Sharp-Shooting Long Sisters Help Bring Newaygo to Breslin

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

May 27, 2021

Newaygo’s run to this season’s Division 2 Final included record-book performances by sisters Jaylee and Jaxi Long.

Jaylee Long – who has signed with Cornerstone University – made the career list for 3-pointers with 168 over 90 games and four seasons.

Jaxi Long, a junior, was added for 17 free throws against Howard City Tri County on March 24 and a .878 free throw percentage (79 of 90) for the season. Her season percentage is tied for 12th-highest all-time.

See below for more recent record book entries in girls basketball and boys soccer.

Girls Basketball

Plymouth continued this season to earn entries in the team records for 3-pointers, led by senior Ella Riley. The Wildcats were added for 15 3-pointers in a game against Dearborn Fordson on March 19 and 14 against Burton Bentley on Feb. 27, and also for attempting 479 over 20 games this season (making 143). Riley made the individual 3-pointer list with 72 this season, after sinking 75 as a junior, and for making 163 over 63 games for her career – she was on varsity all four seasons but missed her sophomore year with an injury. She will continue her career at Elmhurst University in Illinois.

Oscoda also was added for some major 3-point shooting performances this season. The Owls drilled 15 against both Rogers City on March 9 and Midland Calvary Baptist on March 13, and also 14 against Durand on Feb. 20.

Leland’s Olivia Lowe finished a four-season, 82-game varsity tenure this winter on a pair of career lists. She grabbed 1,077 rebounds during her career – also making the single-season list with 302 as a junior – and ranks eighth with 470 made free throws (in 643 attempts). She will continue at Hope College.

Boys Soccer

Big Rapids Crossroads Academy senior Joseph Gardei was the busiest keeper for one game in MHSAA history Oct. 1, when he stopped a record 48 shots on goal during an 8-1 loss to Clare. Gardei had only six field players available in front of him, while Clare played at full strength.

Mitchell Drabicki’s scoring surge over his four varsity seasons at Clinton saw him score two goals as a freshman in 2015 and 59 as a senior – those 59 ranking 10th all-time for a single season. He also made the career scoring list with 102 goals total.

Kirt Brown has been added to the record book list with a record of 369-214-49 after serving as Parchment’s varsity boys coach from 1990-2004 and taking over at Mattawan in 2006. He led Mattawan to the Division 1 Semifinals this past fall.

Nathan Isbrecht became the first player to be added to the MHSAA record book for scoring six goals in a game during the Fall 2020 season, as he did so in Watervliet’s 10-2 season-opening win over Parchment on Sept. 9. He is a junior.

Evan Mieden earned Carleton Airport’s first record book entry for boys soccer with a busy senior season. He made 349 saves in goal, which rank ninth-most on the single-season list.

Leslie earned its first record book entries in this sport Sept. 15 – and in a big way. Senior Tristan Feigner tallied eight goals, tied for third-most in one game. Senior Garrett Mays set the MHSAA record with 10 assists, including eight on Feighner’s goals.

PHOTO: Newaygo’s Jaylee Long brings the ball upcourt during her team’s Division 2 Semifinal win over Detroit Country Day in April. (Click for more from Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)

Addison Slugger Ties Home Run Record

August 24, 2015

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Erika Underwood finished a four-season career at Addison this spring that placed her among the MHSAA’s high achievers in a number of statistical categories – and tops in one of the most notable.

Underwood slugged 49 home runs during her career, tying her for the most in MHSAA history with 2010 Belding graduate Taylor Johnson.

Total, Underwood appears in the MHSAA softball records 17 times – additional notables include sixth with a career batting average of .595, 10th with 222 career runs, tied for eighth for single-season triples with 14 in 2012, fifth with 34 career triples and tied for third for single-season home runs with 17 in 2013. A first baseman, she’ll continue her career this fall at Central Michigan University.

Read on for more of the latest additions to the MHSAA record books, and click on each heading to see the complete record listings for that sport.

Baseball

  • Flushing’s Christopher Triplett didn’t make MHSAA single-season records lists over his four-year career that ended this spring. But over those four seasons he built totals that made career lists in three categories – with 170 runs, 100 walks and 128 stolen bases. The steals rank 10th all-time. An infielder, he’ll continue his career at Spring Arbor University.

Girls Basketball

  • Karina Cole became Lincoln Alcona’s all-time leading scorer during her varsity career that ended in 2014, and along the way notched an accomplishment that made the MHSAA records as well. She connected on 72 of 81 free-throw attempts as a junior during the 2012-13 season, with that 88.9 percent success rate ranking fifth-highest for one season. She played last winter at Alpena Community College.

Football

  • Corey Willis missed his senior season of 2012 with a knee injury – but accomplished plenty as a sophomore and junior. Willis found his way into the record book four times with 2,412 yards and 33 touchdowns rushing, plus 208 points total, as a junior. He also is listed for a 95-yard kickoff return against Greenville in 2010 as a sophomore. A quarterback and running back in high school, Willis is a receiver at Central Michigan University.
  • Livonia Churchill enjoyed three playoff appearances in four seasons with spring graduate Brian Alsobrooks on the roster, and he solidified his name in the MHSAA records with eight listings as a kicker and quarterback. He made the single-season extra points list twice with 50 and 52 and booted the seventh-most for a varsity career, 142 in 34 games after taking over that duty with three games left in his freshman season of 2011. His streak of 82 straight extra points from October 2012 into October 2014 ranks fifth, and he also made the career field goals list with 19. Alsobrooks also made the records with 26 completions and 474 yards in a 2013 49-40 loss to Westland John Glenn, and after throwing for 2,258 yards in 11 games as a senior. He’s beginning his college career this fall at Eastern Michigan University.
  • Aaron Steedman capped Linden’s 53-7 win over Flint Kearsley last October with a 100-yard fumble return for a touchdown on the final play of the game. Steedman is one of four in the MHSAA record book with a fumble return TD the length of the field.
  • Longtime Muskegon Catholic Central coach Mike Holmes was added to the list of those who have led teams to at least 200 wins. Holmes’ built a career record of 212-75-1 in 25 seasons, all at MCC, and led the Crusaders to six MHSAA championships, the last in 2008. He retired after the 2012 season.
  • DeWitt’s powerful offense resulted in a number of entries from the last three seasons. Quarterback Jacob Johnson finished his career last fall with 52 touchdown passes over parts of three seasons, and after making the record lists with 2,039 passing yards and 31 TDs as a junior in 2013. Joshua Borta was a key receiver that season, when he made the record list with 16 touchdown catches, and Ryan Anderson was the team’s top target in 2012 with 80 catches, 1,221 yards and 16 TDs – and he also made the career catches list with 101 over two seasons. Christopher Ruby was added for 231 receiving yards on six receptions in a win over Owosso in 2013. Two specialists also made the records – Matthew Meagher with a 78-yard punt against Tecumseh last season, and kicker Cameron West with 153 extra points in 163 attempts from 2011-13. The team’s 45-44 win over Linden in 2012 was added to the team records as one of six to go at least six overtimes. Johnson is beginning his college career this fall at Central Michigan University, while Anderson plays for Olivet College and West played last season for Northern Michigan University.

Boys Lacrosse

  • Grant Lardieri put the final touches on a four-season varsity career that put him atop the all-time career saves list with 901, with 244 this spring – which were good for second-most in one season. He also added games of 27 and 20 saves to give him 10 entries total in the MHSAA records. Teammate Peter Fisk was added three times, with games of eight and seven goals and 67 total for the season, and Bob Pelton made the single-game assists list for the third time, with five against Holland West Ottawa on May 26. All three graduated this spring and will play at the next level – Pelton at Marquette University, Fisk at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and Lardieri at Massachusetts-Lowell.

Softball

  • A pair of Mount Pleasant hitters were added, Megan Kramer with 17 doubles and Hannah Carson for 17 triples – Carson tying for third most in one season. A freshman this spring, she’s already committed to play collegiately for the University of Michigan.

PHOTO: Addison’s Erika Underwood rounds third base; she finished her high school career with 17 record book listings. (Photo courtesy of Addison High School.)