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Record-Ranking Defense Sets Title Tone

April 24, 2015

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Grandville Calvin Christian’s girls soccer program has been arguably the most consistently successful in Michigan this decade, winning MHSAA championships the last three seasons.

Of course, offensive prowess has played a big part – the Squires’ 137 goals last season were recently added to the MHSAA record book, ranking seventh among girls teams for goals during one spring.

But defense – led by goalkeepers Jordyn Postema and Allison Keizer – also played, as one would expect, a significant role.

Both keepers were added to the record listing for shutouts in one season – Postema for 18 in 2013 and Keizer for 16 last spring. The team had 19 shutouts total in 2013, including 11 straight, and gave up only nine goals that season. The 2014 team had 20 shutouts in 25 games and gave up only seven goals.

As for offense, Calvin Christian did have one more recent addition to the records – Sarah Klunder, for her 24 assists a year ago.

Click to see all of the MHSAA girls soccer record book in full, and see below for more of this week’s record listing additions. (Click on the sport headings for those record listings.)

Baseball

  • Ovid-Elsie’s first entries in the MHSAA baseball records are the product of deep research by Paul Goebel, whose father John was the longtime coach beginning with the first season after the former Ovid and Elsie schools combined, in 1967. Paul Goebel, searching his father’s old scorebooks, found five entries that qualify in the ERA categories – pitcher Dave DuBois for season (1.10 in 1967) and career ERA (1.49 from 1967-69), Tom Hachlinski also for career (1.57 from 1970-71), and the 1967 (0.98) and 1968 (1.14) teams. The 1967 team, which finished 12-3 in its inaugural season, ranks third on the team ERA list. DuBois finished 20-9 over his three-season varsity career, and Hachlinski was 12-8 over his two seasons.

Girls Basketball

  • Reese finished a combined 81-10 over the last four seasons, in no small part because of the contributions of 6-foot center Reyna Frost. The Central Michigan University recruit scored 1,475 points during her four-year career, and made the MHSAA record book with 1,110 career rebounds (ninth all-time) and 387 career blocks (eighth on that list) as well as 327 rebounds and 128 blocks this winter.

  • Kent City enjoyed another successful run this winter, finishing 19-4 and winning the Central State Activities Association Silver championship – and kept the scoreboard popping along the way. The Eagles made the MHSAA’s season 3-pointers list for the third straight, this time connecting on 171, to go with 167 in 2012-13 and 187 in 2011-12. Kent City made a high of 14 3-pointers in a 73-28 win over Hesperia on Jan. 30 – Kaitlyn Geers led with five – and also was part of one of the highest-scoring games in MHSAA girls hoops history when it defeated Morley Stanwood 83-78 in double overtime Feb. 27. Bailey Freeland scored 30 points for Kent City in that game, including eight during the extra period, and Lindsey Veersma led Morley Stanwood with 21 points including nine during the team’s fourth-quarter comeback. 

 

Football

  • A total of 19 accomplishments for Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart athletes were added, with the majority celebrating a pair of four-year standouts who helped the Irish to combined 36-10 record from 2009-12 and an MHSAA title in 2010. Running back Nick Hire was added for seven rushing touchdowns in a 2012 game against Coleman, 74 career touchdowns and 450 career points, and also 124 career receptions. Quarterback Mitchell Myler was added for 410 completions, 602 attempts, 6,158 passing yards and 68 career touchdown passes – plus 157 completions (and 28 in one game), 2,576 yards and 28 TD passes as a senior in 2012. His career yardage ranks 14th on that list, and he now plays at Division III Alfred University in New York. Former QB Mike Lilly was added for 25 touchdown passes in 2008, and Brooks Hyble made the career TD reception list with 21 from 2010-13. Lilly also made 10 extra points in a 2008 win over Baldwin, while Kip Hartman was added for nine in 1998 game and Matt Kornexl was added for nine in a 2012 game. Kornexl’s 66 extra points in 2012 also made the single-season list.

  • Crystal Falls Forest Park’s Lee Graff put together one of the most impressive scoring careers in just two varsity seasons. Total he amassed 412 points, with 61 touchdowns and 23 two-point conversions over 2013 and 2014. He made the single-season MHSAA rushing TD list with 30 as a junior and also the single-season scoring list with 216 as a senior. Graff has signed with Michigan Tech University.

  • Randy Hyduk’s record addition came after 30 years of waiting, the discovery and then conversion of video of his 75-yard punt for Warren Woods-Tower against Sterling Heights Stevenson on Oct. 26, 1984. Hyduk’s kick, launched at the 10 where he received the snap, traveled nearly 90 yards in the air before landing near Stevenson's goal line.

  • Ben Stankovic took over kicking Saline’s extra points early during last season’s run to the Division 1 Final, and was perfect in points-after through the Hornets’  MHSAA runner-up finish. Stankovic made all 53 extra-point attempts over 12 games in which he kicked – and with a season to play, he’s tied for the 20th-longest consecutive extra-point streak in MHSAA history.  

Softball

  • Amanda Steig stole 162 bases during her four-year career at Reed City from 2009-12, but more than half of those as a senior – her 87 steals that spring rank second in MHSAA history for one season, and she also stole 72 straight during that run. Steig also made record listings with 84 career walks and a 20-game hitting streak from the end of her junior season through April 13 of her senior campaign. Steig went on to play at Grand Rapids Community College and now plays at Cleary University, a member of the United State Collegiate Athletic Association.

Wrestling

  • Three Leslie wrestlers with a combined six MHSAA championships, plus a two-time Finals runner-up, were added for a number of single-season and career accomplishments. Two-time champion Zehlin Storr was added for his career record of 220-12 and undefeated seasons of 2012-13 (59-0) and 2013-14 (61-0). He also made the season pins list with 44 as a senior in 2013-14 and career pins list with 126, and his 792 takedowns rank third in MHSAA career history. Younger brother Kanen Storr, also a two-time champion, was added for his 58 victories in going undefeated in 2012-13 and his 44 pins that season, and two-time champion Cody Dunn was added with his 192-31 career record. Nick Atwood was a two-time runner-up during his career from 1996-99; he made the career wins list finishing 198-8, and his 153 career pins are tied for 12th in MHSAA history.

PHOTO: Calvin Christian’s Allison Keizer (right) made seven saves in last season’s 2-1 Division 4 championship game win over Clarkston Everest Collegiate. 

Holmen Helps Pace Memorable Finals Run

April 8, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Nikoma Holmen played a major role as Grandville reached its first MHSAA softball championship game in 25 years in 2017 – and 15 record book entries are enduring proof of the impact she made on the program.

Holmen finished her four-season varsity run on four career lists. Over 126 games she accumulated 170 runs, 218 hits, 54 doubles and 33 home runs.

Her senior season, Grandville made its first Semifinal and then first Final, both since 1982, before falling to Macomb Dakota 4-3 in eight innings in the Division 1 championship game. Holmen now is a sophomore playing at Grand Valley State University.

See below for more recent record book additions in softball, football, boys lacrosse and boys soccer.

Football

Ottawa Lake Whiteford senior Hunter Lake became the first to be listed for interceptions in one quarter after snagging three during the first quarter of a 64-0 win over Stryker, Ohio, on Aug. 31. He tied the MHSAA single-quarter record by bringing two of those back for touchdowns and made the single-game list for interception return touchdowns and single-quarter list for total defensive touchdowns as well.

Led by a pair of 1,000-yard rushers, Edwardsburg finished this past fall 14-0 and as Division 4 champion. The Eddies also made the MHSAA records multiple times, with their 705 points ranking sixth all-time and their 50.4 per game making the list among highest averages. Edwardsburg also made the total yardage (5,886) and total touchdowns (97), and rushing attempts (578), yardage (5,232) and touchdowns (82) lists. The Eddies also became the first team to register more than 60 rushes in a game when they ran 63 times against Holland Christian on Nov. 10.

Boys Lacrosse

Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central’s Micah Eby stopped 23 shots last May 12 against West Bloomfield. Eby, then a junior, tied for the 13th-most saves in one game.

Boys Soccer

Evan Veenhuis climbed the scoring lists one more time as a Comstock senior this fall. He added 34 goals and 35 points to finish with 121 career goals and 156 career points over four seasons.

Troy Athens carried a perfect record into the MHSAA Tournament this past fall and finished among the most impressive teams defensively of all-time. Athens became one of nine teams to give up seven or fewer goals over the course of a season and also made the season shutouts list with 16. Junior Jason Kemp was in net for all 16 to make the individual shutout list, and for six straight in September to earn another record book entry. Athens also was added for its 21 straight wins and 20 straight in 2013, when it gave up only 10 goals during the entirety of the fall.

Hudsonville Unity Christian had 18 shutouts and gave up only eight goals on the way to winning the Division 3 championship this past fall, making the team record book in both categories. Individually, junior Grant Balcer ranks tied for fourth with those 18 shutouts (including eight straight) and has 26 over his two-year varsity career.

Softball

A pair of Grosse Pointe South players were added for accomplishments last season. Julia O’Halla, now a senior, had home runs on two consecutive at bats and six RBI total in a win over Madison Heights Bishop Foley. Teammate Lauren Sancya, a senior in 2018, finished her four-year varsity career on the all-time doubles list with 48. Emma St. John was added for her 2014 performance when she became one of four to strike out 18 batters in a six-inning game, a 10-0 no-hitter against Center Line. St. John was a freshman that season and played two seasons for South and her final two for University Liggett.

Olivia Tomaszewski graduated from Frankfort last spring with 160 RBI over four varsity seasons, enough to make the MHSAA record book list in that category and come in second on the school’s all-time list to Katy McKay, who had 165 from 1996-99. Tomaszewski is playing at Cornerstone University. Junior Haley Myers also was added to the career home runs list after two seasons – she had 22 after hitting 13 last spring as a sophomore.

Allen Park Inter-City Baptist’s Brooke Myles last April 12 became the first since 2010 to strike out more than 15 batters in a five-inning game, tying for second on that record list with 16 Ks against Sterling Heights Parkway Christian in a 13-1 win. Myles is a senior this spring.

PHOTO: Grandville’s Nikoma Holmen gets ready to advance after reaching first base during the 2017 Division 1 Softball Final against Macomb Dakota.