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Records Report: Gussert Joins the Elite

April 30, 2013

Crystal Falls Forest Park junior Lexi Gussert has been one of the state’s most dangerous scorers over the last two seasons.

It's a much-deserved reputation, considering the numbers she put up again this season.  

Gussert's name has been added to the MHSAA record book three times for exceptional feats she achieved this winter. See those and more recent entries for girls and boys basketball, volleyball, wrestling, football and hockey in this week's "Records Report" – and click on the sport subtitle to go directly to the record book for that sport and directions to submit candidates.

Girls Basketball

  • Crystal Falls Forest Park junior Lexi Gussert scored 50 points in a win over Rapid River on Jan. 24 and her 809 points this season were fifth-most in MHSAA girls hoops history. She also made 93 3-pointers – connecting on 47 percent of her attempts – to tie for the second-most treys for one season. She finished this winter with averages of 32.4 points, 10.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game.
  • Kent City topped by five the former MHSAA record for 3-pointers in a game when it connected on 23 in an 82-17 win over Wyoming Lee on Jan. 11. Kent City also set another MHSAA record in the process by attempting 81 attempts – the team had only five two-point field goals to go with its 23 treys, and six players made at least two long-range shots apiece. Kent City also ranked fourth as a team for one season with 595 attempted 3-point shots and eighth with 167 made. For the season, five players made 23 or more 3-pointers, with Justine Wolter leading with 40.
  • Three Rochester Hills Stoney Creek sharp-shooters were added for 3-point or free-throw shooting. Gabby Yurik and Lauren Voss both made the single-game list with nine 3-pointers – Voss making 9 of 11 on Jan. 17 vs. Pontiac. Yurik graduated in 2012 with 234 3-pointers, good for fifth on the MHSAA career list. Rachyl Campbell made the free throw listings three times, including for her 364 career total of makes tallied from 2002-06 – good for 14th on that MHSAA list.

Boys Basketball

  • According to a newspaper report filed during the 1970 season, Houghton’s Gary Lange and Champion’s Larry Laitala chased each other in pursuit of the Upper Peninsula scoring title that winter. A 60-point game from Lange in mid-January already was part of the MHSAA record book, but Laitala’s 65-point performance against Felch a week later, on Jan. 30, is a new addition and is tied for 10th all-time. Laitala made 25 field goals and 15 of 19 free-throw attempts as Champion won 114-71.
  • Temperance Bedford senior Jackson Lamb finished his high school career ranked among the top 20 in three MHSAA categories. His 455 career free throws (in 770 attempts) rank 10th, his 889 rebounds tie for 16th and his 220 career blocked shots also rank 16th for that category.  He also scored 1,901 points over his career – finishing with career averages of 22.1 points and 10.3 rebounds per game.
  • Lake Odessa Lakewood sophomore Colin O’Mara joined former Mr. Basketball Brad Redford of Frankenmuth among others near the top of the single-game 3-pointers list when O'Mara made 12 against Springport on Dec. 28. He tied Redford (twice) among others for third-most in one game and finished that night with 38 points total.

Hockey

  • Calumet’s Brendan Jacques found the back of the net four times – including once on a power play – over the final 9:05 of his team’s Feb. 21 game against Marquette as Calumet came back from a 2-1 deficit to win 5-2. Jacques is one of three players in the MHSAA record book to score four or more goals in a period – Ed Lyon scored four for Flint Central in a period in 1979 and Ron Rolston had six in a period for Flint Powers Catholic in 1984.

Volleyball

  • White Cloud senior setter Kaytlin Welch finished her four-year varsity career this fall with 3,178 assists, good for 13th on the MHSAA career list. She broke 900 for a season as both a sophomore and a junior, with 986 in 2010 her high total for one fall.

Football

  • Coleman running back Tim Anderson joined five others tied for ninth in MHSAA history with six rushing touchdowns in one game when he accomplished the feat in a 56-0 win over Ashley on Sept. 29. Anderson ran 22 times for 215 yards in the game.

Wrestling

  • Williamston’s Spencer Demand finished his high school career this winter with 118 escapes – good for 16th on the MHSAA list. Former teammate Paul Sawaya – a 2011 graduate – is tied for 17th with 112. 

PHOTO: Crystal Falls Forest Park's Lexi Gussert (right) goes up for a shot during the 2012 Class D Semifinals at the Breslin Center. 

Cole Sets Grand Haven at Record Pace

August 6, 2015

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Grand Haven’s Katie Cole was only a sophomore last season when she set the Buccaneers into the MHSAA Class A Volleyball Semifinals.

But that was only one bar she raised with two seasons remaining in her high school career.

Cole also set an MHSAA rally-scoring era record with 1,797 assists over 155 games as she and Chelsea’s Marry Kelleher (1,757 in 2014) both bested the previous record during the same season – Cole by 229 assists.

She averaged 11.6 assists per game while tallying all but 90 of her team’s total as Grand Haven finished 53-9.

Click to see the volleyball record book in full and read below for more recent submissions in baseball, boys basketball, football, girls soccer and softball.

Baseball

  • Matthew Rivera established himself as a top hitter over the last four seasons, making the MHSAA records with a career average of .482 and a single-season average this spring of .625 that ranks seventh all-time. But most impressive might have been his hits in 12 straight at bats against Ellsworth, Pickford, and Boyne Falls over four straight games from May 1-8, which tied for the fourth-longest hit streak over consecutive at bats. Rivera also earned a listing with six stolen bases in a game against St. Ignace on May 21.

Boys Basketball

  • Onaway 6-foot-5 senior Pat Dunn capped his career this winter with a stellar season averaging 15.2 points and 15 rebounds per game. He made the MHSAA record listings with 316 rebounds total, breaking that school record and also his school’s record with 76 blocked shots. He will continue his career at Adrian College.

  • Cooper Heminger is among Perry school record holders including for blocking 12 shots in a 58-49 win over Lake Fenton on Feb. 18, 2014, and that total also made the MHSAA list for blocks in a game. Heminger, a 6-5 forward, graduated this spring.

Football

  • Former Genesee standout Don Robinson already was listed for a 95-yard kickoff return in 1983, and has been added for a 99-yard run that same season, Sept. 30 against Webberville. He went on to play at Eastern Michigan University.

Girls Soccer

  • Leland’s Libby Munoz continued this spring her move up the MHSAA girls soccer scoring lists and ranks among all-time leaders with another season to play. She scored 58 goals, tying for fourth-most in one season, to go with her 64 from 2014, and her 164 career goals over three seasons ranks fifth, 31 behind record-holder Jordan Newman of Lake Fenton (2011-14). Munoz finished with 75 points total this spring, sixth-most for one season, and her 219 tie for fourth on the career list, 71 behind Laura Heyboer of Hudsonville Unity Christian (2005-08). Munoz also was added in girls basketball, having made 15 of 22 free-throw attempts in a Jan. 14 game against Buckley.

Softball

  • Harrison pitcher Allison Lipovsky finished her high school career not only as the most celebrated pitcher in school history, but among the highest achievers statewide of all time. She built a 91-32 record over four varsity seasons and made the MHSAA records nine times – her 23 no-hitters rank eighth on that career list and her 1,363 strikeouts are 11th-most over a career. She also tied for 18th with 29 career home runs and sits eighth with 110 career walks at the plate. She has signed with Grand Valley State University. In addition, Harrison as a team was added for its 452 strikeouts total this spring.

  • Milford sophomore Audrey Petoskey took a big step up the home run records ladder this spring, making the single-season list with 12 and joining the career list with 20 homers and two more seasons to play. Total, she hit .476 in 36 games this season.

  • Mattawan finished 31-13 and made the MHSAA Division 1 Semfinals this spring on the strength of one of the most impressive offensive seasons in the sport’s history. The Wildcats made six team categories in the MHSAA records with 416 runs scored, 491 hits (third all-time), 97 doubles (second), 48 home runs (third), 359 RBI (second) and a .415 team batting average (eighth all-time). Junior Amber Mazahem twice hit homers in consecutive at bats and finished with 13 total, while sophomores Joanna Bartz and Alexis Taube hit 12 and 11, respectively. Taube also made the record book with homers in three consecutive at bats, 71 hits total and 17 doubles, and junior Genny Soltesz was added after scoring 66 runs.

  • Lauren Aldrich capped her four-season Perry career among MHSAA leaders in home runs and walks with 24 and 112, respectively. The walks are tied for sixth most. Aldrich already was listed in the records for 10 home runs as a sophomore in 2013.

PHOTO: Grand Haven’s Katie Cole sets for a teammate during last season’s 3-2 loss to Novi in their Class A Semifinal match at Battle Creek’s Kellogg Arena.