Sonnenberg Scores With Best in 2 Sports

January 18, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Micah Sonnenberg capped his Brooklyn Columbia Central career this fall with 11 record book listings and as one of the most accomplished scorers in MHSAA boys soccer history.

A four-year varsity player, he scored a career-high 71 goals (over 25 games and with a high of eight goals in one game) this past season, the third-most goals for one season all-time, and finished tied for second on the career list with 172 goals. He also made the career assists list with 46 and tied for fourth on the career points list with 218 after adding 88 this season.

Sonnenberg also earned multiple entries as the football team's kicker the last two seasons. He made 52 extra points in the fall to finish on the career list as well with 82 in 87 attempts. 

See below for more recent MHSAA record book additions in boys soccer as well as baseball, girls basketball, boys tennis and volleyball, and click on the headings to view those record books in full.

Baseball

Montague’s Jacob Buchberger carved his place in the MHSAA record book with seven entries over 129 games and four varsity seasons from 2013-16. He was added for 66 hits as a senior, plus career totals of 198 hits (tied for 12th), 23 triples (third), 141 RBI and for a .493 batting average. Buchberger plays at Davenport University.

Ryan Hayes graduated from Traverse City West last spring having made the season ERA record list with a 0.91 as a sophomore in 2016 and the career list at 1.07 over 176 innings – and he just missed the season list at 0.48 as a junior with only 59 innings, one short of the minimum to be included. Hayes plays football at University of Michigan.

Girls Basketball

Holly senior Rebecca Fugate was added for two free-throw shooting accomplishments that took place over four days during her sophomore season. On Feb. 14, 2017, Fugate made 15 of 16 attempts against Flint Kearsley, and she made 16 of 19 against Fenton on Feb. 17. She finished with 28 and 33 points in those games, respectively. She will continue her career next season at Wayne State.

Alex Hunter scored more than 1,200 points during her four-season varsity career at Gaylord St. Mary that ended last winter, but her abilities to pass and defend landed her in the records. Hunter had 493 assists and 375 steals over 96 games. Her assists rank 17th on that list.  

Boys Soccer

Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central junior Zachary Cepo added 28 goals and 17 assists this fall to move up to 18th all-time with 174 career points and a season to play. The 17 assists also gave him a record-breaking 113 for his career – to go with his single-season records of 48 assists achieved as both a freshman and sophomore.

Tanner Mulder finished his four-season varsity career this fall for McBain Northern Michigan Christian on the all-time assists list with 45. Corey DeZeeuw also was added for 276 saves in net in 2004, including 32 in an overtime loss that fall to Bellaire.

Boys Tennis

Tyler Conrad cemented his status among the most accomplished singles players at Midland Dow and also statewide this fall. He finished his career 126-11 over four seasons with an MHSAA-record 52 wins by 6-0, 6-0 scores and with 30 tournament championships. The career wins are tied for fifth all-time, and the tournament titles rank fourth. Additionally, junior teammate Saketh Kamaraju opened this fall with 31 straight wins to make the record book, his only defeat coming at the MHSAA Finals. Conrad will continue his career at Hillsdale College.

Volleyball

Kendal Muxlow earned her place on the career kills list with 1,566 over the last four seasons for Brown City. Muxlow also made The Associated Press Class C all-state basketball second team last season.

A pair of Richland Gull Lake standouts were added for career records attained this fall. Senior Kenzy Corstange was added for 1,688 kills, while junior Lexie Beeke made the career assists list with 3,021 – and with another season to play. Corstange has signed to continue at Davenport University. 

PHOTO: Brooklyn Columbia Central's Micah Sonnenberg steps into a kick during football season. (Photo courtesy of the Columbia Central athletic department.)

Schoolcraft Ace Could Score & Much More

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

February 10, 2021

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Gabi Saxman’s Schoolcraft career will be remembered in part because she scored more than 1,000 points over four seasons.

But 5-foot-6 point guard made the MHSAA record book in two other categories, with 477 assists and 436 steals over those 96 games before graduating last spring.

She is continuing her career at Western Michigan University this winter, as her former teammates and high school basketball teams all over Michigan kick off their seasons this week.

Below is a look at recent additions to MHSAA record books in girls basketball, hockey and girls soccer. Click on the headings to view those record books in full.

Girls Basketball

Last Feb. 20 was unforgettable for Grass Lake and especially Gabrielle Lutchka. She set an MHSAA record for 3-pointers with 16 to finish the evening with 56 points, which ranks eighth all-time for single-game scoring. As a team, Grass Lake made the record book with 17 3-pointers that night against Manchester. Teammates Abrie Cabana also was added for an achievement last winter, finishing with a .880 free-throw percentage. Lutchka is a junior and Cabana a senior this school year.

Genesee senior Hayle March tied for 12th-most assists in a game Jan 23, 2020, when she dished 14 during her team’s 61-35 win over Mayville. She also had 12 points, five rebounds and five steals in the victory.

Kasey DeSmit played a significant part in Hudsonville’s 73-28 record from 2015-18, making the career record book in two categories. She sank 187 3-pointers and tallied 474 assists over those 101 games. She now plays at Hope College.

Gracie Nowak filled her senior season at Morrice last winter with a number of highlights, perhaps the biggest individually the 18 steals she totaled in a Jan. 17, 2020, win over Webberville. That total ranks as the fourth-highest for single-game steals in MHSAA history.

Kent City continued to dominate the 3-point shooting lists in 2019-20, with the team connecting on 16 in multiple games and a season-high 17 against Ravenna on March 2. Junior Jenna Harrison finished the season with 86 3-pointers over 24 games, and junior Kenzie Bowers had nine of her team’s 16 in a game against Hesperia. Bowers has signed with Illinois State.

Kelynn Kujat completed her Frankenmuth career last season among top 3-point shooters all-time, drilling 187 over four seasons and 89 games. She previously had made the record book with 66 3-pointers as a sophomore.

Nearly 40 years later, Teresa Hudak’s rebounding excellence has reached the record book. The Rogers City standout three times grabbed 26 or more rebounds in a game – with a high twice of 29. She had 342 rebounds as a junior in 1981 and then 385 as a senior the following fall, with the latter total ranking 11th all-time.

Hockey

Sean Hogan enjoyed an exciting start to calendar year 1995, making the MHSAA record book twice. He scored four goals in the first period of Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes’ 7-5 win over White Lake Lakeland on Jan. 14, and seven for the game in Our Lady’s 15-4 win over Algonac that Feb. 5. Hogan went on to play at Iona College and has coached multiple American Collegiate Hockey Association programs.

Girls Soccer

Nearly 25 years later, Marie Spaccarotella has made it into the record book for her 102 career goals over four seasons for Livonia Churchill from 1993-96. She went on to play forward at University of Michigan, starting 32 games and scoring 21 goals over four seasons.

PHOTO: Gabi Saxman brings the ball upcourt for Schoolcraft during a game last season. (Photo courtesy of JoeInsider.com.)