Jacobs, Corunna Finish Title Quests
November 5, 2016
Second Half reports
BROOKLYN – Noah Jacobs’ race was done, but the job wasn’t finished.
Not by a long shot.
So, he took zero time to soak in the moment after he won the MHSAA Division 2 individual cross country championship Saturday at Michigan International Speedway.
Instead, he turned around and kept a close eye on the runners finishing behind him, hoping to see the white Corunna singlets not too far back.
The first teammate he greeted was his sophomore brother, Ben, who finished eighth in 16:01.8.
Before long, he would be reunited with the rest of his teammates. When the places were added up, not only did Jacobs win an individual championship, but he led his school to the team title.
Corunna beat reigning champion Fremont, 92-99, for its first MHSAA championship since 1997.
With his time of 15:28.0, Jacobs joined 1998 winner Jared Aldrich as the only Corunna boys to win the individual title. He won by 12 seconds over Pontiac Notre Dame Prep senior Brendan Fraser.
“I came into the stadium, and the wind was in my face,” said Jacobs, who recently committed to run for the University of Wisconsin. “It was a battle that last mile, it really was. It was one of the harder races I ever ran. The course was a little bit soft; it wasn’t exactly ideal. I’m proud. I gave it everything I had, and my team gave it everything they had. That’s all you can ask for. What I take away from it is it’s a great last race in my Corunna jersey.”
The cross country championship has eluded Jacobs, who has two MHSAA Division 2 track and field titles in the 3,200-meter run on his resume. He was 56th as a freshman, fifth as a sophomore and second to two-time champion Morgan Beadlescomb of Algonac as a junior.
Jacobs has a personal best of 15:00 in cross country and 8:55.57 in the 3,200, so he had hoped to put his name among the all-time greats who have ever run at MIS. That plan changed when he saw that rain from earlier in the week turned portions of the course into slop.
“Originally, I wanted to run in the 14s,” Jacobs said. “But running the warmup on the course and figuring everything out, it wasn’t worth my time to go out and only think about time. It wasn’t going to be beneficial. It was just going to end in a day I felt I could do more.”
Even with the graduation of Jacobs, Corunna should be well-positioned to repeat next year.
The Cavaliers ran only two seniors Saturday, the other No. 5 man Kyle Mesh. There might even be a future individual champion in the Jacobs household.
Ben Jacobs was fourth among non-seniors and the second sophomore in Division 2. His time was only 5.2 seconds slower than Noah ran as a sophomore at MIS.
“He was one of two guys who PR’d today,” Noah said. “He ran awesome. A lot of people in Michigan don’t know Ben that well. Ben’s a sophomore this year. He has a lot of big things coming. He’s faster in the mile (as a sophomore), but in the 5K he’s a little behind me, but we’re close.”
With junior Dakota Hundley placing 25th in 16:24.5, Corunna had three all-staters. The top 30 make all-state.
Sophomore Charlie Bruckman was 50th in 16:44.2 and Mesh was 52nd in 16:46.4 to round out Corunna’s scoring.
Fremont has won eight MHSAA championships, but was trying to repeat for the first time. Grand Rapids Christian finished third with 139 points.
The MHSAA Cross Country Finals are sponsored by the Michigan National Guard.
PHOTOS: (Top) Corunna’s Noah Jacobs charges toward the finish for his first MHSAA cross country title. (Middle) Ben Jacobs (296), Noah’s brother, finished eighth to help the Cavaliers to their first team title since 1997, while Otsego's Alex Comerford (392) also posted a top-10 finish. (Click to see more from RunMichigan.com.)
Preview: Next Challengers Set to Take Championship Strides
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
October 22, 2021
A total of 17 top-10 individual finishers from last season’s Upper Peninsula Boys Cross Country Finals graduated this spring – resulting in a possible new look to at least one championship race Saturday at Gentz’s Homestead Golf Course in Marquette.
While Marquette remains an annual favorite in Division 1 and Dollar Bay looks like the team to chase again in Division 3, Division 2 might be a little less predictable for the first time in a while as always-speedy Ishpeming is among those bringing a mostly-new crew. Similarly, only one 2020 individual champion will return this weekend, and from a Division 3 also welcoming a number of new contenders.
Saturday’s races begin with the Division 1 girls at 11 a.m. and conclude with the Division 3 boys at 1:30 p.m. Check back Saturday evening for coverage, and see below for more teams and individuals to watch. (Click for race information and competitors.)
Division 1
Reigning champion: Marquette
2020 runner-up: Sault Ste. Marie
Top-ranked: 1. Marquette, 2. Houghton, 3. Calumet.
Marquette is seeking its third-straight Division 1 title after edging Sault Ste. Marie by nine points last season and six in 2019. Five of last season’s top seven runners will race again this weekend, including juniors Carson and Colin Vanderschaaf (who placed third and fifth, respectively, in 2020) and senior Luke Janofski (sixth) as all five Marquette returnees finished among the top 19 individuals overall. Senior Eric Weiss was the individual runner-up last season to lead Houghton’s third-place team finish, and he’s one of three back from that lineup. Sault Ste. Marie should figure in significantly again with four runners back from last season’s lineup (including three who placed among the top 19 overall), led by junior Cody Aldridge (eighth) and senior Riley Eavou (ninth).
Individuals: Total, 10 from last season’s top 20 will be back this weekend. Gladstone junior Drew Hughes is another to watch after finishing 12th a year ago and fifth as a freshman.
Division 2
Reigning champion: Ishpeming
2020 runner-up: Painesdale Jeffers
Top ranked: 1. Painesdale Jeffers, 2. Ironwood, 3. St. Ignace.
Ishpeming has won the last three Division 2 titles and six of the last seven, but graduated its top five runners from last season’s team and returns this weekend with five sophomores and a freshman. Painesdale Jeffers graduated four of its five runners from last season’s runner-up team, with junior Tavin Larson hoping to lead the next five to the front after taking fourth individually in 2020. Ironwood returns four runners from its fourth-place team finish, led by junior Tyler Smith (14th).
Individuals: Half of last season’s top 20 individual finishers graduated, and total seven runners will return this weekend from that remaining group. Larson is the highest-returning placer, followed by West Iron County sophomore John Swenski (eighth) and Ishpeming sophomore Parker Gauthier (10th).
Division 3
Reigning champion: Dollar Bay
2020 runner-up: Rudyard
Top ranked: 1. Dollar Bay, 2. Brimley, 3. Brimley Ojibwe Charter.
Dollar Bay went from runner-up in 2019 to winning its first championship in 2020, and four of its top six from last year will run this weekend with junior Cooper Stout returning after finishing sixth individually. Big things are expected from Brimley with four of its top five back after finishing fifth last season, and Ojibwe Charter brings back two of three individual qualifiers from a year ago as it seeks a high team finish. Stephenson is an interesting possibility with its top six runners back from last year’s team that finished fourth, including junior Griffin Brown (ninth individually) and senior Corey Buckley (11th).
Individuals: Half of the Division 3 top 20 from last season also graduated, but nine of the remaining 10 will be back Saturday. Ewen-Trout Creek senior Jonah Nordine is the reigning champ after clearing the field last season by nearly 25 seconds. Engadine junior Conrad Spieles also returns from the top 10 after placing ninth last fall.
PHOTO Marquette's Luke Janofski (866) and Colin Vanderschaaf (870), Houghton's Eric Weiss (778), and Marquette's Brady Ketzenberger (867) run at the Queen City Invitational this season. (Photo by Cara Kamps.)