Softball Streaks Continue into 2014
March 31, 2014
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Softball season is on the verge of starting as the snow continues to melt and fields dry out this week.
And as games begin, we’ll be keeping an eye on a pair of standouts carrying two of the longest hitting streaks in MHSAA history – including one chasing the national record.
Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart senior Sara Hansen, also a star of the Irish’s Class D basketball championship run, is carrying an 82-game hitting streak that ranks second nationally and began May 9, 2011. She’s chasing the NFHS record of 103 straight games with a base hit.
Hayley Reitsma of Grand Rapids Christian is carrying a 34-game hitting streak into this season – her streak is third longest in MHSAA history.
She also made the MHSAA record book lists recently for 19 doubles as a sophomore, and needs only three more to qualify for the career doubles list.
Below are other recent additions to the MHSAA record listings. Click on the headings for all records for those respective sports.
Softball
- Fremont’s McKenze Supernaw won 101 games and struck out 1,262 batters over a varsity career spanning 2009-12. Both totals were added to MHSAA career lists – the career strikeouts rank 12th – as were her 14 strikeouts in a five-inning game in 2012 and 20 in a seven-inning Regional win over Cadillac in 2011. Supernaw currently plays second base and shortstop at Grand Valley State University.
- Sault Ste. Marie’s Megan Jean finished her career last spring as one of the state’s most accomplished power hitters, with seven entries including three for back-to-back home runs and two more for six and seven RBI in single games, respectively. Her 14 home runs in 2013 tied for 10th on that single-season list, and her 23 over three seasons tied for 14th on the career list.
- Midland made the team single-season doubles list with 67 last spring, including 15 from Jenni Wontorcik – who made the career list with 35 over her three varsity seasons. She hit .470 in 2013 to lead the team in average as well.
Boys Basketball
- Portland St. Patrick’s Ryan Wilcox scored 23 points during the second quarter of his team’s 74-55 win over Saranac on Dec. 9, 2011. He made four 3-pointers among eight field goals total during the period, and finished the game with 39 points. His points tied for ninth-most for one quarter.
Girls Lacrosse
- Caledonia’s Helene Miller became the first in MHSAA history to reach the 375-save minimum for listing under career saves. She has 449 after her first three seasons.
Girls Soccer
- Frankenmuth gave up nine or fewer goals last spring for the fourth time in nine seasons. Keeper Claire Carter finished with 14 shutouts to make the single-season list in that category and go with her 17 from 2012.
Football
- Linden 2013 graduate Shaye Brown entered MHSAA record listings for passing yards in a season (twice) and career, passing attempts in a season and completions in a single game (three times), and passing touchdowns in a season and career. Over his two varsity seasons, Brown completed 413 of 641 passes for 5,672 yards and 53 touchdowns. His career yardage ranks 16th. Also, teammate Ben Armstrong became the second to reach the 40-sack minimum for that career list, finishing his three-year varsity run with 44.
- Westland John Glenn senior Devon Spalding ran for the third-most yards in MHSAA history on Oct. 4 when he carried his team to a 49-40 win over Livonia Churchill. Spalding totaled 491 rush yards – 38 off the record – on just 26 carries. He also scored six touchdown on the ground to make the list in that category. Below is video of his fifth touchdown that night.
PHOTO: Fremont's McKenze Supernaw fires a pitch during her high school career that ended in 2012. She finished with 101 wins and 1,262 strikeouts. (Photo courtesy of Fremont High School.)
Rangers Net Historic Accomplishments
April 27, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Special for Second Half
Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central’s boys tennis team finished fourth in Lower Peninsula Division 2 in the fall, led by a single star and a powerful doubles lineup whose accomplishments have been added to the MHSAA record book.
No. 1 singles champion Connor Genschaw was added to the records for his 34-4 finish, while Jack Ziegler and Peyton Herbert were runners-up at No. 2 doubles and added at 31-9 in separate entries (they went 25-6 together and 6-3 with other partners). Aidan Rynbrandt and Jacob Wiltjer were added for going 31-9 at No. 1 doubles, while Mike Battiste was part of the No. 3 pair and went 28-11 and the No. 4 pair of Tyler George and Ali Azeem made the list at 27-13.
Herbert (97-15), Battiste (94-17), Ziegler (90-22) and Rynbrandt (90-23) finished on the doubles career wins list as well. Reed Aleck, a senior in 2016-17, also was added to the career list at 80-22 after he and Justin James went 27-6 that fall.
Click to see the boys tennis record book in full, and see below for more recent entries in ice hockey, boys lacrosse, softball and wrestling. Click on the sport headings to view those record listings in their entirety.
Ice Hockey
Royal Oak Shrine Unified’s 9-3 win over Allen Park Cabrini on Jan. 20, 2017, saw a pair of MHSAA records set. Shrine’s Josef Mehall scored two goals five seconds apart during the second period – setting the record for the fastest two goals both by an individual and team – and Shrine added a third during the same minute to give it three goals over 34 seconds, which ranks fifth on that list. Mehall added an assist on that third goal, which was scored by Jamison Terbrack. Both were seniors; Mehall played junior hockey this season for the Maine Wild.
Calumet scored four goals over 1:24 against Negaunee on Feb. 8, becoming the second-fastest team to score four goals in one game. The Copper Kings did so with their first of the period 5:03 in and their fourth at 6:27. Brent Loukus, Dean Loukus, Rylan Anderson and Tyler Johnson scored during the string. Calumet went on to win 9-0.
Canton sent 104 shots on goal against Ann Arbor Huron during an 8-2 win Jan. 17, ranking as the second most shots on goal in a game. Huron senior Ethan St. Pierre set the MHSAA saves record in turning away 96 of those shots.
Boys Lacrosse
Tecumseh’s Dylan Day continued to move up the career lists in 2017, adding eight record book entries. He joined the career points list with 220 (148 goals and 72 assists) over the last two seasons and with this season yet to play and also was added for goals, assists and points (7/9/16) in a win over Temperance Bedford last May 24. Now-senior teammate Justin Weasel was added for eight goals in that game, and senior Drake Ringer was added for 42 assists last season. Now-junior goalie Kobe Jennings was added four times for saves in a game with a high of 20, and also earned the first entry for season shutouts with four. As a team, Tecumseh’s 266 goals were added, as were its 26 against Bedford in that 26-5 win.
Softball
Grosse Pointe South shortstop Grace Foster powered her way to a few more entries in the record book last season, hitting 11 home runs over 31 games – including two in an inning against Romulus after also hitting two consecutively in a game against St. Clair Shores Lakeview. The then-junior also made the records with six RBI in an inning and eight in that game against Romulus, and seven more in a game against Detroit Renaissance.
Flint Powers Catholic’s McKenna King hit 23 doubles in 2017 to make the single-season list in that category. The Chargers’ then-freshman tied for 12th most in one season.
Another freshman in 2017, Frankfort’s Haley Myers, made record lists with 18 doubles and 74 runs scored – the runs tied for 11th most. Now-senior teammate Olivia Tomaszewski also was added for 18 doubles and now-junior Natalie Bigley was added for 70 runs. Myers, now a sophomore, also was added for hitting back-to-back home runs against Lake City this April 12.
Elizabeth Evers became one of the first to be added for an accomplishment this spring. The Sterling Heights senior drove in six runs in her team’s 15-14 win over Clawson on March 23.
Wrestling
Otisville-LakeVille became the ninth on a list of teams that have scored 84 points in a dual match. The Falcons put up the perfect 84-0 score against Manistique on Jan. 13.
Gavin Morgan joined the list of record holders for fastest pins during his Mount Morris team’s invitational on Jan. 20. He pinned his Capac opponent at 160 pounds in four seconds. Morgan is a sophomore.
PHOTO: Forest Hills Central’s Connor Genschaw returns a volleyball during the LPD2 Finals last fall. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)