Novi's O'Leary Champion & Record Setter
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
July 11, 2018
The Novi volleyball team’s run to four straight Class A Finals and three straight championships over the last four seasons saw performances by a number of elite hitters – and one on-court constant directing the attack.
Erin O’Leary graduated this spring with an MHSAA-record 5,790 assists during her four years as the team’s starting setter, topping the rest of the best in that category by 180. She had a high of 1,521 assists last fall as a senior, that total coming in ninth for a single season, and all four of her season totals rank among the top 24 since the MHSAA went to rally scoring in 2004-05.
In addition, O’Leary made the career aces list with 327. Victoria Iacobelli, the top hitter on the 2014 runner-up team, was added for 642 kills that fall. Iacobelli has gone on to play at Bowling Green, while O’Leary claimed the statewide Miss Volleyball Award as a senior and will begin her college career at University of Michigan this upcoming season.
Click to see the volleyball record book in full plus more recent record book additions in baseball, girls and boys basketball, football and softball.
Baseball
Morenci’s Matthew Schiermyer enjoyed a memorable day April 28, 1995, when he belted three home runs in his team’s 8-6 win over Ottawa Lake Whiteford. He drove in five runs total with the three homers.
Kingsley’s Alex Parker was hit by 38 pitches over a four-year varsity career that concluded this spring, including by 16 pitches as a junior. His career total is tied for 12th all-time. He will continue his career at Henry Ford College.
Girls Basketball
Onsted’s Taylor Hutchinson knocked down 41 more 3-pointers this past season to finish her four-year varsity career with 167, making the records list in that category. She will continue her career at Jackson College.
Boys Basketball
Hale sophomore Joseph Kimmerer helped his team to a league championship last winter and earned an entry in the record book among sharp shooters. He made 88.3 percent of his free-throw attempts over 21 games (83 of 94) to tie for the 15th-best percentage for one season.
Football
Then-senior Griffin Kelly got his final season off to a great start last Aug. 25, running for six touchdowns in making the single-game list for rushing scores as his Frankfort team defeated Manton 70-40. He is continuing his career at Northern Michigan University.
Dearborn Heights Star International’s Saif Almalla was waiting for a kickoff from Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest to roll into the end zone last Oct. 6 – but when it didn’t, he picked up the ball and raced 99 yards for a touchdown while also tying the record for longest kickoff return in MHSAA history. Almalla will be a senior this fall.
Softball
A trio of strong hitters put up record book-caliber seasons in 2017 for Farmington Hills Mercy. Sophie Van Acker, then a senior, had 84 hits – 10th most for one spring – and graduated with 241 hits over four seasons. Nicole Belans added 18 doubles for a career total of 33, and also made the single-season RBI list with 70. Anna Dixon, then a junior, also had 70 RBI, in addition to 78 hits and 73 runs scored. Van Acker signed with Lehigh University out of high school, and Dixon will continue at Hillsdale College.
Muskegon Orchard View slugger Halee Holman is off to a great start after two seasons on varsity, and with two more to go. As a sophomore this spring, she made the MHSAA record book with 14 home runs and 90 RBI – the RBI tied for fifth-most all-time. She’s also on the career RBI list with 156 and just short of the career home run list with 19 so far.
Lansing Waverly’s Madeline Stump capped a memorable run this spring with four entries for career accomplishments. Across four seasons and 132 games, Stump hit .546 with 230 hits including 50 doubles and 25 home runs.
PHOTO: Novi’s Erin O’Leary sets a teammate during last season’s Class A Semifinal win over DeWitt.
FHC star Clay Tops Every Scoring Chart
November 8, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central standout Bryce Clay rewrote the MHSAA boys lacrosse record book over the last four seasons.
He graduated this spring atop the career goals list with 385, with the most career assists at 224 and far beyond the pack with 609 career points – 154 more than anyone else has achieved.
Clay’s single-season high of 166 points rank second on that list, with his 66 assists this spring tied for fourth in that category and his career-high 105 goals in 2016 also ranking second.
He helped Forest Hills Central to the Division 2 title in 2016 and runner-up finishes the last two springs. He’s continuing his career at University of Michigan.
Click to check out the lacrosse record book in full, and read on for more recent additions in baseball, football, girls soccer, volleyball and wrestling. Click on the headings to view those record books.
Baseball
Homer’s 37-2 season this spring included a string of 48 scoreless innings that topped its previous MHSAA record of 44 set in 2005. The Trojans had 20 shutouts, a record-setting team ERA of 0.78 and 377 strikeouts, which were the second-most on that list. Homer also hit .368 with 83 doubles and 308 RBI, all three accomplishments making record book lists. Jordan Sherman capped his four seasons on career lists with 151 runs scored and 136 RBI, while Joe Roth was added for a career ERA of 1.59 over the last three seasons and Zach Butters was added for a 1.22 ERA with a fourth season to play next spring. Brock Ridgeway was added for 33 pitching wins from 2013-16. Sherman is continuing his career at Concordia University-Ann Arbor, Roth is playing football at Indiana Wesleyan University and Ridgeway plays baseball at Central Michigan University.
Birmingham Groves was added for games with 13 and 11 stolen bases this spring and for 12 steals in a game in 2017. As a team, Groves also made the season hit-by-pitch list in 2018 with 49 in 36 games. Chaise Ford completed his career in the spring with 33 times hit by pitches over 110 games and three seasons. He’s playing football at Ferris State University.
Jack Pramuka became the second player in Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart history to be hit by three or more pitches in one game when he was hit in the fourth, fifth and seventh innings April 21 against Battle Creek Harper Creek. Pramuka was a senior.
Four four-year varsity players left record-book milestones in graduating from Frankfort this spring. Brett Zimmerman has eight record book entries, with his .640 batting average this past season ranking third all-time. He made career lists hitting .506, getting hit by pitches 55 times (third all-time), stealing 115 bases, scoring 184 runs and driving in 135. Griffin Kelly also was added to the career runs list with 156, and teammates Jack Morrow and Kirk Myers made the career ERA list at 1.50 and 1.36, respectively. As a team, Frankfort was added for getting hit by pitches 49 times this spring, and also for tying the MHSAA record with eight straight shutouts and ranking third all-time with 45 straight scoreless innings. (Frankfort was one of three teams to break the scoreless innings streak record this spring, with Homer finishing with 48 as explained above and Brownstown Woodhaven ending its record run May 17 with 60 straight.) Zimmerman is playing baseball at Wayne State University, Morrow and Myers are playing at Albion College, and Kelly is playing football at Northern Michigan.
Football
Clinton Township Chippewa Valley made the team defense record book a second time by holding Utica to only four first downs in a 49-0 victory Oct. 19. Chippewa Valley previously had been added for holding Utica to five first downs in their 2017 meeting. Also, senior Niko Kepi was added for connecting on 61 straight extra points beginning near the end of 2017 and carrying through his first attempts in Friday’s District Final win over Macomb Dakota.
Despite falling 67-37 to eventual Division 5 champion Grand Rapids West Catholic on Oct. 16, 2015, Belding’s special teams shined. Connor Barker, a senior, returned kickoffs 90 and 88 yards for touchdowns to make the list for multiple kickoff return touchdowns in one game.
Girls Soccer
Kristi Vandeberghe has taken her rightful place among the leading scorers all-time, with the addition of her single-season goals for her sophomore (50), junior (40) and senior (48) seasons to go with her record 66 as a freshman. The former Mount Clemens star finished with 204 career goals from 2001-04, which ranks second. She went on to play at Grand Valley State and then Oakland University.
Softball
St. Joseph’s Courtney Farrish enjoyed a power-packed spring, making the MHSAA single-season home runs list with 14 over 31 games. Farrish is a senior this fall and will sign with Western Michigan University.
Wrestling
Hunter Machus finished his four-season varsity career at Bronson in 2013 on career lists for wins and pins. He ended 209-25 with 111 of those victories by fall. Machus went on to wrestle at Alma College.
PHOTO: Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central’s Bryce Clay begins a run upfield during last season’s Division 2 Final against East Grand Rapids.