Midland Stars' Achievements Shine On
December 29, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Three four-year varsity softball standouts carried Midland to another Quarterfinal run in the spring, finishing their careers as the Chemics finished 32-8 – and finishing as well with their best work all over the MHSAA record book.
Maya Kipfmiller made the records again with 24 doubles and finished her career with 72 doubles, 242 hits and a .541 batting average. Her season doubles tied for eighth most, and her career doubles are tied for third. Julia Gross was added for 18 doubles this season and 57 doubles and 211 hits for her career, while twin sister Tara Gross was added for 72 hits and a 36-game hitting streak in the spring plus 186 career runs, 216 career hits and 34 career doubles. Tara’s hitting streak was the sixth longest in MHSAA history.
Another standout senior, Jillian Elmer, was added for 17 doubles in her final season, and as a team Midland was added for 414 hits, 101 doubles, 289 RBI and a .403 batting average.
Kipfmiller is continuing her career at Boston University, while both Gross sisters are playing at Northwood University.
Read on for more recent record book additions in softball, football and volleyball, and click on the sport headings to see those record books in full.
Football
Quentin Huckaby’s 76-yard punt on Sept. 22 tied for the 10th longest in MHSAA history. The Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian senior launched his kick during his team’s 41-28 win over Hopkins.
Redford Thurston sophomore Jayshawn Adams tied the MHSAA record for longest kickoff return with a 99-yard touchdown Oct. 20. His return was key to Thurston’s 23-17 win over New Boston Huron.
Alec Bageris was added for a number of passing accomplishments at Novi over three seasons from 2014-16. As a junior in 2015 he competed 188 of 305 passes for 2,344 yards – all three totals making single-season lists – and as a senior in 2016 he threw 26 touchdown passes. For his career, Bageris was 390 for 640 passing for 5,160 yards and 53 touchdowns.
Softball
A trio of Bath standouts were added for single game, season and/or career accomplishments. Recent graduate Kailey Wahrer hit three home runs against Ovid-Elsie on June 3, including two during the second inning, to earn three record book entries. Taylor Buck, who also graduated in the spring, was added with Wahrer for a 6-RBI game, a 20-game hitting streak from this past season, 20 doubles and 41 for her career. Now-senior Taryn Peru was added for 22 doubles and 46 over her first three years on varsity – she hit .511 overall and is committed to continue her career at University of Detroit Mercy. As a team, Bath was added for 437 hits, 91 doubles, 27 home runs and 321 RBI.
Schoolcraft’s Lydia Goble continued to build on her impressive career as a junior in the spring, moving up career lists with 172 runs scored, 41 doubles, 31 triples, 23 home runs and 167 RBI over 107 games and three varsity seasons. She also made the single-season list for triples with 12 for the second time in three years, was added for two consecutive homers against Hartford on April 29 and was added for 75 hits in 35 games as a sophomore. Freshman teammate Katie Parker had a strong debut in the spring as well, making the record book with two games of six RBI, three consecutive homers against Kalamazoo Christian on May 8 and 11 home runs total over 36 games.
Volleyball
Zeeland East’s Sophie Riemersma finished her four-year varsity career this fall with 2,271 kills – ninth all-time since the start of rally scoring in 2004-05. Riemersma has eight entries total in the MHSAA record book, including for 692 kills this past season (in 121 sets) and with season highs of 29 twice this fall. She has signed with Miami of Ohio.
Bloomfield Hills Marian junior Madison Dowd set her team to a Class A runner-up finish this season, posting 1,531 assists – which rank eighth for one season. She had 52 assists in a four-set win over Farmington Hills Mercy, making the single-match list in that category.
Hopkins freshman Brianna Miller made the single-match aces list with 11 this season in a Sept. 7 three-set win over Wyoming Godwin Heights, and Hannah Van de Roovaart’s 13 aces in three sets against Wyoming Lee on Oct. 23, 2014, also were added.
Grand Blanc’s Hannah Carnell also was added for aces in a match, after tallying 14 in a four-set win over Linden this Nov. 1. Carnell is a sophomore.
PHOTO: Midland’s Maya Kipfmiller drives through a pitch during a 2016 game. (Click to see more at HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
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.