Standouts Finish on Record Kicks

April 11, 2014

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Never underestimate the value of a talented kicker on a high school football team.

This season’s MHSAA Finals showed again just how much that unheralded player can contribute to a championship effort.

Birmingham Brother Rice senior Jason Alessi helped his team win its third straight Division 2 championship, tying the MHSAA single-season record with 16 field goals – on 18 attempts – and finishing second on the career list with 32 on 37 tries. He also made all 59 of his extra point attempts this fall and finished his career with 135 extra points total – good for sixth on that career list – including 122 straight, which is the second-longest streak of makes.

In Division 8, Muskegon Catholic Central junior Griffin Seymour helped his team to a championship season as well. He finished on a 72-straight extra point streak (fourth longest), with his 75 extra points total tied for the sixth-most for one season.

Theirs are among recent additions to the MHSAA online record books. Read on for details on more in football, baseball, boys basketball and volleyball. 

Football

  • Brother Rice quarterback Alex Malzone made single-season lists for completing 190 of 281 passes for 2,782 yards and 25 touchdowns, and receiver Corey Lacanaria made single-season (65 catches/1,111 yards) and career (115/1,883 from 2011-13) lists in those categories. Defensive end Jack Dunaway made the single-season sacks list with 15, and Alessi also joined a list of 10 who have returned a kick at least 95 yards for a touchdown, doing so from that distance against Toledo St. John’s Jesuit on Sept. 6. (Former Warriors Anthony Jackson, Joey Henry and Devin Church also were added to the longest kick return touchdown list). 

  • It took more than 50 years to find its way into the MHSAA record books, but Bob Bentley’s 99-yard kickoff return touchdown for Corunna against Elsie on Oct. 5, 1962, has been added and is the oldest listing for this record-setting distance.

  • A number of Holland Christian offensive standouts were added in a variety of categories. Among highlights: Quarterback Ross Schreur was added to four single-season lists after completing 195 of 319 passes for 2,752 yards and 25 touchdowns in 2012, and Caleb VanderLugt was added after throwing six touchdown passes against Holland last season. Schreur also completed 32 of 45 passes against Zeeland West in a 2012 game for 497 yards – eighth on the single-game passing list. Kyle Steigenga had seasons with 18 and 17 touchdown receptions, and finished his career with those 35 scores in addition to 112 catches (and 2,048 yards) total.

  • Grayling is on a run for five straight playoff appearances with three straight seasons of nine wins, and much of that success can attributed to a high-powered passing attack. Quarterback Jake Swander was added for his 2012, 2013 and career totals in four categories – he finished his career last fall with 392 completions in 720 attempts for 5,281 yards and 51 touchdown passes in two seasons. Zane Tobin completed 194 of 365 attempts for 2,664 yards and 28 TDs in 2011, and Zach Wolcott threw for 2,404 yards in 2009. Tyler McClanahan finished his three-year receiving career with 160 catches for 2,378 yards and 25 touchdowns, and Cody Myers had 144 catches for 2,140 yards from 2008-10.

Baseball

  • Hale’s Kaydon Reimer is on his way to finishing his career this spring as one of the most hit batsmen in MHSAA history. He entered this season tied for 15th on the career hit-by-pitch list with 30. He made the single-season list in 2013 after getting hit by 15 pitches.

  • Jackson High School ran like almost no team has before in MHSAA history, totaling the third-most stolen bases, 196, in 2013. The Vikings were led by Trevor Polewka, who had 46 steals to make the individual single-season list.

Boys Basketball

  • Ann Arbor Rudolf Steiner and Adrian Lenawee Christian combined to make the second-most 3-pointers in a game in MHSAA history – 27 – on Feb. 24, 2012. Rudolf Steiner connected on 13 of its 17 3-point tries, and Lenawee Christian connected on 14 of 24 from behind the arc in going on to win the game 91-62.

Volleyball

  • Teagan Reeves will graduate this spring as one of the top blockers in MHSAA history. The Three Rivers senior followed up her 236 blocks as a junior (third-most for a season during the rally scoring era) with 177 this fall. She finished with 622 blocks, third most on the rally-scoring career list.

  • Onaway’s Mariah Ehrke will graduate as well this spring with multiple entries for kills. She made the single-season list with 592 this fall and finished on the career list with 1,419 over four seasons. Teammate Devin Bristley added 132 aces this fall to finish her three-season career with 310.

PHOTOS: Birmingham Brother Rice’s Jason Alessi (left) and Muskegon Catholic Central’s Griffin Seymour put up some of the most impressive kicking performances in MHSAA history in 2013. (Click to see more from High School Sports Scene.)

Howardsville Star Joins Hoops Legends

July 31, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Dylan Jergens put up numbers this past boys basketball season – and over his four-season career – that may not be matched for many years to come.

He finished at Marcellus Howardsville Christian with 21 record book entries; his most notable was an all-time best 971 points over 24 games this past winter – at a 40.5 ppg average that ranks second all-time – to break by two points the record set by Hastings’ Mark Brown during the 1984-85 season. Jergens graduated with 2,782 points over 94 games to rank third on the career scoring list, trailing only Brown with 2,789 points and record-holder Jay Smith, who scored 2,841 for Mio before graduating in 1979.

Jergens, who will continue his career at Central Michigan University, scored a quarter-high of 25 points and also made the season scoring list as a junior with 805. His 98 3-pointers as a senior were tied for seventh most, with his 320 career 3-pointers second for that category. He also had 183 free throws made this winter, good for 14th most for one season, and his 536 career free throws rank fifth all-time. He made the career assists list with 477 and the career steals list with 318, which ranks eighth.

See below for more recent record book additions in boys basketball, baseball, girls lacrosse, football and girls soccer, and click on the headings to see those record books in full.

Baseball

Adrian Williams was a four-year standout for Detroit Southeastern from 1992-95, and his 52 career doubles rank eighth all-time. Williams also was a standout pitcher and helped Southeastern to the Class A Quarterfinals in 1993.

Boys Basketball

Iron Mountain junior Marcus Johnson became one of six players in MHSAA boys hoops history to top 100 3-pointers in a season this winter, draining 102 of 216 attempts (47.2 percent) to tie for fourth most all-time. He also moved up the career list with 216 3-pointers over his first three high school seasons.

Ann Arbor Skyline’s Ryan Wade closed his career this winter with one of the top 3-point shooting performances all-time. The senior made 97 3-pointers on 295 attempts and reached the career list as well with 189 in 580 attempts over 68 games and three seasons. He will continue his career at College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts.

Hartford improved seven wins this season to finish 18-4 in part on sharp 3-point shooting. The Indians made the single-season team 3-pointers list with 197 and with Bangor tied for ninth most between two teams in one game as they combined to make 23 (Hartford connecting on 14) in Hartford’s 85-57 win Jan. 25. Brandon Galvan just missed making the single-season individual 3-pointers list, drilling 78 over 21 games.

Bellevue went a combined 87-11 over the last four seasons with Wyatt Waterbury and Gino Costello helping pace the defensive effort with record list totals of 347 and 250 steals, respectively. Waterbury made the single-season steals list three times with a high of 95 as a sophomore, and his total ranks fifth on the career list. He also made the career 3-pointers list with 206. Additionally, Evan Bloch was added for 11 steals in a game against Waldron on Dec. 11, 2011.

Zac Clark closed his Britton Deerfield career this winter with more than 1,000 points and on the career rebounds list with 811 over four seasons and 71 games (and despite playing just six games as a freshman). He will continue his career at Concordia-Ann Arbor.

Football

Freeland’s then-junior Jayce Bourcier blasted a 77-yard punt during his team’s 35-18 win over Carrollton on Oct. 13, 2017. The punt flew nearly 60 yards in the air and ranks 10th for distance all-time.

Jake Burger capped his three-year varsity career last fall all over the Pittsford record book. He also earned lines in the MHSAA record book with 4,310 career passing yards and six passing touchdowns in a playoff loss Oct. 26 against eventual Division 8 champion Reading. He will continue his career at Hillsdale College.

Girls Lacrosse

Emma Murphy and Grace Wilson earned Midland Dow’s first girls lacrosse record book entries for offense this spring with single-game accomplishments. Wilson, a sophomore, had five assists during a 21-0 win over Grand Blanc on April 23. Murphy, a freshman, scored 11 goals during a 19-9 win over Lake Orion on May 3. Murphy’s goals tied for seventh most in one game.

Girls Soccer

Delton Kellogg won its first District title this spring with help from a pair of standout juniors who also earned record book accolades. Holly McManus scored 50 goals – including seven in one game – and also made the single-season list with 58 total points. She’s also on the career goals list with 83 over 45 games and parts of three seasons. Amber Mabie also is a three-year varsity player, and she was added for 25 assists this spring.

Marshall’s Kate Face was added for scoring 88 goals over her four-season career that finished this spring. She previously had made the single-season scoring list with 32 goals as a sophomore. She will continue her career at Indiana State University.

Danae Moriarty made the records with 45 goals, 23 assists and 68 points total during her junior season this spring for Plymouth Christian Academy, and the goals pushed her onto the career list as well with 82 over three seasons. She will not be playing as a senior, instead spending the school year as an exchange student in Germany.

Kayla Beebe capped her career this spring by leading Kalamazoo Christian to its third straight Division 4 runner-up finish, scoring 37 goals to end her four varsity seasons with 103. She will continue her career at Calvin University.

Tecumseh freshman Madalyn Freitas started her high school career with one of the most memorable individual performances in MHSAA history. She scored 62 goals, fifth most all-time, and finished with 76 points, tying for sixth most during one season.

PHOTO: Howardsville Christian’s Dylan Jergens gets to the basket during a 2018 Quarterfinal against Hillsdale Academy. (Photo courtesy of JoeInsider.com.)