Stockbridge Pair Tally 53 Record Entries
December 13, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Stockbridge’s Mason Gee-Montgomery graduated this spring with 37 entries in the MHSAA football record book, while teammate and top receiver Kolby Canfield finished his high school career appearing 16 times for accomplishments they frequently collaborated on over the 2014, 2015 and 2016 seasons.
Gee-Montgomery was recently added in part for his 303 passing attempts, 211 completions, 2,609 yards and 40 touchdown tosses as a senior. His career totals also were updated to reflect 866 attempts, 601 completions, 8,269 yards and 124 touchdown passes over three seasons and 30 games – with his seven touchdowns passes in a 2016 game against Leslie tying his MHSAA record and his career touchdown passes setting a new standard.
Canfield, meanwhile, had 93 receptions for 1,190 yards and 20 touchdowns as a senior in 2016, and 201 receptions for 2,773 yards and 40 scores over his 23-game career. His 19 catches in a 2016 game against Parchment are an MHSAA record, and his 201 career catches rank second while his 40 career touchdown grabs are tied for fifth most. He and Gee-Montgomery also together helped tie an MHSAA team record with 23 straight pass completions in a 2015 game against Vermontville Maple Valley – Gee-Montgomery completed 22 passes during the string, with Canfield adding one more.
Gee-Montgomery recently completed his first season as a quarterback at Case Western Reserve in Ohio, while Canfield played this fall at Albion College.
Read on for more recent record book additions for football, boys basketball, boys soccer, volleyball and wrestling, and click on the sport headings to see those record books in full.
Boys Basketball
On Feb. 2, 1993, Fremont’s Adam Bowen made 12 of 17 3-point attempts to tie (what was at the time) the record for most 3-pointers in one game. His 12 3-pointers now sit tied for third on the list.
Hudsonville Unity Christian coach Scott Soodsma was added to the career wins list with a 527-251 boys record entering this season. Soodsma has coached Unity’s boys since 1992-93 and previously coached at McBain Northern Michigan Christian and in South Dakota. He also has a 105-36 girls basketball coaching record.
Football
Clinton Township Chippewa Valley shut down and shut out Utica 44-0 on Sept. 29, and in the process made the records by allowing only five first downs. The Big Reds finished 10-2 this fall.
A senior during the 1989 season, Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett’s John Dodds had five sacks in a 55-0 win over Hamtramck on Oct. 27 of that fall. His sacks led to Hamtramck losing a combined 57 yards, and he also ran for a touchdown in that game.
Spencer Peterson tied the record for most touchdowns in a quarter with five in Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian’s 55-20 win over Hamtramck on Aug. 29, 2015. He also made the record book list with six rushing touchdowns total. Peterson is playing at Wheaton College.
Carsonville-Port Sanilac then-senior Justin Ritchie’s 30 carries for 464 yards and eight rushing touchdowns against Akron-Fairgrove on Sept. 9, 2016, gave him records for most rushing yards and touchdowns and overall touchdowns in an 8-player game. Carsonville-Port Sanilac as a team made the record list with 549 rushing yards and set a record with nine touchdowns on the ground in the 64-38 win.
Boys Soccer
Zack Shane capped his four-year varsity career at Fruitport with a number of accomplishments this fall, including a high of 43 goals that made the MHSAA record book. He’s also listed for 102 career goals, 139 career points, six goals in a game Sept. 5 against Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills and a goal seven seconds into a game against Greenville his junior season.
Volleyball
Saranac was among the top teams in a strong Central Michigan Athletic Conference that had two MHSAA Finals runners-up this fall, and senior Ally Couturier earned a pair of record entries as a top setter. She had 46 assists in a five-set loss to eventual Class D runner-up Fowler on Sept. 13, and then 45 assists in a four-set win over Pewamo-Westphalia.
Wrestling
Longtime Bangor coach Dennis Paquette was added to the career wins list with a 512-218-5 record since taking over the program during the 1991-92 season. Bangor’s 314 pins and 1,342 takedowns during the 2003-04 season also made record book lists; the team finished 33-7-1 that winter.
PHOTO: Stockbridge quarterback Mason Gee-Montgomery surveys the field during the 2015 season. (Photo by Brian Frazzini.)
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.)