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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.)

Mona Shores Rides Air Show to Playoffs

April 16, 2014

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Muskegon Mona Shores made the MHSAA football playoffs for the first time in 2013, boosted by the highest-scoring offense in school history.

Two of the top contributors now appear on the MHSAA records lists as well, with more sure to come this fall for the one running the show.

Quarterback Tyree Jackson ranks on the MHSAA career lists with 328 completions, 611 attempts and 61 touchdown passes after three seasons and with one more to play; he threw 31 TD passes last season alone.

Receiver Asantay Brown, who will continue at Western Michigan University, finished his two-season varsity career in the fall with two listings on the single-game receiving yards list, plus the 19th-most receiving yards for a season (1,281) and 20th-most for a career (2,120). He also finished with 109 career receptions and 23 career touchdown catches. 

(Former Mona Shores receiver Aaron Doriot also was added to the single-game receiving yardage list twice during this round of record book updates.)

See below for additional recent entries to the MHSAA football and other record listings, and click on the headlines to see all entries for those respective sports.

Football

  • Lowell seniors Kyler Shurlow and Ben Bigham also capped their careers in the fall with big numbers through the air. Shurlow completed 140 of 250 passes for 2,501 yards and 28 touchdowns – and the latter three of those four statistics made MHSAA single-season lists. Bigham caught 53 passes for 1,043 yards and 10 scores; his season yardage made the list for receivers.

Baseball

  • It’s never too late to submit for the record book: Grandville’s Terry Johnson finished his pitching career in 1979 and sits tied for the fourth-lowest career ERA of 0.78. He also made the single-season list as a senior with a 0.58 ERA. He finished a combined 16-1 over those two seasons.

  • Brady Johnson made the single-season stolen bases list with 49 last season for Union City, and the single-game list with six against Athens. Twice after walks and a third time after an error, Johnson stole both second and third base. His team won 9-8.

Girls Basketball

  • Ashley junior Meggan Andrews became one of only nine players in MHSAA history to grab 30 rebounds in a game, doing so Jan. 31 against Holt Lutheran. Andrews finished the 62-32 Bears victory with 27 points, 30 rebounds, three assists and two steals.

  • East Jordan senior Tori Goodrich became one of 11 players to make nine 3-pointers in a game, doing so in a Class C District opener Feb. 24 against Mancelona. She finished with 27 points in leading her team to a 70-46 win.

Boys Basketball

  • Dundee’s Aaron Anthony joined a group of shooters who have made at least 150 free throws in one season, sinking that many in 212 attempts for a success rate of nearly 71 percent. Total, he averaged 21.4 points per game this winter.

Hockey

  • Two of the four longest games in MHSAA hockey history were added, and both included schools from the Traverse City area. The second longest, reported in detail on Second Half this winter, was a seven-overtime marathon lasting more than 103 minutes before Traverse City West edged Traverse City St. Francis (Bay Reps) 2-1. The fourth-longest game, stretching more than 90 minutes, was a five-overtime loss by Traverse City Central to Toledo St. John’s Jesuit of Ohio on Dec. 30, 2011.

Softball

  • North Muskegon’s Taylor Fris, now a sophomore at Grand Valley State University, finished her high school career in 2012 on career lists with 34 doubles, 28 home runs and 164 RBI, and also made the single-season home run list with 12 as a senior. Her career home runs rank 13th on that list. Also, former teammate Corinne Witham, now at Alma College, finished her career in 2011 with 50 career doubles – 17th on that list. 

Volleyball

  • Madeline Rysztak was the leading hitter as Traverse City St. Francis finished 40-15-1 this fall, but also a top server, making the single-season aces list with 128. 

PHOTO: Muskegon Mona Shores quarterback Tyree Jackson (3) unloads a pass toward receiver Asantay Brown (6) during a game last season. (Photo courtesy of Mona Shores High School).