P-W's Farmer, Traverse City St. Francis Finish Championship Climbs
November 4, 2023
BROOKLYN — Pewamo-Westphalia senior Collin Farmer turned the lowest moment of his cross country career into motivation to be great.
In 2022, Farmer was running with the pack of runners who were battling for second place behind four-time MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 3 champion Hunter Jones of Benzie Central.
Everything unraveled for Farmer around the time runners began to enter the track area at Michigan International Speedway. He faded from sixth place at the two-mile mark to 26th place in the final standings. It was still good enough for all-state, but far from Farmer’s capability.
“I ended up dying at the end of the race last year,” he said. “I took ownership of why I died and really wanted to push myself in the offseason.”
All that work paid off with a first-place finish in Division 3 on Saturday at MIS.
Farmer crossed the line in 15:39.1 to finish his high school season with five consecutive victories.
He applied lessons from his 2022 disappointment to become an MHSAA champion.
“It’s a real a mental battle,” he said. “You’ve got to tell yourself, no, you’re not tired when you feel tired. I didn’t really have that capability last year. This year I learned how to do that.”
Reed City junior August Rohde was second in 15:51.9, and Hart freshman Robert Jazwinski was third in 15:54.0.
“I thought I had a shot at it,” Farmer said. “Jazwinski is a real worker, so he was the guy. If I have to beat someone, I have to beat him.”
The only disappointment for Farmer this time around was that his Pewamo-Westphalia team, which entered the meet ranked No. 2, finished in seventh place.
A Traverse City St. Francis team that has been building its way toward the top won the team championship with 113 points. St. Louis was second with 175.
St. Francis had finished in the top six each of the last four years, its best a runner-up performance last season.
The Gladiators have a chance to repeat, with only one senior among the seven runners who competed Saturday.
Junior Leo Swager was 12th, junior Owen Read 33rd, junior Lewis Walter 35th, senior Tucker Krumm 37th and junior Riley Pattinson 44th for St. Francis.
PHOTOS (Top) Pewamo-Westphalia’s Collin Farmer approaches the finish on the way to winning the Division 3 championship Saturday at MIS. (Middle) Traverse City St. Francis’ Leo Swager (1130) pushes with a pack as the top finisher for the team title winner. (Photos by Dave McCauley/RunMichigan.com.)
Performance of the Week: Charlevoix's Hunter Eaton
November 7, 2025
Hunter Eaton ♦ Charlevoix
Junior ♦ Cross Country
Eaton raced the Lower Peninsula Division 3 Final in 15 minutes, 30.8 seconds, to win the championship by three seconds at Michigan International Speedway after breaking away from a group of three contenders during the final mile. He improved from finishing ninth as a sophomore, and his individual victory paced Charlevoix to a team championship as well as Eaton and his teammates edged runner-up Lansing Catholic by seven points.
Charlevoix boys cross country has a long record of success, but its Saturday sweep updated a couple of “last time” references significantly. Eaton was the boys team’s first individual champion since 1989, and the Rayders’ team title was the program’s first since 1991. Eaton also runs track; he won the 3,200 and finished second in the 1,600 at the spring’s LPD3 Finals in that sport.
The cross country sweep carried special significance for Eaton’s entire community. The Rayders are coached by Doug Drenth, who also coaches the boys golf team, which was involved in a devastating crash April 27 while traveling during a tournament weekend. Drenth is continuing to recover after suffering life-threatening injuries, and multiple golfers also required surgeries including his son Maxwell – Charlevoix’s fourth scoring runner at MIS.
@mhsaasports 🏃➡️POW: Hunter Eaton #charlevoix #crosscountry #highschoolsports #performanceoftheweek #MHSAA ♬ Bright and fun upbeat pops, Kids, Animals, Pets, Fun, Cute, Happy, Playful, Upbeat(1465232) - SAKUMAMATATA
@mhsaasports 🏃➡️POW: Hunter Eaton #funfacts #tiktalk #performanceoftheweek #highschoolsports #MHSAA ♬ Girly and cute synth pop - SAKUMAMATATA
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Previous 2025-26 honorees
Oct. 31: Stephen Gollapalli, Lansing Christian tennis - Report
Oct. 23: Talya Schreiber, Pickford cross country - Report
Oct. 16: Avery Manning, Dexter golf - Report
Oct. 9: Brady Van Laecke, Hudsonville football - Report
Oct. 2: Sarah Giroux, Flat Rock volleyball - Report
Sept. 25: Sam Schumacher, Portage Central tennis - Report
Sept. 18: Kaylee Mitzel, Saline field hockey - Report
Sept. 11: Natasza Dudek, Ann Arbor Pioneer cross country - Report
Sept. 4: Kate Posey, Big Rapids golf - Report
PHOTO Charlevoix's Hunter Eaton runs toward the finish line at the Lower Peninsula Division 3 Final at Michigan International Speedway. (Click for more from RunMichigan.com.)