Karli Herrington of Hemlock joined the 1,000-points career scoring mark with 16 points Friday night in a 59-14 victory for Hemlock over Ovid-Elsie in girls basketball action. Herrington joins her sister Shelby as the only two players in Hemlock girls basketball history to break the 1,000-point total.
Hemlock had leads of 14-0 after the first quarter 33-2 at halftime and 53-10 after three periods. Herrington also had seven rebounds and two steals. Also for Hemlock, Abbi Phillipson had 15 points,
Saginaw Swan Valley fell to 1-3 Thursday night with a 69-44 loss to Alma. Alma led 20-12 after the first quarter and 36-21 at halftime. It was 54-35 after the third quarter. Lauren Addy led Swan Valley with 14 points and 11 rebounds while Lindsey Sammons had 12 points and 10 rebounds. Jenna Stevenson had five points and six rebounds. Sarah Addy added six points while Chelsee Larsen put in five points.
Maddy Seeley scored 31 points for Alma Thursday night to pass the 1,000-point mark in her career. Seeley did her scoring against Saginaw Swan Valley in a 69-44 victory, evening the Panthers record at 2-2. Alma led 20-12 after the first quarter and 36-21 at halftime. It was 54-35 after the third quarter. Kenzie Seeley and Kendall Vedrode had 10 points apiece for Alma while Alicia Seeley added six. Kialee and Lexi Morton scored four points apiece.
Geoff Moff
Sports Scene
Beyond the record-shattering statistics and the postseason honors, Swan Valley junior running back Alex Grace had a season full of memorable highlights on the field.
When the Vikings needed the 6’2″, 180-pounder to provide a big play, he did.
Grace broke the Michigan High School Athletic Association record for season yards in what looked like a script from a storybook. With his team trailing Lansing Sexton 20-14 late in the fourth quarter of the Division 4 state quarterfinal game, he smashed the state record with a 80-yard touchdown run that eventually gave the Vikings a 21-20 lead with less than four minutes left.
Sexton responded with a touchdown and knocked off Swan Valley 26-21. Grace finished the game with 36 carries for 236 yards and set the state record at 2,952 yards, eclipsing the 2,890 yards set by Chippewa Valley’s Chris Lomasney.
The season ended like it started, with Grace making the big plays.
In the season-opener against rival Nouvel Catholic Central, Grace fumbled twice in the first half , as Nouvel staked a 20-7 halftime lead. Grace battled through heat-related cramping to score three touchdowns, including a 6-yard touchdown run with 22 seconds left in the game to lift the Vikings to a 27-20 victory.
After a light load and an easy win over Shepherd, the Vikings started slowly against Freeland, which had come in with a two-game win streak against the Vikings. By the end of the first quarter, Grace had only 15 yards, and his team was down 13-0. He ended the game with a career-high 337 yards and four touchdowns on 38 carries .
“It all starts up front,” said Grace, who credited his offensive line throughout the season. “The offensive line did an excellent job of making holes. When I got a little tired in the end and I was breathing heavy, I just kept thinking this could be my last play and just keep running hard.”
In wins over Freeland, Ovid-Elsie, Alma, and Hemlock that improved the Vikings to 6-0, Grace rushed for 1,256 yards and 13 touchdowns. His encore to that four-game stretch was 145 yards rushing and three touchdown on seven carries in a win over Chesaning. He also threw a pair of touchdowns in the win.
After closing the unbeaten regular season with 276-yard and 243-yard efforts, Grace was limited to 187 yards and two touchdowns on a rain-soaked, mud-filled field at Heritage for the Division 4 first round playoff game with Yale.With the top-ranked Vikings on the verge of getting upset, Grace squirted through for the game-winning 4-yard touchdown run with 2:10 left in the game.
He continued his penchant for big games when the Vikings needed him the most. He scored four of his five touchdowns in the first quarter of Swan Valley’s 54-28 win over Garber in the second round of the playoffs. Grace finished with 19 carries for 262 yards in the win.
Grace was rewarded as The Associated Press Division 3-4 Player of the Year. He ranks 13th on the MHSAA career rushing yard list with 5,115 yards, and he needs only 2,689 yards to reach the second-most career yards in MHSAA history. He probably can’t catch East Grand Rapids running back Kevin Grady, Jr., who holds the career mark at 8,431 yards.
And while it’s unlikely Grace will smash his own state record and take the career mark with 3,316 yards next season, he’s going to have plenty of memorable moments again during his effort.
Geoff Moff
Sports Scene
MIDLAND – Bullock Creek’s girls basketball coach Justin Freeland didn’t have to provide motivation to get his players to the gym for summer workouts and fall conditioning.
A 48-45 overtime loss to Powers Catholic in the Class B state semifinal game is all that the Lancers needed to make them hungry. And with four starters back this winter, that hunger in their bellies is starting to growl.
“Everything that I asked these ladies to do, they did,” said Freeland, who enters his 12th season as head coach and 20th season overall with the Bullock Creek girls basketball program. “That’s one of the reasons this team is so successful.”
Freeland boosted his team’s non-conference schedule, and it is already paying dividends. The Lancers opened the season on the road with a 43-33 win over 2013 Class C state runner-up Nouvel Catholic Central and then knocked off Frankenmuth, 44-32.
“Nouvel returned a lot of ladies from last year, and we were able to grind out the win,” Freeland said. “And Frankenmuth, I personally think, has its best team out there in five years. They have size, a little bit of speed, and are always well-coached by Tom Keller. We have just enough offense, and our defense really carried us through those two games.”
Bullock Creek also has a tough conference schedule in the Tri-Valley Central, with Freeland and Hemlock on the schedule. The Lancers travel to state powerhouse Ludington in January and will see talented teams in a pair of Tri-Valley Conference crossover games.
“Obviously Freeland had Miss Basketball [Tori Jankoska], who now is a Big Ten player, and I think Karli Harrington is a top-10 player in the state now,” Coach Freeland said. “Hemlock is a real tough game, and Freeland might have lost Jankoska, but they have so many players who are good and successful coming back.
“The schedule will help us.”
While small forward Kendra Shankel graduated, the Lancers return a versatile lineup led by junior Ellie Juengel. Juengel started at point guard but has made the move to shooting guard after last year’s top reserve, sophomore Madison Hill, made the move from small forward to point guard.
“Hill’s development has been a huge leap,” Freeland said. “She is our best on-ball defender, and she really frees up Juengel to be a shooter. And when Hill goes out, Juengel can swing over. That versatility really allows them to play off each other.”
Bullock Creek has the quickness and skill to run three or four guards on the floor at the same time, and they have a strong inside presence in junior power forward Halee Nieman, a first team all-TVC Central selection last year. Sophomore center Alyssa Mudd is “very talented,” while Hannah Heldt is a defensive stalwart at small forward.
“Hannah is the best off-ball defender I’ve ever coached,” Freeland said. “She has a great basketball IQ and a high motor. She is very valuable on the defensive end. We’ve got a lot of things going good for us at the moment.”
Madalyn Waldmann has played four seasons of varsity basketball and gives the Lancers a veteran leader off the bench, while Lexi Shaver, the only other senior on the team’s roster, is “the best teammate on the team,” Freeland said.
Freeland said the expectations are high, and the team knows how little margin of error there is come playoff time.
“You can never expect to make it or not make it [back to the Breslin Center for the Final Four]” Freeland said. “One year we were 23-0 going in to the regional and were 24-0 heading into a regional final, and both times had tight losses. Last year we won the quarterfinal by a point.
“But last year was a valuable experience and a motivator for us to give it our best shot. A loss in overtime in the semifinals has driven us to work even harder.”
Winter means plenty of activity at bowling lanes across the state, with high school keglers working to be at their best for the state finals.
DIVISION 1
Teams to watch statewide: boys―Jackson, Mona Shores, Salem, Heritage; girls―Davison, Macomb Dakota, Walled Lake Central
Top local teams: boys―Heritage; girls―Davison
Preview:
boys―Todd Hare of Heritage would like to think that his team, which was state runner-up last year, can go all the way this season. “We always set two goals every season, and that is to win our conference (SVL) and to qualify for states,” he said. “I know we can have a great team, but it will take hard work and dedication by every member of our team to achieve our goals.”
Top players in state: boys – Brad Wozniak, Traverse City Central; Alex Zarbaugh, Belleville; girls―Barbara Lawson, Grand Ledge
Top local players: Tyler Scott, Ben Kastros, Derrick Norman, Morris Pruitt, Heritage
State finals prediction: boys―Heritage over Jackson; girls–Walled Lake Central over Macomb Dakota
DIVISION 2
Teams to watch statewide: boys―John Glenn, Lapeer West, Sturgis; girls―Ionia, Northwest, Charlotte, Bay City Western
Top local teams: boys― John Glenn, Charlotte, Bay City Western; girls―Ionia, Charlotte, Bay City Western
Preview: Lapeer West looks strong for the boys, but John Glenn will have something to say about it. Ionia and Bay City Western are two strong teams for the girls.
Top players in state: boys―Alex Ouelette, John Glenn; Collin Fox, Charlotte
Top local players: boys―Alex Ouelette, John Glenn; Collin Fox, Charlotte; girls―Claudia Gielda, Bay City Western
State finals prediction: boys― Lapeer West over John Glenn; girls― Ionia over Bay City Western
DIVISION 3
Teams to watch statewide: boys― Corunna, South Haven, Fremont; girls―Pennfield, Flat Rock, Ishpeming
Top local teams: boys–Birch Run, Freeland; girls―Ovid-Elsie, Swan Valley, Belding
Preview: It should be a competitive division for both boys and girls. Corunna, Fremont, and South Haven hope to go for the top boys’ spot, and Pennfield and Flat Rock could take home the honor for girls.
Matt Fabus coaches both boys’ and girls’ Ovid-Elsie teams and likes their prospects. For the boys, “we should place first or second in the conference, do well in regionals, to make it to states,” he said. “We have three seniors back and should have a strong season.
“The girls were 9-1 for first in the conference, second in regionals, 10th in team state. We have three seniors back for a strong team and should do well in conference, regionals, and states, plus tournaments.
Top players in state: boys―Sam Brandt, Fremont; girls – Adrianna Jackson, Caro
Top local players: boys―Cody Bodrie, Garber; girls―Hannah Chase, Alma
State finals prediction: boys―Fremont over South Haven; girls―Flat Rock over Pennfield
DIVISION 4
Teams to watch statewide: boys―Jonesville, Rogers City, Sandusky; girls―Ithaca, Calvin Christian, Vandercook Lake, Sandusky
Top local teams: boys―Alma, Ithaca, St. Louis; girls―Ithaca, Sandusky
Top players in state: boys― Bailey Budnik, Rogers City; girls ― Rebecca Bannasch, Rogers City
Top local players: boys― Zach Fenby, St. Louis; girls―Meghan Ludu, Hemlock
State finals prediction: boys―Rogers City over Sandusky; girls―Sandusky over Ithaca
The state crowns three champions in hockey. Will the area get a state champion this year? Right now, it’s not likely unless someone emerges with a hot postseason.
DIVISION I
Teams to watch statewide: Brighton, East Kentwood, Detroit Catholic Central
Preview: Coach Paul Moggach’s Brighton team will be going for its third straight state title with plenty of firepower. Captains Danny Boso, Tyler Hayes, and Brett Pietila will head a balanced attack.
Detroit Catholic Central hasn’t won a state title since 2010 but had a 21-0 scoring advantage over its first six opponents in going 6-0 to start this season.
Top players in state: Danny Boso and Tyler Hayes of Brighton, Carter Cerratani of Detroit Catholic Central
State final prediction: Detroit Catholic Central over Brighton
DIVISION 2
Teams to watch statewide: Hartland, Livonia Stevenson, Port Huron Northern, Trenton
Top local teams: Davison, Midland Dow, Heritage
Preview: Hartland was state finalist last season and figures to be one of the main powers again along with Port Huron Northern and Livonia Stevenson.
Dominic Lutz returns for Stevenson. He scored two goals the championship game, and he remains the top player for Stevenson.
Midland Dow has started out 5-0 and could make some noise.
Top players in state: Dominic Lutz and Tyler Irvine of Livonia Stevenson, Austin Flores and John Nagel of Hartland
Top local players: Kevin Cressy, Heritage
State final prediction: Livonia Stevenson over Trenton
DIVISION 3
Teams to watch statewide: Cranbrook, Houghton, Sault Ste. Marie
Top local team: Powers Catholic
Preview: Sault Ste. Marie may be ready to take that step up this season after being runner-up last year. “We will have a solid year and move guys to the next level,” said coach John Ferroni.
Defending champion Cranbrook showed how tough it is in a mid-December game against Detroit Catholic Central. Cranbrook posted a 5-2 victory over the Division 1 power. Sam Miletc had 12 goals and 19 points in his team’s first six games.
Top players in state: Will Gauthier and Chase Gamelin of Sault Ste. Marie, Sam Miletic of Cranbrook
Top local players: Austin Kane and Spencer Owen, Powers Catholic
State final prediction: Cranbrook over Houghton
Athletes of the Month
The Karli Herrington File
Hemlock High School
Sports: Volleyball / Basketball
Season Accolades: In a 57-14 win over Ovid-Elsie during the fourth game of the season, Karli joined sister Shelby and became only the second player in school history to eclipse the 1,000-point mark during a career. She scored a game-high 16 points in the win.
Accomplishments: Karli averaged 19 points, 15.1 rebounds, and 4.1 blocked shots per game a season ago. She also led the Huskies to the volleyball regional final, where Hemlock lost to Unionville-Sebewaing. As a freshman, she played on the Hemlock team that made it to the Breslin Center.
Future: Herrington will attend Central Michigan University on a basketball scholarship.
The Keyon Addison File
Saginaw High School
Sport: Football / Basketball
Season Accolades: Addison scored a game-high 10 points in Saginaw’s season-opening 74-27 win over Heritage. In football, he was one of the top running backs in the league and a key defender.
Accomplishments: As a sophomore, Keyon was a key member on the Class A state championship team and as a junior helped the Trojans make it back to the Breslin Center and the state semis before losing to Detroit Southeastern. Keyon was a four-year starter on the Trojans’ football team.
Future: Addison has set his sights on playing football at the next level and hasn’t given up on possibly playing basketball at the next level.
DIVISION I
Teams to watch statewide: boys–Clarkston, Marquette, Traverse City Central; girls―Traverse City Central, Traverse City West
Top local teams: boys–Rockford, Heritage; girls–Rockford, Heritage
Preview: Heritage will be the top local team in this division for both boys and girls. It looks to compete for the Central Alpine ski conference title. Tom Yura is the team’s top prospect. He ran cross country in the fall to get in shape for skiing.
State finals prediction: boys–Marquette over Traverse City Central; girls―Traverse City Central, Traverse City West, Walled Lake Central
DIVISION 2
Teams to watch statewide: boys―Petoskey, Cranbrook; girls―Harbor Springs, Petoskey
Top local teams: boys―Clare, Greenville, Mount Pleasant, Okemos; girls―Mount Pleasant, Okemos
Preview: Petoskey coach Erik Lundteigen is confident that his team can again compete for a state title with all-staters like Garret Lundtegen and Trever Kingsbury returning. The boys’ and girls’ teams both won state crowns last year.
Clare’s boys have been Central Alpine Ski Conference champions in the past and should be strong again.
Top skiers in state: boys―Grant Lundteigen, Trever Kingsburg of Petoskey; girls―Mia Ciccoretti of Petoskey
State finals prediction: boys―Petoskey over Cranbrook; girls―Harbor Springs over Petoskey
Jeff Chaney
Sports Scene
It’s never easy for a student to transfer to another school right before his or her senior year – no matter what the reason.
But that is what Josh Hafner did, transferring from St. Johns High School to Ithaca before his final year of high school.
He did not transfer because of a job change of one of his parents. Hafner is a talented football player, and he transferred because he wanted to be part of something special.
Hafner was a solid wide receiver/defensive back in St. Johns, and he brought his talents north to Ithaca to play for a team that was looking to win its fourth straight state title.
Ithaca did win the title, and Hafner played a big part, catching four balls for 45 yards and a touchdown in the 41-22 win over Clinton in the Division 6 state title game.
“It was an extremely tough decision,” Hafner said. “I thought a lot about it, I had a lot of talks, and at one point I called it off and thought I was going to stay with my friends. But I had to make a choice of what I wanted to do with my life.”
That decision turned into a memory of a lifetime, as it gave him the opportunity to play for a state championship team at Ford Field.
“Even though I left my friends, I have had a lot of support,” Hafner said. “It was the right decision; we won a state championship, and I still have all my friends, too – and new ones now.”
Hafner said that the reason he made the move wasn’t just to have the opportunity to play for a state championship team. That was just an added bonus. The biggest reason was that, as a wider receiver, Ithaca’s wide open offense and the chance to play with top-notch quarterback Travis Smith were too much for him to pass up.
“St. Johns has a great running program; here, we throw the ball a lot,” Hafner said. “Defenses can’t cover that, and Travis is such a great quarterback. Defenses had a hard time stopping us, because if they stopped one thing, we would just throw to another route.”
That’s exactly what happened in the state championship game, as Hafner caught a 15-yard pass from Smith and went head-over-heels into the end zone for the Yellowjackets’ first touchdown of the game.
“I had dreams of [that] moment,” Hafner said. “I can’t even tell you; it’s the best feeling in the world. I actually had a dream that I was doing that – if we could have made it to Ford Field I was going to jump over someone.”
2021© High School Sports Scene. All rights reserved