New Champions Reign at UP Boys Finals
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
October 21, 2017
MUNISING — The Gogebic and Brimley boys had never been crowned Upper Peninsula cross country champions before Saturday, and Houghton won for the first time in six years.
Houghton led the Division 1 standings with 39 points. Runner-up Marquette scored 54, followed by Sault Ste. Marie with 99, Gladstone 113 and two-time reigning champ Negaunee 119.
The race for the individual Division 1 title boiled down to a sprint between Houghton senior Clayton Sayen and Marquette senior Garrett Rudden over the final 150 yards, mostly uphill at Pictured Rocks Golf Club.
Sayen prevailed, covering the 3.1-mile course in 16 minutes, 25.7 seconds. Rudden was clocked at 16:25.8.
Marquette senior Luke Rambo placed third (16:28.9), followed by Gladstone junior Adam Bruce (16:39) and Houghton senior Seth Helman (16:56.8).
“This is just an unbelievable feeling,” said Sayen. “It was a great race. Garrett and Luke (Rambo) are amazing runners. Adam Bruce of Gladstone is also an awesome runner. I don’t know if I would have won if I didn’t have them pushing me. I knew it was going to be a battle and I gave it every ounce I could. Seth is also an excellent runner. It’s great to have people like this to run with everyday.
“I can’t explain how well our team did today. This is almost like a dream come true. I love the pain. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
Rudden led after the final turn before Sayen caught him shortly before the finish.
“Clayton’s finish was awesome,” said Houghton coach Traci Welch. “He had me worried going around the last turn and up the hill. But I knew he could do it. He doesn’t like to lose.
“We have such a great group of kids. Most of them I’ve coach for 4-6 years. I think our depth made a difference. We had big races from some of the guys.”
Click for full Division 1 results.
Division 2
Bessemer-based Gogebic, which also includes athletes from Wakefield-Marenisco, captured the Division 2 crown with 22 points, followed by three-time reigning champ Ishpeming at 36 and Ironwood at 99.
“It’s nice that everybody was healthy and did what they set out to do,” said Gogebic coach Lauren Korpi. “The guys have been working so hard. I think the West-PAC (Western Peninsula Athletic Conference) is one of the best out there. Running against Houghton all year really helped us, and we’ve become friends with them.
“We’re losing four seniors, but we’re hoping our program continues to grow. We have some strong underclassmen coming up. The future looks pretty good.”
Ishpeming junior Spencer Giroux earned his first U.P. Finals title at 17:03.1. He was followed by Gogebic senior Isaiah Aili (17:45) and juniors Uriah Aili (17:48.3) and Devon Byers (17:49.7).
“I didn’t really have a strategy,” said Giroux. “I just tried to run as hard as I could. I’m happy with how I ran. I think this is a confidence builder going forward. As a team, we’re a little disappointed. But it was a good day overall.”
Sophomore Jonah Broberg came in fifth (17:52.7), and senior Kyle Pruett led another pack of five straight Ishpeming finishers in ninth (18:19.3).
“This wasn’t our best performance this year,” said Ishpeming coach P.J. Pruett. “We ran against Gogebic twice this year, and we beat them twice. Spencer ran real well, and we had a great season. We were missing our three seniors from last year, although we placed among the top two or three teams all year. Spencer is the number nine champion for Ishpeming cross country, plus we are losing only one senior.”
Click for full Division 2 results.
Division 3
Brimley edged Chassell on a tie-breaker for the Division 3 championship. Each team scored 60 points, and third-place Rudyard had 118.
“We’re so excited about that,” said Brimley coach Scout Hester. “We had some good competition over here, and it was fun watching the boys compete. We’ve had good athletic programs, only we couldn’t seem to get over that hump. This is an exciting day for our program. All seven of our runners put it out there.”
Brimley sophomore Austin Plotkin retained his individual title in 17:08, followed by Cedarville sophomore Thomas Bohn (17:16.2) and Chassell junior Ben Tuomi (17:38.3).
“I ran the first mile in 5:20,” said Plotkin, who was clocked at 11:04.9 after two. “I don’t know what happened in the third. It felt like it was fast, only my time didn’t show it. Tom and I wanted to pace with each other. I set the pace for both of us and took off in the last 400 (meters). The first mile was right where we wanted it.”
Click for full Division 3 results.
PHOTOS: (Top) Houghton’s Clayton Sayen (127) works to stay just ahead of Marquette’s Luke Rambo (209) and Garrett Rudden (210) during the Upper Peninsula Division 1 Final. (Middle) Isaiah Aili leads a pack of Gogebic racers on their way to winning the Division 2 title. (Below) Brimley’s Austin Plotkin, right, and Cedarville’s Thomas Bohn pace each other at the front of the Division 3 race. (Photos by Cara Kamps; click for more at RunMichigan.com.)
Benzie Central's Jones, St Louis Pull Away
November 7, 2020
By Jason Schmitt
Special for Second Half
BROOKLYN – Never one to refuse a challenge, Benzie Central’s Hunter Jones certainly accepted the challenge presented to him Saturday at the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Boys Cross Country Finals.
The sophomore successfully repeated as Division 3 individual champion, finishing the course at Michigan International Speedway in a time of 15:28.96. And part of the challenge was that he had to run by himself — nearly 30 seconds ahead of his next-nearest competitor and in the first of two races in his division. Due to COVID-19 safety measures, each division was separated into two races.
“He was chasing the times from yesterday,” said his coach, Asa Kelly, referring to a pair of sub-15 minute performances by Hartland’s Riley Hough and Ann Arbor Skyline’s Hobbs Kessler in the Division 1 Finals. “That’s definitely where he sees himself, running up there with guys like that. It’s so hard to go out there by yourself. It’s tough, but it is what it is, running in separate divisions like that.”
Jones said he had to change up his strategy a bit due to the unusual circumstances.
“I usually look at my times and gauge myself out on the course, but I really didn’t have that today,” said Jones, who beat his time on the same course from a year ago by 17 seconds. “I just have to remember to keep pushing through, and it worked out for me today. It felt great to get back here (and win), and I can’t wait for the next two years.”
Kelly sees the work Jones puts in each and every single day yet is still impressed every time his sophomore adds to his list of accomplishments.
“Back to back state champ and you’re only a sophomore, only the second kid that’s done that so far,” Kelly said. “He has a really high bar set for himself, and every single day he works his tail off to get to this race. He definitely deserves everything he gets out there.”
Cass City senior Nick McArdle finished second overall in a time of 15:58.9. New Lothrop senior Carson Hersch was third, followed by Memphis senior Tyler Carlson and Manton junior Noah Morrow in the top five.
St. Louis captured the team title, finishing with a team score of 103 points to beat out Hart (116), the pre-race favorite. The Sharks had four runners finish among the top 23 overall, led by junior Aaron Bowerman, who crossed the line ninth in a time of 16:26.66. Also scoring for the team were senior Keegan Honig, junior Nate March, freshman Ben March and senior Joe Erickson.
“We knew there were five or six really good teams that could really make a run for it, and we wanted to put ourselves in a position to have that opportunity,” St. Louis coach Jay Puffpaff said after the race. “In a year like this, with all this adversity all around us, just being out here with an opportunity to bring home a state championship to our community, it means everything. The kids embraced that opportunity all year long and ran for each other the whole way.”
It was the first Finals championship for the Sharks since 2005, when they took home a Division 4 crown.
Senior Alex Enns paced Hart with his fourth-place finish. He crossed the line in a time of 16:21.59.
Traverse City St. Francis was third with 182 points, while Grandville Calvin Christian (186) and Hanover-Horton (205) rounded out the top five teams.
PHOTOS: (Top) Benzie Central’s Hunter Jones approaches the finish line at MIS during the Division 3 Finals on Saturday. (Middle) St. Louis’ Keegan Honig (173) and Nate March (175) push through the final stretch with Ithaca’s Espen Lehnst. (Click for more from RunMichigan.com.)