Troy's MacDonald Rises Up Record Ranks

July 24, 2018

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Troy’s Morgan MacDonald continued to build her standing this spring as one of the state’s top girls lacrosse players – while moving into the ranks of the best in this state all-time.

The senior-to-be moved up the career lists for goals, assists and points during her junior season, and also earned her first MHSAA record.

MacDonald had six goals and eight assists against Royal Oak on May 15 to set the single-game points record at 14. She owns 25 entries in the record book after three seasons, with her 256 career goals fifth on that list, her 109 career assists eighth and her 365 points sixth. MacDonald has committed to sign with Kennesaw State University in Georgia.

Also added to the MHSAA girls lacrosse record book for Troy were senior Helen Katherine Ferriby multiple times including for 59 goals this spring, and senior Lindsey Davis multiple times including for 175 saves this past season – those saves rank sixth.

Click to see the girls lacrosse record book in full, and read on for more recent additions in baseball, girls basketball, football, girls soccer and softball.

Baseball

Stephenson’s Jesus Becerra finished his four-year varsity career this spring with near perfection as a base stealer. He added 25 more steals in just 17 games to finish with 116 stolen bases in 78 games over his career – and while getting caught trying to steal only three times over those four seasons.

Frankfort’s Kirk Myers added five more shutouts this spring as a senior to cap his career with 11, tying for 10th most all-time. Myers earned all 11 over the last two seasons after coming up to varsity as a sophomore. He’ll continue his career at Albion College.

Girls Basketball

Greenville junior Adele Kemp went over 1,000 points for her career this past winter, and nearly half of her points last season came on long distance shots as she made the MHSAA records with 70 3-pointers. She connected on 43 percent of her attempts from beyond the arc.

Football

West Bloomfield’s run to a Division 1 runner-up finish last fall included the final high school games for a star quarterback, two talented receivers and a strong-legged kicker who all have multiple record book entries. Quarterback Bryce Veasley earned 15 entries including for 225 completions, 388 attempts and 3,487 passing yards last season – his completions tied for 10th, his attempts rank seventh and his yardage ranks 11th all-time. Veasley, who played as a sophomore at Southfield-Lathrup before that school closed at the end of 2015-16, finished with 400 completions, 692 attempts and 6,406 passing yards over three varsity seasons. Receiver A.J. Abbott played his first two seasons at Northville and then had 59 catches for 1,140 yards for West Bloomfield as a senior; he finished with 119 catches and 2,539 yards over three seasons. Taj Mustapha made the records with 102 catches for 1,659 yards over two seasons, and kicker Nick O’Shea made 12 field goals last fall and 55 of 57 extra-point attempts, and 126 of 133 extra-point attempts over three varsity seasons. Additionally, Veasley and then-junior Tre Mosley were added for tying the longest pass play record with a 99-yarder last fall against Rochester Adams, and 2017 graduate Garrett Winn was added three times including for 150 receptions and 1,716 receiving yards from 2014-16. Veasley is continuing his career at Bowling Green, while Abbott and Mustapha are playing at Wisconsin and O’Shea at Morgan State in Baltimore. Mosley has committed to Michigan State, and Winn is entering his sophomore season for Navy.

Girls Soccer

Taylor Truman’s Lily Sanchez just missed making the single-season goals list twice during her four-year varsity career. But she concluded it this spring with 95 goals in 72 games to make the MHSAA career list.  

Coryn Brinks earned West Michigan Aviation Academy’s first girls soccer record book entry with 37 goals this season in helping her team to a 15-6-2 record. Brinks was a sophomore.

Softball

Goodrich’s Abigail Joseph capped her four-year varsity career this spring among the most successful hitters in MHSAA history. Despite never making the single-season hits list, her 245 career hits rank 12th, and her career batting average of .574 is eighth. She also made the single-season average list hitting .677 as a junior and for 65 runs that season and 216 for her career. She will continue this fall at Michigan State. Additionally, freshman teammate Alissa Gauthier was added for 10 home runs this spring.

Muskegon Reeths-Puffer’s Brooklynn Duffey joined the record book with 20 doubles in 38 games this season. The senior catcher batted .517.

Belleville sophomores Mikayla Demyan and Madison Mikulski tied for their school’s record with 11 home runs this spring, and in doing so made the MHSAA record list. Both also earned single-game listings for back-to-back home runs and six RBI in single contests.  

PHOTO: Troy’s Morgan MacDonald looks for an opening against Birmingham United in May. (Photo courtesy of C&G Newspapers.)

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.)