Oilers' Carson Continues Record Climb
August 8, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Arguably the top sophomore in the state this spring, Mount Pleasant’s Hannah Carson continued to build toward a record-setting career with one of the most impressive seasons in the state for a player of any class.
Carson, a catcher, was added to the MHSAA softball record book for 77 hits (tied for sixth most for one season), 23 doubles (tied for eighth most), and her 25 triples over two seasons are tied for 15th most for an entire career with two seasons to play. She hit .550 this spring and already is committed to play after high school at University of Michigan.
Freshman teammate Oaklie Mogg was added to the records for 18 doubles this spring, and junior Allison Conway made the single-season sacrifice list with 22. Click the softball heading below to see where they and other recent additions in that sport rank, along with a few additions in girls basketball and football as well.
Girls Basketball
Homer standout Bailey Manis graduated in 2015 with some notable numbers over her four-season varsity career, including 421 made free throws – 12th most in MHSAA history. She also made the records with 151 steals as a senior and 409 over her career. She plays at University of Northwestern Ohio.
Football
Morrice’s James Edington, already in the records for a 450-yard rushing game in 1999, also was added for a record-tying 99-yard run on Oct. 29 of that season against Kingston. Edington went on to star at Alma College as well.
Softball
St. Joseph junior Olivia Shinrock continued her impressive hitting of the last two seasons, blasting into the MHSAA record book with 15 home runs in 34 games this spring. She hit multiple homers in three games and batted .505 overall.
Reese standout Carlee Selle added a few more record book entries with a few swings of the bat May 16 against Vassar. Selle hit three home runs over two innings in a 15-0 win and a fourth straight home run in her next at bat in the second game of the day against the Vulcans. She also had eight RBI total in the first game. She finished with 12 home runs, 16 doubles and also had back-to-back home runs in an April 21 game against Marlette. A junior this spring, she’s committed to play collegiately at Kent State. Teammate Kaylee Cypher, who graduated this spring, also made the records with 16 doubles.
Recently-graduated Emma Sikina of Brownstown Woodhaven also was added for consecutive home runs, in the fourth and sixth innings of a game against Carleton Airport on June 1, and for 18 doubles as a junior in 2015. She’s signed with Madonna University.
Grandville’s Nikoma Holmen, a junior this spring, was added for 73 hits and 19 doubles as a sophomore in 2015. She hit .570 that season.
Hudson senior Lauren Valdez opened an April 28 game against Pittsford by hitting four batters with pitches and then walking the fifth. She then stuck out 20 of the next 31 batters she faced in a 9-6 win to tie for the 13th-most strikeouts for a pitcher in a seven-inning game. She’s signed to continue at Siena Heights.
Howard City Tri-County’s 24-10 finish this spring yielded a number of noteworthy accomplishments; the Vikings as a team were added for 402 hits, 63 doubles, 281 RBI and a .405 batting average. Individually, senior Brooke Dillon finished her career with 15 home runs and career totals of 178 runs, 210 hits, 29 triples, 28 home runs and 194 RBI; her career triples rank 11th and her RBI eighth. She and sophomore teammate Dayoni Mahlich both ended notable hitting streaks on May 7, Dillon’s at 24 straight games and Mahlich’s at 21. Mahlich also made the records with 74 hits and 14 triples, and senior Alexis Holappa joined both with single-game listings. Dillon will continue her career at Lawrence Tech.
Warren Fitzgerald senior Angel Perry earned a spot in the records with six RBI in one game, a 21-15 loss to Clawson on May 9. Perry was 4 for 4 with two doubles and a home run.
PHOTO: Mount Pleasant's Hannah Carson prepares to receive a pitch during a 2015 game against Midland Dow. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Lawton's Rueff Caps Career Among State's All-Time Leading Rushers, Scorers
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
April 28, 2023
Lawton’s run to the 2021 Division 7 championship game frequently came on the legs of then-senior Jake Rueff, who posted some of the top performances in MHSAA football history.
He scored 298 points – fifth-most in 11-player history – with his 49 total touchdowns ranking fourth and his 46 rushing touchdowns third. He also made records lists with 2,370 rushing yards, 71 career touchdowns and 430 career points.
Lawton as a team scored 92 touchdowns, tying the record with 10 in one game, gained 5,662 yards of total offense and ran for 4,725 yards over 14 games.
Rueff plays at Michigan Tech.
See below for more recent additions to the 11-player football record book:
Football
Aiden Brunin stacked up many contributions on both sides of the field for Cedar Springs in 2021. But his less frequently-mentioned punting earned the senior a spot in the record book as he booted an 83-yard punt during a Nov. 6 playoff win over Muskegon that ranks as the fourth-longest in state history. The kick flew 62 yards in the air before taking a series of bounces and rolls. Brunin currently is a freshman baseball player at Spring Arbor.
Sturgis’ Jacob Thompson became the 10th to return two kickoffs for touchdowns in one game as a junior in 2021, scoring from 97 and 83 yards out against Paw Paw. Thompson also was added to the records for six rushing touchdowns in a Sept. 9, 2022, win over Plainwell – and he also threw for a score in the 55-34 victory.
Twenty years later, Coleman’s Joshua Moore has been added for a pair of interception returns for touchdowns Oct. 11, 2002, against Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart. Moore was a senior that season and scored off those turnovers during the third and fourth quarters.
Nearly a decade later, Cheboygan’s Ben Pearson also was added to the record book for a 99-yard rushing touchdown that tied the record for longest run. Pearson took the handoff deep in his own end zone and scored against Gaylord on Aug. 29, 2013. Pearson, a senior that season, went on to play at Northwood.
A trio of past Grand Ledge standouts have been entered for their achievements going back decades. Mitch Gulker made the record book for 1,002 receiving yards as a senior in 1976. Nick Kissane was added for his 170 completions, 297 pass attempts, 2,452 yards and 29 touchdowns through the air in 2008. Corey Arnouts made the tackles for loss list with 28 as a senior in 2011. Grand Ledge’s Division 1 championship run in 2000 came in part on the arm of Matt Bohnet, and he’s been added for his 2,052 yards passing that season. He went on to play at Iowa and Eastern Michigan. Arnouts went on to play at Ferris State, and Kissane went on to play baseball at Aquinas College.
Justin Brown had multiple returns for touchdowns as a junior at East Lansing in 2018, including a 99-yarder on Sept. 14. That kickoff return tied the record for longest on a list that now stands at 20 players.
Carson Roose earned his 10th record book listing when he threw for five touchdowns during the first half of Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett’s 58-22 win over New Haven on Oct. 22, 2021. Roose graduated last spring.
Frankenmuth’s run to the Division 6 championship game in the fall saw the Eagles make team record book lists with 544 points and 72 touchdowns over 14 games, featuring as well a kicker who will bring an impressive extra point streak into the upcoming season. Junior Will Soulliere made 69 of 70 extra-point tries and has connected on 61 straight as he prepares for his senior season. Additionally, the Eagles’ defense was added after not allowing a first down during its Semifinal win over Detroit Country Day. Sam Barger was added for a 98-yard kickoff return in 2021, and Ryan Brenner was added for 45 extra points during the abbreviated 2020 season. Barger also is a senior this school year.
West Bloomfield’s run to the 2021 Regional Final was fueled in part by a tough defense, including a pair of pass rushers who rank among the all-time leaders in single-season sacks. Michael Williams II recorded 24 that fall, tied for fourth-most for one season, while Brandon Davis-Swain tied for 12th with 18. Williams, a senior that fall, plays for South Florida, while Davis-Swain is finishing his junior year at West Bloomfield.
PHOTO Lawton’s Jake Rueff (22) breaks into the open during his team’s Division 7 Final matchup with Pewamo-Westphalia in 2021.