Albrecht, Saugatuck Power Through D3

November 5, 2016

Second Half reports

BROOKLYN – It was a race that took a toll on the front-runners.

Caro sophomore Yami Albrecht appeared just fine after winning the MHSAA Division 3 boys cross country championship Saturday, until a fellow competitor congratulated him with a hug. Albrecht staggered back a bit and closed his eyes, trying to get his bearings.

The runner he outkicked for the title, Bridgman senior Brian Njuguna, was helped through the finishing chute area at Michigan International Speedway by two runners from other teams.

Sure, the fast runners can sometimes make it look easy – but it isn’t, not with hopes and dreams on the line.

“It’s probably the toughest race I ran all year,” Albrecht said.  “In the race, I was hurting, but the person next to me was hurting just as bad. I had the advantage. I felt I was stronger. I was able to get it.”

Albrecht won the sprint to the finish with a time of 15:47.4. Njuguna was second in 15:50.4 and St. Louis senior Evan Goodell was third in 15:52.7.

“It was just like I imagined it,” Albrecht said. “The top four of us were the people I was thinking were going to be there.”

While the muddy conditions over the final 1,200 meters resulted in slower times for many of the top runners, the duel against Njuguna helped propel Albrecht to a personal-best time. His previous best was 15:49.1 in the Regional meet.

A year ago, he ran 16:03.8 as a freshman to place eighth in Division 3.

“Since then, I’ve been thinking about first place,” Albrecht said. “I was able to get that done. It feels good. I’m thankful for my coaches and my teammates.”

The three-way battle for first became a two-man duel as the finish line came into view. Njuguna took the lead as they hit the straightaway before Albrecht made a decisive move.

“Once we got on the straightaway, I felt pretty good,” Albrecht said. “I thought I had it. … I thought I could catch up to him. I was going to see what he was going to do and go off that once he got in front of me.”

Moving up to Division 3 didn’t impact Saugatuck, which won the team championship by a 61-137 margin over Lansing Catholic. Hanover-Horton was third with 182 points.

Saugatuck had always been a Division 4 school, winning MHSAA titles in that division in 2013 and 2015. This was the team’s fifth straight year in the top four of its Finals race.

Seniors Zachary Pettinga, Nick Butch and Orlando Carrion helped the Indians win three MHSAA championships and take second place in 2014 during their careers.

The team’s top runner was a sophomore, Corey Gorgas, who was fourth overall and second in the team race in 16:02.2. Pettinga was fifth overall and third in the team race in 16:06.6.

Completing Saugatuck’s scoring were Butch (10th in team race, 16:36.7), Carrion (18th, 16:44.2) and junior Keegan Seifert (28th, 17:00.5).

The Indians had three runners across the line before Lansing Catholic’s top runner crossed.

Click for full results.

The MHSAA Cross Country Finals are sponsored by the Michigan National Guard.

PHOTOS: (Top) Caro’s Yami Albrecht (542) holds onto the lead ahead of Bridgman’s Brian Njuguna in the Division 3 Final. (Middle) Saugatuck’s Keegan Seifert (663) works to stay with a large pack in helping the Indians to the team title. (Click to see more from RunMichigan.com.)

Preview: Rankings Call for 1st-Time Championship Celebrations

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

November 5, 2021

If rankings hold true, Saturday could see at least a few first-time boys cross country celebrations at Michigan International Speedway.

Otsego in Division 2 and Johannesburg-Lewiston in Division 4 are the top-ranked teams heading into the day, and both are seeking their first Lower Peninsula Finals championships. Caledonia is the top-ranked team in Division 1 and seeking its first title in 1996. St. Louis is No. 1 and won last year – but surely the Sharks will be up for celebrating a repeat as well.

Individually, Hartland’s Riley Hough will finish a high school career that has seen him rank among the state’s best all-time, and Pinckney’s Caleb Jarema and Benzie Central’s Hunter Jones are mere steps away from joining him.

The day’s first races at Michigan International Speedway begin at 9:30 a.m., and all eight will be broadcast live on MHSAA.tv – click for full details.

DIVISION 1

Reigning champion: Romeo
2020 runner-up: Caledonia
2021 top-ranked: 1. Caledonia, 2. Brighton, 3. Grand Haven.

After finishing 32 points behind Romeo at last season’s Final, Caledonia is favored to win its first championship since claiming the Class B title in 1996. The Fighting Scots graduated their top runner from last season’s team but return their next four finishers led by senior Josh Oom, who placed 24th a year ago. Brighton also graduated its top runner from last season but brings back the next four from the Finals lineup. Sophomore Seth Norder and Grand Haven as a team didn’t reach the Finals a year ago, but he was a Regional champion last week and is backed by 2020 individual qualifier Nolan Clark, a junior. Romeo is ranked No. 4 and returns four of its top six from a year ago, led by senior Jack Kelke, who placed 10th individually.

Individuals: Hartland senior Riley Hough has been one of the headliners statewide this season, and his best time of the fall (14:37) is well ahead of the field after he also ran the second-fastest time in MHSAA 5K Finals history (14:49.62) in 2020. He’s one of three top-10 and five top-20 finishers returning to this race. Farmington senior Peter Baracco was fourth at the Finals last season, 19th as a sophomore and 17th as a freshman, and Traverse City Central senior Luke Venhuizen has the division’s second-fastest time this fall after finishing 18th in LPD1 last season. Third on this year’s list is Lapeer senior Jeremy Williams, who was second to Venhuizen at their Regional at Saginaw Heritage.

DIVISION 2

Reigning champion: Fremont
2020 runner-up: St. Johns
2021 top-ranked: 1. Otsego, 2. Grand Rapids Christian, 3. Pinckney.

After Fremont won the last two team titles and Chelsea won back-to-back the two seasons before those, it may be Otsego’s time to climb the podium after finishing runner-up in both 2015 and 2019 and third last season. The Bulldogs return three runners from the 2020 Finals lineup, with senior Nick Cockerel having finished 20th individually and now leading the way. Grand Rapids Christian is seeking its first championship since 2014 and brings back six runners from last season’s ninth-place team. Pinckney was fifth last season and brings back four of its top six finishers including senior Caleb Jarema, the individual runner-up a year ago. Senior Conor Somers was fifth individually last season, but Fremont graduated its other four scorers from that repeat champion.

Individuals: Jarema and Somers top a group of nine returning from last season’s individual top 20. Jarema has the division’s fastest time this fall at 14:57, and Spring Lake senior Ian Hill is second on that list and finished eighth a year ago. Dearborn Divine Child junior Michael Hegarty has the third-fastest time in Division 2 this fall and finished 10th at the 2020 Finals. Chelsea has a chance to make a push in the team competition, with sophomore Connell Alford leading the way after finishing 11th individually a year ago. Parchment junior William Winter is running in Division 2 and finished 10th in Division 3 in 2020.

Division 3

Reigning champion: St. Louis
2020 runner-up: Hart
2021 top-ranked: 1. St. Louis, 2. Traverse City St. Francis, 3. Hart.

After winning its first championship last season since 2005, St. Louis is favored to come out on top again. The Sharks return four of last season’s top six including three runners who placed among the individual top 23, led by senior Aaron Bowerman in ninth and senior Nate March in 17th. Hart was a close second last season, just 13 points back, and despite graduating its top two from that lineup returns the next four runners. Traverse City St. Francis was third a year ago and has three of its top six runners back. Ithaca is intriguing; the Yellowjackets graduated their top runner after finishing seventh, but return the other sixth including two from the individual top 20 in junior Parks Allen (12th) and senior Espen Lehnst (15th).

Individuals: Seven of the top eight from last season graduated, but champion Hunter Jones is back. The Benzie Central junior is seeking his third individual Finals championship in three tries, and his best time this fall (14:44) is 42 seconds faster than the field. Manton senior Noah Morrow has the second-fastest time this season and was the next-closest placer returning from last fall after coming in eighth. Kalkaska senior Tyler Guggemos is a two-time Regional champion, and he has posted the division’s third-fastest time.

DIVISION 4

Reigning champion: Carson City-Crystal
2020 runner-up: Breckenridge
2021 top-ranked: 1. Johannesburg-Lewiston, 2. Concord, 3. Hillsdale Academy

Johannesburg-Lewiston is seeking its first Finals championship in this sport, with five of its top six back from last year’s team that finished 23rd. Concord is looking to return to the top after winning three of four Division 4 titles from 2009-12, and three of the team’s top five from last year’s third-place team are back led by senior Jonathan Mikovits (ninth individually). Breckenridge is ranked No. 4 and is an interesting possibility after also winning the 2019 championship. The Huskies have four runners back from last year’s runner-up team led by senior Mason Sumner, who placed third individually. Reigning champion Carson City-Crystal also has four runners back despite graduating individual champ Coleman Clark.

Individuals: Sumner is the highest-placing of 10runners back from last season’s top 20, and he has the second-fastest time in the division this season. Petoskey St. Michael senior Samuel Paga is back after coming in fifth, and Webberville senior Nathan Lott is running after placing sixth in 2020. Wyoming Potter’s House junior Lezawe Osterink has cut nearly a minute from his best time from a year ago and is undefeated this season, with his 15:42 topping the list of Division 4’s fastest this fall.

PHOTO Davison’s Iain Forrest (28) and Dexter’s Brandon Anderson (45) are among runners returning in Division 1 this weekend at Michigan International Speedway. (Click for more from RunMichigan.com.)