Holt’s Burrell Jones winds up for a pitch against Jackson in their district championship game Saturday, June 4, 2016, at Grand Ledge High School.
Saturday was the busiest day of the high school sports season.
And it was a day that featured a number of standout performances from mid-Michigan athletes ranging from the track to the tennis courts and baseball and softball diamonds.
Here is a look at some of the top performers.
MONIKA FRANCSICS, OKEMOS TENNIS: The junior won a No. 2 singles Division 2 state title on Saturday with a two-set win over Bloomfield Hills Marian’s Breann Lunghamer. Francsics won 5-3, 6-2.
ERIN HUNT, WEBBERVILLE SOFTBALL: The junior helped Webberville post wins over Hanover-Horton and Leslie to earn a Division 3 district title. Hunt hurled a no-hitter in a 2-1 victory over Hanover-Horton in the championship game. She struck out 19 in a semifinal win over Leslie.
NOAH JACOBS, CORUNNA BOYS TRACK: The junior distance standout repeated as the Division 2 state champion in the 3,200 run. He set a Division 2 record with a time of 8:55.57, which was 8 seconds ahead of his previous best. Jacobs was also part of the 3,200 relay team that finished second.
BURRELL JONES, HOLT BASEBALL: The sophomore pitcher helped the Rams to a 6-0 win over No. 8-ranked Grand Ledge and a 10-0 five-inning, mercy-rule victory over Jackson. Those wins helped Holt capture a second straight Division 1 district crown. Jones pitched 7 1/3 of the 12 shutout innings hurled by Holt pitchers and allowed just three hits.
SALLY PATTERSON, OKEMOS SOFTBALL: The freshman pitcher had 23 strikeouts Saturday while pitching the Chiefs to a district title. Patterson struck out 13 in the 3-1 district final win over St. Johns. She had 10 strikeouts during a 6-1 semifinal victory over Waverly.
CONNOR PROCTOR, FULTON SOFTBALL: The senior pitcher helped the Pirates post wins over Ashley and Fowler on its way to a Division 4 district championship. Proctor struck out 25 on the day, including in the championship win over Fowler. She allowed just one earned run in the district final.
TRA’CHELE ROBERTS, WAVERLY GIRLS TRACK: The sophomore finished first in three events at the Division 2 state meet while leading the Warriors to the team title. Roberts won the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.55 seconds and anchored the winning 400 and 800 relay teams. That helped Waverly finish two points ahead of runner-up Flint Powers.
ALISA SABOTIC, OKEMOS TENNIS: In her first year of varsity tennis, the sophomore posted a three-set victory over close friend Olivia Hanover of Mason to win the state title. After losing the first set, Sabotic posted 6-3 and 6-4 wins over Hanover. Sabotic concluded the season with a 32-1 record.
Justin Scavarda
JUSTIN SCAVARDA, MASON BOYS TRACK: The senior followed a strong Honor Roll performance by winning state titles in the discus and shot put at the Division 2 state meet. He won the discus with a throw of 182-feet, 6 inches and the shot put with a throw of 57-10 1/2. His performance helped the Bulldogs finish second as a team at the state meet.
ERICA SHEAHAN, ITHACA GIRLS TRACK: The senior led the Yellowjackets to their first state championship. Sheahan finished in the top three in each of her events, repeating as the Division 3 state long jump champion with a leap of 17-feet 10 1/4 inches. Sheahan was also second in the 200-meter dash (25.51 seconds), was part of the runner-up 400 relay that had a time of 50.21 seconds and placed third in the 100 (12.59 seconds).
KEEGAN SUTLIFF, OVID-ELSIE BASEBALL: Helped the Marauders to wins over Laingsburg and Bath to capture a Division 3 district crown. Sutliff struck out 10 and fired a no-hitter in a 5-0 win over Bath in the semifinal.
DONOVAN TARN, DEWITT BASEBALL: The senior delivered at the plate to help the Panthers to a 7-4 win over Lansing Catholic in a Division 2 district final. Tarn had two home runs and was 3-for-4 in the championship win over the Cougars.
JULIE THELEN/MADISON KOENIGSKNECHT, FOWLER GIRLS TRACK: The tandem finished third or better in each of their events while helping the Eagles capture a third Division 4 state title in six years and a first since 2012. Thelen and Koenigsknecht were each part of the winning 3,200, 1,600 and 800 relay teams. Thelen was also third in the 800 with a time of 2:23.64, while Koenigsknecht took third in the 400 in 59.43 seconds.