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Serving Up Stellar Performances

March 27, 2014

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

A pair of volleyball aces, or rather acers, top this week’s list of additions to the MHSAA record book listings.

Ludington’s Madisyn Brockelbank set one MHSAA record and tied another during her team’s 25-1, 25-12, 25-15 sweep of Manistee in a Class B District opener on Nov. 4. She had 17 aces in the first game to achieve that MHSAA record, and finished with 20 aces for the match to tie with two others (achieved three more times) for that record.

St. Louis hitter Brooke Tubbs finished her career five days later with record book entries for single-season and career kills and aces, with her 1,951 career kills the 13th most since the start of the rally scoring era in 2004-05 and her 386 career aces the seventh-most during this time.

Teammate Michaela Austin was added for 1,358 career assists, 15th on that list, and 287 career aces. Kenya House made the season aces list with 112 and Bri Alspaugh is 11th on the career blocks list with 462.

Click to see the volleyball listings in full, and the sport headings below to see those record books.

Baseball

  • A number of listings for Homer’s 37-5 finish last spring were added to the record book, as well as some notables from past seasons. The team’s 395 strikeouts in 2004 and 0.95 ERA in 2006 both placed at the top of those respective lists. Among individuals, Scott Warner was added for 27 career home runs and a career batting average of .451 from 1982-85. Jim Salow was added for being hit by 33 pitches from 2009-12, and Nate Sitkiewicz’s four career grand slams over 2012-13 also made that career list.

Girls Basketball

  • Manistee Catholic Central coach Todd Erickson became the latest to be added for winning at least 300 games – he carried a 314-155 record into this season after taking over the MCC program in 1992. His run had included 10 District titles and a Semifinal appearance in 1999.
  • Kingsley senior Autumn Goggin became one of 10 who have had at least 15 assists in a game, reaching that total Dec. 20 against Benzie Central. She also had six points and only five turnovers in her team’s 61-32 victory.

Boys Basketball

  • Wyoming Tri-unity Christian longtime coach Mark Keeler won his 500th game this season to join a group of 21 who have reached that milestone. He sits with a 512-152 record since taking over the school’s varsity in 1985-86. His team finished 13-10 this winter, but has won four MHSAA championships during his tenure.

Football

  • Clarkston’s Shane Hynes contributed a big foot the last two seasons, and as his team earned the Division 1 championship this fall. He made the record book for a 53-yard field goal against Rochester in 2012 and then a 71-yard punt he launched against Pontiac on Oct. 4.
  • Menominee’s Evan Pohlmann also kicked his team to Ford Field, making 83 of 87 extra-point attempts including 36 straight. Pohlmann finished with 136 total over the last two seasons, fifth-most on the career extra points list.

Girls Lacrosse

  • Caledonia’s Keagan Pontious continued to climb the career goals list in 2013, moving up to third with 234 during her three varsity seasons and with one more to play. Teammate Helene Miller added a second entry to the season goalkeeper saves list, with the fourth-highest total of 173 to go with her 153 in 2012.

Boys Tennis

  • Traverse City St. Francis’ Jack Krcmarik tied for eighth for single-season wins with 36 last fall on the way to making the Division 4 Semifinals at No. 3 singles. Teammates Jay Jones and Brady Ray made the doubles single-season wins list as part of 27 apiece. 

PHOTO: St. Louis' Brooke Tubbs prepares to serve during a Nov. 9 match against Morley Stanwood. (Click to see more from High School Sports Scene.)

Softball Stars Finish as Record Breakers

August 6, 2014

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

This spring saw the final high school games for a number of Michigan's softball standouts – including a pair of hitters who now sit atop categories in the MHSAA record book.

Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart’s Sara Hansen finished with single-season records for runs scored and hits, the career hits record and the consecutive game hits record with 91 straight dating back to her freshman season. New Lothrop’s Morgan Rombach crushed the former single-season doubles record and also tied the career record for doubles set in 2010.

Hansen finished with 305 hits, and the game her hitting streak ended – the second of a doubleheader on April 22 – was the only game over her final three seasons that she didn't hit safely at least once. Hansen also finished second in MHSAA history with 252 runs after setting the single-season runs record of 82 in 2012. Her career batting average of .567 sits eighth on the MHSAA list, and she received the Miss Softball position player award as the top senior non-pitcher this spring. She will begin her softball career at Central Michigan University this fall.

Rombach finished this season with 35 doubles – including three doubles in four games this spring – to break the former single-season record of 27. 

Her 78 doubles tied the career mark set by North Branch’s Tonya Nicole Calkins, a 2010 graduate. Rombach will play next season at Mott Community College.

Read on for the rest of this week’s MHSAA record book additions, and click on each heading to see the entire record book for that sport.

Softball

  • Fenton’s 37-5 finish this spring was keyed in part by a number of strong hitters who are now listed. Ellie Cowger’s name was added eight times – for season runs (71), career runs (203), season hits (78), career hits (240), season doubles (16), season stolen bases (62), career stolen bases (213) and consecutive game hitting streak (35). The hitting streak is tied for third longest and her career stolen bases are tied for fourth in MHSAA history. Teammate Katey Cairnduff was added for 71 hits this season including 19 doubles, and she’s on the career doubles list with 34 with one more season to play. Emma Brant also was added for 73 hits this season. As a team, Fenton set an MHSAA record with 512 hits, ranked third with a .434 batting average and also posted high-ranking totals of 91 doubles, 321 RBI and 408 runs along with its 37 wins.

  • Caledonia’s 36-3 season saw a number of entries make the MHSAA record listings. The Fighting Scots set an MHSAA record with 107 team doubles – with Ashley Cross (21), McKenzie Butgereit (18) and Andrea Gerloski (17) all making the individual record listing. Caledonia’s wins, team hits (470) and team batting average (.424) also made lists, with the average ranking fourth all-time and the hits ranking sixth.

  • Holt’s Olivia Cottom also reached the single-season doubles list with 16 this spring. She hit .455 overall for the Rams.

  • Vicksburg’s Shaidan Knapp made the single-season runs list with 68 as a freshman. She finished her first varsity season with a .511 average, five home runs and 35 RBI.

Baseball

  • A pair of Jackson standouts graduated this spring with a number of totals that made MHSAA lists. Tyler Kyro finished his four-year career with 179 hits and 119 stolen bases, while Nathan Bethel had 47 doubles and scored 150 runs over four seasons. Bethel also made the single-season doubles list with 19 this year. As a team, Jackson made the team stolen bases list for the second straight season, this time with 171 to go with 196 steals in 2013. 

Boys Basketball

  • Ann Arbor Skyline’s 6-foot-9 Tristan Wilson finished his career this winter with 106 blocked shots, good to make that single-season list. He averaged 14.9 points, 7.9 rebounds and 4.2 blocked shots per game in leading Skyline to a Class A Quarterfinal. He’s signed with Wayne State University for next season.

Girls Basketball

  • Teagan Reeves capped her four-season career at Three Rivers by making the career lists for free throws (346), rebounds (1,058) and blocked shots (355) after posting 322 rebounds and 117 blocks this winter. Her career free throws rank 17th, her rebounds rank 11th and her career blocks rank ninth. She finished third in the Miss Basketball vote this season and will play at Western Michigan University.

Boys Lacrosse

  • A number of top contributors put up record-list totals in leading Detroit Country Day to this season’s Division 2 championship. Emilio Sosa was added for eight goals in a game against Clarkston on May 6, plus 76 goals total this season and 82 points. Cooper Belanger made the single-season assists list with 46 and the points list with 85, while Jack Bergmann graduated with 117 career assists and 241 career points. As a team, Detroit Country Day totaled the most goals in the MHSAA boys record book, 295. 

PHOTOS: (Top) Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart's Sara Hansen, here in 2013, graduated with four MHSAA offensive records. (Middle) New Lothrop's Morgan Rombach set the single-season and tied the career doubles records this spring.