Powerful Hitters Set Pace for Grand Rapids Christian's Annual Title Chase
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
April 29, 2022
A number of standouts drove Grand Rapids Christian to three straight Division 2 titles from 2018-20 and its Semifinal appearance this past season, including a pair of hitters now among the MHSAA single-season and career leaders in kills.
Current senior Evie Doezema was added to the record book for her 748 kills in the fall and 1,603 over 466 games and four seasons. Addie VanderWeide, who graduated in 2021, was added for 592 kills over 103 games her senior season and 2,110 over 477 games and four seasons. Doezema and senior setter Alyssa DeVries also were added for their contributions in a 3-1 Regional Final win over Hudsonville Unity Christian on Nov. 11 – Doezema for 42 kills and DeVries for 53 assists.
VanderWeide plays at Iowa, and Doezema has signed with Michigan State.
See below for more recent record book entries for volleyball, girls soccer, boys tennis and wrestling.
Girls Soccer
Paul Stenglein retired as Frankenmuth’s girls soccer coach with a 400-95-44 record from 1996-2019. His 400 wins remain fourth on the all-time list.
Volleyball
A total of 26 record book entries covering the recent history of Kingsley as a state power were added, with a number of single-season and career highlights for players over the last two decades. Among those added for single-season kills were Katie Travis, Jill Walton, Jessica Lefler, Hannah Bach and Lilly Travis, with Lefler (2,205 from 2015-18), Walton (1,682 from 2004-06) and Brittany Bowman (1,562 from 2016-19) making the career kills list. Maddie Bies, Erica Berridge, Dakota Deweese and Leah Hall made the single-season assists list, with Hall ranking 17th on the career assists list with 3,881 from 2011-14 and Brittany Denter (2,983 from 2005-Fall 2007) and Bies (2,617 from 2017-19) joining her. Austyn Deweese was added for 407 blocks from 2017-19, and Emily Fasel, Bowman, Sam Zubalik, Walton and Hillary Hoeflin made the aces single-season list during the current rally scoring era. Holly Nickerson was added to the single-season aces list from the pre-rally scoring era for her 130 in 2002-03. Austyn DeWeese is playing at Central Michigan, Lefler has gone on to play at Ferris State, with Hall at Lawrence Tech, and Denter went at Caldwell (N.J.). Walton played basketball at Lake Superior State, and Bowman was a redshirt freshman on that team this season.
After an injury kept her from playing as a junior, Whitehall’s Rayne Thompson stormed back this past fall – and her 45 kills in a five-set match Oct. 16 against Muskegon Western Michigan Christian rank fifth all-time in the rally scoring era. She also made the single-match kills list with 32 against Fruitport in a sweep Nov. 4. She signed with Northern Michigan University.
Emma Mirabelli finished a massive hitting career for Traverse City Christian in the fall, posting 922 kills to finish with 2,089 from grades 9-12 (and with 89 more as an eighth grader on varsity in 2017). Her single-season total ranked eighth on that list. She had 44 kills in a four-set match against Traverse City St. Francis on Sept. 16 of last season that rank sixth-most since the start of rally scoring. Teammate Julianna Brower made the single-season assists list with 1,230. Brower will continue her career at Cornerstone University, and Mirabelli has committed to Purdue-Fort Wayne.
Johannesburg-Lewiston’s Autumn Vermilya capped her career in the fall by earning three record book entries. She set a personal high of 54 assists Nov. 4 vs. Charlevoix and also had 48 against Pellston on Oct. 25. She also made the single-season assists list with 1,207.
Emiley Bender also earned a memorable senior-year accomplishment, making the record book with 29 kills for Sandusky during a five-set match against Harbor Beach on Oct. 12.
A number of standouts from Flushing’s recent history also were added. Current senior Kendyl Andrews made career lists with 4,075 assists (ranking 10th) and 304 aces and the single-season assists list twice with matches both of 46. Whitney Heeres was added for 1,731 kills over her four seasons finishing in 2009, and also for her 645 over 150 games as a junior in 2008. Carson Rutherford was added for 598 kills as a senior in 2014 and 1,545 over her four-season career. Rachel Hamblin made the single-season aces list with 116 over 139 games during the winter 2006-07 season. Karen Fox had 130 aces as a junior in 2005-06 and also was added for 315 for her career. Lexi Kiefer was added to the career assists list with 3,282 from 2011-14, Lauren Fenton made the list with 2,601 from 2008-11 and Ashley Hurand was added for 2,618 from 2006-08. Kari Carnell made the career assists list with 2,797 despite playing only her senior season, 2004-05, with rally scoring. Andrews has signed to continue her career at Wayne State. Heeres played at Ball State and then Tennessee, while Rutherford, Hamblin and Kiefer all played at Northwood. Carnell played at Aquinas College and is Corunna’s coach, and Fenton went on to play at Mott Community College. Fox played softball at Michigan State.
Boys Tennis
Midland Dow’s run at the Lower Peninsula Division 2 championship in the fall ended with a tie for third, thanks in part to another group of standouts. Sophomore Logan Yu finished 34-2 to make the singles wins list, while sophomore Vishagen Karthikeyan (30 wins), senior Michael McGaugh (29), sophomore Jonathan Song (28) and junior Shubhan Nagarkar (28) all made the single-season doubles wins list.
Wrestling
On Dec. 22, for the second time in five seasons, Otisville LakeVille Memorial tied the most meet points scored in a 14-weight dual. The Falcons defeated Essexville Garber 84-0 with pins at every weight.
PHOTO Grand Rapids Christian’s Evie Doezema unloads on a kill attempt during the Division 2 Semifinals in November. (Click for more from Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)
Boyne City Soccer Seniors Make Marks on Record Book
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
August 10, 2021
Boyne City has joined girls soccer’s elite over the last four years, finishing Division 3 runner-up this season in its first trip to a championship game while earning a number of team and individual record book entries along the way.
The Ramblers were added for scoring 138 goals this spring, allowing only 10 and posting 19 shutouts over 25 games – with their shutout streak of 15 the fourth-longest in MHSAA history.
Senior twins Jordan Noble (35) and Taylor Noble (33) both made the single-season goals list this spring and the career list with 97 and 101, respectively, despite seeing their junior season canceled due to COVID-19. Jordan also made the season (29) and career (71) assists lists and the season (64) points list as well, and senior Inanna Hauger also made the single-season assists list with 23.
She’ll continue her career at Minnesota-Crookston, while the Noble sisters will continue at Muskegon Community College.
See more recent record book additions in baseball, girls lacrosse and girls soccer below.
Baseball
Grant Dittmer allowed one run during his senior season of 2017, finishing with a 0.10 ERA to tie for third-lowest in MHSAA history. The Bay City All Saints standout went on to play at Delta College.
More than 50 years later, Dennis Bushey’s name has been added to the record book for his 21 strikeouts in an eight-inning game against Carsonville on May 22, 1969. A senior, Bushey pitched Kinde North Huron to a 3-1 win, while his Carsonville counterpart Terry Phipps struck out 19 batters in defeat. Bushey went on to sign with the Detroit Tigers and pitched at two Class A levels in 1970.
Also a half-century later, Harper Woods Bishop Gallagher’s Greg Boos has received two entries in the records. He struck out 24 hitters over 15 innings during a 1-0 win over Royal Oak Shrine Catholic on May 10, 1971, and he finished that season with 184 strikeouts – which rank 10th all-time on that list. He went on to play at Wayne State and for a season in the New York Mets minor league system.
Corey Holtrust returned with Zeeland West to the diamond this spring and finished his high school career with an MHSAA record. He was hit by 34 pitches across 42 games – five more HBPs than the previous record set in 2015.
North Muskegon’s run to the Division 3 Quarterfinals this spring was bolstered by a potent offense that made the records in four categories. The Norsemen finished third all-time with 211 stolen bases (in 226 attempts), and also received entries for 411 hits, 84 doubles and a .382 team batting average across 40 games.
Alex Daniels earned entries for stolen bases in a game twice within two weeks this spring, with five against Grand Rapids Union on May 13 and then five again against Muskegon on May 28. He was a senior this season for Holland.
Girls Lacrosse
Hannah Huebner became the latest standout from her school to make the records with eight goals in Caledonia’s 20-3 win over Grandville on April 14. Huebner was a senior this spring.
A pair of Huron Valley United standouts earned single-game record listings, with one also making the single-season points list. Sophomore Emily Prell was added three times for single-game goals, with a high of eight against Novi on April 16, and twice for single-game assists including six against Walled Lake United on May 10. She finished with 81 points, including 47 goals. Junior teammate Jenna Hoppe was added for seven goals against Grand Blanc on April 9 – a game during which Prell also scored seven times.
Girls Soccer
Gabrielle Novak earned three entries for goalkeeper saves this spring as a junior for Parchment. She twice saved more than 30 shots in a game – 32 against Schoolcraft on May 19 after 33 against Kalamazoo Christian on May 12 – and she finished with 256 saves to rank fourth all-time on the single-season list.
PHOTO: Boyne City’s Jordan Noble (5) steps into a pass during this spring’s Division 3 Final at Michigan State University.