Davidson's Legacy: Friendship, Hard Work
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
November 7, 2017
Jon Davidson may be retiring, but he isn’t slowing down.
That’s just not something the longtime St. Clair cross country and track coach does.
“Even when I go on vacation,” Davidson said. “If I’m not really, really sore at the end of it, it wasn’t a vacation.”
Davidson, 51, coached his last cross country meet this past Saturday when his Saints placed fourth at the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 2 Final at Michigan International Speedway. It ended his 20-year run leading the St. Clair boys program, which included Finals titles in 2012 and 2013, a runner-up finish in 2000, and 12 Regional titles.
He concluded his time as a teacher at St. Clair High School this past spring, and this upcoming track season will be his last.
While that’s a lot off his plate, Davidson will manage to keep his schedule full between the 11 rental homes he owns, his work remodeling homes, and following his youngest son, Ben, around the Midwest as he joins the Ferris State University basketball team in the 2018-19 season.
“If I wouldn’t have had six seniors this year, I probably would have retired from coaching (after 2016-17), too, but I told those guys I wouldn’t leave them,” Davidson said. “Actually, the plan was to retire from teaching and coaching this year, but they offered a buyout (for teachers). It was a lot of planning that all came together at the right time.
“I’m going to miss coaching a lot, but it was time. It had nothing to do with the kids. The kids are just as great as they were when I first started coaching in 1991 -- maybe better.”
Davidson – who began coaching at Clio in 1991 and spent three years at East Kentwood before moving to St. Clair in 1996 – took over the Saints cross country program in 1998. He coached both the girls and boys teams in 1998 and 1999, leading the girls to their first Finals appearance in program history before turning the reins over prior to the 2000 season.
With the boys, he turned a program that didn’t have enough runners to compete as a team in the Regional the year before he took over into one that was perennially among the state’s best.
While all of that success is a great source of pride for Davidson, it pales in comparison to his favorite part of the job.
“The thing that means the most to me is all the friends I made with my runners,” Davidson said. “There are guys who have graduated who are some of my best friends. Obviously winning the state championships were amazing memories, and going from not qualifying for state to taking second in 2000. But the best part of it is all the friends I still have that were my runners, and the opportunity to change kids’ lives.”
The feeling was mutual from his athletes. Davidson has been a member of the bridal party in weddings of his runners, and was recently the best man in the wedding of Addis Habtewold, who won an individual Finals championship under Davidson in 2007.
He often meets up with former runners, whether it be for a meal while they’re back in town, or taking trips with them to going skiing or hiking.
“Coach Davidson was the closest friend I had in high school,” said Brennan Shafer, the No. 1 runner on the 2012 Division 2 championship team. “He always knew what was best for me. He was always there when I needed him. He showed me what hard work and dedication was and where it could take me and our team.
“If it wasn’t for Coach, I would have never received a college scholarship, I wouldn’t have been included in our state championship team in 2012, and I wouldn’t be who I am today.”
To many outside the program, that may come as a surprise. Davidson could be seen at any meet constantly moving around a course barking out instructions to his runners. His workouts, which are a combination of systems used by legendary Finnish runner Paavo Nurmi and legendary distance coach Jack Daniels, are meant to be as tough as possible – “more mileage and running faster while running that mileage,” Davidson said.
So when a former runner of his met up with someone from a rival school at a party years later, “I heard you all hated (Davidson)” was the rival’s comment.
“He said, ‘Are you kidding me? He’s one of my best friends,’” Davidson recalled with a laugh.
The hard work equaled results, and not just with runners like Habtewold, who entered with a ton of physical talent. Davidson had a track record of taking runners who were struggling to break 19 or even 20 minutes when they first came to him, and turning them into scoring runners on Regional – or even state – championship teams.
“The thing I stressed the most was running hard,” Davidson said. “It’s a training sport. I prided myself on taking below-average kids and making them great. Lars McElroy, his PR as a freshman was 19:05. He ran a 15:54 by the time he was a senior.”
There’s a large list of those runners from St. Clair, and Davidson can rattle off all of their PRs without a second of hesitation.
“I love them,” Davidson said. “I love them all. You put that much work into something, and how can you not remember? It’s not just something I did for fun – I did do it for fun – but it was what I poured my life into.”
One of those runners was Trevor Holowaty, who started running for Davidson as a sophomore in 2011 and had a personal best of 19:02 that year. He was a scorer on both of St. Clair’s Division 2 championship teams, coming in 11th at the Final in 2013, and finished his high school career with a personal-best time of 15:47. Recently, while running for Ferris State University, he qualified for the NCAA Division II National Championships.
“Jon taught me what hard work truly meant,” Holowaty said. “He was an extremely passionate coach, very emotional and thoughtful when it came to interacting with his athletes. He always had a plan and a drive to see us succeed that convinced us to trust that plan, and it always came together.
“His excitement to see us succeed through effort and hard work transferred over into the classroom and daily lives of myself and many others for years to come. He created a relationship closer to a friendship rather than a job with his athletes. I cannot imagine being coached and mentored by anyone else growing up.”
Even with his retirement, Davidson’s impact is sure to live on through all those he’s encountered.
“I feel like I’ve made my mark on the world,” Davidson said. “I left a great legacy, and still will, because I’m friends with most of those people who ran for me. That’s my greatest accomplishment right there. That tells me I’ve done a good job, because they still want to see me.”
Paul Costanzo served as a sportswriter at The Port Huron Times Herald from 2006-15, including three years as lead sportswriter, and prior to that as sports editor at the Hillsdale Daily News from 2005-06. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Genesee, Lapeer, St. Clair, Sanilac, Huron, Tuscola, Saginaw, Bay, Arenac, Midland and Gladwin counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Recently retired St. Clair boys cross country coach Jon Davidson runs ahead of one of his athletes during a meet. (Middle) Davidson poses with his 2013 MHSAA championship team. (Photos courtesy of Jon Davidson.)
Major Goal Accomplished as Three Rivers Racers Continue to Accelerate
By
Scott Hassinger
Special for MHSAA.com
October 8, 2024
THREE RIVERS – Sulley Zietlow and his teammates on the Three Rivers boys cross country team discussed their goals for the 2024 season prior to starting an early-evening workout back in June.
With several experienced returners, coach Jason Muckel and his Wildcats set the bar high for success this Fall.
One of Three Rivers' preseason goals was to end Otsego's lengthy Wolverine Conference dual-meet winning streak.
The Wildcats quickly circled Tuesday, Sept. 17, as an important date on this fall’s schedule.
"Before the season began, we knew we were going to be running Otsego on our home course. We built our training plan around that race and made sure that our kids were ready to go," Muckel said.
Competing on its hilly home course at Meyer-Broadway Park, Three Rivers edged Otsego 24-31 thus ending the Bulldogs' 68-meet winning streak dating back to 2014.
Otsego, the 2021 Lower Peninsula Division 2 champion, has long been a state power under longtime head coach Steve Long. The Bulldogs have produced several talented runners, including 2018 individual Finals champion Alex Comerford, who went on to run at Syracuse University.
"I give Otsego a lot of credit for what they've done. Steve has built an incredible program. I have a lot of respect for him and his runners,” Muckel said. “He's helped me a lot here and there over the last few years, and I've learned a great deal from him."
Three Rivers, Plainwell and Otsego are currently tied for first in the league at 4-1 with two league duals plus next week's Wolverine Conference Meet in Otsego remaining. The Wildcats will need to win the league meet to earn an outright league title.
Zietlow, a three-time Finals qualifier, holds down Three Rivers' No. 1 spot and is also the top runner in the conference. The Wildcats qualified for the Finals as a team at the end of his freshman and junior seasons. He also qualified his sophomore year as an individual. As a junior he placed 52nd in LPD2 with a time of 16:18.9.
"Sulley is the top runner in our league and is beating the field by 30 or 40 seconds. He's gritty, hardworking, does whatever I ask of him and is the most committed runner I've ever had. He crushes everything he does," Muckel said.
Zietlow, who plans to continue his education and running career at Cornerstone University, ran a lifetime personal-best time of 15:52.4 in late August at the Under the Lights Invitational at Grand Rapids South Christian. He bested the field in the home victories over Otsego and Edwardsburg with a time of 16:12, his fastest on Three Rivers' home course.
"That (Otsego) win was very exciting and memorable,” Zietlow said. “This is the best team we've had here in a while. Our depth is good, and we want our pack time to be within a minute by season's end. I think we could take Top 10 in the state if reach our potential. The commitment, drive and positivity of our team is improved over last year."
Winning a conference title and qualifying again for the Finals are both reachable goals for he and his teammates.
"I've ran for the last 493 days, and I've worked extremely hard to get where I am at this point. Our team is in good shape," Zietlow said.
Junior Charlie Brauer is Three Rivers' No. 2 runner.
"Charlie has made huge strides after fighting injuries the past couple years,” Muckel noted. “His CrossFit training and commitment to running a lot of miles over the summer have helped him make big gains. He's solidified himself as our number two runner and has a shot to finish among the top five or six in our conference."
Brauer clocked a personal-best of 16:35.03 at the Otsego Invitational, where Three Rivers took fourth.
"I'm kind of surprised to be our No. 2 runner,” Brauer said. “I do CrossFit training and that's helped me improve my kick along with my overall fitness. The last mile is the best part of my race."
Juniors Reece Howes (17:12) and Jonah Zietlow (17:18), Sulley's younger brother, have alternated as the Wildcats' Nos. 3 and 4 runners. Classmates Trey Hall (18:26) and Dontrel Taylor (18:26), along with freshman David Kore (17:48) round out Three Rivers' top seven.
"David is starting to race well against the older guys and can hold his own,” Muckel said. “If we're able to do some special things down the stretch here, a lot of that will depend on the performances of David, Reece and Jonah. Our sixth, seventh and eighth guys are working hard so they can step up if we incur an injury at some point."
Jonah Zietlow outlined his goals for the Wildcats the remainder of the season.
"It just depends what day it is and who steps up for us. We push one another to go faster,” he said. “If one of us isn't having the best race, we all work harder to make up for it.
“I'd like to solidify that No. 3 spot and get my time down under 17 minutes by the end of this season. I have a pretty strong kick, so that's a big key for me."
In the dual against Otsego, Zietlow played a key role by earning fourth overall while outpacing the Bulldogs' No. 2 and No. 3 runners after catching them with about 600 meters remaining.
He noted the team’s level of dedication is the highest he's seen since joining the program as a freshman. The top five runners for Three Rivers all logged more than 500 miles during the summer.
Muckel is pleased with the times his runners are posting, especially now since the Wildcats have started competing on some different kinds of courses and terrain.
"Up until the last week or two our times weren't quite as good on paper as we wanted them,” Muckel said. “That's because we were running some more difficult courses. Now as we get into running some flatter courses, our guys are excited to be able to show off their speed a little.
"In practice we do a workout called core sections, which is designed to split our course into sections and attack one of them at a time. We've done some very intentional workouts to prepare for races like our home course. I always talk to our kids about getting a good mileage base in the summer. Then we enter racing mode as the season starts. Now we're in championship gear, where we try to perfect our craft."
Three Rivers won its own Hill Climb Invitational followed by runner-up finishes at the Under The Lights and Battle Creek Lakeview invitationals, a third place at the Southwest Michigan Robuster Invite and a fourth-place finish at the Otsego Invite.
"My philosophy as a coach is to take our team to those difficult meets. We might take our licks early in the season, but it prepares us for the races that matter the most later on and builds character," Muckel said.
Three Rivers frequently splits its boys practices up into two sessions.
"Each of our kids are committed,” said Muckel, who is in his third season coaching both the boys and girls Three Rivers teams. “As a coach I don't like to do an eight or nine-mile workout. Instead, we have our boys come in for a morning run and return in the afternoon for a five or six-mile practice. By breaking up those workouts, it’s easier on the body and keeps us healthier throughout the season.
"When I took over the program, there were some bad habits we had to break out of that first year. I basically have the boys run seven days a week now, which is something they weren't willing to do in the beginning.”
An individual goal-setting strategy has become a fun motivator.
“I ordered little mini records, and each kid is required to set goal-times and write them down. When they break that time during the season they get to break that record in half,” Muckel said. “These kinds of things have really helped the kids buy into our program and take ownership of it.”
***
After graduating nine seniors last year, Muckel is rebuilding his girls squad. His top two runners Brynn Copenhaver and Lillie Kerr are only sophomores.
"We have a young core of runners in our top of the pack who are learning to race. It's a talented group, and I believe we'll see a lot of cool things out of them in the next few seasons," Muckel said.
He noted several activities his boys and girls teams enjoy together as part of building a memorable all-around experience in the sport. Among those is the program’s summer camp involving both teams, which included four days this past offseason at Warner Camp in South Haven.
“Bringing our boys and girls teams together has also been really beneficial,” Muckel said. “While we are (at camp) we participate in a high ropes course, water ball and other activities and we get our workouts in as well. We use that time to solidify the team culture and do team-building tasks.”
Scott Hassinger is a contributing sportswriter for Leader Publications and previously served as the sports editor for the Three Rivers Commercial-News from 1994-2022. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Berrien, Cass, St. Joseph and Branch counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Three Rivers and Vicksburg runners take off at the start of the boys race last week at Indian Lake Nazarene Camp. (Middle) Pictured from left are Three Rivers juniors Jonah Zietlow and Charlie Brauer, senior Sulley Zietlow and Three Rivers head cross country coach Jason Muckel. (Below) Lillie Kerr, right, and teammate Gabby Kilbourn lead Three Rivers in the girls race against Vicksburg last week. (Photos by Scott Hassinger.)