Swan Valley Pins Down Record Entries
July 13, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Saginaw Swan Valley’s wrestling program has maintained a standing among Division 3 powerhouses with six Individual Finals champions and a number of standouts over the last decade – and now has 38 entries in the MHSAA record book for the sport.
Among those recently added for career wins were 2016 graduates KJ Suitor (223-13) and Matt Santos (193-11), in addition to the following past Vikings: Chris Theile (216-25), BJ Suitor (216-7), Shawn Whitney (209-15), Matt Beebe (208-42), Jared Germaine (200-14), Troy Lamson (200-33), Sam McLean (198-35), Justin Brandel (192-40), Dylan Ewald (191-50) and Darius Wass (191-10). A number of those athletes also earned entries for single-season wins, as did Branden Bell and Josh Flores.
Wass, both Suitors, Whitney, Santos and Brandel also were added for career pins, and Wass tied for the fastest pin – in 4 seconds – at 125 pounds during one of his victories in 2009. KJ Suitor signed with University of Michigan, while Santos signed with Michigan State University; BJ Suitor wrestled at Boston University, Beebe and Wass at Gardner-Webb in North Carolina, Germaine and Brandel at Eastern Michigan, and Lamson also competed at MSU.
Click for the wrestling record book in full and read on for more of this week’s record additions for boys basketball, boys and girls lacrosse, girls soccer and softball.
Boys Basketball
Hillman junior guard Gunnar Libby had quite an individual performance in his team’s 67-56 win over Whittemore-Prescott on Dec. 14 – 29 points, five rebounds, six assists and 12 steals. The steals tied for sixth-most in one game in MHSAA history.
Boys Lacrosse
Tecumseh freshman Dylan Day enjoyed an excellent start to his career this spring, making the MHSAA records lists both for 65 goals and 92 total points, in 16 games.
Girls Lacrosse
Christy Battersby put up one of the most impressive scoring seasons in MHSAA history this spring for Farmington Hills Harrison. The Hawks’ junior scored the second-most goals in one game, 13, in a 20-19 loss to Grosse Pointe North on April 15. She finished the season with 96 goals and 107 points, her goal total tying for sixth-highest in MHSAA history.
Five DeWitt players made the MHSAA records lists this season, led by junior Rachel Madar’s five entries – three for single-game goals (eight, eight and seven), 80 goals over the entire season and 95 points total this spring. Junior Jordan Markowski was added for 65 goals, five assists in one game and 100 total points. Sophomore goalie Chase Terwilliger had 19 saves in a 13-11 win over Grand Rapids Christian and 182 saves on the season. Junior Adison Salisbury was added for six assists in an 18-10 win over Swartz Creek, and junior Sierra Dietz also made the single-season goals list with 53.
Girls Soccer
Belleville’s Morgan Marshall added 27 goals this spring after making the MHSAA record book with 36 as a junior to finish her four-season varsity career with 104 goals, which also made the records listings. Marshall has signed with Spring Arbor University.
Softball
New Lothrop set an MHSAA single-season record with 276 stolen bases over 34 games this spring, led by Alayna Mantei – who had 88 stolen bases to finish with the second-most ever among individuals. The Hornets also were added for 85 doubles – led by 17 by Maddie Bitterman – .409 team batting average and 249 RBI. Bitterman was a senior and Mantei a junior this season.
Vassar’s Samantha Taylor made the record book with six RBI in a 22-6 win over Bay City All Saints on May 3. Taylor was 3 for 6 with two doubles in the game.
Niles Brandywine senior Makenna Hartline entered the record listings with 13 home runs over 35 games this season in helping her team to a District title. Hartline will play next season at Trine University.
Jordyn Look finished off a fine four-season varsity career for Tawas with 209 hits and 58 doubles, which both made career lists in those categories – the doubles are tied for 13th most. Teammate Abbie Anderson, also a senior, made the records with back-to-back home runs in a 17-3 win over Mio on May 21 and a record-setting seven RBI in one inning – she had a three-run homer and grand slam in the first.
PHOTO: Saginaw Swan Valley’s KJ Suitor works toward a win in his first-round match at this past season’s MHSAA Individual Finals. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
St Francis Standouts Net Record Entries
April 18, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Traverse City St. Francis missed tying for a Lower Peninsula Division 4 championship in girls tennis by a point in 2016, but continued adding big winners to the MHSAA record book.
Amanda Bandrowski capped her high school career as a Division 4 semifinalist at No. 1 singles and on the career wins list with a record of 117-10 – tied for 11th-most victories – and with 26 wins by a score of 6-0, 6-0 over her four seasons. She’s now playing at Hope College.
Anne Bandrowski, then a sophomore who finished runner-up at No. 3 singles, was added to the record book with a 35-3 record last spring, and senior Rosemary Wilson was added with a 34-4 record after winning the No. 4 singles title.
Click to see the MHSAA girls tennis record book in full, and read on for the latest additions in baseball, boys and girls basketball, football, softball and volleyball.
Baseball
Austin Yager was hit by pitches three times during the first game of a doubleheader last season against Lake Fenton. The Durand now-senior tied for second-most times being hit by a pitch in a game, and also had a single in his only other plate appearance in the 11-2 win.
Wyoming Lee’s Jose Cruz, Jr., also was hit by pitches three times in a March 28, 2016, game against Byron Center Zion Christian. Cruz ended up scoring two runs and driving in two runs in the 9-7 loss despite not getting a hit; one of his hit-by-pitches came with the bases loaded. Cruz was a junior at the time.
Boys Basketball
Bear Lake just missed an MHSAA record in its 81-62 win over Custer Mason County Eastern on Feb. 10. The Lakers scored 46 points during the third quarter – tied for second-most ever for one quarter and just two shy of tying the record set in 1966. Bear Lake also made 18 3-pointers in the game, good to make that record book single-game list as well. With Mason County Eastern’s four 3-pointers that game, they combined to make the list for most 3s for two teams in one game; Bear Lake also made 12 in a March 2 game against Walkerville, which had 10 to give the two teams 22 total and another listing.
Girls Basketball
Kaylee Benge finished her high school career this winter among the top 3-point shooters in MHSAA history, totaling 156 on 477 attempts during her four seasons for Sand Creek. She made a career-high 57 in 170 attempts this season while averaging 14.7 points per game.
North Muskegon senior Mya Duncan this season tied the third-longest consecutive free throw streak, making 37 straight over nine games beginning Dec. 20 and ending Jan. 27. As a junior, Duncan made the record book with 16 straight free throws in one game.
Bethany Baldwin went over 1,000 career points this winter as only a junior at Watersmeet, so it’s not entirely a surprise that she’s also put up multiple 50-point games. She had 52 in a Jan. 19 win over Republic-Michigamme and then 56 in a Class D District loss to Wakefield-Marenisco on Feb. 27. The 56 rank seventh for one game in MHSAA history.
Football
Milan’s Trace Lindeman capped his career in the fall among the leading rushers in MHSAA history with 5,483 yards over 42 games the last four seasons. His yardage ranks 13th on that career list, and his 75 rushing touchdowns rank ninth while also qualifying him for the overall career points (450) and touchdown lists.
Softball
Linden’s now-junior Elizabeth Rakowski earned an entry in the record book as a sophomore last spring with a 27-game hitting streak from March 30-May 23. The all-league outfielder finished the season with a .476 average over 36 games.
Volleyball
Brooke Binkley had 60 assists in DeWitt’s 3-2 Regional Final loss to Portage Central on Nov. 10, those assists good for seventh most in one match since the beginning of rally scoring in 2004-05. Binkley, a junior, finished this season with 1,376 assists to also make the single-season list.
PHOTO: St. Francis' Rosemary Wilson returns a volley during her Division 4 championship match last spring. (Click to see more at HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)