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Sailors Soccer Zeroes In On Shutouts

October 11, 2013

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half

A goal-scoring record plus recognition of one of the team's best at keeping shots out of the net are among recent additions to the MHSAA record listings. 

Read on for more, including Cadillac ice hockey's record for two goals scored in the shortest amount of time and Farmington Hills Mercy softball's records for home run-hitting prowess. 

Boys Soccer

  • Grand Rapids South Christian’s Division 3 championship season of 2012 also was one of the best defensive seasons in MHSAA history. The Sailors had 18 shutouts, tied for seventh-most for one season, and gave up only 10 goals. They finished their title run with shutouts in the Regional Final, Semifinal and Final and twice strung together four straight shutouts.

Ice hockey

  • On January 9, Cadillac scored two goals six seconds apart to set an MHSAA record for fastest back-to-back goals. Both were scored by Tyler Thomas, the first at 7:37 to go in the second period and the second at 7:31. Spencer Graham had an assist on each and PJ Nemish also assisted on the first. The goals made up a 2-0 deficit to Traverse City West in what eventually ended a 2-2 tie.

Baseball

  • Zeeland East’s Josh Snyder batted a combined .547 over the 2011-12 seasons to register third on the career batting average list. He hit .541 as a junior and .551 as a senior with a combined nine home runs, seven triples and 14 doubles among his 82 hits total.
  • Haslett standout Ryan Jones – who went on to play for Michigan State and now in the San Francisco Giants system – was added in seven categories, most notably for career hits (199 – tied for fifth), career triples (19 – fourth) and career batting average (.511 – tied for 14th). Other former Vikings Alex Williams made the single-season list with 56 stolen bases in 2000, Chris Hundt made the career average list at .478, and Brent Olivier was added for 48 career doubles and a career average of .470 from 1998-2000.

Girls Basketball

  • Niles Brandywine advanced to the Class C Quarterfinals this season in part because of its strong shooting from beyond the 3-point arc. And Brandywine wasn’t afraid to toss up the long-range shot. The Bobcats shot 622 3-pointers, third-most in MHSAA history for one season, and made 188 – good for fourth on that single-season list. The team's highs for one game – 12 makes and 38 tries – came in a win over Berrien Springs.

Boys Basketball

  • Comstock Park’s Ryan Schall made the single-season and career record listings for free throws with 173 and 331, respectively, during his three-season varsity career that ended last winter. He also graduated as his school’s all-time leading scorer with 1,051 points and will play this season at Aquinas College.

Football

  • Howard City Tri-County’s Connor Vanderhyde is among an elite group of kick returners thanks to an impressive run during his final two seasons. He tied for the second-longest kickoff return for a touchdown, 97 yards, as a junior in 2010, then tied for second-most kick return touchdowns in one season with four in 2011. Two of those four came in the same 46-43 loss to Muskegon Orchard View. Vanderhyde currently sprints for the University of Louisville track and field team.
  • Harrison Township L’Anse Creuse kicker Andrew Courtemanche joined the list of big-time booters with a 52-yard field goal Sept. 13 against Port Huron Northern. Courtemanche’s kick came in the third quarter, and he also had three extra points in the 27-24 loss.

Softball

  • Farmington Hills Mercy had arguably the best power-hitting season in MHSAA history this spring, resulting in a number of records. The Marlins hit 51 home runs, most for one season and also sixth-most on the national list. Mercy also set an MHSAA record with eight home runs against Livonia Ladywood in its 12-5 win in the Detroit Catholic League championship game May 20. Alex Sobczak finished the season with 17 home runs, tying for second in MHSAA history and 13th nationally, and teammate Jacquelyn Murphy also made the MHSAA record list with 10 home runs. Murphy also joined 11 others including Sobczak with homers in three consecutive at bats, doing so in her first three against Northfield, Ohio, on May 4.

Wrestling

  • Recent Grandville Calvin Christian standout Carter Augustyn, already listed multiple times for near-falls, now also has the top two listings of 20 and 17 technical falls and the second-highest career total in that category of 48. Augustyn graduated in 2012 and was a three-time Finals qualifier and two-time placer.

PHOTO: Grand Rapids South Christian goalkeeper Erik VerHoef makes a save during the Sailors' 1-0 win over Williamston in last season's MHSAA Division 3 Final. (Click to see more from High School Sports Scene.)

Hartland's Skomial Sits Atop Scoring List

February 10, 2017

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

No girls lacrosse player in Michigan high school history has found the net more than Hartland’s Ryan Skomial.

The 2013 grad has been entered into the MHSAA record book for 276 goals over 79 games and four varsity seasons, the highest career scoring total since girls lacrosse became an MHSAA-sponsored sport in 2005. She has 15 record book entries in all, including for fifth-most career assists (133) and third-most career points (409). She’s gone on to play at Grand Valley State University.

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

Baseball

Portland St. Patrick has had plenty of success over the last decade, including making the Division 4 Semifinals last spring, and its small-ball skills led to some record book entries over the last two seasons. The Shamrocks were hit by 64 pitches over 30 games last season, seventh-most for one spring. They also were entered into the records for four games with at least 12 stolen bases over the last two seasons, 191 steals total in 2015 (tied for fifth-most) and 178 steals in 2016. Graham Smith was hit by 24 pitches last season, tying for second-most in one spring, and his 36 hit-by-pitches over the last three seasons rank 14th on the career list with one more season to play. In addition, ace pitcher Travis Moyer was added for his 0.69 ERA in 2015, 1.08 last spring and 0.91 over his two-season varsity career; his career ERA ranks 10th. He’s playing at Alma College.

Boys Basketball

Kent Ingles has coached continuously for since the 1975-76 season, earning some of his 540 career wins at three stops. He was 540-334 entering this winter, his 15th at Big Rapids, after previously coaching at Greenville and his first two seasons at Cedar Springs. Big Rapids made the Class B Semifinals in 2015-16.

Brandon Allen finished his four-season varsity career at Haslett last winter among MHSAA career leaders in made 3-pointers and free throws. His 218 3-pointers over 87 games are tied for 14th most, and he also made 332 free throws in 434 attempts connecting on 76 percent of his career tries. He’s playing at Western Michigan University.

Football

Dearborn Fordson sophomore Abraham Jaafar returned a kickoff as far as possible in his team’s 28-23 loss to Dearborn on Oct. 14. Jaafar received the kick just in front of the goalline and raced 99 yards for a touchdown to tie the MHSAA record for longest return.

Iron River West Iron County sophomore Dawson Bongi matched Jaafar’s accomplishment – on the same night, but a peninsula away. Bongi also returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown in his team’s 34-7 win over Hancock.

Sterling Heights quarterback Marc Colucci has been entered eight times for passing during his varsity career from 2004-06. In addition to a pair of single-game entries, Colucci was 181 for 297 passing for 2,228 yards as a senior and 390 for 716 for 5,311 yards passing during his career.

Boys Soccer

Josh Nowak capped his Tecumseh career in the fall earning a second entry in the MHSAA records. In addition to the 30 assists he totaled in 2014 as a sophomore, Nowak finished with a career total of 63 over four seasons, to go with 55 career goals.  

Softball

Howell shortstop Amy Jarrett capped her career last spring by tying for the 14th -most hits in one season, with 71. She playing this spring at University of Michigan-Dearborn.

Volleyball

Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central senior setter Brianna Tilton was at her best in one of her team’s biggest matches this season. She had 51 assists in a five-set win over Lowell on Oct. 25 that helped her team win the Ottawa-Kent Conference White championship.

PHOTO: Hartland's Ryan Skomial targets the net during a game against Westland Huron Valley in 2011. (Photo courtesy of Hartland girls lacrosse.)