Records Report: Chatfield Finds the Net

May 23, 2013

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Over the last decade, the Chatfield family from Burt Lake Northern Michigan Christian has rewritten much of the MHSAA soccer record book, with 35 listings bearing that last name.

Aaron, a senior this year, likely will graduate as the best of the bunch. 

The newest MHSAA record holder for boys soccer goals and total points is among those added to the listings this week, along with the best from Swartz Creek's best softball team ever and many more. Click on the sport category below to see the full record book for each. 

Boys Soccer

  • Aaron Chatfield finished his Northern Michigan Christian high school career in the fall with a record 201 goals and 296 total points over the last four seasons. Brother and teammate Paul Chatfield also was added with the seventh-most career points, 196, finishing his career in 2011. Teammates Jake Lovitt (six assists in a game last fall) and David Thompson (18 shutouts including 13 straight in 2011) also were added.

Softball

  • Swartz Creek celebrated its best season ever in 2012, including a 34-7 record and trip to the Division 1 Quarterfinals. Among the most notable numbers to emerge from that run were the team’s 94 doubles, second-most for one season in MHSAA history. Leading that charge were Hayley Cruthers and Carah Pletcher, who hit 24 and 18 doubles, respectively, to both make the MHSAA single-season list. Cruthers also made it with 76 hits last season and 58 doubles for her career. Her 24 doubles last spring tied for fourth-most in one season.
  • Williamston’s Camri Grace became the latest to tie the MHSAA record with home runs in three straight at bats, hitting hers against Mason on May 11 during the Mid-Michigan Softball Classic which features most of the best teams from the Lansing area. After a sacrifice fly in the first inning, Grace hit homers in the third, fourth and sixth innings. Her final shot was a grand slam, and she finished with eight RBI total.

Girls Basketball

  • The Posen girls finished a combined 43-4 over the last two seasons, and point guard Anna Couture passing to Korynn Hincka was a big reason why. Couture finished her final season this winter with 208 assists – good for fourth-most in MHSAA history – after tallying 207 as a junior. She ended with a career total of 680 assists, good for second-most on that MHSAA list.
  • Pickford’s Olivia Smith achieved two of the top single-game free-throwing shooting performances in MHSAA history over the course of two weeks. She made 15 of 16 against Brimley on Feb. 7 and then 16 of 20 against Cedarville on Feb. 21.

Boys Basketball

  • One quarter this season told plenty about the sharp-shooting reputation Drew Zuidema has built over the last three seasons. Zuidema made six 3-pointers and scored 26 points total in the fourth quarter of a 73-64 win over Detroit Westside Christian at Davenport University. Zuidema finished the game with 42 points, and his 26 in that final period tied for fourth-most in MHSAA boys hoops history. He finished with 10 3-pointers in that game, which just missed the single-game list in that category – but his 84 3-pointers for the season tied for 20th most, and his 178 over his first three seasons already have him on the career list with a season to play.
  • Tyler Jones significantly affected two Hillman wins this season with record-book performances. He had 11 steals – good to tie for eighth-most in one game – in a 65-46 Hillman win over Posen on Feb. 15. And he made 7 of 8 shots including all six of his 3-point tries during the first quarter of a 65-22 win over Rogers City on Feb. 28.

Boys Tennis

  • Sam Kreps and Matt VeenHoven combined to go 61-5 together at No. 1 doubles over the final two seasons of their Holland High careers, which came to a close at their Regional in the fall. The duo finished 32-0 during that final run, which included only two matches that went to three sets.

Baseball

  • Ty Rock kept Gobles in its game for nine innings on May 3, 2012 against Bloomingdale. His team eventually prevailed, 1-0, and he finished with 22 strikeouts – with at least one per inning and two innings of striking out the side in order.

Volleyball

  • Maddy Mertz finished her Frankenmuth career in the fall with her second season of 157 or more blocks – that and her 159 as a junior both made the MHSAA single-season lists in that category. Former teammate Nicole DeGrace also was added for her 678 kills in 2011, as was Addie Loftus for her 54 assists in a five-game Regional Semifinal win over Mount Morris that season.

PHOTO: Swartz Creek's Hayley Cruthers made the MHSAA softball record book in three categories after capping her career by helping the Dragons to their best finish. (Click to see more at HighSchoolsSportsScene.com.)

Belles Rings Loudly in Freshman Season

May 15, 2015

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Kayla Belles had a memorable freshman season this winter for the Ithaca girls basketball team. And her performance against Sanford-Meridian on March 4 is one she’ll never forget.

Belles, a 6-foot-3 center, grabbed 36 rebounds to go with 25 points and six blocked shots in the Yellowjackets’ 75-28 victory. Her rebounds tied for second-most grabbed in one game in MHSAA girls basketball history and most in a game since 1997.

She averaged 14.7 points and 13.3 rebounds per game during the regular season, per a Lansing State Journal report, and helped her team to its first District title since 2000. Ithaca finished 21-3, falling to eventual Class C semifinalist Saginaw Nouvel 69-66 in their Regional Semifinal.

Click the “Girls Basketball” heading below to see that sport’s record listings in full, and read on for more of this week’s record additions.

Baseball

  • A handful of names from Saline’s successful recent history were added to an already strong representation. Brad Guenther was included for his 21 doubles in 2009, 66 hits total that season and 13 career triples from 2007-09. Garrett Gordon and Korey Gainey both made the single-season triples list with seven apiece in 2011 and 2009, respectively, and Jordan Walker was added for his 20 times hit by pitch in 2001 and 40 total over a two-season career that ended that spring. Bobby Korecky, already listed for multiple hitting categories, was added with a 0.99 ERA in 1998 and 1.50 from 1995-98, and Joe Finnerty was added for a 1.34 ERA from 1998-2000. Eric Ichesco made the career batting average list hitting .461 from 1998-2001. Saline as a team was added for a number of single-season accomplishments as well, most notably its .403 average in 2009.

Boys Basketball


  • Dennis Starkey earned his milestone 500th victory this season in leading Petoskey to a 16-6 finish. He started his varsity coaching career at Boyne City during the 1982-83 season, then coached three at Vanderbilt before starting his Petoskey tenure in 1986-87. He has a career record of 502-247.  

  • Dundee senior Aaron Anthony capped his high school career with a second entry for free throws made, following up his 150 as a junior with 156 (in 191 attempts – 82 percent success) this winter. The 6-foot-2 Anthony also averaged 20.9 points, six rebounds and 3.3 assists per game and scored the 1,000th point of his career. 

  • Wilson Nah Tah Wahsh achieved three record-book listings for 3-pointers, making 18 in a 74-20 win over Paradise Whitefish on Jan. 23 after making 15 in an 81-42 win over Burt Township Grand Marais on Jan. 13. Whitefish also made four in that second game, with 22 between the teams making the list for 3-pointers made by two teams combined. In both games, Nah Tah Wahsh had more 3-pointers than 2-point field goals. Justin Larson made nine of the 15 and eight of the 18 to lead the team in both games.

Girls Basketball


  • Hailey Leidel scored 29 points in a 65-47 win for Brownstown-Woodhaven over Southgate Anderson on Jan. 23, including 15 free throws to make the single-game list in that category. She attempted 17 overall and made all 10 she took in scoring 14 points total during the second quarter.

Football

  • Detroit Cesar Chavez Academy quarterback Marcus Lester became the 11th in MHSAA history to throw for at least 500 yards in a game when he connected on 33 of 65 passes for 541 yards and two touchdowns in a 32-28 win over Dearborn Heights Star International on Sept. 26. The yardage and attempts both tied for fourth-most for one game.

Hockey

  • Flint Kearsley’s Shawn Larsen earned two entries with high-scoring first periods this season. He scored four goals in the first period against Grand Rapids Union/Ottawa Hills on Dec. 20, then four again in the first period against Fenton/Linden on Jan. 7. He also just missed the single-game scoring list, which has a minimum of eight goals; he had seven against Union/Ottawa Hills on Jan. 17.



Softball

  • A pair of Reese standouts both were added for hitting 16 doubles last spring – Cassidy Reif and Carlee Selle. Selle, a sophomore this season, hit .475 for 2014, and senior Reif hit .431 in her final high school campaign last spring. 


  • Abby Krzywiecki smacked two home runs – including a grand slam – and a double to drive in eight of her team’s runs in Farmington Hills Mercy’s 14-4 victory over Livonia Ladywood on April 21. Her total tied for seventh-most RBI in one game.

PHOTO: Ithaca’s Kayla Belles prepares to make a move toward the basket during a game this season. (Click to see more at HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)