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.)
Leland Ace Finds Net in Record Fashion
August 26, 2014
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The Leland girls soccer team won its league and District this spring on the feet of a number of talented players, including one of the highest scorers in MHSAA history.
Sophomore Libby Munoz set a single-season record with 84 points and scored the second-most goals ever, 64 – and she’s already on the career goals list as well with 106 over two seasons.
Teammate Whitney Schaub made the single-season assists list with 22, and goalkeeper Jessica Fleis made the shutouts list with 14.
Click to see where all three rank in the MHSAA girls soccer record book, and read below for more recent additions. Click on each sport to see that record book in its entirety.
Baseball
- Tyler Janish finished his outstanding career at Whittemore-Prescott in 2013 with career listings for runs (161), triples (13), stolen bases (114), walks (106) and ERA (1.66). His seven steals against Tawas in 2012 tied for second-most for one game, and his 64 steals as a senior rank fifth for one season. He also made the lists for season triples (7) and ERA (0.80), and is continuing his career at Oakland University. Former teammate Michael Arndt also was added, for five steals in a 2013 game against Roscommon.
Boys Basketball
- Two of the highest-scoring quarters – played 57 years apart – were added after conversation was sparked by the most recent this winter. In a January 1957 game, Calumet scored 43 points – now standing third in MHSAA history for one quarter – in the final period of an 83-78 win over Ironwood. This winter, in a District opener, Lake Linden-Hubbell nearly equaled the feat with 42 points in the second quarter of an 82-41 win over Chassell.
Girls Basketball
- Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes’ run through Class D from 2010-13 – including three straight championships and a runner-up finish – included a number of key contributions from a strong core group of players. Lauren Robak finished with the fifth-most free throws made in MHSAA career history, 511, and also made the career 3-pointers list with 160 from 2008-11 and with 15 free throws in a game during the 2007-08 season. Younger sister Lexie Robak made the single-season 3-pointers list twice with 74 and 76, and is sixth on the career list with 232 total from 2010-13. She also finished with 106 varsity games played – tying for third most – while teammates Ava Doetsch and Jessica Parry both played in 103 games over the same four seasons. Lauren Robak played at Oakland University and now plays at Northwood University, while Doetsch plays soccer at the University of Nebraska-Omaha.
Boys Lacrosse
- Portage Central’s expansive list of top performers were added to the MHSAA records, topped by Casey Mannes’ single-game records of 10 assists and 18 total points in a win over Kalamazoo United on April 12, 2011. He’s listed eight times including for single-season assists (42) and points (103). Former teammate Zack Grusell is listed 11 times including for season (83) and career goals (169), season assists (44), and season (127) and career points (249). He broke some of the school records of Barry Beranek, listed for season (71) and career goals (166) and season (108) and career points (253), among other categories. Matt Schuen also is listed for career points, with 231, and Isaac Hazen and Zach Kinney both made the single-game goals list. Beranek went on to play at Ithaca College in New York, while Grusell and Hazen play for the Grand Valley State University Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association team.
- Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern’s Christian Carlson set an MHSAA record for goals (11) in one game and had the fourth-most points (13) as his team defeated Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood 25-20 on April 19. Those two teams also were included as the first entry for combined goals scored by two teams in one game.
- Mattawan’s David Stafford, now playing for St. John’s University, ranks third with 364 career points including 202 goals (fifth on that list) and 162 assists (second on that list) from his four-year varsity career from 2010-13. He had a single-game second-best 17 points including nine goals on April 23, 2013, against Kalamazoo United, and tied for second-most points in a game with 13 against Portage Northern on April 11 of that year.
- Zach Schwartz led Ann Arbor Skyline to a 14-4-1 record in only his sophomore season this spring, scoring 54 goals to go with 34 assists for 88 points. The Ann Arbor News reported that Schwartz has committed to sign with the University of Michigan to continue his career after high school.
Softball
- Springport’s Taylor Heisler graduated this spring among MHSAA leaders in career hits (239), doubles (50), home runs (23) and RBI (184), with her hits ranked 13th and her RBI tied for 10th. She also made the single-season hits list twice with 71 in 2012 and 73 in 2014, and teammate Sam Bates was added for 73 hits in 2011 and 70 in 2012. Heisler will continue her career at Siena Heights University and Bates signed with Ferris State University.
Wrestling
- Utica Ford’s Tevin Machart capped his career this winter with a fourth-place Division 1 Finals finish at 140 pounds. He also set an MHSAA season record with 31 technical falls and ended his career with 50 and a record of 187-35. He’ll continue to wrestle at Central Michigan University.
PHOTO: Libby Munoz, here working past a defender, has scored 106 goals in two seasons of varsity soccer. (Photo courtesy of Leland High School.)