd after winning his third MHSAA individual championship this season. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)