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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.)

Scane Leads Cranes with Record Scoring

August 11, 2017

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Isabelle Scane has accomplished a career’s worth of lacrosse stardom at Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood the last three years – and she still has a season to play.

The Cranes’ senior-to-be has been entered into the MHSAA record book with 360 career goals – nearly 100 more than anyone else – after scoring the second-most for one season (146) this spring in leading her team to its first Division 2 championship.

In addition, Scane’s 183 points total this spring rank third on that single-season list, and her 453 career points are also third and only eight off setting a record.

Teammate Sophia Milia was added to the records as well for her 87 goals this season, 60 assists and 147 points (seventh most all-time). Former teammates Grace Giampetroni has six record listings for her final two seasons, 2015 and 2016, and Ari Vespa was added for a pair of accomplishments in 2015.

Scane has committed to sign with Northwestern University, while Giampetroni played last season at High Point University in North Carolina and Vespa plays at University of Michigan. Milia also has another high school season to play.

Click the girls lacrosse heading below to see that record book in full, and check out more recent record additions in that sport plus boys basketball, boys and girls soccer and softball.

Boys Basketball

Corey Redman just missed making the single-season free throws list twice during his four-season Boyne City career from 2012-15. But he ended his run 14th on the career free throws list with 431 in 565 attempts (76 percent) over 90 games. Redman plays at Central Michigan University.

Former Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central standout Derek Dennis was added for making 224 3-pointers over his four-year career from 2006-09. Dennis went on to play baseball at University of Michigan and Davenport University.

Girls Lacrosse

Hartland finished 18-4 this spring in part on the scoring of junior Emily Beazley, who was added to the records for games of eight and seven goals, 83 overall and 112 points. Senior teammate Teagan Laier was added for seven goals in a game as well, and senior Meghan Economou made the single-season goalie saves list with 151. Economou has committed to continue playing at Calvin College, and Laier has signed with Northern Michigan University.

DeWitt continued its surge this spring, finishing 17-5 while adding a number of record book entries including 308 goals scored as a team and the first entry for most goals in a game – 26 in a win over Lansing Waverly. Jordan Markowski was added five times for eight assists and 12 points in that big win, plus 80 points this season, 257 for her career and 170 career goals from 2014-17. Rachel Madar was added for seven goals in a game, 78 this season and 215 for her career, plus 95 points this season and 260 over the last four. Sierra Dietz was added for 53 goals this season and 164 career goals and 204 career points over her four varsity seasons, and Julianna Harrison was added for 150 saves in goal this spring. Madar will continue her career at Kalamazoo College.

Boys Soccer

Comstock’s record goal-scoring season with 111 over 22 games last fall was led by senior Mubark Hasan, who in addition to contributing to the team’s single-season record book listing for goals also is listed for six goals in a game twice and for 59 goals by himself in 2016. Hasan also made the single-season points list with 73 total. Comstock finished 20-4 and won its Division 3 District.

Girls Soccer

A pair of standouts made the record book after helping Marshall to an 18-5-2 finish. Sophomore Kate Face was added for 32 goals over 25 games, while senior Lauren Day was added for 16 shutouts in goal. The team was added for 11 straight shutouts from May 3-June 3. Day will continue her career at Jackson College.

Softball

Livonia Franklin’s Brooke Garbarino has earned entries all over her school’s record book, and a few statewide as well. She made the single-season average list this spring hitting .646, and her 23 doubles tied for 10th most in one season. She also made the career doubles list with 58 over four seasons. She’ll continue her career at Jackson College.

Zeeland East also graduated a pair of record book-making standouts this spring. Audrey Kazda made the single-season doubles list with 23 in 2017, while teammate Sara Medendorp finished her four-year career with 20 home runs. Brooke Leonard also was added for 956 strikeouts from 2011-14.  

Blissfield seniors Kelsey Wyman and Brooke Henning provided one of the state’s top one-two punches over the last four seasons. Wyman has four record book entries including for 212 career runs (ranking 16th) and 242 career hits (ranking 15th). Henning leaves 11 record book entries; she tied for second with three home runs in one game against Brooklyn Columbia Central on May 2, tied for fourth with 18 home runs this season, ranks tied for fifth with 47 career home runs and comes in 10th with 197 career RBI. Teammate Jade Casanova also was added for six RBI in a game this spring, and past teammates LeeAnn Seidl (27 homers from 2013-16) and Kelsie Abbott (22 doubles in 2014, 53 over her four-year career) also were added. Henning will continue to play at Grand Valley State, while Wyman will play basketball at Ferris State. Seidl plays at University of Michigan-Dearborn, and Abbott played at Siena Heights. Additionally, Blissfield as a team earned three entries for home runs in a season, the highest being 40 this spring – which is tied for sixth most. 

PHOTO: Cranbrook Kingswood's Isabelle Scane (27) hoists the Division 2 championship trophy with her teammates after this spring's title game win.