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Preview: Forecast Calls for Historic Wins
November 1, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Team and individual history is waiting to be made at Saturday’s Lower Peninsula Boys Cross Country Finals at Michigan International Speedway.
A year ago, the final state rankings predicted all four champions – and if they’re accurate again, Plymouth will celebrate its first title in this sport. Meanwhile, Caro’s Yami Albrecht will try to lead the Tigers to their first title in four decades, while becoming just the 15th boys runner to win a third individual Finals championship.
A total of 977 runners will take to the course at MIS for the boys races, which begin the day with Division 4 at 9:30 a.m. Below are some of the teams to watch and a glance at each of the individual fields. Click for all Finals qualifiers, a map of the course and links to buy tickets and watch the Finish Line camera on MHSAA.tv, and come back to Second Half later Saturday for coverage of all four meets. (NOTE: “Rankings” of individual runners below are based on data at Athletic.net, which orders runners based on the single fastest times they’ve run this season.)
Division 1
Reigning champion: Ann Arbor Pioneer
2017 runner-up: Plymouth
2018 top-ranked: 1. Plymouth, 2. Ann Arbor Pioneer, 3. Clarkston.
Plymouth’s runner-up finish in 2017 was its highest ever at an MHSAA Finals, and the Wildcats are predicted to take the next step Saturday after finishing second last year by a mere three points. Five of last season’s top six runners return this weekend, led by junior Carter Solomon (fifth in 2017). Plymouth took three of the top four places at its Regional, with Solomon the individual champ in 14:59.4. His 14:59 flat on Oct. 13 is tied for the fastest time in the state this fall. Pioneer brings back three of its top six from last season’s championship team, led by individual champ Nick Foster – his season best of 15:03.1 ranks him third fastest in the state this fall. Clarkston finished eighth last season but with one senior and none in the top five – the other six all return, and senior Brendan Favazza’s 15:16.2 on Oct. 17 ranks him as the eighth-fastest runner statewide.
Individuals: In addition to Foster and Solomon, six more from last season’s top 20 will run this weekend. White Lake Lakeland senior Harrison Grzymkowski should contend again after finishing third in 2017, while Romeo junior Jack Wilson (ninth) also is back from the top 10. Birmingham Seaholm senior George Nummer (10th), Lake Orion junior Andrew Nolan (14th), Brighton junior Zachary Stewart (15th) and Holland senior Sam Martens (20th) also return. Stewart’s 15:08 on Oct. 18 makes him the fourth-ranked runner regardless of division.
Division 2
Reigning champion: Chelsea
2017 runner-up: Corunna
2018 top-ranked: 1. Chelsea, 2. Fremont, 3. Corunna.
Chelsea broke through for its first championship in this sport a year ago, and four of the top six from that team return – and all four rank among the top 20 runners in Division 2, led by senior Jensen Holm (11th in 2017). Fremont was runner-up in 2016 and 2014 and won the title in 2015, and finished sixth last season with four freshmen among its top five. They’re sophomores now, and Nathan Walker’s 15:34.3 to win his Regional ranks him sixth in the division. Corunna senior Ben Jacobs is another standout, and his 15:34.7 personal record run Oct. 6 puts him seventh. He finished third overall last season and is among four of Corunna’s top six from the runner-up finish who will try to carry the team to its second championship in three seasons.
Individuals: Otsego senior Alex Comerford has finished 13th, ninth and last season second at the Finals, and his 14:59 on Sept. 29 is tied for the fastest time in the state this fall. He and Jacobs are joined by Linden junior Tyler Buchanan (sixth) and Dearborn Divine Child juniors Michael Hancock (eighth) and Anthony Hancock (ninth) as half of last season’s top 10 are back. Grosse Ile senior James Gedris (15th), Grand Rapids South Christian junior Micah VanderKooi (18th) and Spring Lake senior Andrew Hylen (19th) also are top returning placers. Grant senior Colten Covington was 12th in Division 3 last year.
Division 3
Reigning champion: Hanover-Horton
2017 runner-up: Caro
2018 top-ranked: 1. Caro, 2. Pewamo-Westphalia, 3. Hanover-Horton
Caro missed its first championship in this sport since 1980 by six points last season, but is the favorite this time with all seven runners back from the runner-up finish. The Tigers are led by senior and reigning two-time individual champion Albrecht – his 15:28.7 on Sept. 29 ranks him second among Division 3 runners this fall and 15th regardless of division – and senior Aaron Hurlburt was 20th individually at last year’s Final. Pewamo-Westphalia finished 10th last season after winning the Division 4 title in 2016 and returns four of last season’s top five led by junior Hayden Germain (23rd in 2017, ranking 11th this fall). Hanover-Horton graduated three of its top four from a year ago but returns its other four runners from the championship team.
Individuals: Albrecht will face strong competition as he runs for the three-peat. Harbor Springs senior Jeremy Kloss finished second to Albrecht both of the last two seasons after running seventh as a freshman. Dundee senior Colin Kane was sixth a year ago and has the fastest time in Division 3 this season, 15:25.9 to win his Regional. Morley Stanwood junior Aiden McLaughlin (seventh), Ithaca senior Ransom Allen (eighth), Holland Black River senior Sam Sharnas (11th), Stockbridge junior Micah Beauregard (14th) and Bad Axe senior David Knarian (17th) also are back from last season’s top 20.
Division 4
Reigning champion: Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart
2017 runner-up: Potterville
2018 top-ranked: 1. Saugatuck, 2. Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart, 3. Breckenridge.
Two top-10 individual finishers led Saugatuck to a 12th-place team finish in Division 3 in 2017, and total three of the top five from that team return. Senior Corey Gorgas was fourth in Division 3 the last two years and has the top time in Division 4 this season at 15:13.3, while sophomore Nik Pettinga took 10th in Division 3 a year ago. Sacred Heart isn’t going to just give the title back, of course; the team’s top four (and five of the top seven) are back. Breckenridge is running for its first Finals championship since 1976, and after missing the Finals completely last season. Freshman Mason Sumner ranks fourth among Division 4 runners with a 16:02.8 run Sept. 19.
Individuals: Plymouth Christian Academy senior Luke Pohl finished runner-up last season and ranks second among Division 4’s fastest this season. He is joined by Walkerville junior Shane Achterhof (fifth) and Johannesburg-Lewiston sophomore Carlos Gascho (seventh) among top-10 finishers back from a year ago. Beal City senior Alex Taylor (12th) and Ellsworth senior Isaiah Romeyn (19th) also could be in the mix again.
PHOTO: Caro’s Yami Albrecht (415) and Harbor Springs’ Jeremy Kloss (466) run as part of the lead pack during a stretch of last season’s Division 3 championship race at Michigan International Speedway. (Click for more from RunMichigan.com.)
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Dimambro Moves to Front of Fenton Pack
August 17, 2016
By Bill Khan
Special for Second Half
FENTON — Dominic Dimambro was the little kid who often tagged along with his older brother and his friends.
"When we were on the team, he was almost like a team mascot of sorts," said Fenton cross country coach Jesse Anderson, who ran for the Tigers from 2003-06. "We were able to pull out pictures of him out at cross country camp the first or second year he was running. I was on the team with his older brother, Joe. He's been around the running culture for a long time. He's always been very athletic. He's a kid who was able to breakdance and spin on his head when he was 4 years old, so that kept us entertained."
Ten years after Joe Dimambro and Anderson helped put Fenton on the state cross country map, the kid who used to be a source of amusement for the older boys is now the high school senior who has his sights set on big brother's school records.
Joe Dimambro, who went on to run at Michigan State University, holds Fenton's records in cross country (15:24.9 at the 2006 Portage Invitational) and 1,600-meter run (4:12.88 at the 2007 Midwest Meet of Champions). Dominic Dimambro's career bests are 15:48.5, which was good for a 23rd-place finish in last year's MHSAA Division 1 Lower Peninsula cross country meet, and 4:22.67 in the 1,600 from the Regional meet last spring. He went on to place 12th in the MHSAA LP Division 1 LP track and field meet in 4:23.43.
"He's always been coaching me and encouraging me," Dominic said of his older brother. "He wants me to go beyond what he did, so it's a friendly rivalry."
A decade ago, Anderson was a teammate who helped push Joe Dimambro to those school records. Now, he's a second-year coach who could help Dominic break two of the most impressive school records in the Flint area.
"It's great," Dominic said. "He's like a life-long friend of mine. He was friends with my brother growing up. I get to see a lot of him. I get him here at cross country. He's my boss at Red Fox (Outfitters, a Fenton athletic shoe and outdoor gear store). He's been my friend for life. He has a lot of running knowledge. He does a great job with everybody, not just the fast guys – everybody."
And there's one aspect of Anderson's training philosophy that Dominic particularly appreciates — the emphasis on keeping runners healthy.
"He's really done a great job," Dimambro said. "One thing that's been really good is injury prevention. We've had close to no injuries the past two years. He's helped us a lot."
That emphasis hits close to home for Dimambro, because his sophomore year of cross country and track was decimated because of an injury, then an illness. A problem with a nerve in his right leg shut down his 2014 cross country season after only four meets. His fastest time that season was 16:29.2, a time he eclipsed six times as a freshman, with a personal best of 16:17.6.
It was a devastating season for a runner who was the top freshman at the 2013 MHSAA Division 1 LP meet, placing 52nd in 16:24.5. He had to take six months off from running, smack in the middle of a promising high school career.
Once he returned to running, a bout of mononucleosis limited him to four meets the following track season. His best time that spring (4:42.37) was nearly 12 seconds slower than his best as a freshman (4:30.7).
"I was not happy during that time," Dimambro said. "It was really frustrating to see a couple of seasons slip through your hands. For a while, I didn't know if I'd come back to running. I'm really involved in the music program. I thought maybe I'll just stick with that. Now, I use it as encouragement, because I'm back in it and it's all the more reason to do better in the future."
One source of encouragement for Dimambro as he battled through that period was a group of fast running friends that included former teammate Jacob Lee, current teammate Andrew Bond and 2015 Grand Blanc graduate Grant Fisher. Lee was the MHSAA Division 1 LP champion in the 3,200 in 2016, Bond joined Lee and Dimambro on the all-state podium at last year's Cross Country Finals, and Fisher is a two-time national Foot Locker cross country champion who made All-America as a freshman at Stanford University.
"They helped me a lot get back on my feet after my injury," Dimambro said. "Just seeing the times they're posting and encouraging me. They're like, 'You've got to get back into it. You can be right there. You just have to spend some time getting back into it.' They're good training partners and also great friends of mine."
High school runners of Dimambro's caliber don't often have teammates who can keep up with them in workouts. He was blessed last season to have two teammates who could push him in practice and in meets.
At the Division 1 Cross Country Finals, Fenton had three all-state runners who were separated by only seven places and 4.9 seconds. Lee was 19th in 15:46.6, Dimambro 23rd in 15:48.5 and Bond 26th in 15:51.5 to lead the team to a ninth-place team finish. Dimambro and Bond are senior co-captains this year.
"It's always great to have people the same caliber all running together," Dimambro said. "When you have a bunch of other people you're training with, everybody else around you is going to push you. Having a bunch of guys running around the same time is good for the team. Last year, we had a lot of guys running around 18:30. Originally, they were around 20 minutes, but they were pushing each other in practice. No one wants to be the one losing to the others."
For all of Dimambro's accomplishments, he's never won a cross country race in high school. That will happen when you run for three years on a team led by someone like Lee, who now runs for the University of Michigan.
Dimambro had eight top-five finishes last year, with a second place to Lee in the Flint Metro League meet his best. He was third in the Regional behind eventual Division 1 Finals runner-up Mitchell Day of Alpena (now a senior) and Lee.
"I've always just been kind of like Jake's shadow in those races where we'd go 1-2," Dimambro said. "It'll be a little different this year. I wouldn't count out Andrew. He's in phenomenal shape. That kid's fit."
Anderson said he doesn't try to project a goal finish for Dimambro at the MHSAA Finals, because that can be dependent on other runners. He tries to get his runners to control what they can control.
"Our goal for him is to get an underlying strength that he can respond to different stresses in races later on in the year," Anderson said. "He's one of the smarter racers you'll encounter at the high school level. If he's in a pack of people in the same shape as him, I'll take him nine times out of 10. He's very tough and very smart."
Having two returning all-staters at the top of its lineup bodes well for Fenton, which won the Regional championship in Anderson's first season last fall. The Tigers ran in a Regional hosted by Bay City Western last year, but move to one hosted closer to home at Linden this season.
It's a Regional that includes White Lake Lakeland and Milford, two perennial powers who finished among the top seven in last year's Division 1 Finals meet. The top three teams from Regionals qualify for the MHSAA Finals.
"We've got our work cut out for us, but that's why we're here in the morning in the summer to take it day by day," Anderson said. "We'll worry about them when we get in a race."
Bill Khan served as a sportswriter at The Flint Journal from 1981-2011 and currently contributes to the State Champs! Sports Network. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Genesee, Lapeer, St. Clair, Sanilac, Huron, Tuscola, Saginaw, Bay, Arenac, Midland and Gladwin counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Dominic Dimambro (55), flanked by teammate Andrew Bond (51), moves ahead in the pack during last season's Division 1 Cross Country Finals. (Middle) Dimambro works to stay ahead of a Northville runner during this spring's Division 1 Track & Field Finals. (Top photo by Carter Sherline/RunMichigan.com; middle photo by Bill Khan.)