Benzie Leader Adds to Family Legacy
November 4, 2015
By Dennis Chase
Special for Second Half
BENZONIA – Like father, like son.
Bill Huddleston’s impressive cross country achievements at Benzie Central during the mid-1980s could soon be matched or surpassed by his 17-year-old son Brayden.
"The parallels (are striking)," Benzie Central coach Asa Kelly said.
Bill was a four-time all-stater, ran on three MHSAA title teams, and posted a personal-best time of 15:32, which ranks fourth on the school's all-time career list.
Fast forward 30 years, and Brayden, already a two-time all-stater, is hovering over those marks.
On Saturday, Brayden and his Benzie Central teammates will seek a third consecutive MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 3 championship at Michigan International Speedway. The Huskies, who have won eight boys titles, captured three in a row once before – from 1984-86 when Bill was a standout on the team.
Benzie enters Saturday's Final ranked No. 2 in the coaches’ poll behind Lansing Catholic – the same scenario as last year.
"It would mean a lot to me and my teammates," Huddleston said of a potential three-peat. "That's definitely the goal – to bring back another title and make it 14 state championships (boys and girls) for the school."
The Huddlestons have had a personal stake in seven of those crowns. Brayden’s older brother, William, was on Benzie's 2009 championship team while older sister Makayla was on the girls’ title-winning 2011 squad. A cousin, Theresa Warsecke, was the lead runner on that 2011 team.
"There's a lot of talent in that family," Kelly said.
Brayden is the latest to step to the forefront. The junior won last Saturday's Regional by 40 seconds.
"I told him before the race I would like to see him run away with it," Kelly said. "I felt like he needed a good win heading into the state finals – to get that feeling of 'I'm ready.' That's exactly what he did.
"It was a good confidence booster. That's what you've got to have – 100 percent confidence if you're going to go in and have big goals."
Huddleston finished 27th (16:41.5) as a freshman and ninth (16:09) as a sophomore at his two previous MHSAA Finals. He ran a 15:40 earlier this season, and he's hoping to beat that Saturday. He's currently fifth on the school's all-time list, eight seconds behind his father, which, of course, has led to some good-natured fun between the two.
How often is it brought up?
"About every week," Bill said, laughing. "One of these meets he'll get it (15:32)."
“I’m working on it,” Brayden added. “It’s definitely a landmark I want to reach and surpass.”
Could it happen Saturday? That would be an opportune time since Benzie will be facing a talented field that includes Lansing Catholic, Hanover-Horton and Shepherd. Lansing Catholic beat Benzie in the Cougar Falcon and Portage Invites earlier this year.
But that was the case last year, too. Then Benzie won the MHSAA title by 54 points.
"Anything is possible," Kelly said.
The Huskies won the Regional at Michaywe Pines Golf Club in Gaylord last Saturday by 35 points over Charlevoix. Benzie put four runners in the top five – Huddleston, Jake Williams, Jeffery Crouch and Noah Robotham. The fifth runner, Hayden Bretzke, placed 16th.
"It will be a challenge, but I think the boys can do it," Bill Huddleston said. "They're really coming together as a team. They're all improving."
Kelly, who believes it could come down to the fifth runner, likes his team's experience.
"Our top guys are juniors and seniors," he said. "Four have run there (MIS) multiple times. I like it that I have that experience. I think the kids are confident and will be relaxed."
Williams can motor, too. He ran a 15:47 at Portage, edging Huddleston by four seconds. It was the first time Benzie put two runners under 16 since the 1980s. Williams finished 25th overall in last year's LPD3 Final, Robotham 34th.
Huddleston, though, is the leader.
"He's the kind of guy who thrives on competition in big meets," Kelly said. "A lot of people get nervous, but kids like Brayden get excited."
Huddleston enjoyed a strong track season in the spring, taking fourth in LPD3 in the 1,600 and sixth in the 3,200. He was also on the 3,200 relay team that came in fourth.
Two weeks after the MHSAA Finals, he set a school record in the two-mile by running a 9:19 in an elite race outside Chicago.
"It was crazy," Huddleston said. "Our first mile was a 4:30."
Huddleston didn't let up either. His brother, William, a senior majoring in engineering at Ohio Northern, took an internship in Traverse City over the summer so he was home to train with Brayden. One of William's cross country teammates at Ohio Northern came up to train as well. Ohio Northern won the Ohio Athletic Conference championship Saturday.
"Brayden looks up to his brother," Kelly said. "He learned a lot about discipline. He would see his brother go to his job all day, come home and then still put the miles in. It was great for him to see that because it's easy to be talented, but it's a lot tougher to be disciplined and take that talent and continually improve."
Huddleston started the season by locking horns with Traverse City Central standout Anthony Berry in an invitational at Benzie. The two were going almost stride for stride until Berry surged ahead in the final mile. Huddleston still finished with a personal best 15:40.
It’s that type of performance that’s helped Huddleston become a more confident runner, his father said.
"He knows he can run with just about anybody," Bill said. "He gets out there and goes for it. He doesn't shy away from (the competition)."
Kelly said competing against runners like Berry sets a bar for Huddleston to try and reach.
"I tell Brayden sometimes you're going to win, sometimes you’re going to lose, but the biggest thing you're going to get out of any race is what you take from it and how you learn from it to become a better runner in the future," he said.
Not only is Huddleston's confidence up, so is his foot speed, which has really helped him close out races.
"In the spring he dropped from a 4:40 to a 4:23 mile," Kelly said. "In the two mile, he never broke 10 (before last season). Then he runs a 9:19. That race (near Chicago) was a huge turning point for him. I think he realized that he could be really good at this."
Huddleston can certainly draw inspiration from his family. Bill Huddleston still holds the 8,000-meter record at Alma College. Brayden's mother Racquel played basketball and ran track at Benzie, and played basketball at Alma College. Like William, Makayla is running in the collegiate ranks, too. She's at Oakland University. Warsecke, meanwhile, runs at Toledo.
And there's more to come. Brayden's younger sister, Bella, and cousin, Angie Warsecke, are freshmen on the girls cross country team.
But right now all Brayden Huddleston is thinking about is Saturday. What would be a good day for him?
"Individually, I would be happy if I could be in the top three and run a 15:30 or so," he said. "Most of all, though, I want to do as well as I can for my team so hopefully we can three-peat."
That's what Kelly likes to hear.
"Let's be honest," he said. "Five years down the road, you're not going to remember those invitationals very much, but if you happen to pull something off at the end of the season you're going to remember that forever."
Dennis Chase worked 32 years as a sportswriter at the Traverse City Record-Eagle, including as sports editor from 2000-14. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, Roscommon, Ogemaw, Iosco, Alcona, Oscoda, Crawford, Kalkaska, Grand Traverse, Benzie, Leelanau, Antrim, Otsego, Montmorency, Alpena, Presque Isle, Cheboygan, Charlevoix and Emmet counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Benzie Central's Brayden Huddleston drives toward the finish during a race (Middle) Huddleston raced against Traverse City Central standout Anthony Berry, left, earlier this season. (Below) Brayden stands with his parents Bill and Racquel, younger sister Bella and high school coach Asa Kelly, far left. (Photos courtesy of Benzie Central cross country.)
Jackson's Janke Recalled as 'Larger than Life,' Always Willing to Help
By
Doug Donnelly
Special for MHSAA.com
January 26, 2022
JACKSON – A few days before Christmas, Jackson boys track & field head coach Corey Pryor was called to meet with Charles Janke, the longtime former Jackson coach and teacher.
Janke was very ill and in the final days of his life. Janke, it turns out, wasn’t leaving anything to chance.
“He asked me if the stadium was ready for our big track meet, the one named after him,” Pryor said. “Believe it or not, that’s what he asked. He was always so organized and meticulous. He wanted to make sure everything was always on schedule.
“I am grateful for getting the chance to spend a few more moments with him.”
Janke, 85, died Dec. 30 at Henry Ford Allegiance Hospice Home in Jackson.
Janke was a track and cross country coach for Jackson who was recognized statewide for his commitment to high school athletics, student athletes and the two sports he loved the most. Although he retired from coaching nearly two decades ago, he remained very involved in high school sports. He was a leader in both sports across the state, a giant in the high school running community.
A Detroit native who went to Central Michigan University to play football, Janke had short stints at Southfield and Milford schools before moving to Jackson where he taught history and physical education. Although he got his start as a football coach, at Jackson he took over the track and cross country programs in 1966. He pulled double duty for years before stepping down as track coach in 1990, but he continued with cross country through 2003 while helping coach the distance runners in track for several more years.
If it involved track & field or cross country in Michigan, Janke was probably involved. He was an early pioneer in the Michigan Interscholastic Track Coaches Association, the first statewide sports-specific association for coaches in the state. He founded several events, including the first countywide cross country meet in Jackson. He hosted, organized and gave presentations at coaching clinics for years and in the early 1970s helped organize indoor track & field meets through MITCA by contacting colleges across the state to see if they were interested in hosting events. He also was the first to publish a MITCA newsletter.
In cross country, he was among those who played a role in bringing all four classes together for a Lower Peninsula championship meet at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn. He helped with the event long after coaching. He also served as head field events judge at Big Ten Indoor Championships and became a high school official after retiring as head coach.
His passion for the sport was evident.
“He had a genuine love for the sport,” Pryor said. “He always had his way of doing things. He was a special kind of guy.”
When Pryor was a high school sprinter at Jackson, Janke was an assistant coach who mainly worked with long distance runners.
“He coached hard,” Pryor said, adding that he never fully appreciated Coach Janke until later in life and especially after he became track coach. Pryor found pages and pages of handwritten notes with dates, times and athletes’ names.
“He even wrote down the weather,” Pryor said.
He and Janke had a lot of discussions, often over breakfast, about track events.
“He would be at almost all of the meets,” Pryor said. “He learned every kid by name. He told them he wanted to see them at the state meet. I welcomed him with open arms. When I began to see just what he meant to our state, I realized this guy was a diamond.
“I was blessed to see him behind the curtain. I saw he was the type of guy who really cared about people and wanted to see them succeed. He was more than a coach.”
Vandercook Lake cross country coach Dan Roggenbaum is one of several from the Jackson area who would seek out Janke for advice and mentorship. He said Janke approached officiating with the same rigor and commitment he did coaching.
“Charlie was always willing to help me out with any questions I ever had,” he said. “He was larger than life to me and most other coaches in our county. He was always willing to help and give advice to any of us who were a lot newer to the cross country and track & field scene.”
Two things Janke was most proud of was Withington Stadium in Jackson and the cross country course at Ella Sharp Park named after him.
“I always admired his love and passion for cross country, track & field,” said Ben Pack, now a coach and administrator at Manchester, but once a shot and discus thrower for Janke. “On days of track meets he would have the track set up before the school day started, with the blocks at the starting line, the hurdles stacked along the track to be placed for the first hurdle race, and the throws event areas lined. Every detail for the practices and meets were paid attention to.
“He didn’t do this because he had to do it; he did it because he loved doing it. He always wanted everything to be first class.”
Janke was admittedly a tough coach.
In winning the Al Cotton Award for his dedication to Jackson athletics, the Jackson Citizen-Patriot wrote this about Janke in 2003: “One does not need to talk to many of Janke's athletes or listen very long to get a clear picture of the type of coach he was. He was intense. He was in charge. He demanded respect and he expected the best, and he received a huge measure of both from those who followed his regimen.”
Janke was inducted into both the Michigan High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame and the MITCA Hall of Fame.
Pack said, “During high school we had a sign that read, ‘The mind controls the body.’ In PE strength class we often did exercises that helped us understand how much more we could push ourselves if we fought off the pain of the exercise. Without question, this built mental toughness. He taught kids how to set goals, and the step-by-step process to get to the goal.”
All told, Janke spent more than 60 years involved in track and cross country. His impact will roll on in both sports. A number of former athletes have gone on to become teachers and coaches themselves, like Pack, who not only was an athlete for Janke but coached alongside him. Pack served as Jackson’s varsity football coach from 1987-2002 and again in 2012.
“As peers we often would guide kids to each other’s sports,” Pack said. “Kids that I felt would be better at running cross country, I sent to him. Kids that he felt would be good football players he sent to me. Working together was an honor.”
Jim Martin ran for Janke at Jackson in the 1970s. He’s now in his 36th year coaching track and cross country, the last 26 at Sault Ste. Marie High School. He said he’s a coach today because of the impact Janke had on him.
“At a time in my life that I needed structure and guidance, he was the rock,” Martin said. “He was always there. There's no way I'm in this (coaching) 35 years without him. He was my role model. He cannot be replaced.”
Last fall, Martin took his Sault Ste. Marie team to Jackson for the Charles Janke Invitational. His Blue Devils team won. Going into the meet, he didn’t think that was possible.
“For the life of me I couldn’t figure out how we won that,” Martin said. “We were good, but not Jackson good. … That was the last time Coach Janke saw my team. Now I know why.”
A Celebration of Life service will be held at 2 p.m. on June 12, 2022, at, appropriately, Withington Stadium.
Doug Donnelly has served as a sports and news reporter and city editor over 25 years, writing for the Daily Chief-Union in Upper Sandusky, Ohio from 1992-1995, the Monroe Evening News from 1995-2012 and the Adrian Daily Telegram since 2013. He's also written a book on high school basketball in Monroe County and compiles record books for various schools in southeast Michigan. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for Jackson, Washtenaw, Hillsdale, Lenawee and Monroe counties.
PHOTO: Charles Janke coaches his Jackson team during a cross country meet in 2003. (Photo by John Johnson.)