Zeeland East's TerHaar Leads Hit Parade

July 18, 2017

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Trevor TerHaar’s Zeeland East baseball career ended this spring in a 3-1 District loss to Hudsonville Unity Christian. But it also concluded with an MHSAA record for hits in a season.

TerHaar tied and then broke the previous record (set in 1998) during his final game to finish with 81 hits total in 39 games this season. He also made the MHSAA record book with a career average of .452. He will continue his athletic career on the Hope College football team.

Also for Zeeland East this season, teammate Kainan Bayn made the record book with seven triples, and the Chix tied the MHSAA team record with 25 triples while also earning listings with 410 hits and a .370 team batting average in finishing 23-16. In addition, 2015 graduate Dan Pohanka was added for being hit by pitches 24 times during a three-season varsity career.

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

Baseball

Kingsley earned two entries in the records in the hit-by-pitch category. Noah Cole is the first known Michigan player to be hit by pitches more than once in the same inning, with two during the third inning of a game against Traverse City Central on April 28. Teammate Alex Parker also was added for getting hit by 15 pitches this season.

Pitcher Brandon Reed, Jr., capped his career at Millington this spring by making the season ERA list with a 0.93 over 60 1/3 innings pitched, and the career ERA list with a 1.82 over 226 2/3 innings the last four seasons. Junior teammate Lukas Selich made the hit-by-pitch list with three in one game May 3, and Jakob Selich made the career list in that category with 28 over his four seasons. Millington as a team also made the hit-by-pitch list with 53 in 32 games this spring. Reed will continue his career at Jackson College.

Football

Ida’s Nick Levicki scored a school-record and single-season MHSAA list-making 35 touchdowns in leading the Bluestreaks to a 10-2 finish last season. Former teammate Eric Bugg formerly held that record for Ida, and he was entered on the MHSAA career touchdowns list for 70 from 2013-15. Bugg plays at Concordia-Ann Arbor.

Clinton’s Mathew Sexton played 48 varsity games from 2012-15 and earned eight record book listings. He made the single-season rushing list with 2,392 yards on 209 carries as a senior, after also making the single-season receiving list with 1,082 yards on 37 catches as a sophomore. His 602 career points rank 12th all-time, and his 99 career touchdowns are tied for seventh most. Former teammate Erik Bouse also made the records for seasons of 46 and 61 extra points and 132 total over his three-season career from 2014-16. Sexton plays at Eastern Michigan University.

Three more recent Tri-County Conference standouts joined the Clinton pair with recent entries. Morenci’s Bobby Black was added for kicking 45 extra points in 2014, and Petersburg-Summerfield’s Eric Cogan was added for his 1,219 receiving yards in 2009. Ottawa Lake Whiteford’s Jesse Kiefer was added for his 35 touchdowns and 244 points last fall and 76 touchdowns and 526 career points over a four-season varsity career. Cogan went on to play basketball at Siena Heights, while Black joined Defiance College's program after high school.

Girls Lacrosse

Sophomore Kate DeYoung found the net 10 times for Grand Rapids Christian in a 17-14 win over Portage Northern on April 21. Her goals tied for seventh most in one game.

Girls Soccer

Fenton’s Abby Quesnelle finished a fine four-season career this spring with 36 shutouts to make the career list for keepers after previously making the single-season shutouts list. She will continue her career at Notre Dame College in Ohio.

Softball

A pair of Comstock sophomore standouts were added for doubles this spring – Abby House with 16 and Grace Gostlin with 22. Gostlin also is on the career doubles list with 37.

Howard City Tri-County junior Dayoni Mahlich added three entries to the softball records with one power-packed performance. Mahlich hit three home runs in three straight at bats against Morley Stanwood on May 23, including two home runs during the fourth inning. She finished 4 for 5 after flying out in her first at bat.

PHOTO: Zeeland East’s Trevor TerHaar prepares for a pitch during a game this spring. (Photo courtesy of the Zeeland East athletic department.)

Base by Base, St Patrick Circles Them All

December 7, 2017

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Portland St. Patrick’s run to the Division 4 baseball title this spring was fueled by its ability to manufacture runs – and some of those statistical performances will be remembered among the best achieved in MHSAA history.

As a team, Portland St. Patrick was hit by 46 pitches over 38 games and also stole 170 bases to make those team record book lists. Senior Brendan Schrauben – who is continuing his career at Alma College – capped his four-season varsity career with 168 runs scored, and Graham Smith finished his with 46 hit-by-pitches – good to tie for sixth on that list.

See below for more recent record book entries in baseball, football, girls lacrosse and softball, and click on the sport headings to see those record books in full.

Baseball

Homer’s 36-6 finish in 2017 was the result of a number of record book-worthy performances. Offensively, the Trojans hit .359 with 380 runs scored, 88 doubles and 310 RBI, which all made team lists, plus their pitchers totaled 308 strikeouts. Now-senior Kyle Klepper was added for hitting two home runs in the first inning against Manchester on May 13, and Joe Roth – also now a senior – was added for a 1.69 career ERA over 132 2/3 innings pitched the last two seasons. Coach Scott Salow was added to the coaching wins list; he’s 507-152 having coached Taylor Light & Life in 1993 and 1994 and at Homer since 2001.

Football

Hudson’s 2000 team finished 9-3 on the strength of a rushing attack that now sits atop the season rushing attempts (601) and yardage (4,196) lists. Three running backs rushed for at least 1,000 yards for the Tigers. Hudson ran for a season-high 476 yards against Dundee and for at least 440 yards in two more games.  

Richmond’s Anthony Tavano got on the single-game receiving touchdowns list with four thrown from quarterback Chase Churchill in a 57-7 win over Armada on Sept. 1, 2016. Tavano played this season at University of Mount Union in Ohio.

Muskegon Catholic Central’s Tommy Scott made a series of scoring lists in helping the Crusaders to a perfect season in 2014. Scott scored 216 points on 36 touchdowns, including 34 rushing touchdowns. All three totals made MHSAA record lists, and his 99-yard kickoff return against Munising in the Division 8 championship game tied the longest in MHSAA history. In addition, teammate Nate Jones was added for returning two interceptions for touchdowns in the first quarter of a 2015 playoff win over Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart. Muskegon Catholic Central as a team was added for scoring 651 points in 2014 and 612 in 2016, both over 14 games. Scott is playing at Saginaw Valley State, and Jones is playing at Hillsdale College.

Bath’s Zach Parry and Gavin Parry became the latest to tie the record for longest pass play when Zach connected with Gavin on a 99-yard touchdown toss on Sept. 29 against Dansville. However, the Aggies won the game 20-12.

Girls Lacrosse

A trio of Dexter players were added for their accomplishments this spring. Junior Skylar Waddington was added three times for 11 goals in a game against Ann Arbor Skyline on May 4, 86 goals total over 16 games and 97 points as well this spring. Junior Marin Waddington also was added for goals this spring, tallying 50 in 16 games, and sophomore Bruna Meister was added for making 17 saves against Saline on May 10.

Softball

Fenton’s Logan Carter capped her career this spring on career lists with 50 doubles, 32 home runs and 172 RBI over the last four seasons. She also earned eight more entries for single-game multiple home runs, single-game RBI and twice for home runs in a season – with a high of 15 in 33 games this past spring. Carter, a catcher, is continuing her career at Western Michigan University.

A potent Lowell offense made the team record book lists with 67 doubles, 33 triples and 278 RBI this past spring as the team went 24-14. Then-junior Mackenzie North was added for 16 of those doubles, plus for home runs in an inning and consecutively when she hit a pair in the first inning against Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills on April 24 – and she also drove in six RBI that game. Teammate and then-sophomore Madison Jordan became the first to be listed in the MHSAA records for triples in a game with four against Ottawa Hills on April 18, and she also was added for six RBI in an inning and 11 overall in that game, plus for six RBI in the April 24 win and for 16 triples overall last season. Her season triples rank eighth on that list. North has signed to continue her career after next season at Jackson College.

PHOTO: Portland St. Patrick’s Brendan Schrauben rounds third base during last season’s Division 4 championship game against Hudson.