Logo

Wassink Joins Elite MHSAA Passers

January 14, 2015

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Grand Rapids South Christian quarterback Jon Wassink capped his high school career this fall by leading the Sailors to the Division 4 championship – after taking his team to a runner-up finish in 2013 and watching injured from the sidelines as South Christian won the 2012 title.

For the second straight week, we lead "Records Report" with a history-making quarterback among recent submissions to the MHSAA record books for five sports – football, boys and girls soccer, volleyball and wrestling.

Wassink will graduate as one of the most accomplished passers in state history despite playing only three seasons as the varsity starter. His name appears 17 times in the MHSAA football record book including second all-time with 8,124 passing yards, third with 884 career passing attempts, second with 584 career completions and fifth with 76 career touchdown passes. Over those three seasons he completed 66 percent of those pass attempts and also ran for 3,252 yards and 50 scores. He is expected to sign with Western Michigan University next month. 

Click the football heading below to see the entire record book in full, and read on for more of the recent additions.

Football

  • Ithaca’s fifth straight drive to the MHSAA Finals this fall again featured a number of record-book performances. Quarterback Jake Smith made the listings with 2,134 passing yards and 27 touchdowns, while receiver Spence DeMull qualified with 66 catches, 1,193 yards and 16 TD grabs including four in a win over St. Louis. The Yellowjackets scored 591 points total this season and saw their consecutive wins streak end at 69, second-longest in MHSAA history; it was the longest active 11-player winning streak nationally when it ended.

  • Lowell football coach Noel Dean reached the 200-win milestone during the 2013 season and sits at 211-61 after coaching Burton Bendle from 1991-95 and the Red Arrows beginning in 1996. Lowell finished 10-2 in 2014, its 12th season over the last 15 with at least 10 victories.

  • Brighton junior Joey Clifford scored six rushing touchdowns in a 49-27 win over Waterford Kettering on Oct. 17, becoming the 18th to run for six or more scores in a game. Total, he ran 23 times for 232 yards that evening.

Boys Soccer

  • New Haven’s Dolan Bonkowski, a senior midfielder, earned his school’s first entries into this MHSAA record book. He had six goals (plus two assists) in a game against Madison Heights Madison in September, 43 goals this season and a total of 65 points in 20 games.

Girls Soccer

  • Battle Creek Pennfield’s Elizabeth Jarrard is the latest to be listed and first from Battle Creek among those who scored more than 100 goals during their varsity careers. The 2013 graduate scored 106 over her four seasons including 35 as a freshman. She went on to play at Kellogg Community College.

Volleyball

  • A trio of Cheboygan athletes were added for their accomplishments over the first half of this decade. Molly Warren made lists for five aces in a three-game match win over Rudyard in 2010, her aces total of 135 that season and 1,272 assists also that fall; teammate Darcie Melching was added for her 168 blocks in 2010. Kaitlyn Dobrowolski made lists for her 1,270 assists this fall and 3,680 over four seasons, which ranks 10th in MHSAA history. Warren has gone on to play for Division II Tiffin University and just finished her junior season. Dobrowolski led her team to a 50-13-3 record with its second-most victories in program history.

  • DeWitt sophomore Lexi Nordmann finished this fall with 239 blocks – third on the MHSAA single-season list since the beginning of the rally scoring era in 2004-05. She helped the Panthers to a Class A District championship.

Wrestling

  • Goodrich’s CC Weber made headlines as a senior in 2009 as the highest-placing girl ever at the MHSAA Individual Finals when she took fourth in Division 3 at 103 pounds. Her 58 wins (with five losses) also was good enough to tie for sixth-most in school history and make the MHSAA single-season statewide record list. She finished 162-34 over her four-year varsity career.

  • Retired longtime Yale coach Jim Peltier made the all-time coaching list for wrestling, which includes those who have led programs to at least 400 dual wins. He coached in 1984-85, then returned for 1988-89 and retired after the 2012-13 season with a record of 448-259.

PHOTO: Grand Rapids South Christian quarterback Jon Wassink prepares to unload a pass during November’s Division 4 Final against Lansing Sexton. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com). 

Serving Up Stellar Performances

March 27, 2014

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

A pair of volleyball aces, or rather acers, top this week’s list of additions to the MHSAA record book listings.

Ludington’s Madisyn Brockelbank set one MHSAA record and tied another during her team’s 25-1, 25-12, 25-15 sweep of Manistee in a Class B District opener on Nov. 4. She had 17 aces in the first game to achieve that MHSAA record, and finished with 20 aces for the match to tie with two others (achieved three more times) for that record.

St. Louis hitter Brooke Tubbs finished her career five days later with record book entries for single-season and career kills and aces, with her 1,951 career kills the 13th most since the start of the rally scoring era in 2004-05 and her 386 career aces the seventh-most during this time.

Teammate Michaela Austin was added for 1,358 career assists, 15th on that list, and 287 career aces. Kenya House made the season aces list with 112 and Bri Alspaugh is 11th on the career blocks list with 462.

Click to see the volleyball listings in full, and the sport headings below to see those record books.

Baseball

  • A number of listings for Homer’s 37-5 finish last spring were added to the record book, as well as some notables from past seasons. The team’s 395 strikeouts in 2004 and 0.95 ERA in 2006 both placed at the top of those respective lists. Among individuals, Scott Warner was added for 27 career home runs and a career batting average of .451 from 1982-85. Jim Salow was added for being hit by 33 pitches from 2009-12, and Nate Sitkiewicz’s four career grand slams over 2012-13 also made that career list.

Girls Basketball

  • Manistee Catholic Central coach Todd Erickson became the latest to be added for winning at least 300 games – he carried a 314-155 record into this season after taking over the MCC program in 1992. His run had included 10 District titles and a Semifinal appearance in 1999.
  • Kingsley senior Autumn Goggin became one of 10 who have had at least 15 assists in a game, reaching that total Dec. 20 against Benzie Central. She also had six points and only five turnovers in her team’s 61-32 victory.

Boys Basketball

  • Wyoming Tri-unity Christian longtime coach Mark Keeler won his 500th game this season to join a group of 21 who have reached that milestone. He sits with a 512-152 record since taking over the school’s varsity in 1985-86. His team finished 13-10 this winter, but has won four MHSAA championships during his tenure.

Football

  • Clarkston’s Shane Hynes contributed a big foot the last two seasons, and as his team earned the Division 1 championship this fall. He made the record book for a 53-yard field goal against Rochester in 2012 and then a 71-yard punt he launched against Pontiac on Oct. 4.
  • Menominee’s Evan Pohlmann also kicked his team to Ford Field, making 83 of 87 extra-point attempts including 36 straight. Pohlmann finished with 136 total over the last two seasons, fifth-most on the career extra points list.

Girls Lacrosse

  • Caledonia’s Keagan Pontious continued to climb the career goals list in 2013, moving up to third with 234 during her three varsity seasons and with one more to play. Teammate Helene Miller added a second entry to the season goalkeeper saves list, with the fourth-highest total of 173 to go with her 153 in 2012.

Boys Tennis

  • Traverse City St. Francis’ Jack Krcmarik tied for eighth for single-season wins with 36 last fall on the way to making the Division 4 Semifinals at No. 3 singles. Teammates Jay Jones and Brady Ray made the doubles single-season wins list as part of 27 apiece. 

PHOTO: St. Louis' Brooke Tubbs prepares to serve during a Nov. 9 match against Morley Stanwood. (Click to see more from High School Sports Scene.)