Performance: Corunna's Noah Jacobs
September 8, 2016
Noah Jacobs
Corunna senior – Cross Country
Jacobs is considered the state’s preeminent high school distance runner by many heading into this, his final season. He was runner-up at last year’s MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 2 Final with a time of 15:30.5, which was ninth-fastest in any division and third among non-seniors, and he’s also the two-time reigning LPD2 champ in the 3,200 and set a meet record in the spring with a time of 8:55.57. Jacobs earned the first Michigan National Guard “Performance of the Week” of this school year after clocking a 15:43 to win the Medium Schools race at the annual Corunna Earlybird Invitaitonal while outpacing all runners at the event by at least 55 seconds.
Jacobs holds Corunna’s cross country record of 14:59.5, which he ran at the Portage Invitational last season in finishing second to now-graduated Algonac standout Morgan Beadlescomb – who also finished ahead of Jacobs at the MHSAA Final. Jacobs did win the Greater Lansing and Greater Flint meets and his Regional, and gained additional individual acclaim over the summer by winning the 2-mile championship at the New Balance outdoor national meet with a time of 9:03.71. Even with a bright future guaranteed, he has continued to set lofty high school goals, including leading his cross country team to its first MHSAA team championship since 1997. The Cavaliers finished fifth in LP Division 2 last season, and five of the team’s top seven from that race return. They also are getting an additional boost from Noah’s sophomore brother Ben, who is already coming close to or surpassing Noah’s personal records at that age. Noah Jacobs also should continue to drop his school record time this fall, as he’s running faster than at this point a year ago.
In addition to his running excellence, Jacobs carries a 3.98 unweighted grade-point average (4.12 weighted) to rank among the top few in his graduating class. He’s considering University of Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Wisconsin and Stanford and careers in business or statistics after his running days at Corunna are complete.
Coach Bryan Heid said: “Noah has run every day since the summer before his freshman year. He also encourages others to do the same and to believe that they can do things they would otherwise not even dream of. He sets incredibly high goals and then goes out and puts those words into action. He is patient and sticks with the process. Every year he gets better and better because he does not try to skip steps. … If you want to understand what makes him a great leader, watch him after he crosses the finish line of a race. He knows that his race is not done until all of his teammates have finished. You will see him back out on the course cheering for the guys in the race he just ran with everything he had. Somehow he finds more and encourages the rest of our guys to give their best as well. Personal records are great, but team success is what truly drives him and causes him to celebrate. When our team has a great race, he is on top of the world even if his individual race did not meet his goals.”
Performance Point: “I was pretty happy with that (Earlybird time)," Jacobs said. "I wanted to run just a little bit faster, but I didn’t fully empty my tank. I ran a controlled race, didn’t try to overdo it at any point; I stayed comfortable but pushed it. … I wanted to go out and lead our group of guys; hopefully as a team we can chase a state title as well. I showed everybody that I’m still fit and I didn’t back off even though I’ve accomplished some of my goals.”
Big finish: “I have two big goals this season; the first is the win a team state title, and the second is to break the state record Dathan Ritzenhein has (14:10.4 for Rockford at the 2000 Finals). We’re into the part of the season where there’s a lot of training, and there are a couple races where it won’t show up and people won’t see it and question where I’m at. But once I get (there), in October, I’ll be ready to run really fast. … This is my fourth year doing the same general type of (training). I know what it’s like at this point in the season. It gets kinda hard, but at the same point, I know I’m going to see the benefit of what I’m doing now.”
High school matters: “It’s everything to me, that I can still do this for one more year, help out all the guys who helped push me through the years, and carry on the legacy of the guys who helped me when I was younger. Still represent my school and community in a good way, still be the change in athletics in Corunna, trying to lead the way for the generation of guys who are working really hard to be successful.”
Brother’s catching up: “I see everything he does. I know how he works, really well, what works for him and what doesn’t. Everything we do for the most part is together, and it’s great to have him chasing all of my records because he’s going to work for it. But it’s also great for me because I have to have that edge in the sibling rivalry when we go to family reunions in 10 years. (So) I’ve gotta make him work for it; nothing's going to be easy for him.”
Getting down to business: “My dad is a business guy, and he owns a small business and has been successful and given us a good life – when we need a pair of running shoes, it’s not a problem, and we’re able to eat out once in a while. I would like to be at that same point when I’m that age where I can support my family well. And statistics, I’m a big numbers guy. During cross season I look at us, I look at other teams and where we stack up. Our cross coach was our stats teacher when I had it, and he made it interesting, and I saw all the difference fields you can go into.”
– Geoff Kimmerly, Second Half editor
Every week during the 2016-17 school year, Second Half and the Michigan National Guard will recognize a “Performance of the Week" from among the MHSAA's 750 member high schools.
The Michigan Army National Guard provides trained and ready forces in support of the National Military Strategy, and responds as needed to state, local, and regional emergencies to ensure peace, order, and public safety. The Guard adds value to our communities through continuous interaction. National Guard soldiers are part of the local community. Guardsmen typically train one weekend per month and two weeks in the summer. This training maintains readiness when needed, be it either to defend our nation's freedom or protect lives and property of Michigan citizens during a local natural disaster.
PHOTOS: (Top) Corunna's Noah Jacobs leads the pack during the Corunna Earlybird Invitational. (Middle) Jacobs paces the field alone during the Medium Schools race. (Photos courtesy of the Corunna athletic department.)
Onsted's Hiatt Completes Title Climb, St. Francis Repeats as Team Champ
November 2, 2024
BROOKLYN — When Brody Amthor moved to Onsted from Lawrence in 2021, it gave the Wildcats a solid No. 1 runner who had experience in two MHSAA Division 4 Finals.
For then-freshman Mitchell Hiatt, the addition of Amthor provided a role model.
Hiatt’s fastest time in ninth grade was 19 minutes, 0.7 seconds. He was a long way from even getting to Michigan International Speedway, finishing 54th at Regionals in 20:02.9.
But the process that would eventually make him an MHSAA Finals champion had begun.
“When I was a freshman, I only ran 19 minutes,” Hiatt said after winning the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 3 Final in 15:15.5 on Saturday at MIS. “I didn’t think I’d be able to be a state champ. It took a lot of running. I had so many people that helped me get to this point. It’s good to see hard work pay off.”
One of those people was Amthor, who was a junior when Hiatt was a freshman.
“I ran in middle school, but I wasn’t that fast,” Hiatt said. “There was somebody my freshman year who moved to our school. His name was Brody Amthor. He was the person who got me into running and got me to actually start training. He helped me a lot, and so did my coaches.”
Reed City senior August Rohde came into the meet with the fastest time in Division 3, winning Regionals one week earlier in 14:58.7 on a Benzie Central course known for yielding personal bests.
Rohde liked the position he was in when he and Hiatt reached the mile mark in 4:52. Separation began in the second mile, with Hiatt hitting the two-mile mark in 9:49.3 and Rohde in 9:57.9.
“It was fine until after one mile,” Rohde said. “I got out how I wanted to. I tried to have him run my race. He dropped me. He ran a great race. Our second mile was slower than the first, so I think he was just maintaining the pace better than I did.”
As he made his way down the long straightaway at MIS, Hiatt had a large lead over Rohde, but he ran like he could be caught at any moment. He wouldn’t allow himself to make the final couple hundred yards a victory lap.
“Oh, I didn’t know where he was,” Hiatt said. “I thought he was still close to me. Whenever I have races like that, to be completely honest, I get scared to lose. It just makes me try to go faster and keep pushing the pace.”
Hiatt, who was sixth in Division 3 last year, became the first Onsted runner to win the overall championship at the Finals since Eric Ramsey ran the fastest Class C time of the day in 1987 when there were team and individual races. In 1990, Michael Vischer of Onsted won the Class C team race in 16:05, but Michael Ball of Hudson ran 15:57 to win the individual race.
“I came into this race telling myself that if I put myself in a good position in the start and I don’t get boxed in, then I think I’d be able to win it,” Hiatt said. “That’s what happened.”
Traverse City St. Francis repeated as the team champion by an 86-177 margin over Saugatuck, putting four runners on the all-state podium.
Senior Riley Pattinson was 10th in 15:51.9, sophomore William Ready 11th in 15:52.2, senior Owen Read 22nd in 16:03.7, senior Robby Myler 27th in 16:13.2 and senior Josh Slocum 39th in 16:26.3.
The Gladiators had four runners across the line before Saugatuck’s first finisher.
St. Francis returned five runners from last year’s championship lineup — Pattinson, Read, Myler, Slocum and senior sixth runner Lewis Walter.
St. Francis has finished in the top six for six consecutive seasons.
PHOTOS (Top) Onsted’s Mitchell Hiatt charges toward the finish Saturday at Michigan International Speedway. (Middle) Riley Pattinson (970) emerges from a pack to lead St. Francis’ finishers. (Click for more from Dave McCauley/RunMichigan.com.)