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.)

Trenton Pair Scores Record Book Fame

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

August 9, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

McKenna Mahoney and Makenna Mascaro drove Trenton to the Division 2 Regional Finals in 2018, with a half-dozen reminders of that successful run now part of the MHSAA record book – including a listing for the best offensive season all-time.

Mahoney, a senior that spring, scored 64 goals – tying for second most in one season – and finished with an MHSAA record 89 points. She also made the single-season assists list in 2018 and finished her career with 112 goals over four seasons and 87 games. Mascaro was a junior in 2018 and made the single-season lists with 38 assists and 62 points, her assists tying for fifth most all-time.

Mahoney tied for the team lead in goals during her freshman season at Adrian College last fall, and Mascaro will join her there this season.

Click to see the girls soccer record book in full, and read on for more recent records additions in girls and boys basketball, football, boys lacrosse and softball. Click on those sports’ headings to see those record books in full.

Girls Basketball

Carly Hickey earned Gladwin’s first entry in the girls basketball record book when she grabbed 26 rebounds in a 58-49 District win over Pinconning on Feb. 27, 2017. Hickey was a senior at the time and just finished her second season at Mid Michigan College.

Boys Basketball

Mitchel Skym added to the list of top long-distance shooting games with 11 3-pointers in Corunna’s 68-51 win over Lake Fenton on Jan. 11. The Cavaliers’ senior made six 3-pointers during the first quarter, falling just one shy of tying that record.

Football

Grayling quarterbacks are listed all over the MHSAA record book, and Cam Summers took his place after setting school career passing yards and touchdown records from 2014-16. Summers capped his career completing 152 of 298 passes for 2,662 yards and 22 touchdowns as a senior, and he finished with 311 completions on 645 attempts for 5,597 yards and 52 touchdowns – amassing seven record book entries total – over three seasons.

West Bloomfield receiver Tre Mosley finished his three-season varsity career last fall among the all-time career leaders in three categories with 108 receptions, 2,001 receiving yards and 21 receiving touchdowns over 37 games. He is a freshman at Michigan State University. Mosley’s quarterback last season, then-junior C.J. Harris, was added to the records for his 2,001 passing yards over 12 games. Harris reportedly has committed to sign with Ohio University.

Gabe Ellis capped his Davison three-season varsity football career in 2017 with 26 tackles for loss that fall, tying for ninth most on that list. Ellis is continuing his career at Grand Valley State University.

Although their team eventually was defeated by Temperance Bedford on Sept. 25, 2015, Darryn Davis and Hunter Rison helped Ann Arbor Skyline mount a second-half comeback with single-game passing and receiving yardage performances that both made the records. Davis finished with 425 yards passing, completing 21 of 41 attempts. Rison finished with 12 catches for 339 yards, the yardage ranking fourth all-time. Rison played at Michigan State and Kansas State and reportedly will play this fall at Fullerton College in California, while Davis plays baseball at University of Toledo.  

Boys Lacrosse

A trio of Muskegon Reeths-Puffer athletes were added for single-game contributions over the course of a week during the 2016 season. Nick Schanhals had seven goals and 11 total points in his team’s 23-6 win over Comstock Park on May 5, 2016, and teammate Gavin Poulin was added for five assists in that game. Reeths-Puffer’s Jake Kovalcik was added for five assists the previous game, May 3 in an 18-2 win over Grand Rapids South Christian. All three were seniors that season.

Pontiac Notre Dame Prep senior Maximilian Stowe finished high school this spring with a highlight-filled season, making the record book eight times including for 68 goals, 48 assists and 116 points over 20 games. He also made single-game lists in all three categories with highs of seven goals, six assists and 12 points.

Softball

Erica Zandarski earned Three Oaks River Valley’s first entry in the softball record book with six RBI in an April 28, 2016 win over Niles Brandywine. She went on to play at Lake Michigan College.

PHOTO: Trenton’s McKenna Mahoney, right, jumps into the arms of teammate Makenna Mascaro during the 2018 season. (Photo courtesy of the Southgate News-Herald.)