Sault's LaCross Ties National HBP Record
June 9, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Nick LaCross got on base more than half the times he appeared at the plate for Sault Ste. Marie this spring, with an on-base percentage of .531.
He had 29 hits – and also was hit 29 times by pitches, setting an MHSAA record and tying the national record set in 1965.
LaCross, a junior, was hit by pitches three times in two games. Teammate Travis Zaborowski joined him on the hit-by-pitch record list, also getting hit by pitches three times in a game. As a team, Sault Ste. Marie tied for 11th on the MHSAA single-season HBP list with 53.
Click to see all of the MHSAA record book for baseball and below for the rest of this week’s record additions for girls basketball, boys basketball, boys lacrosse, girls soccer, softball and wrestling.
Girls Basketball
- A pair of the state’s most successful coaches over the last two decades were added to the coaching list with more than 300 wins to their credit. Houghton’s Julie Filpus has a 345-55 record since taking over in 1999 and led teams that made MHSAA Semifinals in 2006 and 2013 and won the Class C championship in 2005. Houghton finished 19-6 this season.
- Doug Harkema led Bellevue to a 16-5 finish in 1993, then took over Holt the following fall and won 290 games toward his career record of 306-186. His teams have won nine District titles and reached Regional Semifinals four seasons. The Rams finished 15-8 this winter.
Boys Basketball
- It took 25 years to get his due in the MHSAA record book, but Blissfield’s Greg Denecker has been added for 1,006 rebounds during his career stretching from 1987-90. His total ranks 11th and would’ve ranked seventh when he graduated from high school. Denecker went on to play at the University of Findlay.
- DeShawn Brocks led Detroit Westside Christian Academy to a 13-7 record this winter supplying both offensive and defensive prowess. The senior scored 21 points per game, and also made the MHSAA record listings with 102 steals. He had a season-high 11 steals in a 70-48 win over Detroit University Prep Science & Math; that total made the single-game MHSAA list for that category.
- Owosso senior Jalen Weekley finished his career among the sharpest shooters in MHSAA history, drilling at least 70 3-pointers for the second time in three seasons to finish his career with 192. Weekley had a high of 72 as a sophomore, his first season on the varsity. He will continue his basketball career this fall at Mid-Michigan Community College.
Boys Lacrosse
- Zachary Montgomery nearly outscored his team’s opponent himself on April 21, putting eight goals in the net to lead Spring Lake to a 22-9 win over Lowell. Montgomery also had an assist in the game and was one of his team’s leading scorers this season.
Girls Soccer
- Danielle Eastman finished her Brooklyn Columbia Central career in Saturday’s Division 3 District Final – and among the leading scorers in MHSAA history. Her 84 points this season – on 63 goals and 21 assists – tied an MHSAA record set in 2014 by Leland’s Libby Munoz. Eastman finished third on the career points list with 216 over her four-season varsity career, with her 63 goals this season and 167 for her career also ranking third on those lists. She scored in 26 straight games including all 23 this season and dating to the final three of 2014. Eastman has signed to continue at Siena Heights University.
Softball
- Brooklyn Columbia Central’s Abbey Hatler had a strong performance against East Jackson on May 3 – in fact, she had an incredibly productive inning. Hatler finished 2 for 2 in the game, scoring three runs, and drove in six – enough to make the MHSAA list for RBI in one game. She also became the first entry for RBI in one inning – all six came during the first, when she had a grand slam and a double.
Wrestling
- New Baltimore Anchor Bay coach Jim Morisette won the 600th match of his career this season as his team finished 37-1, its best record in his 24 seasons of guidance. Morisette is 609-200 total after coaching Algonac from 1986-89 and then at Anchor Bay beginning with the 1991-92 season. The Tars advanced this winter to the MHSAA Division 2 Semifinals, losing by just a point to eventual runner-up Hartland.
PHOTO: Sault Ste. Marie's Nick LaCross reacts after getting hit by a pitch this season, one of 29 pitches that made contact with him as he tied a national record. (Photo courtesy of Sault Ste. Marie athletic department.)
Swan Valley Stacks Softball Feats
May 2, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Saginaw Swan Valley's softball team has played in five MHSAA Finals and won one championship over the last 30+ seasons – and now has a significant presence in the MHSAA record book as well.
Current senior Lauren Addy had 88 hits last season to tie for fourth on the single-season list for that category, and her 89 stolen bases last spring rank second for one season. Heather Pollick’s 18 home runs in 2012 are tied for third most, while Paige Churchfield’s 32 home runs from 2012-15 are tied for 13th most for a career. Churchfield (2015) and Shannon O’Toole (1991) both were added for 77 RBI in a season, tying for sixth on that list, and Crutchfield’s 187 career RBI rank 14th. Mary Berden’s 124 walks drawn from 2009-12 are second on the career list in that category, and Heather Heinlein’s 68 steals in 2001 rank 11th. Angie Sander’s 162 steals from 1991-94 are tied for 15th most for a career.
Among pitchers, Amy Gustin is tied for eighth with 31 straight wins in 1988. Jenni Rasmussen’s 0.06 ERA in 1999 ranks second, and Amber Anderson’s 0.10 in 1986 is tied for sixth while Gustin’s 0.15 during that 1988 season is tied for 10th lowest. Rasmussen’s career ERA of 0.35 is tied for fourth lowest, while Ashley Mohr’s 490 strikeouts in 2003 rank 13th for one season and her 1,204 from 2000-03 rank 15th on the career list.
Others to earn record book listings were Jenny Neiderquill, Rebecca Curtis, Summer Zeitler, Melissa Rudzinski, Amy Vedrode, Trisha Everett, Alex Ramirez and Kathi Gilbert.
Churchfield plays for Lourdes University in Ohio, while Rasmussen played at Central Michigan University, O’Toole played at Western Michigan, Ramirez played at Delta College and current senior Curtis will begin her career at Lansing Community College next season.
Read on for more recent record book additions in girls and boys basketball, football, girls soccer, softball and wrestling, and click the headings for each sport to see those record books in full.
Girls Basketball
It’s been noted a few times that Pittsford’s Jaycie Burger and Maddie Clark finished their careers as the winningest players in MHSAA girls basketball history with matching 103-2 records over the last four seasons. But they also earned a number of record book entries along the way. Burger’s name appears nine times, including for 229 career 3-pointers (10th all-time) and 605 career assists (fifth). Clark appears in the records five times, with her 1,119 career rebounds ranking 10th on that list. Junior Marissa Shaw was added for her 179 steals in 28 games this past season – which tied her for fifth most in that category. Pittsford finished a second straight undefeated season with a second straight Class D title and is riding a 55-game winning streak. Burger will play basketball next season at Hillsdale College, and Clark will play volleyball there.
Skyler DeMeyer didn’t score a point for Centreville in its 66-25 win over New Buffalo on Jan. 6 – and didn’t have to, instead making the single-game assists list with 14. DeMeyer was a senior for Centreville, which finished 19-2.
Tawas’ Morgan Kaniszewski played a major role in her team’s Class B District title run and 15-9 season, making 81 3-pointers – tied for 13th most all-time. The Braves’ junior also connected on 16 of 16 free throws in the District Final win over Gladwin, making the lists for most free throws in a game and most consecutive in a game (tying for eighth in the latter).
Boys Basketball
Opponents of Onsted through the middle seasons of this decade knew better than to challenge the Wildcats regularly in the post. Austin Davis – now at University of Michigan – graduated in 2016 with 1,078 career rebounds, fifth most in MHSAA history, and his 414 as a junior tied for 11th most in one season. Davis also graduated with 297 blocked shots, tied for eighth most on that list. Teammate Devin Louden, a 2014 graduate, is just ahead with 300 blocked shots from his three-season varsity career. Davis was 6-foot-10 in high school, while Louden was 6-8.
A pair of Okemos sharpshooters were added for their free throw and 3-point work at the start of this decade. Chris Harrison-Docks was added for 178 3-pointers, 396 free throws made and an .807 free-throw percentage from 2010-12, plus 176 free throws made during the 2011-12 season. Conner George was added for 174 free throws in 2014-15, plus an .807 percentage from 2014-16. Meanwhile, Taylor Moton – who went on to play football at Western Michigan University and was drafted by the Carolina Panthers this past weekend – was added for 342 rebounds during that 2011-12 season. Harrison-Docks finished his college career this season at DePaul after three seasons at Western Kentucky, and George plays at Michigan State after joining the team as a walk-on in 2015-16. Okemos as a team was added for scoring 75 points in a half of a 123-73 win against Mason in 1980, and three times for free throws attempts – its 633 in 2011-12 rank fifth on that list. The Chiefs also made 418 free throws that season, which ranks fourth, and are listed with Holt as part of the game tied for third-most for free throws between two teams: Okemos had 27 and Holt 36 in a 94-86 Rams win on Feb. 10 of this season. Holt’s 36 makes also made the list for most converted free throws by one team in a game.
Football
Pewamo-Westphalia followed 8,000-yard rusher Jared Smith with one of the most prolific offenses ever last fall in winning the Division 7 title. The senior running back capped his career third in points (806) and total touchdowns (124), second in rushing yards (8,182), seventh in rushing attempts (808) and with the records for career rushing touchdowns (123) and consecutive 100-yard rushing games (33 from 2014-2016). The Pirates scored 645 points, 13th most all-time, while running for 4,067 yards and amassing 5,027 total yards with 81 touchdowns including 68 rushing. The Pirates became the first entry in a number of recently-added team offense categories and moved to the top of the list for interceptions in one game with eight in a win over Potterville. They also joined the list of teams with at least 19 straight winning seasons by posting their 21st consecutive, giving them the fifth-longest streak in the state. In addition to Smith’s numerous individual entries, teammates Devon Pung (29 tackles for losses), Mason Schneider (three interception touchdown returns in one season) and Reece Platte (10 extra points in one game, against Bath) also were added. Pung and Platte also are seniors, and Schneider is a junior. Smith will continue this fall at Michigan Tech.
Girls Soccer
Fruitport Calvary Christian’s Brianna Zehr made a four-year impact before graduating in 2014. She had 42 goals that season to make the single-season scoring list, and 101 total over four seasons to make the career list as well. Zehr went on to play at Olivet Nazarene University in Illinois.
Softball
Blissfield senior Brooke Henning made the MHSAA single-season home runs list both with 14 last spring as a junior and 11 as a freshman. Those 25 combined alone (not counting her sophomore total) also would put her on the career list; she is finishing this spring and will play collegiately at Grand Valley State.
Wrestling
Brandon Garcia never made the MHSAA single-season wins list, but finished his four-season varsity career in 2016 with 213 and only 14 losses after winning at least 50 matches all four of his seasons. Garcia also made the career pins list with 130. He finished as an MHSAA Finals runner-up twice.
PHOTO: Saginaw Swan Valley’s Lauren Addy scores a run during last season’s Division 2 Quarterfinal against Escanaba. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)