Tabit Tops MHSAA, National Record Lists
August 13, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Mount Morris’ Sarah Tabit soon will have a national record to celebrate as part of one of the most impressive runs through MHSAA volleyball history.
The 2016 graduate had 1,076 kills in 181 games as a senior to set MHSAA and National Federation records for kills in one season, and she finished her four-season varsity career with 2,835 kills – which would’ve ranked second in MHSAA history at the time during the rally scoring era (beginning in 2004-05) and now sit fourth on the list.
She’s joined by a number of Mount Morris greats past who were recently added to the record book, including Spencer Stokes, whose 1,782 assists in 2011 rank second all-time. Stokes also was added for 3,833 assists from 2008-11, while Hannah Tabit (2,835 from 2012-15) and Brooke Watts (2,766 from 2008-10) also made that career list.
Lauryn Gibbs’ 212 aces in 2015 rank fifth all-time, and Sarah Tabit made the list in that category for 166 that season. Tabit’s 428 aces are seventh on the career list, while Stokes is eighth with 425 and Gibbs 12th at 393. Hannah Tabit also is on the career aces list with 309.
Additionally, Katee Farlow was added for 161 blocks in 2009, and Brittney Childers made the kills list with 834 in 2007. Sherrell Atkins is 13th on the career kills list with 2,244 from 2008-11, and Margo Joubran also made that list with 1,667 kills from 2010-13.
Both Tabits have continued their careers at Saginaw Valley State University, while Stokes played at Cornerstone University, Childers and Farlow played at Mott Community College, Atkins at Oakland Community College and Joubran at Adrian College. Gibbs is beginning her career at Michigan State this fall.
Click to see the volleyball record book in full and read on for more recent record book additions in baseball, boys basketball, girls lacrosse and softball.
Baseball
Ryan Sharpley (0.90 in 2007), Logan Brigham (0.93 in 2016) and Evan Asselin (0.75 in 2018) all were added to the single-season ERA list after shining for Marshall. Sharpley went on to play at Notre Dame.
Bryce Davis finished a fantastic four-season varsity run for Sparta in 2017 with four record book entries. As a senior he went 9-1 with a 0.34 ERA and 162 strikeouts, the latter two figures making single-season lists, and he made career lists with a 0.99 ERA and 365 strikeouts over 204 2/3 innings pitched. Davis plays at the University of Toledo.
Grand Ledge’s Cal Johnston finished his four-season varsity career this spring on the MHSAA career lists with 30 home runs, 134 RBI and 32 times hit by a pitch. He will continue his career at Central Michigan. As a team, Grand Ledge made the records with a .377 average, 75 doubles, 312 RBI and a 1.66 ERA in finishing 34-4.
Boys Basketball
With three seasons down and a season to play, Dansville 6-foot-10 senior Caleb Hodgson is climbing career records lists in free throws (353), rebounds (838) and blocked shots (258). His blocks rank 12th all-time and include 12 in a game last season against Fowler.
The evening of January 8, 1988, was memorable for Birmingham Seaholm as it scored 109 points in a win over Berkley. It also was a record-setting night for a pair of Maples. Steve Sheckell made 11 3-pointers, one of two players statewide to connect on that many in one game during the first season the MHSAA employed a 3-point arc. Teammate David Marcinkowski finished with 34 rebounds in the game to make the single-game list in that category. Sheckell for the season connected on 88 3-pointers – at a 55-percent success rate – and remains on the list for most 3-pointers in a season. Both teammates went on to play at Albion College
Girls Lacrosse
Then-junior Cameron Stilson stopped 24 shots as Brighton downed then-undefeated Hartland 15-9 on May 1, 2017. Stilson’s saves rank third all-time for a single game. She will continue her career at Northern Michigan University.
Softball
Midland’s Allison Gray finished her four-year varsity career in the spring with a pair of entries reflecting her team’s offensive punch. She made the career lists with 79 walks and 176 runs beginning in 2015.
Clare sophomore Brooklyn Tocco joined a group of players tied for second with three homers in one game when she drilled three in a 26-15 win over West Branch Ogemaw Heights on April 24. She also made the list for RBI in one game, finishing with six.
Frankfort sophomore Haley Myers added another season’s worth of accomplishments to a growing record book resume with 75 runs, 17 doubles and 13 home runs this spring to make single-season lists in those categories – and with the runs tied for 10th all-time. She also moved up the career doubles list with 35 over two seasons. Additionally, junior teammate Natalie Bigley was added for 10 home runs this spring.
PHOTO: Mount Morris’ Sarah Tabit aims to split a pair of blockers on a kill attempt during her high school career that concluded in 2015. (Photo courtesy of the Mount Morris athletic department.)
Mendon 8-Player Championship Game Run Paced by Record-Setting Rushing
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
May 26, 2023
Mendon’s run to the Division 2 Final last fall included some of the strongest rushing performances over the history of 8-player football.
The Hornets ran for 4,317 yards, second-most all-time, on the second-most attempts (520) and with a record-setting 682 yards Oct. 14 against Marcellus. Mendon also set the record for total offense with 692 total in that game, and made the single-season touchdowns list with 76 including 66 rushing (also second on that list).
Junior Jack McCaw made the single-season scoring list with 212 points, most coming on 29 touchdowns, and Evan Lukeman made the single-game rushing list with 401 yards against Marcellus. Mendon’s defense also earned praise, twice making the fewest-first-downs-allowed list with a low of three.
See below for more recent additions to the 8-player portion of the football record book:
8-Player Football
Athens’ Landon Bennett earned a pair of record book entries after reaching the end zone seven times during his team’s 72-0 win over Burr Oak on Sept. 8. His seven scores are tied for third-most in 8-player history and included three rushing, three on punt returns and one on an interception return. The three punt return touchdowns are a record. Bennett is a junior.
On the night Powers North Central broke its 8-player record for consecutive wins, claiming its 28th straight, senior Luke Gorzinski tied Jets great Jason Whitens for the record for interception touchdowns in a game with two, scoring on returns during the second and fourth quarters. Gorzinski has signed with Michigan Tech, and North Central’s winning streak is 37 games and counting.
A pair of Atlanta offensive playmakers and a top defensive lineman earned a total of seven entries in the record book for achievements last fall. Senior quarterback Tyler Currie threw for 30 touchdowns over eight games, and also made the records for six touchdowns and 419 passing yards against Whittemore-Prescott on Sept. 23; the passing yards are second-most for one 8-player game. Sophomore Landon Galea was added for 263 yards and five of those touchdowns against the Cardinals, and also for 1,418 yards receiving and 23 touchdowns over nine games. Junior teammate Tucker Kendrick made the tackles for loss list with five against Hillman on Oct. 6.
Adrian Lenawee Christian senior Brady McKelvey became the first to make the career extra points list in 8-player football this past fall. He bettered his previous single-season record making 64 of 66 extra-point attempts over 11 games and finishing his two-year varsity career with 123 extra points in 127 tries.
Sam McKissack reached the record book showcasing multiple skills for Crystal Falls Forest Park during the 2021 season – twice for rushing attempts in a game including with a record 59 against Ontonagon that Sept. 10, and then with a record 70-yard punt Oct. 30, 2021, against Lake Linden-Hubbell. Teammate Devon Basirico also made the record book with six fumble recoveries over 11 games that season. As a team, Forest Park was added twice for single-game rushing attempts – including 73 total in that Ontonagon game – and for 424 rushes over 11 games for the season. McKissack and Basirico are seniors this spring.
Nikolaus Lewis tied for eighth-most rushing touchdowns in an 8-player game when he reached the end zone six times for Carsonville-Port Sanilac in its win over Caseville on Oct. 7. He’s a senior this spring.
Bridgman has won 24 straight games over the last three seasons, and an exceptional offense – and exceptional offensive star – have played major roles. The Bees were added for 658 total yards in a win over Lawrence last season, that total ranking third all-time, and also 613 yards in a win over Eau Claire. Those included totals of 575 and 547 rushing yards, respectively, and Bridgman was added for 3,598 rushing yards (sixth on the list), 59 rushing touchdowns (fourth) and 76 total touchdowns (seventh). Senior Reid Haskins capped his four-year, 32-game varsity career with 13 record book entries, including for 254 points last season over nine games (tied for fifth all-time) and a record 620 career points, 41 touchdowns last season (fifth) and a record 95 for his career, 2,344 rushing yards last season (third) and a record 5,206 for his career, and 41 rushing touchdowns last season (third) and a record 94 for his career. Senior teammate Tanner Peters made the records three times including for 50 extra points last season (fourth) and 99 over 26 games and three seasons (second on the career list).
Mio's Austin Fox rewrote the 8-player passing record book this past fall, with his 621 yards in a game against Whittemore-Prescott setting a single-game record as he totaled four of the five-highest passing yardage totals. He also set a record with 3,516 over nine games for the season, another record with 289 passing attempts over those nine games and a third record for nine touchdown passes in that game against the Cardinals. His 41 touchdown passes total rank fourth. Teammates Gage Long and Nathan Hurst also earned several record book entries on the receiving end of those passes. Long’s 297 receiving yards against Whittemore-Prescott were tied for third most, and Hurst’s 266 against Alcona rank eighth. Long set a single-season record with 1,739 receiving yards, with Hurst sixth all-time at 1,321, and Long’s 14 receptions against the Cardinals and 70 for the season also rank second on those respective lists. Hurst set a record for longest 8-player kickoff return with a 99-yarder against St. Helen Charlton Heston. All three are seniors.
Peck was one of the first MHSAA 8-player champions, claiming the title in 2013, and Cody Abrego one of the state’s first 8-player stars. The Pirates were added to the MHSAA record book 52 times, and Abrego 14 times individually. Among the most notable entries for the 2015 graduate were for 462 points scored over his two-season career (ranking sixth all-time), 74 career touchdowns (sixth), 2,202 rushing yards in 2013 (fifth) and 35 rushing touchdowns in 2013 (sixth). Current senior Caleb Lentner was one of the stars statewide this past season, and he was added eight times including for 50 points scored in a game (ranking second), 272 points for a season last fall (fifth), eight touchdowns in a game (tied for second), 42 touchdowns in a season (fifth), an 8-player record of 2,694 rushing yards from last season, and 38 rushing touchdowns also last fall (fourth). Others to make the individual lists were Nathan Robar, Caleb Dudley, Steven VanConant, Kyle Abrego and Nathan Neihaus, Dudley for a record 20 career interceptions over two seasons and VanConant for a record 12 tackles for loss in a 2022 game and 36 tackles for loss for the season last fall. The Pirates also are all over the 8-player team record book, including for a record 97 touchdowns in 2013, a record 5,895 yards of total offense that season, 528 carries, 4,346 rushing yards and 73 rushing touchdowns in 2013 (all ranking second); and 24 interceptions in 2014, which ranks second on that list.
Senior quarterback JR Hildebrand was one of the most dynamic players in 8-player football in the fall in leading Martin to the Division 1 title. He had one of his most exciting nights in a playoff opener against Tekonsha, making the single-game touchdown pass list with six in a 68-6 victory.
PHOTO Mendon’s Jack McCaw (21) eludes a tackle during the 8-Player Division 2 Final in November at Northern Michigan University. (Photo by Cara Kamps.)