Norris Spikes Way to All-Time Greatness

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

May 25, 2017

Corunna’s Meredith Norris ended a celebrated career in the fall by winning the Miss Volleyball Award – and delivering the last of 18 entries in the MHSAA record book.

For this past fall, the senior hitter made the records for kills in a season for the fourth time (839) – while also finishing second all-time for a career in that category since the start of rally scoring in 2004-05. Norris’ 3,126 career kills rank second only to eventual U.S. Olympian Alisha Glass’ 3,584 from 2003-06.

Norris – who will continue her career at Michigan State University – also added a 43-kill match (fourth all-time) to her record 56 set in 2015. The 839 kills this past fall were her most for one season. In addition, Cavaliers teammate Lexi Mort, a sophomore, made the single-match assists list three times with a high of 64 in four games against Goodrich.

See below for more recent record book entries in baseball, boys and girls basketball, football, softball, tennis and wrestling, and click on the sport headings to see those record books in full.

Baseball

Maple City Glen Lake has established itself as a regular contender in Division 4, and with a number of performances that have qualified the last few seasons for record book consideration. Among them, Travis Moore’s 188 career hits from 2013-16, 160 career RBI, .465 career batting average and 33 times hit by pitches during his career all were added. So too was Austin Odziana for 45 career doubles from 2012-15), 18 times hit by a pitch as a junior and 46 times hit by pitches (sixth all-time) for his career; Thomas Waning (2011-14) eight times including for 176 strikeouts and three no-hitters in 2014, Zach Cooper (2013-16) six times including for 11 career shutouts, and Matt Schweikart four times including for career ERA (0.73, fifth all-time) and seven shutouts last spring. A number of others from Glen Lake teams past were added in various categories: Brian Maurer (193 career runs from 1995-98 rank eighth; he set the season record of 84 in 1999), Curtis Bunek (2010-13), Zack Buchan (1999-2002), Weston Buchan (2004-07), Mike Baker (1998-2001), Steve Walker (1999-2002), Art Harland (1979-82), Andy Bunting (1997-2000), Scott Bunting (1994-97), Karl Malcolm (1999-2002), Joel Pierson (2000-03) and Corey Flaska for a single-season accomplishment in 1998. As teams, the 1978 Glen Lake squad hit 21 triples, second all-time, while the 2015 and 2016 teams both set MHSAA records being hit by pitches 78 times. The 2014 team ranks fifth with 326 strikeouts, and the 2015 team ninth with a 1.31 ERA.

Boys Basketball

North Adams-Jerome’s Stone Arnold finished a solid four-season career by playing himself into the MHSAA records with his defense. Arnold had 96 steals this past season to finish his career with 261, which rank 13th all-time. Arnold, a point guard, also became the first player in his school’s history to score 1,000 career points.

Girls Basketball

Marine City’s Karyssa Austin added 57 3-pointers this winter as a senior to finish her four-season varsity career with 213 – 11th in MHSAA history. She previously made the single-season list with 71 as a junior. She has signed to continue her career at Northwood University.

Football

Royal Oak’s Bobby Green and Darryl Davenport became the 10th pass-catching pair to be added to the MHSAA record book for longest pass with a 99-yarder launched by Green during a 35-0 win over Pontiac last Sept. 9. Davenport will continue his career this fall at Concordia University-Ann Arbor.

Powers North Central standout running back Bobby Kleiman added to his scoring entries with 200 points this past fall as a senior. He finished his career with 552 points over his junior and senior seasons of 8-player football – the only entry in a category where the minimum is 400. He’s also the first to be listed for career touchdowns, with 77 with at least one coming six ways – rushing, receiving, fumble return, interception return, punt return or kick return. He will play baseball at Kalamazoo Valley Community College.

Softball

Former Greenville standout Nikota Howe was placed in the records for a number of accomplishments, most notably as a senior in 2014 and over her four-year varsity career. Her 79 hits in 2014 are tied for 19th most in one season, and her .699 batting average that spring ranks eighth all-time. Her .563 career average ranks 10th in that category, and she also made lists with 206 career hits, 47 career doubles, 22 career home runs, 116 career RBI and for seasons of 18 and 16 doubles. She went on to play at Lake Erie College in Ohio.

Boys Tennis

Midland Dow senior Varun Shanker finished his high school career in the fall as the state’s Mr. Tennis, making the single-season wins list for the second time at 32-1 and the career wins list at 115-19 over the last four seasons. Teammate Tyler Conrad also made the single single-season list with a team-high 34 victories, and Saketh Kamaraju made the single-season list with 33 wins and the consecutive wins list with those 33 before falling in the Lower Peninsula Division 2 Final at No. 4 singles to finish his freshman campaign. A number of Dow doubles players also were added for wins in 2016 – Aditya Middha, Noah Nichols, Sagar Kamaraju and Ryan Killmaster all with 30; and J.J. Kirkman, Gopal Parthasarathy and Daniel Zhang all with 28. Sagar Kamaraju capped his career with 84 doubles wins, and Kirkman finished his with 69. Shanker at No. 1 singles, Conrad at No. 3, Kirkman and Middha at No. 1 doubles and Zhang and Parthasarathy at No. 3 all won Finals flight championships in the fall as Dow won the team title. Shanker will continue his career at the California Institute of Technology.

Volleyball

Samantha Stark served her way into the record book during a Class D District Semifinal win in 2015. The then-senior at Pellston had 11 aces in a three-set sweep of Alanson.

Wrestling

Westland John Glenn 2013 graduate Kyle Gillies is among the elite who finished their high school careers with more than 200 wins, ending at 204-34 after four varsity seasons. He went 55-1 as a senior, losing only to Davison’s Lincoln Olson in the 2013 Division 1 championship match at 112 pounds. Gillies went on to wrestle at Olivet College.

PHOTO: Corunna’s Meredith Norris serves during her team’s Class B Quarterfinal against Cadillac. (Click for more from Varsity Monthly.)

Addison Slugger Ties Home Run Record

August 24, 2015

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Erika Underwood finished a four-season career at Addison this spring that placed her among the MHSAA’s high achievers in a number of statistical categories – and tops in one of the most notable.

Underwood slugged 49 home runs during her career, tying her for the most in MHSAA history with 2010 Belding graduate Taylor Johnson.

Total, Underwood appears in the MHSAA softball records 17 times – additional notables include sixth with a career batting average of .595, 10th with 222 career runs, tied for eighth for single-season triples with 14 in 2012, fifth with 34 career triples and tied for third for single-season home runs with 17 in 2013. A first baseman, she’ll continue her career this fall at Central Michigan University.

Read on for more of the latest additions to the MHSAA record books, and click on each heading to see the complete record listings for that sport.

Baseball

  • Flushing’s Christopher Triplett didn’t make MHSAA single-season records lists over his four-year career that ended this spring. But over those four seasons he built totals that made career lists in three categories – with 170 runs, 100 walks and 128 stolen bases. The steals rank 10th all-time. An infielder, he’ll continue his career at Spring Arbor University.

Girls Basketball

  • Karina Cole became Lincoln Alcona’s all-time leading scorer during her varsity career that ended in 2014, and along the way notched an accomplishment that made the MHSAA records as well. She connected on 72 of 81 free-throw attempts as a junior during the 2012-13 season, with that 88.9 percent success rate ranking fifth-highest for one season. She played last winter at Alpena Community College.

Football

  • Corey Willis missed his senior season of 2012 with a knee injury – but accomplished plenty as a sophomore and junior. Willis found his way into the record book four times with 2,412 yards and 33 touchdowns rushing, plus 208 points total, as a junior. He also is listed for a 95-yard kickoff return against Greenville in 2010 as a sophomore. A quarterback and running back in high school, Willis is a receiver at Central Michigan University.
  • Livonia Churchill enjoyed three playoff appearances in four seasons with spring graduate Brian Alsobrooks on the roster, and he solidified his name in the MHSAA records with eight listings as a kicker and quarterback. He made the single-season extra points list twice with 50 and 52 and booted the seventh-most for a varsity career, 142 in 34 games after taking over that duty with three games left in his freshman season of 2011. His streak of 82 straight extra points from October 2012 into October 2014 ranks fifth, and he also made the career field goals list with 19. Alsobrooks also made the records with 26 completions and 474 yards in a 2013 49-40 loss to Westland John Glenn, and after throwing for 2,258 yards in 11 games as a senior. He’s beginning his college career this fall at Eastern Michigan University.
  • Aaron Steedman capped Linden’s 53-7 win over Flint Kearsley last October with a 100-yard fumble return for a touchdown on the final play of the game. Steedman is one of four in the MHSAA record book with a fumble return TD the length of the field.
  • Longtime Muskegon Catholic Central coach Mike Holmes was added to the list of those who have led teams to at least 200 wins. Holmes’ built a career record of 212-75-1 in 25 seasons, all at MCC, and led the Crusaders to six MHSAA championships, the last in 2008. He retired after the 2012 season.
  • DeWitt’s powerful offense resulted in a number of entries from the last three seasons. Quarterback Jacob Johnson finished his career last fall with 52 touchdown passes over parts of three seasons, and after making the record lists with 2,039 passing yards and 31 TDs as a junior in 2013. Joshua Borta was a key receiver that season, when he made the record list with 16 touchdown catches, and Ryan Anderson was the team’s top target in 2012 with 80 catches, 1,221 yards and 16 TDs – and he also made the career catches list with 101 over two seasons. Christopher Ruby was added for 231 receiving yards on six receptions in a win over Owosso in 2013. Two specialists also made the records – Matthew Meagher with a 78-yard punt against Tecumseh last season, and kicker Cameron West with 153 extra points in 163 attempts from 2011-13. The team’s 45-44 win over Linden in 2012 was added to the team records as one of six to go at least six overtimes. Johnson is beginning his college career this fall at Central Michigan University, while Anderson plays for Olivet College and West played last season for Northern Michigan University.

Boys Lacrosse

  • Grant Lardieri put the final touches on a four-season varsity career that put him atop the all-time career saves list with 901, with 244 this spring – which were good for second-most in one season. He also added games of 27 and 20 saves to give him 10 entries total in the MHSAA records. Teammate Peter Fisk was added three times, with games of eight and seven goals and 67 total for the season, and Bob Pelton made the single-game assists list for the third time, with five against Holland West Ottawa on May 26. All three graduated this spring and will play at the next level – Pelton at Marquette University, Fisk at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and Lardieri at Massachusetts-Lowell.

Softball

  • A pair of Mount Pleasant hitters were added, Megan Kramer with 17 doubles and Hannah Carson for 17 triples – Carson tying for third most in one season. A freshman this spring, she’s already committed to play collegiately for the University of Michigan.

PHOTO: Addison’s Erika Underwood rounds third base; she finished her high school career with 17 record book listings. (Photo courtesy of Addison High School.)