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. 

West Catholic Standout Quickly Leaves Lasting Impression

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

August 18, 2021

Recent Grand Rapids West Catholic grad Jaye Guichelaar played only one season of high school softball in Michigan after her family moved here from Washington a year ago.

But she made a quick and lasting impact on the MHSAA record book.

Guichelaar tied for the eighth-highest single-season batting average at .700 and also made the record book with 70 hits over 30 games. Although a record book list isn’t kept for this statistic, it’s an achievement also worth noting: She didn’t strike out over 100 at bats.

Read on for more recent additions to the softball record listings.

Softball

Durand earned its first record book entry in this sport this season, hitting 61 doubles over 28 games. Madison Raley led the way with 12.

Vicksburg’s Audrie Dugan earned a spot in the records with eight RBI in a May 19 win over Centreville. She was 4 for 4 with a home run.

A pair of Midland Bullock Creek hitters reached the record book with home runs in their respective back-to-back at bats this spring. Senior Mattie Midkiff hit home runs in two straight at bats against St. Charles on April 30. Junior Sydney Borsenik did the same, with both of hers during the second inning, against Carrollton on May 1. Bullock Creek also was added for 69 doubles as a team over 39 games.

Port Huron’s Emma Trombly was perhaps known more for her basketball talents this school year, but she made the softball record book with a big day April 22 against Warren Cousino. Trombly tied for third on the single-game RBI list with 10 in a 23-11 win, going 4 for 6 at the plate and also scoring five runs. She’ll play basketball this upcoming season at Northwood.

LaNya Bates didn’t get to play her senior season at Grand Blanc because of COVID-19, but her hitting over her first three earned her a place on the career batting average list at .541, with 193 hits over 106 games from 2017-19. Teammates Kendall Klochack and Rebecca Oetting were sophomores in 2019 and added to the single-season doubles list for 22 and 18, respectively, that spring. Bates is continuing her career at Memphis, and Klochack signed with Purdue.

Kalamazoo Central’s Kearney Miller earned her school’s first individual record book entry in this sport with 17 doubles this season. Kalamazoo Central also made the team record book with 74 doubles over 33 games. Miller will continue her career at Albion College.

A pair of Caro hitters were added to the records for achievements this spring as well. Freshman Leah Daniels drove in six runs during an April 26 game and had 17 doubles over 38 games this season, while senior Kelsey Marcola also drove in six runs in a game, June 1 against Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker.

A pair of West Bloomfield juniors made the single-season home runs list this spring. Sydney Stapf drove 12 homers over 30 games, while Alma Tatem hit 10 over 28 games.

Chloe May had a memorable May 10 with three record book entries coming from her performance in Pickford’s 26-12 win over St. Ignace. The freshman hit three home runs total, including two in back-to-back at bats, and drove in seven runs.

PHOTO: West Catholic’s Jaye Guichelaar stands in for a pitch during a game this spring. (Photo courtesy of the Grand Rapids West Catholic athletic program.)