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.)
Burger Assists in Pittsford Finals Run
May 22, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The Pittsford girls basketball team achieved its best finish ever this winter, advancing to its first MHSAA championship game and ending with a 26-1 record.
Leading the attack for the Class D runner-up was sophomore Jaycie Burger – whose 170 assists were good for 20th-most in MHSAA history for one season. She also averaged 17.1 points per game.
Click for Burger's entry and the MHSAA girls basketball record book as a whole, and read below for the rest of this week's record book entries in four more sports.
Boys Basketball
- Leslie junior Dylan Patton had at least one blocked shot in all 21 of his team’s games this season and finished with 110 to rank all-time among the best in that category. He had a game high of 10, Jan. 20 against Lansing Christian, and averaged 5.2 to go with 15.3 points per game to help the Blackhawks to a 16-5 record.
- Mackinaw City senior Anthony Elliott also made the blocked shots list this season, tallying 113 for an average of 5.1 over 22 games. He averaged 8.6 points and seven rebounds per game as well, as Mackinaw City finished 17-6.
- Sophomore Demetrius Lake scored 24 of his game-high 37 points during the second half of Holland’s 65-49 win over Muskegon Reeths-Puffer on Feb. 10 – with 20 points coming during the fourth quarter. He’s one of 27 players to score at least that many in one quarter.
- Suttons Bay junior Trevor Petroskey had a career game Dec. 16, despite his team’s 56-51 loss to Benzonia Benzie Central. His 12 steals are tied for third-most for one game in MHSAA history, and he finished his triple-double with 15 points and 15 rebounds.
Football
- Holly’s Jake Zorn set not only a school record but also a Flint Metro League record Sept. 27, 2013, when he threw for 405 yards in a 43-14 win over Flint Kearsley. Zorn, who will graduate this spring, completed 24 of 34 passes and connected for four touchdowns in building his record yardage total.
Softball
- Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central’s Hannah Gavle had one of the top run-producing performances in MHSAA history against Grand Rapids Christian on April 28. She hit three home runs – in three straight at bats – and drove in 10 runs total to make the MHSAA records three times. Her third home run was a grand slam and she followed with a two-run double. The 10 RBI rank second for one game all-time.
Wrestling
- Grandville won its first dual meet of the 1982-83 season on the way to finishing 16-0 that winter – and didn’t lose another dual until the third meet of 1987-88. The Bulldogs’ string of 88 straight dual meet wins ranks first in MHSAA history (although it does not include a postseason victory – the Team Wrestling Finals were created in 1987-88; prior, postseason team championships were determined by finishes in individual competition). The dual winning streak was stopped by Birmingham Brother Rice, although Grandville went on to finish 22-2 in 1987-88. The Bulldogs’ top undefeated mark during the streak was 20-0 in 1983-84.
- Coach Jerry La Joie led Gaylord to a 40-2 record this winter, the wins the second most during his 21 seasons guiding the program. He was added with the 11th-most wins in MHSAA wrestling coaching history with a record of 559-127-2. He coached the team in 1993-94, took a season off and came back for good for 1995-96.
- On his way to wrestling at the University of Michigan, David Johnson won 199 matches with only 14 losses for Jenison from 2004-07. He was the Division 1 champion at 140 pounds in 2006 with a record of 54-2 and finished third at 135 in 2005 and 152 pounds in 2007.
PHOTO: Pittsford's Jaycie Burger (21) looks for an open teammate as she pushes upcourt during this season's Class D Final.