Carson City-Crystal Earns Finals Sweep
November 7, 2020
By Jason Schmitt
Special for Second Half
BROOKLYN – When Carson City-Crystal’s Coleman Clark crossed the finish line Saturday, he raised his arms over his head and belted out a loud scream.
He had plenty of reasons to celebrate.
The senior captured the Division 4 individual title at the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Boys Cross Country Finals, beating out a loaded field in the second of two races in the division. He broke 16 minutes, finishing in 15:58.55.
And his Eagles also captured the school’s first boys cross country team title since 1994.
“My goal was to come in here and win it,” said Clark, who finished runner-up to Breckenridge’s Mason Sumner a year ago. “And to have my team win as well, this is awesome.”
Clark said his strategy was to take an early lead and keep it. That’s what he did.
“Throughout the race, it could have been anybody’s. But once I got to the stretch, I knew I was going to win it,” he said. “This is the strongest front pack we’ve had in a long time. There were a lot of top runners up there. I’m friends with a lot of them. I race them all the time.
And to break 16. It feels great, amazing.”
Saugatuck junior Max Sharnas finished runner-up in a time of 16:06.51. Sumner finished third (16:31.27), while Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart senior Matthew Nowak finished fourth and Petoskey St. Michael Academy junior Samuel Paga fifth overall.
As a team, Carson City-Crystal was solid one through five. Junior Ashton Keiffer finished 25th overall, earning all-state honors after running a time of 17:38.74. Also scoring for the Eagles were sophomore Brayden Clark and seniors Jared Shepler and Calvin Clark.
“In past years, we haven’t had a super, great team,” Clark said. “This year, we’ve got the most amazing, talented group of guys I’ve ever raced with. I knew that we could pull off a state title if we worked hard.”
Head coach Grant Woodman knew a championship would not come easy. But when he learned his team had accomplished the feat, he was more than fired up.
“It’s pretty freaking awesome,” the coach said, still somewhat in disbelief. “Our history at the school is pretty steeped with tradition, so to bring a state title back is pretty cool.
“We knew it was going to be a fight from the beginning. Saugatuck, Breckenridge and Webberville, we’ve been fighting back and forth with those teams all season. Breckenridge is in our league, and we’ve been keeping an eye on Saugatuck on the other side of the state. They are a powerhouse every year.
Carson City-Crystal’s last Finals team title came back in 1994, the same year the school last produced an individual state champion (Justin Curry).
Breckenridge finished runner-up, led by Sumner’s third place. Also earning all-state honors for the Huskies were junior Trent Carter (8th place) and Colttion Vine (20th place).
Concord was third overall, followed by Kalamazoo Christian and Saugatuck in the top five.
PHOTOS: (Top) Carson City-Crystal’s Coleman Clark digs for the final paces of his Division 3 Finals heat with Saugatuck’s Max Sharnas just behind. (Middle) Ashton Keiffer was the second Eagles runner to cross Saturday. (Click for more from RunMichigan.com.)
Caro Star Repeats, but Comets Prevail
November 4, 2017
Second Half reports
BROOKLYN — There’s more than one way to be a champion in a sport like cross country.
Caro junior Yami Albrecht had already experienced becoming an individual title winner last year at the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 3 Final.
It was obvious which championship would mean the most to him after he repeated Saturday at Michigan International Speedway.
“Did you see the team score?” he asked reporters a few minutes after he finished.
Caro was ranked No. 2 in the state, looking for its first MHSAA championship since 1980, but had to settle for second place by six points behind top-ranked Hanover-Horton. Hanover-Horton scored 122 points to win its first MHSAA title after finishing a program-best third in 2014 and 2016.
“I’d rather win as a team than by myself, to be honest,” Albrecht said. “It’s just a lot more fun. The whole team can celebrate about it.”
The Tigers will have to settle for celebrating another individual title by Albrecht and their best finish since winning Class B 37 years ago. It also was the first time Caro, which didn’t run a senior Saturday, had made the top five in back-to-back years.
Albrecht, who didn’t begin cross country until his freshman year, finished in 15:44.7 to hold off a late charge by Harbor Springs junior Jeremy Kloss. Kloss, last year’s Division 4 runner-up, took second in 15:47.1.
“When I first started running, I never really imagined this,” Albrecht said. “It’s amazing, the team we have. All of the guys work together every day and are committed. Our coaches run with us every single day; you can’t always have that where the coach can actually be there with you.”
Albrecht broke away from a pack of four or five runners late in the race. One of those runners was Kloss, who had never faced Albrecht before Saturday.
“I knew if I wanted to get what I wanted, I’d have to stick with him and stay right on his tail,” Kloss said. “It was real helpful with a tough group of guys up front. We all swapped. One person would go first, then another one. It was real helpful. I owe it to them. Last year’s state champ, Yami, is impressive. He’s a real tough kid.”
Senior Landon Melling was third in 15:54.8 and senior Bo Shepherd was ninth in 16:20.9 to lead Hanover-Horton. Completing the scoring were Andy Swihart (42nd, 16:57.7), Bradley Guenther (47th, 17:03.9) and Donovan Kennedy (70th, 17:15.4).
Holland Black River was third with 149 points.
PHOTOS: (Top) Caro’s Yami Albrecht (415), Harbor Springs’ Jeremy Kloss (466) and Hanover-Horton’s Landon Melling (460) push each other late in Saturday’s Division 3 Final. (Middle) Hanover-Horton’s Bo Shepherd (462) leads Saugatuck’s Nik Pettinga (553) and Holland Black River’s Sam Sharnas (484) down the final stretch. (Click for more from RunMichigan.com.)