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Standouts Swat to New Blocks Records

May 5, 2014

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

By nature of sports, we usually celebrate those who score the most points.

But this basketball season allowed us to marvel at two of the best ever at keeping opponents from getting to the hoop.

Kalamazoo Central senior Asia Robeson became the leading shot-blocker in MHSAA girls basketball history this winter, finishing an incredible four-year career with 723. On the boys side, Muskegon junior Deyonta Davis set the MHSAA boys single-season record with 199 blocks in helping the Big Reds to their first Class A title since 1937.

The 6-foot-4 Robeson and former Grandville standout Alyssa DeHaan (718 blocks from 2002-05) are the only female players in MHSAA girls history to block more than 600 shots. Robeson’s 228 blocks as a junior rank third for one season and her 227 as a sophomore are fourth. She was a Miss Basketball Award finalist and will continue her career this fall at Auburn University.

Davis, a 6-9 center, had 16 blocks in a game twice and also made the single-season rebounds list with 380 – averaging 13.6 per game – and scored 15 points per game.

Click for the entire boys basketball record listing, and see below for more recent entries to the girls basketball and other sports’ listings.

Girls Basketball

  • Novi Franklin Road Christian’s Kristen Massey finished her high school career this winter as one of the leading scorers in girls basketball history with 2,032 points – she’s one of 27 to score at least 2,000, and this total doesn't include the 190 she scored on the school’s varsity as an eighth grader. She’s also the most frequently successful free throw shooter, tying for the career free throw record of 697 (on 926 attempts; .752 percentage) after following her season record of 213 in 2012-13 with 209 more in 2013-14. She made 52 more as an eighth-grader, but again, those were not counted toward her high school career total.

Football

  • Two Ottawa Lake Whiteford players were added for seasons filled with interception return touchdowns, but 20 years apart. Troy Goetz had four scoring returns in 1987 and sits second on that MHSAA list, with Josh DuPree among those tied for third after bringing three opponents’ passes all the way back in 2007.

  • Former Almont kicker Peter Deppe moved into the second spot on career extra points with 159 (in 170 attempts) he drilled during a four-year varsity career from 2010-13. He also is on the single-season list with 63 in 65 attempts as a sophomore. He currently punts for Northern Illinois University.

  • Hazel Park’s Tom Stephens returned a punt 96 yards for a touchdown against Warren Fitzgerald on Sept. 13, 1963, to tie him for eighth-longest in that category. His points contributed to Hazel Park’s 24-19 opening-night win.

Hockey

  • Two of the longest games in MHSAA history were played this season. Joining the 103-plus minute Traverse City West win on Feb. 24 in the record book is a 91-minute, 15-second Grand Rapids Catholic Central win over Flint Powers Catholic in a Division 3 Quarterfinal on March 5. GRCC scored the go-ahead goal 15 seconds into the sixth overtime to clinch a 2-1 victory. The win came eight years and one day after GRCC beat Mattawan in six overtimes in what before this season stood as the fourth-longest game.

Boys Soccer

  • Tyler Deese gave Corunna its winning goal in an 8-0 win over Portland on Sept. 17 only eight seconds into the first half – making it the second-fastest goal scored from the start of a game in MHSAA boys soccer history.

Softball

  • Morgan Rombach opened May with a record-setting performance that earned her two lines in the home runs listings. The New Lothrop standout hit three home runs in a win over Burton Bentley, in her first, second and fourth at bats. She is one of 18 tied for second on the single-game home runs list and one of a larger group of players who have hit at least two in consecutive at bats. She also had a single in her third at bat of the game.

Volleyball

  • Corunna freshman Meredith Norris kicked off her varsity career with plenty of points this fall. The 6-2 hitter made the MHSAA record book with 697 kills, 30th all-time for a single season, and also made the single-match list twice with 34 and 33 kills.

PHOTOS: Muskegon’s Deyonta Davis, far right, defends the rim during Muskegon’s Class A Final win over Bloomfield Hills. (Inset) Kalamazoo Central’s Asia Robeson blocks a shot. (Photos courtesy of HighSchoolSportsScene.com and Auburn University, respectively.)

2017: Year of Record-Setting Kickers

May 4, 2018

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Every school year sees its share of MHSAA all-time achievements challenged.

But few have taken the football record book by storm like a trio of talented kickers did this past fall.

Northville senior Jake Moody capped a record-setting four-year career at Northville with 11 record book entries – including an MHSAA all-time best 39 career field goals in 53 tries over 36 games the last four seasons. Ithaca senior kicker Adam Culp capped his career in the fall with 76 more extra points (in 79 tries) to finish with a record 181 career extra points in 198 attempts over three seasons. And Muskegon junior Carlos Hernandez-Sias broke the single season extra point record with 91 makes in 97 attempts in helping the Big Reds to the Division 3 championship.

In addition to his career field goal record, Moody also tied for second-longest field goal with a 58-yarder against Grand Blanc on Sept. 29, and had 57 and 55-yarders as well to make the top six on that list. His four field goals in a Sept. 22 game against Plymouth are tied for second most in one game, and his 14 as a junior are tied for seventh most in a season. He also made the career extra point list with 105 in 113 tries, including 33 straight over the end of his junior season and beginning of his senior campaign. Moody will continue as a preferred walk-on at University of Michigan with the opportunity to earn a scholarship.

Culp, who came up to varsity for part of his freshman season and took over the kicking the following fall, also made the career field goal list with 20. He handled the kicking in Ithaca’s 2015 Division 6 championship win and last season’s runner-up finish, and intends to walk on at Michigan as well.

See below for more recent additions to the MHSAA football record book, and click on the heading to check out the records in full.

Football

Tariq Reid finished a four-year varsity career at Burton Atherton (two seasons) and then Davison with 5,775 rushing yards, 12th most in MHSAA history. His 74 career rushing touchdowns rank 11th, and he also made lists for overall season (37 in 2016) and career touchdowns (76) and season (222 in 2016) and career points (480). Reid will continue his career at Grand Valley State University.

Quarterback Michael Lynn III was added for 333 career completions, 584 career attempts and 5,207 career passing yards while at Lansing Catholic the last two seasons and Lansing Sexton in 2014 and 2015. He will continue his career at Concordia University-Ann Arbor. Lansing Catholic as a team was added for a number of performances, notably for allowing only two first downs in a game twice and a low of 79 first downs during the 1983 season and for gaining 6,172 total yards with 85 touchdowns in 2011. Also, Pat Dean was added for a 71-yard punt against Charlotte in 2001, Dave Ghannon was added for a 98-yard kickoff return in 1998 versus Jackson Northwest and Larry Bauer was added for his 100-yard interception return for Lansing St. Mary against Nashville in 1962. Dean went on to play baseball at Eastern Michigan University.

Tommy Schuster threw 26 touchdown passes in leading Clinton Township Chippewa Valley to a 10-2 record this past fall. A junior, he completed 62.5 percent of his passes total for 1,925 yards.

Three high-scoring Canton players from the last 15 seasons were entered into the records, including a pair of impressive running backs. Deshon McClendon scored 204 points on 34 touchdowns in 2005 to make the single-season scoring list, and Markus Sanders had 2,495 yards rushing in 2015 and 6,197 yards with 70 touchdowns over his career stretching 2014-16. Colin O’Shaughnessey, who also played linebacker, made the records with 61 extra points in 62 tries in 2005 and 154 extra points in 166 attempts from 2004-06. McClendon went on to play at St. Joseph’s College (Ind.).

Tre’von Avery and London Hardy were added for tying the longest pass play in MHSAA history, as Avery tossed a 99-yard touchdown pass to Hardy in Grand Blanc’s 61-14 win over Highland Milford on Sept. 12, 2014. Avery went on to play at Wayne State University.

A number of top passers from Holland Christian’s frequently potent offense were added for accomplishments over the last decade. Hayden Bakker, Wilson Wirebaugh, Caleb VanderLugt and A.J. Westendorp were added in various categories, the most recent accomplishments being junior Wirebaugh’s five touchdown passes in a half last fall against Ada Forest Hills Eastern and also against Hudsonville Unity Christian, when he tossed all five during the second quarter. Holland Christian also became the first to be listed for touchdowns in a game, with 12 against Wyoming Rogers in 2008, and was added for multiple games with at least 600 total yards and 6,196 total yards and 91 total touchdowns for the 2008 season. Bakker is playing at Albion College, VanderLugt went on to Adrian College and Westendorp played at Central Michigan University.

North Farmington’s Dylan Gordon was added for tying the longest rushing play in MHSAA history with his 99-yarder against Greenville last Aug. 26. Gordon was a senior this past season.

Senior Riley Johnson helped lead Coopersville to a 6-4 finish and back to the playoffs for the first time since 2008 last fall, throwing for 2,162 yards. That total made the MHSAA records, as did his 169 completions and 302 attempts. Senior Connor Hilton was his top target and made the single-season receptions list with 65.

Ithaca teammate Joey Bentley was added for 2,145 yards and 31 touchdowns passing, and he made career lists with 4,272 yards and 51 TDs through the air. As a team, Ithaca extended its regular-season winning streak to 73 straight since 2009, and its 643 points this fall ranked on the single-season scoring list. Bentley will continue his career at Hillsdale College.

In addition to Hernandez’ extra point record, Muskegon's Demetrio Lopez was added for making 72 extra points in 78 tries in 2016. Quarterback La’darius Jefferson made the rushing touchdowns list with 33 in 2017, and junior Ali’Vonta Wallace was added for 26 tackles for loss. Jefferson will continue his career this fall at Michigan State and Lopez plays soccer at Muskegon Community College. Muskegon as a team also was added for 6,325 yards and 96 total touchdowns this past fall including 5,120 yards and 75 scores running the ball, and 681 points scored (48.6 per game) while gaining 5,689 yards and scoring 89 touchdowns in 2016. Three times over the last two seasons the Big Reds ran for a record eight touchdowns in one game, and they also own the record for twice giving up only one first down in games, doing so both times last season. Muskegon remains the winningest football program in MHSAA history at 833-278-43.

PHOTOS: (Top) Northville’s Jake Moody follows through on a kick last season. (Middle) Ithaca’s Adam Culp, left, and Muskegon’s Carlos Hernandez-Sias were part of Ford Field trips for their respective teams. (Top photo courtesy of the Moody family.)