Record-Setting Slugger Powers Mercy
August 15, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The Farmington Hills Mercy softball team enjoyed one of the winningest seasons in MHSAA history this spring bolstered by one of most accomplished hitters ever to step into the batter’s box in this state.
The Marlins finished 43-2 – tying for third-most wins in a season – and won their first MHSAA title, clinching in Division 1. Meanwhile, senior Abby Krzywiecki hit a single-season record 20 home runs to go with 18 more listings in the MHSAA record book as she finished her high school career.
Her 82 runs this spring are tied for eighth-most, her 48 career home runs are second on that list, her 94 RBI this season sit third most and her 238 career RBI place second on that list. She was named Miss Softball as the top position player in 2016 and will continue her career at South Alabama.
Two teammates also made the MHSAA records this spring; junior Sophie Van Acker with 82 hits and sophomore Anna Dixon with 72. The team’s 510 hits were second-most in MHSAA history and only two off the record.
Click to see where all three rank in the MHSAA softball record book, and see below for other recent additions in softball, baseball, girls soccer and boys lacrosse. (Click on the sport heading to see those record books in full.)
Baseball
Traverse City West celebrated its most successful season this spring, including its first trip to the MHSAA Semifinals, and tied for seventh-most wins in a season in MHSAA history with a final 41-3 record. The Titans also made the team record lists with 431 hits, 427 runs, 361 RBI and a .369 team average, and their 70 times hit by pitch were second-most for one season. Individually, senior Alex Strickland was added for 74 RBI this spring and senior Nick Brzezinski for 73 hits, 68 runs and eight triples. Brzezinski will continue at Aquinas College this fall.
Austin Putman earned two record book entries with three home runs against Suttons Bay on May 12. The Charlevoix senior not only made the list for most homers in one game, but also for most in consecutive at bats tying for eighth on that list by hitting them in three straight plate appearances as his team won 7-4.
Dearborn Fordson senior Hassan Jaafar made his way around the bases quite a bit during a 13-12 win over Dearborn Henry Ford Academy on April 13. Jaafar stole seven bases, tying for second most in one game and ending up just one shy of tying the MHSAA record.
Boys Lacrosse
Detroit Country Day’s back-to-back MHSAA Semifinal runs the last two seasons were led by a foursome of standouts who are now all over the MHSAA record book for the sport. Emilio Sosa graduated in 2015 and now has five entries including 181 goals, seventh most. Cooper Belanger was a senior this spring and is listed 10 times, most notably for 317 career points, which rank sixth on that list, and 149 career assists, which rank fourth. David Pohl’s three entries before graduating in 2015 included tying for second-most assists in a game, nine, against East Grand Rapids his senior season, and 116 career assists that tie for eighth. And goalie Jackson White finished up this spring with 11 entries including four seasons on the single-season saves list – his 257 in 2015 rank second – and 872 career saves, which also rank second. Sosa played this spring at Kenyon College in Ohio, and Belanger is slated to begin his collegiate career this fall at Colgate in New York.
New Baltimore Anchor Bay’s William Moses joined the single-game scoring list in April. The recent graduate netted eight goals in a 16-1 win over Warren Mott to break his school’s record by two goals.
Fenton goalkeeper Abby Quesnelle earned her second entry for shutouts in one season with 13 this spring as a junior in 24 games to go with 15 shutouts as a sophomore in 2015. Fenton reached the Regional Final in Division 2 before falling to eventual MHSAA champion Pontiac Notre Dame Prep.
Her team may have fallen 3-0, but Jennifer Gutierrez did her part to keep Caro close to Millington on May 4. The recently-graduated keeper had an MHSAA record 50 saves for the Tigers as the Cardinals put 53 shots on goal.
Softball
Lauren Kanai was perfect in her team’s 17-0 five-inning win over Greenville on May 19 – the Ada Forest Hills Eastern junior pitcher tossed the perfect game in part by striking out 14 of 15 batters faced to make the MHSAA list for most strikeouts in a five-inning game. She also had two RBI.
Howell’s Veronica Pezzoni is a perfect 75 of 75 on stolen base attempts over the last two seasons, good for the fourth-longest streak in MHSAA history. The senior-to-be needs only 25 more without getting caught to set the MHSAA record. Junior teammate Jordan Humitz also made the MHSAA records with 13 home runs this spring. Howell as a team made lists in multiple categories over the last two seasons – with 454 hits, 93 doubles, 339 RBI and a .400 team batting average in 2015 when it finished 32-9-1; and for 493 hits, 93 doubles, a .415 average and 330 RBI this spring in finishing 30-11.
PHOTO: Farmington Hills Mercy's Abby Krzywiecki steps in against Macomb Dakota during this spring's Division 1 Final.
Scane's Scoring Provides Lofty Goal for Future Stars
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
May 11, 2021
Isabelle Scane finished her four-season varsity girls lacrosse career in 2018 with a pair of records that may not be challenged for some time.
The Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood standout scored 461 goals – 52 more than the next highest scorer on that list – and her 577 career points over 93 games are 54 more points than the rest of the list. She also finished with 116 career assists to rank eighth in that stat category.
Scane has continued her career at Northwestern and earned All-America honors as a sophomore.
Click to see the girls lacrosse record book in full, and see below for more recent additions for baseball, 8-player football and softball.
Baseball
Muskegon Mona Shores grad Austin Flowers capped his career in 2018 with a .390 batting average – and added significantly to his ability to get on base by being hit by pitches 21 times. That total ranks sixth for one season in MHSAA history.
8-player football
Colon’s quest to finish undefeated and win the 2019 Division 1 championship saw the Magi set an 8-player record with 91 touchdowns. Their 59 rushing touchdowns ranked third all-time, and they also made the list with the second-most interceptions for an 8-player season, with 20. Senior Austin Stoll was added for kicking 51 extra points over his 12 games.
Au Gres-Sims quarterback Caden Zeien can be found all over the passing record book for both 11 and 8-player football after a four-year career that saw him lead teams in both formats. He’s among career 11-player leaders with 430 completions, 748 attempts, 5,906 yards and 72 touchdowns over 28 games and the 2015-17 seasons. After his program switched to 8-player in 2018, Zeien capped his career making single-season lists with 2,125 yards and 36 touchdowns through the air over 12 games. Zeien is playing now at Alma College.
Portland St. Patrick’s run to the 8-player Division 2 championship game this season saw the Shamrocks score 85 touchdowns, second-most in 8-player history, led in part by 35 passing TDs by quarterback Connor Cross. Scoring tosses made up nearly 37 percent of his passes, and 18 of those scores were to senior Zach Spitzley, who caught 30 passes overall for the season but for 1,047 yards. Along with Cross’ scoring passes, Spitzley’s yards and receiving TDs made the record book as did his 1,721 yards and 24 touchdowns over three years playing offense and four on varsity overall. The Shamrocks also made the list four times for holding teams to five or fewer first downs in a game – tying the record by allowing two Sept. 27. Cross will be a senior this fall.
Mayville senior Jacob Miller capped his career last fall with a pair of 8-player record accomplishments, with 30 tackles for loss for the season and nine in a game against Genesee. Teammate Jeffrey Frost also was added to a career record list with the third-most touchdown receptions, 33 over 39 games and four seasons.
Bridgman earned the first entry for come-from-behind victory for 8-player on Oct. 23. The Bees came back from a late second-quarter 47-0 deficit to defeat Wyoming Tri-unity Christian 54-53 in overtime.
Clay Ayers became the first to be listed in the 8-player record book for both extra points in a game and consecutive during one game, making 10 of 10 in Adrian Lenawee Christian’s 78-14 playoff win over Mayville on Nov. 6. Ayers was a junior this season.
Softball
From 2013-19, Unionville-Sebewaing won three Division 4 championships and finished Division 3 runner-up twice – and with that run came a number of totals eligible for record book placement. Individually, 2019 grad Rylee Zimmer was added for 71 hits and 11 home runs that season, and 39 career doubles over three seasons. Katelyn Englehardt, a senior in 2018, was added for 22 doubles that season and 33 over three years on varsity, while now-senior Brynn Polega was added for 20 doubles in 2019 and 2014 grad Stephanie Neuman was added for 18 doubles her junior season. As a team, USA is listed 33 times for achievements over the years; the most impressive of those added recently might have been 421 runs scored over 42 games in 2013, 100 doubles (seventh most) over 40 games in 2018, 365 RBI (eighth most) over 42 games in 2013 and 30 shutouts (fifth most) over 41 games in 2014. Neuman went on to play at Ferris State, Zimmer plays volleyball at Saginaw Valley State and Polega will continue next season at Northwood.
PHOTO: Cranbrook Kingswood’s Isabelle Scane is introduced before the start of the 2018 Division 2 championship game.