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.)
Erie-Mason Standout Rules 3-Point Arc
April 29, 2019
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Joe Liedel brought Erie-Mason to the MHSAA Semifinals for the first time this winter with one of the top 3-point shooting performances in state history
The junior guard’s 91 3-pointers over 26 games tied for 15th most for one season, and with a season to play, he’s already among the most prolific long-distance shooters over a career as well.
Liedel has sank 241 3-pointers – to rank ninth on the career list – over 69 games the last three seasons, and will need 99 as a senior to tie the record.
See below for more recent record book additions in boys and girls basketball, and click on the headings to see those record books in full.
Boys Basketball
Ionia senior Brady Swinehart put up some big point totals this season, including during the first quarter of his team’s Jan. 9 win over Lakeview. Swinehart scored 25 of his 31 points during the first quarter, tying for eighth-most points scored in one period. He also was added to the records for a string of 35 straight free throws over nine games during the 2017-18 season that tied for the eighth-longest in that category.
New Haven tied for ninth-most 3-pointers in a game Jan. 22 against Grosse Pointe North when it sank 19 in the 88-59 win. Six players had at least one 3-pointer, with Romeo Weems dropping six and Ronald Jeffery III connecting on five. New Haven also just missed the single-quarter points list with 38 during the second of that game.
Andre Anthony tied for the third-most steals in one game with 13 for Burton Faithway in its 71-33 win over Howell Kensington Woods on Feb. 19. The senior also scored 24 points and had 12 assists and seven rebounds in the win.
Portland St. Patrick senior Brandon Scheurer finished his four-season varsity career this winter on the career 3-pointers list with 201 in 598 attempts over 81 games. He also is a standout baseball player and will continue his career in that sport at Saginaw Valley State University.
Girls Basketball
Hannah Brown finished her four-season varsity career at White Cloud this winter with her second entry for 3-pointers in one season, making 76 over 20 games with a high of 10 against Remus Chippewa Hills on Jan. 22. She will graduate fifth on the career 3-pointer list with 251 over 85 games, and she also made the career free throw list with 326 in 435 attempts. As a team this season, White Cloud connected on 154 3-pointers to make the records on the way to finishing 14-6.
Ellie Taylor graduated from Midland Dow in 2017 all over her school’s girls basketball record book – and among the top 3-point shooters in state history as well. She made the single-season 3-pointers list with 73 as a junior and 77 as a senior, and her 242 over 91 games and four seasons are the fifth-most all-time. Taylor plays at Northwood and played a season at St. Louis University.
Holly senior Rebecca Fugate matched an accomplishment from her sophomore year when she connected on 16 free throws (in 19 attempts) against Hartland on Feb. 28. She will continue her career next season at Wayne State University.
Niles Brandywine rode long-range sharp-shooting to a 23-3 record and District and Regional titles this winter. Brandywine made 186 3-pointers, tied for 11th most, on 626 attempts, which rank 10th. The Bobcats also made the single-game list with 15 3-poiners in a District win over Eau Claire. Six players made 3-pointers in that game, led by Bethany Duval with four.
A pair of performances over five days in January 2016 put Roseville’s Nija Collier on the record book lists for points and rebounds in a game. On Jan. 22, the then-junior scored a school-record 46 points during a 75-68 win over Center Line. On Jan. 26 during a 61-48 loss to Marysville, she grabbed 30 rebounds to tie for 10th most in one game. Collier recently completed her second season at Kansas City Kansas Community College.
PHOTO: Erie-Mason’s Joe Liedel (1) puts up a shot while surrounded by defenders during his team’s loss to Pewamo-Westphalia in the Division 3 Semifinals last month.