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Opportunities Abound for New Winners
October 23, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Saturday’s MHSAA Upper Peninsula Cross Country Finals at Beauchamp Grove in Gladstone, sponsored by Michigan National Guard, should provide the ideal scenarios to crown first-time champions.
While Chassell is the favorite in Division 3 after winning a year ago, neither Bessemer nor Wakefield-Marenisco has won an MHSAA boys cross country title – and together they are the favorite in Division 2. Negaunee is top-ranked in Division 1 and hasn’t won in more than 30 years. And only one of three individual champions is back to chase another title.
Here's a look at some of the teams and individuals expected to contend in all three races. Click for Saturday's race schedule and a list of all qualifiers.
DIVISION 1
Reigning champion: Marquette
2014 runner-up: Escanaba
2015 top three: 1. Negaunee, 2. Marquette, 3. Escanaba.
Negaunee’s last boys cross country championship came in 1983, but the Miners are favored to return to the top with all seven runners back from last season’s fifth-place team. Senior Grant Johnson and sophomore Colton Yesney were the top finishers in 2014, at 10th and 11th, respectively. Marquette returns only two runners from last season and has added three freshmen to four seniors – but those two returnees are senior Lance Rambo, last year’s runner-up, and senior Troy Sergey, who was 13th. Escanaba also returns only two runners from last season’s lineup, but junior Joey Wolfe was third individually and senior Jon Hook was 16th.
Individuals: The top three finishers from last year should pace the field again, with Rambo and Wolfe joined by reigning champion Nate Carey. The Kingsford senior finished third behind both at the Great Northern Conference final last week. Calumet junior Mitchell DeLong was 12th last season, and Kingsford senior Jorge Sanchez came in 14th.
DIVISION 2
Reigning champion: Ishpeming
2014 runner-up: Powers North Central
2015 top three: 1. Gogebic, 2. Ishpeming, 3. Powers North Central.
Neither Bessemer nor Wakefield-Marenisco had enough runners to compete in Division 3 as a team last season, but as a co-op in Division 2 they've combined to make favorite Gogebic. Senior Sam Dean was fifth last season in Division 3 and sophomore Tim Rowe finished 20th. Four of the top five Hematites finishers are back; senior Kazmine Langness was third last season, while senior Derek Mahoski was 11th, sophomore Kyle Pruett was 12th and junior Matthew Ferrett was 14th. Powers North Central finished only 14 points back of Ishpeming and returns six runners led by runner-up Bryce Holle, now a senior, seventh-place junior Seth Polfus, 16th-place sophomore Connor Robinson and 19th-place senior Jared Gerlach.
Individuals: Total, 10 of last season’s top 15 are back – although two-time champion Jared Joki of Ironwood graduated. Manistique sophomore Phillip Hagenson finished fourth in 2014, while Hancock junior Murphy Mallow is back after finishing seventh. Ironwood does return a pair of standouts – sophomore Andrew Niemi was ninth last season and senior Tim Lorenson was 11th.
DIVISION 3
Reigning champion: Chassell
2014 runner-up: Stephenson
2015 top three: 1. Chassell, 2. Munising, 3. Dollar Bay.
Chassell is a solid favorite returning all seven runners from last year’s team that won by six points. Four runners finished among the top 20 – now-freshman Abraham Gockenbach was fourth, junior Hunter Rautiola was ninth, senior Lars Daavettila was 14th and freshman Ben Tuomi was 16th. Munising was third last season and returns four of its top five including senior third-place finisher Brett Hannah. Senior Kyle LeClaire leads a Dollar Bay team returning five of seven from last year’s fourth-place team; LeClaire was sixth and sophomore Devin Schmitz finished 17th.
Individuals: Although the top two finishers from 2014 are not back, nine of the top 15 will run. In addition to those mentioned above, Stephenson sophomore Ethan Brown was seventh last season, Cedarville senior Patrick McMaken was 10th and junior Avry Freel was 15th, Big Bay de Noc sophomore Lucas Sundling was 13th and Eben Junction Superior Central junior Luke Leppanen was 14th.
PHOTO: Munising’s Brett Hannah ended third in the U.P. Division 3 race last season and returns as the highest finisher back from that field.
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Engadine Cross Country Gets Fast Start
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
September 18, 2015
MANISTIQUE — Twenty-eight years had passed since Engadine High School was last represented in cross country.
The year was 1987, when Deren Pershinski captured the Upper Peninsula Class D championship as the Eagles’ lone representative.
Things are different this year, as the Eagles have a full team for the first time in school history.
Engadine brought five girls to Wednesday’s Manistique Invitational, where the Eagles gained runner-up honors with 53 points. Munising won with 29.
Freshman Mickaela Deace was Engadine’s pacesetter in fifth place, covering the 3.1-mile course in 25 minutes, 49 seconds.
“Personally, I didn’t want to go out for cross country at first,” she said. “I had never been to a cross country meet in my life before this year. Some of my friends convinced me to come out, and this has been a good experience. The first practice was hard, but after that they got easier. There’s a lot of communication among us. We all get along.”
All of the team’s practices begin at 6:30 a.m. The school has 85 students, and some are pulling double duty to take part in cross country as well as another sport.
“My challenge is getting everybody to one spot at the same time,” said coach Tracy Germain. “We have volleyball and football players on the team. That’s why we run early in the morning. We want to avoid conflicts.”
Instead, adding the sport has increased an already impressive level of participation. During the 2014-15 school year, 71 percent of the student body participated in at least one varsity sport. There were seven athletes who previously did not participate in a fall sport who now run cross country (the school also added sideline cheerleading this season, and six more students who also previously didn't participate in a fall sport have joined that squad.)
"I am also the student service coordinator and believe strongly that students who are involved in something bigger than themselves fare better in school and in life," Engadine athletic director Deb DeWyse said. "Engadine is working to get as many students involved as we can responsibly and financially."
This was only the second cross country meet for the Eagles, who opened Sept. 2 in the Northwoods Invitational at Pickford.
Freshman Beth Haney placed sixth (25:59) despite feeling under the weather at the end of Wednesday’s race.
“I got lightheaded and it felt like I was going to pass out,” she said. “Except for that, the race went good. The course at Pickford is pretty hilly. Our first race was hard and challenging, but it probably helped me for today.”
Classmate Abby Germain followed in seventh (26:20), rounding out Engadine’s top 10 finishers.
“This has been hard, but it has also been a good experience,” Abby Germain said. “You want to push yourself to do your best. This meet was a lot easier because it was cooler over here. The breeze helped a lot. It was warm and humid at Pickford. I was nervous before the meet at Pickford because I didn’t know what to expect. It felt good to get the first one in.”
Junior Keegan Nance, who transferred from a small Christian school in Manistique last year, led the Engadine boys in ninth (21:43). The Eagles have nine boys on their roster.
“This is quite a learning experience,” he said. “We had one cross country meet a year at our Christian school, which hardly compares with this. There’s a lot of competition for us now, which is good. The practices were hard at first. Getting up early was probably the hardest part for me, but now I’m used to it.”
The Engadine boys finished fourth on Wednesday with 71 points. Rapid River won the meet on a sixth-runner tie-breaker.
“Many of these kids didn’t really know what cross country was before now,” said coach Germain. “Retired coach Jim Beck has been helping me. He comes to some of our practices and gives me advice when I need it. I couldn’t do this without him. I can’t say enough about the kids and their dedication and work ethic. These are brave kids. Our seniors Hannah French and Nick Price have shown great leadership.”
The Eagles resume Monday in the first leg of the Eastern U.P. Conference Jamboree at Pickford. The season concludes with the Upper Peninsula Finals on Oct. 24 at Gladstone.
PHOTOS: (Top) The Engadine girls, in jerseys with green and gold, run with a pack during the Northwoods Invitational at Pickford this season. (Middle) There are 14 runners representing the Eagles this fall, some who also play other fall sports.