'If They Have It, I Probably Wrote It'
By
Ron Pesch
MHSAA historian
August 11, 2016
I’m a firm believer that we don’t pick our hobbies; rather, they pick us.
As a college student at Western Michigan University, I made a phone call to the athletic department at Kalamazoo Central High School to ask what they knew about the history of their high school football team. I wanted to cross-reference their scores of past football games versus Muskegon High School against a list I had created. It was late 1984.
“Yes, we have that,” stated the person at the other end, “but you should really speak with Dick Kishpaugh. He’s the guy that compiled that information. Here’s his number.”
I thanked them for the information and made the call from my dorm. Indeed, Kishpaugh had compiled the collections of scores I sought and would happily share it. The call could have ended there. Yet, for some reason, I asked another question.
“One more thing,” I blurted out. “There’s this building in East Lansing that I drive past when I’m visiting friends at Michigan State. It’s the Michigan High School Athletic Association. I’m wondering if they might have anything in their files about the history of sports.”
“Well,” stated Kishpaugh. The pause that I hear in my head when I recall this memory gets longer and more dramatic each time I press the replay button. “If they have it, I probably wrote it.”
Just like that, I had found the state’s historian for high school sports. It was the beginning of a lifelong friendship.
After a few visits to his home in Parchment, just outside Kalamazoo, Dick invited me to join him in the press box at the Pontiac Silverdome for the 1985 MHSAA Football Finals. Of course I accepted. As a kid growing up in Muskegon, I had wanted to attend this event, but had never found the chance.
In March, I joined him for the Boys Basketball Finals in Ann Arbor. I had found a mentor, and he, a protégé. Along the way I learned his father would hand him the sports section from the newspaper, allow him the chance to study the college football scores, retrieve the pages, and then quiz him on the results of the games. For each score he got right, Dick was rewarded with a nickel.
“I got pretty good at recalling numbers,” he said, laughing.
I learned that he had attended his first MHSAA Boys Basketball Finals in 1944 with a friend, Nick Vista, during their high school days at Battle Creek Central. He told me that after seeing the tournament at Jenison Field House, they wondered about the records from past tourney games. When told by then-MHSAA Executive Director Charles Forsythe that nothing existed, the two of them began researching. A year later, the beginnings of what would become a lifelong passion was unveiled. (Vista later would serve as Sports Information Director at Michigan State University).
Admitting he didn’t exactly apply himself to his studies, Dick told the story of how his high school principal, recognizing his interest in sports, had worked a deal with the sports editor at the Battle Creek Enquirer for Kishpaugh to work as a stringer for the paper. The single contingent was that his grades had to improve drastically. Immediately, they did. Kishpaugh now had a press pass.
Like me, Kishpaugh had attended WMU, back in the day when the school was much smaller and a major training ground for future teachers. He served as sports editor for the yearbook and campus newspaper. He also met his bride-to-be, Shirley.
Because of this background, he met many students that would go on to coach at high schools across the state. These friendships would pay dividends for years to come as he assembled varsity game results and record performances. For 20 years, he also served as publicist for the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA), enhancing his reputation and expanding his circle of friends.
On the high school side, he dug out details from scrapbooks, yearbooks, newspaper clippings and microfilm. It was a hobby, but he always approached it as though it were his livelihood. He wrote – and this is no exaggeration – thousands of cards and letters over the years, asking former coaches and athletes for long-lost details.
His focus was football and basketball. He compiled those details into what we now commonly refer to as the MHSAA Record Book. And, although few readers probably realized it, he would supply interested sportswriters with facts, figures and the little item that would spice up their article with details few would know.
Eventually, his talents were recognized with an honorary title. Dick became known as Michigan's high school sports historian. He was the go-to guy for reporters, old and new, when a performance needed historical perspective.
When Title IX came to fruition and helped to increase opportunity for girls, he applauded the change. Immediately, he started a girls basketball record book. He wrote about the girls game, researching its origins, and shared his findings with readers of the MHSAA game programs.
I arrived in his 40th year of service. For the next decade, I tagged along, meeting an amazing array of sportswriters, broadcasters, coaches, and former players from high schools and colleges across the state and beyond. Thanks to his connections, we watched Big Ten, Mid-American Conference and MIAA college contests from press boxes and sidelines. Together, we were treated like dignitaries at the opening of the new College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind. I visited Dick and Shirley’s summer cottage, a landmark and slice of heaven located in Hickory Corners. He attended my wedding. We discussed an amazing array of subjects, including travel, history, and family.
In the spring of 1993, after 10 years of friendship and education, he told me it was my turn.
“I’m going to go concentrate on the college game,” he said, smiling. “You take over as high school historian.”
Dick was 67. Just prior to attending the high school basketball tournament, his 50th consecutive, he shared the news with his longtime friend, Joe Falls of The Detroit News. Shortly after the games, he headed off to the British Isles with his bride Shirley to indulge in their favorite pastime: travel.
In 1998, Dick attended his 55th straight MHSAA Basketball Finals. The streak ended a year later, as Dick and Shirley chose to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary with a trip to Austria, Switzerland, Germany and the British Isles during tournament time.
“I always knew I was going to miss the Finals sooner or later,” Kishpaugh told a Detroit Free Press reporter. “Our 50th wedding anniversary takes precedence.”
The streak was restarted in 2000, but it wouldn’t last. In April, while returning from a planned meeting at the College Football Hall of Fame, where he served on a committee designed to identify athletes and coaches from small colleges for possible induction into the Hall, Kishpaugh was killed in a traffic accident.
He passed away while doing what he loved. Still, the sports world lost an incredible resource and pioneer, dedicated to honoring the incredible accomplishments of Michigan’s high school student athletes. I lost a friend and a huge influence. It is an honor to occupy his shoes.
PHOTOS: (Top) Longtime MHSAA historian Dick Kishpaugh (left) enjoys a game with protégé Ron Pesch. (Middle) Kishpaugh receives an award for his service from MHSAA Executive Director Jack Roberts during the 1993 Boys Basketball Finals at The Palace of Auburn Hills.
South Lyon United's Perfect Run Keyed by Record-Setting Defense, Powerful Attack
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
April 23, 2026
South Lyon United put together one of the most dominating seasons in MHSAA girls lacrosse history last spring, finishing 21-0 as the Division 1 champion and setting the record for fewest goals given up during one season with 80.
The team also scored 299 to make that single-season list. Reagan Shields was added for seven goals in a game and 55 goals and 89 points for one season, while Shaelyn Perry was added for 58 goals and Gabriela Lucchesi made the single-game assists list with six.
Shields is a junior this school year, and Perry and Lucchesi are seniors. Their team is off to a 9-0 start this season.
See below for several recently-added listings to the girls lacrosse record book, and click the heading to see the record book in full. Several more applications have been received and are in the process of being confirmed.
Girls Lacrosse
Portage United was added for totaling 336 goals in 2021 – ranked sixth-most for one season – and 237 goals in 2023, with highly-productive scorers leading the way. Calista Richmond made the goals (69), assists (61) and total points (130) lists in 2021, and Lauren DeHaan also made the single-season goals list (54) that spring. Stella Hensley made the goals (63) and points (90) lists in 2023, as did goalie Jozette Rimkus with 179 saves. Richmond went on to play at Trine, Simkus played at Charleston (W.Va.) and Hensley plays at Central Michigan.
A trio of Lake Orion standouts made the records for work in 2022, led by Quinn McElroy and her 61 goals over 16 games. Morgan Vasquez was added for 50 goals and seven in one game against Utica Eisenhower, and Paige Walker finished her varsity career with 470 career saves despite playing only three seasons because 2020 was canceled due to COVID-19. McElroy plays at Grand Valley State, and Vasqez played at Kalamazoo College.
Several more entries from the last 15 years of Lake Orion history have been added, with 2018 grad Ali Lazzara leading the way with eight including with the fifth-most career goals, 293, from 2015-18. Darcy Muns was added six times including for 178 career goals from 2014-16, and three goalies also ranked high on lists – Maria Davila (269) and Susan Osborne (263) for the second and third-most saves in one season, respectively, and Davila (474) and Tiffany Smrtnik (407) for the fifth and ninth-most career saves, respectively. Muns went on to play at Albion College.
Holly’s Tatum Stuemke and Ortonville Brandon’s Lainey Lasky were among the first from the 2024 season to make the record books. Lasky scored seven goals for Holly/Ortonville Brandon and Stuemke had 22 saves in a 9-8 over Flushing on April 8 of that season. The goalie for the Holly/ Brandon team, Stuemke also made 15 saves in an April 9 game against Swartz Creek and 17 in an April 29 win over Lake Fenton/Goodrich. Both were seniors, and Lasky plays now at Saginaw Valley State.
Emma Rushing led a high-scoring Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard team in 2023 that netted 308 goals over 22 games to make the team record book. Rushing made individual lists eight times including with 124 goals and 137 points total, and a high of 11 goals in one game. Teammate Lilli Vera also made the single-season goals (67) and points (85) lists, and Annika Anderson joined her on the goals list with 57 and also made the single-game assists list with five in one contest. Goalie Mel Karls was added as well for 166 saves over 22 games that season. Rushing plays at Benedictine College in Kansas.
During her first two seasons at Farmington Hills Mercy, goalie Mackenzie Conway posted two of the top 16 saves totals in MHSAA history. After beginning with 186 as a freshman in 2022, Conway tallied the third-most as a sophomore with 230 over 16 games in 2023. She plays now at Brown.
East Grand Rapids’ Olivia Shaw made the records five times as a junior in 2023 – three times for single-game goals, with a high of nine. She also made single-season lists with 71 goals and 85 points over 26 games. Vivian LaMange graduated from East Grand Rapids in 2024 with 21 record book listings, including for 300 career goals (ranking seventh all-time), 203 career assists (ranking second) and 503 career points (ranking fifth). She began her college career at Robert Morris and plays currently at Massachusetts.
Rochester Adams made the single-season goal list in 2023 with 244 over 18 games, and a pair of standouts were added multiple times in leading that effort. Lucy Lagman finished her third season with 56 goals and also is on the career goals list with 207 and career points list with 251. Raegan Jerrell finished her second season with 65 goals that spring and had 135 career goals and 225 career points to that point. Both also were added for several single-game achievements, as was teammate Madison Fish for 16 saves in goal against West Bloomfield.
Chase Duncan played an impressive junior season for Troy in 2024 into multiple record book listings, including four for single-game goals with a high of 12 against Whitehouse Anthony Wayne of Ohio. She also made the single-game points list that day with 14, and the season goals (93) and points (118) lists over 18 games. Aly Matuza, also a junior in that spring, made the single-game saves list with 16 and single-season list with 151 over 18 games. Troy as a team made the single-season goals list with 225. Duncan plays now at Maryville in St. Louis (Mo.), and Matuza plays basketball at St. Mary’s College (Ind.).
Troy Athens’ goalie Claire Balintfy capped her varsity career in 2024 with 14 record book listings – including one of the most significant for her position. The senior added 157 saves over 19 games and finished with an MHSAA-record 679 over four seasons and 70 games. She’s continuing her career at Northwood. Morgan Stamatakis made the record book twice as a junior in 2024, for 10 goals in a game against Rochester Adams and 51 goals total for the season. She plays at Detroit Mercy. Katie Malone earned three record book listings last season, including a pair on successive days. She made the single-season goals list with 81, which included eight in back-to-back games in April.
Madeline Kreiger finished her Grandville career in 2024 all over the record book, with 15 listings total. Most notably she ended with 242 goals over four seasons and 63 games, ranking 14th in that category. She totaled 294 career points and had a high of 11 goals among her single-game entries.
The goals piled up by Mileena Cotter in 2024 – and throughout her high school career at Salem – will be incredibly tough to match. Cotter graduated with 68 record book entries, as a senior tying her single-game record of 18 goals, setting the single-season scoring record with 213 over 19 games, and setting the career scoring record of 470 over just 49 games over four seasons. She also made the single-game assist list for the first time, set the single-season points list record with 231 and finished third on the career points list with 506. She’s continuing at Syracuse.
Claire Marosi capped her high school career in 2024 by leading Grand Rapids Catholic Central to the Division 2 championship. She also finished among the all-time leading scorers in Michigan, totaling 10 record book listings including the third-most single-season goals (160 in 2024), career goals (418) and career points (515) over her four seasons and 72 games played. She’s continuing her career at Northwestern.
Bloomfield Hills’ Ella Lucia finished her career in 2024 with 45 entries in the MHSAA girls lacrosse record book, adding season entries as a senior with 118 goals, 43 assists and 161 points and finishing her career sixth on the goals list with 304, sixth on the assists list with 156 and tied for sixth on the points list with 460 over 74 games. Teammates Aubrey Agbay, also a senior that season, made the single-season goals list with 63, and they were joined by another senior teammate Sydney Butler, who finished with 171 saves that spring and second on the career list with 646 over four seasons and 83 games. As a team, Bloomfield Hills made the single-season goals list with 287. Lucia is playing ice hockey at Harvard.
Solei Ewing reached the single-season goals list with 73 and points list with 90 for the Black Hawks in 2025, and teammate Lainey Stewart also made the goals list with 51. Goalie Brooke Sanders made single-game and season saves lists. Bloomfield Hills again made the team goals list with 266. All three were seniors.
Then-junior Janie Mitter set a Howell record with eight goals in a 2025 game against Canton.
Grand Rapids Northview became one of only five teams to be listed for scoring at least 25 goals in a game when it did so in a 25-9 win over Holland West Ottawa on April 30, 2025.
Hudsonville’s Scarlett Coulter has reached the career goals record list with 171 over her first three seasons and with one more to play. She made the single-season list last spring for the second time, with 79 goals, and also the total points list for one season with 106. Coulter also made the single-game goals list with nine against Grandville. Anniston Farrell, now a junior, joined Coulter on the single-season goals list with 55. Farrell has committed to continue at Radford (Va.).
Lansing Catholic’s Vivienne Hagen earned eight record book entries during her sophomore season, including for 86 goals and 108 total points over 16 games, with a high of 12 points in a win over Tecumseh. Teammate Josie Sarata joined her on the single-game goals list. Hagen is a junior this spring and has committed to Longwood (Va.), and Sarata is a senior and has committed to Charleston (W.Va.)
PHOTO South Lyon United's Reagan Shields (7) leads an attack during last season's Division 1 Final.