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.)

Forest Park Runs to 8-Player Records

May 14, 2018

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Crystal Falls Forest Park ran away, literally, with its first 8-player football championship this past fall.

The Trojans set the MHSAA 8-player records for 5,327 total yards, 77 total touchdowns, 686 rushing attempts, 4,350 rushing yards and 65 rushing touchdowns on the way to claiming the 8-player Division 2 title. Forest Park also played just 12 games, with an open date during the regular season.

Individually, senior Connor Bortolini was added for a record 54 carries, 402 rushing yards, seven rushing touchdowns and seven total touchdowns against Powers North Central on Sept. 1. Senior teammate Peter Ropiak was added for five tackles for a loss against Eben Junction Superior Central on Sept. 15 and a record 28 total in just nine games for the season. Sophomore Noah Gilner earned the record for tackles for loss in a game with seven against Phillips, Wis., on Sept. 22. 

Bortolini will continue his career this fall at Finlandia University.

See below for more recent record book additions in football, plus baseball, girls and boys basketball and boys lacrosse. Click on the headings to view those record books in full.

Baseball

Grand Ledge was added for 420 hits, 87 doubles, 337 RBI, a .389 average and 1.62 ERA as a team in 2017, over 41 games. Senior Wyatt Rush was added for 0.69 ERA over 70 2/3 innings pitched; he now plays for Lansing Community College.

Jesus Becerra did not get a hit during his record-book worthy performance last season. But the Stephenson now-senior did reach four times on errors against Peshtigo, Wis., and turned those opportunities into seven stolen bases – tying for second most steals in one game in MHSAA history. 

After giving up two singles to start a May 9 game against Warren Fitzgerald, Madison Heights Madison junior pitcher Austin Brown struck out 20 of the next 21 hitters. He’s tied for seventh most strikeouts in a seven-inning game.

Girls Basketball

Sophomore Kelynn Kujat made 66 3-pointers this past season to set a Frankenmuth record. She scored a team-leading 332 points for the Eagles.

Boys Basketball

Clinton Township Clintondale’s Richard Washington was added to the single-season steals list with 111 over 21 games this winter. The junior also averaged 20.3 points per game and made 63 3-pointers.

Football

Hunter Spence capped a two-season varsity career at Comstock Park in the fall with six record book entries, with his 18 catches against Grand Rapids Catholic Central on Oct. 6 tied for third-most in one game. Spence finished with 136 catches and 1,948 receiving yards over the past two seasons. Senior Logan Serba was added for 245 yards receiving and four touchdowns in one game against Belding. Junior quarterback Chase Brown is up to 18 entries in the record book after two seasons and with one more to play – he ranks on career lists already with 592 passing attempts, 373 completions and 5,126 yards. Senior kicker Nathan Hughes also was added for making 56 extra points in 58 attempts this past season. Hughes will play baseball after graduation at Aquinas College.

Jacob Witt finished his career in the fall with 12 entries in the 8-player record book while playing for Ewen-Trout Creek in 2016 and then a co-op of E-TC and Ontonagon last season. Witt added 31 receptions for 759 yards and 14 touchdowns to finish with two-season career totals of 102 catches, 2,457 yards and 39 scores. Witt will play basketball next season at Michigan Tech University.

Eben Junction Superior Central added to its list of accomplishments in the 8-player record book, including for 643 total yards and 635 rushing against Felch North Dickinson on Oct. 6. The Cougars’ latest listings also include 72 rushing attempts against Rapid River on Aug. 31 and 3,301 total rushing yards last season. Junior Beau Rondeau was added for 41 carries and six rushing touchdowns against Rapid River.

Boys Lacrosse

Howell senior Jack Radzville scored more than half of his team’s goals in a 20-15 loss to Brighton on April 19, tallying nine to tie for sixth most in one game in MHSAA history. He added two assists, and his 11 points total also made that single-game list.

PHOTO: Crystal Falls Forest Park's Connor Bortolini high fives a teammate after scoring during last season's 8-player Division 2 Final at the Superior Dome. (Photo by John Johnson.)