Mora Caps Career with D2 Title
November 3, 2012
By Bill Khan
Special to Second Half
BROOKLYN — When it was time to make a move, Connor Mora had no idea how it would play out.
All he knew was he wanted to finish his last high school cross country race with no regrets.
The Cedar Springs senior passed Mason’s Tanner Hinkle with three-quarters of a mile to go and kept surging toward the finish line, winning the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 2 championship with a time of 15:04.2 on Saturday at Michigan International Speedway.
Hinkle, who ran a stride ahead of Mora most of the race, finished second in 15:09.8.
“He’s a great competitor,” Mora said of Hinkle. “There wasn’t a point where I felt I had him until I finished the race. I guess I gave it all I had. If he had a better day than me, then that’s what it was, but I gave it all I can.”
Hinkle set a fast early pace, reaching the mile in 4:48. Mora was content to let Hinkle do the work for at least the first two miles.
“I went in ready to adjust my strategy with whatever the race threw at me,” Mora said. “When Hinkle took it out hard, I decided to just sit back and wait until the two mile to see where he would take it. He had me up until the two mile. That’s the point where I felt confident enough to go to the finish.”
Mora didn’t feel he performed well in past MHSAA Finals, though four top-15 finishes is a rare accomplishment in the larger-school divisions. He was 15th in 2009 (16:23.4), fifth in 2010 (15:39.0) and third in 2011 (15:33.2). Hinkle was one place behind him last year in 15:41.3.
Mora’s time was the fastest of the day in all four divisions. Erie Mason’s Nick Raymond won Division 3 in 15:05.1, while Milford’s Brian Kettle won Division 1 in 15:07.3.
“I haven’t always had great state meets these past years,” Mora said. “I guess I just usually have an average race.”
St. Clair edged Linden by a 114-128 margin for the team championship. Linden had three all-state runners (top 30 overall), but St. Clair had its five scoring runners in the top 47, while Linden’s fifth runner didn’t cross until 93rd place.
It was the first team title for the Saints, who had six top-10 finishes in the previous 12 years.
Senior Brennan Shafer led St. Clair, placing seventh among team runners in 15:39.6. Junior Cody Smith was 10th in 15:51.4, junior Trevor Holowaty 28th in 16:09.3, senior Dakota Hazel 34th in 16:17.9 and senior Andrew Snider 35th in 16:18.6.
PHOTO: Mason's Tanner Hinkle (right) and Cedar Springs' Connor Mora ran together most of the Division 2 Final before Mora pushed ahead for his first championship. (Click to see more from RunMichigan.com.)
Preview: Champs Collide In D3 Final
October 18, 2013
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
A shuffling among the Upper Peninsula’s smallest-school powers has set up an intriguing matchup at Saturday’s MHSAA Cross Country Finals at Gentz Homestead Golf Course in Munising.
The move of reigning Division 2 champion Stephenson into Division 3 not only pits the Eagles against still-loaded reigning D3 champion Munising, but means the reigning individual champions from those two divisions also will chase each other.
Here's a look at those matchups plus more stories behind all of the favorites. Click for Saturday's race schedule and links to all qualifiers.
DIVISION 1
Reigning champion: Sault Ste. Marie
2012 runner-up: Escanaba
2013 top three: 1. Marquette, 2. Houghton, 3. Escanaba.
Marquette has been locked out of the top two spots the last two seasons after winning Division 1 from 2008-10. But the top-ranked team is anchored by one of the top returning placers from 2012 in sophomore Lance Rambo, who will look to build on his fourth-place finish. He was 19 seconds behind third-place finisher and Houghton junior Jacob Colling, who was only nine off the lead and might be the favorite this time. Escanaba returns three from last season’s top 21 and should make a push.
Individuals: Four more top-10 placers also are back, led by Menominee senior Davey Luplow, who finished fifth. Calumet senior Devin Berg finished seventh, Kingsford sophomore Nate Carey was eighth in his first season, and Negaunee senior Keenan Gantz will look to finish his career by building on last season’s ninth-place finish.
DIVISION 2
Reigning champion: Stephenson
2012 runner-up: Norway
2013 top three: 1. Hancock, 2. Ishpeming, 3. Ironwood.
Stephenson has won the last three Division 2 Finals, but is running in Division 3. The door appears most open for third-ranked Ironwood, which returns junior Jared Joki, the reigning individual runner-up, and last season’s 10th-place finisher Coli Clausen, also a junior. The only other top-10 placer returning to this race is Hancock senior Jacob Jarvis, ninth in 2012, and he’s joined by 11th-place Hayden Heikkinen, also a senior. Ishpeming finished only seventh last season, but could make a jump led by sophomore Derek Mahoski, who finished 36th as a freshman.
Individuals: Two others from last season’s top 15 should make a big move up the chart. Manistique junior Ryan Ramey is coming off an 11th-place finish and was a mere 11 seconds from ninth. Norway junior Justin Anderson was just behind Ramey in 12th.
DIVISION 3
Reigning champion: Munising
2012 runner-up: Cedarville
2013 top three: 1. Powers North Central, 2. Eben Junction Superior Central, 3. Stephenson.
Munising curiously is ranked only fifth despite winning the last two Division 3 titles and returning last season’s individual champion in sophomore Brett Hannah (17:55.0), third-place finisher in junior Izaak Mahoski and 10th-place finisher senior Sam MacArthur. Stephenson certainly is intriguing as well with reigning Division 2 individual champion Connor Cappaert (17:25.7), just a junior, looking to add another few titles. Dollar Bay does bring back a top-20 finisher in senior Cameron Ringler plus 21st-place senior Tom Autio. Superior Central sophomore Jesse Elsenbroek finished 24th last season as an individual qualifier and leads the second-ranked team.
Individuals: Five more of last season’s top 10 also will run this weekend. Fourth-ranked Pickford features seniors Jacob Anderzjak and Alec Firak, who finished seventh and ninth, respectively. Bessemer junior Zack Mazurek should push the favorites after finishing fourth as a sophomore, while Carney-Nadeau senior Dionte Blahnik (sixth) and Cedarville junior Teddy Bowlby (eighth) also are good bets to be in the hunt.
PHOTO: Houghton’s Jacob Colling (57) is the top returning placer from last season’s UP Division 1 Final, where he placed third in 16:59.3. (Photo courtesy of RunMichigan.com/Paul Gerard.)