Preview: Last Run for Senior Standouts
October 29, 2014
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Cross Country frequently sees the same top programs show best when championships are decided at the annual MHSAA Finals at Michigan International Speedway.
But the return of all four individual champions from a previous season is certainly rare – and could make Saturday’s races as a set among the most noteworthy in some time as all four run for the final time at the high school level.
Click for a full list of competitors plus additional information on Saturday’s event, which will see 1,002 boys at the start line. Read on for more of the run-up to the team and individual competitions in all four races.
DIVISION 1
Reigning champion: Milford
2013 runner-up: Waterford Mott
2014 top-ranked: 1. Waterford Mott, 2. Northville, 3. Rockford.
Milford’s three-season run atop Division 1 will end after the team graduated five of its top six – only one runner qualified for this weekend. Mott, the runner-up the last two seasons, would be happy to take the next step. The Corsairs return their top three and four of their top six from last season’s runner-up team, including fourth-place senior Ryan Robinson and 14th-place senior Sam Albaugh. Northville will look to jump from fifth returning four of its top five from 2013 including 21st-place senior Nick Noles, and Rockford should make a nice move after coming in 12th last year while running five underclassmen – the Rams’ top five are back, and freshman Cole Johnson was their second-fastest and sixth overall at the Regional win last week.
Individuals: In addition to Robinson and Albaugh, eight more of last season’s top 10 are back – but they’ll have their work cut out trying to catch reigning champion Grant Fisher of Grand Blanc. He won last season’s race by 18 seconds in 15:13.7, the 10th-fastest time in LP Division 1 Finals history. Warren DeLaSalle senior Mickey Davey finished ninth last season and joined Fisher, Robinson and Portage Central senior Connor Wuori (12th in 2013) among top-20 Finals placers from last fall who won Regionals last weekend.
DIVISION 2
Reigning champion: St. Clair
2013 runner-up: St. Joseph
2014 top-ranked: 1. Grand Rapids Christian, 2. Fremont, 3. St. Joseph.
Grand Rapids Christian just missed its first top-two Finals finish last season since 1978, and is favored to claim its first title with six of seven runners from 2013 back including ninth-place senior Benny Briseno. Fremont’s tradition is more storied – the Packers’ seven MHSAA titles are tied for fourth-most by Lower Peninsula programs – and despite not making the Finals as a team in 2013 are returning after placing four among the top eight in winning their Regional. St. Joseph has finished runner-up two of the last three seasons and brings back four of its top six from last fall including its top two finishers, seniors Erik Edwards (15th) and Nick Jewell (28th). Two-time reigning champion St. Clair made the Final again despite no seniors in the lineup after graduating its top six from last season’s victorious team.
Individuals: There should be some turnover among the lead packs, with 11 of last season’s top 20 graduated. But five of the top 10 return, beginning with reigning champion and Cedar Springs senior Austin Sargent. Third-place junior Blake Watson from Corunna is back to make another push, joining St. Johns senior Codey Cook (seventh), Briseno and Chelsea senior David Trimas (10th) among the top returning finishers. Sargent had the fastest Regional time last week in Division 2, 15:46.2, followed by Briseno (15:48) and Corunna sophomore Noah Jacobs (15:59.2), who beat teammate Watson by 25 seconds and finished 56th at last season’s Final.
DIVISION 3
Reigning champion: Benzonia Benzie Central
2013 runner-up: Stockbridge
2014 top-ranked: 1. Lansing Catholic, 2. Benzie Central, 3. Hanover-Horton.
Reigning individual champion and senior Keenan Rebera leads the favored Cougars, who bring back four of their top five from last season’s third-place team. But reigning champion Benzie Central is far from being out of the conversation – the Huskies have four of their top six back from 2013 including top-30 finishers senior Kyle Bailey (23rd) and sophomore Brayden Huddleston (27th). Hanover-Horton finished sixth last season with three sophomores and a freshman topping the lineup – four of the top five are back, and the team’s top five this season all finished among the first 13 at their Regional.
Individuals: Rebera won last season’s race by just under 30 seconds, in 15:31, and won his Regional last week by 33. But Michigan Center senior Ben Utz also was a Regional champ, by 29 seconds, after finishing third at the 2013 Final. Mason County Central junior Zac Benham (fifth) and Comstock senior Zack Richards (ninth) also are back from last season’s top 10. Grandville Calvin Christian senior Abe Visser (15th in 2013), Hesperia senior Damien Halverson (18th) and Calvin Christian senior Logan Jurgens (13th) all cleared 15:51 on Saturday in taking the top three places, respectively, at the fastest Regional in this division.
DIVISION 4
Reigning champion: Saugatuck
2013 runner-up: Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart
2014 top-ranked: 1. Saugatuck, 2. Concord, 3. Bear Lake/Onekama.
After breaking Concord’s two-year hold on Division 4 last season, Saugatuck is expected to extend its streak to two on the strength of four of its top six from 2013. Joe Brown is the only senior; the Indians’ other six runners are sophomores. But Concord will try to take the title back with its top six from 2013 including two-time individual champion Jesse Hersha and last season’s sixth place Jacob Hall, both seniors. Bear Lake/Onekama graduated three of its top four from last season’s fourth-place team, but junior Jordan Anderson was the team’s second-fastest runner at last season’s Final, finishing 19th overall. Freshmen Gary McBride and Kaiden Hejl finished behind Anderson and among the top five at their Regional as the team won with 27 points.
Individuals: Half of last season’s top 20 will run this race Saturday, but Hersha will be tough to chase down. He won last season’s title by 44 seconds, and his 15:32.3 winning time in 2012 is the sixth-fastest in LP Division 4 Finals history. Ellsworth senior Winter Romeyn (ninth) and Beal City senior Nick Pung (10th) join the Concord pair among returning top-10 finishers. Harbor Beach senior Luke Anderson, 13th last season, joined Hersha (15:46) in breaking 16 minutes at last week’s Regional, winning by a minute over Ubly senior Adam Grifka (17th in 2013) in 15:52.
PHOTO: Grand Blanc’s Grant Fisher, running the final stretch during last season’s LP Division 1 Final, will look to repeat as champion. (Click to see more this weekend from RunMichigan.com.)
First-Time Champs Reign in Boys D3
November 7, 2015
By Bill Khan
Special for Second Half
BROOKLYN — It would've made things easier for Abe Visser had James McCann not improved so much this year.
But Visser isn't interested in taking the easy path to success.
Visser, a senior at Grandville Calvin Christian, became the school's first MHSAA cross country champion by posting a time of 15:34.8 on Saturday in the Lower Peninsula Division 3 Final at Michigan International Speedway.
He won a duel with McCann, a senior at Holland Black River, who took second in 15:48.4. The two battled it out until Visser pulled away late in the race.
Visser has always finished considerably higher than McCann at the MHSAA Finals. In 2013, Visser was 15th and McCann was 104th. Last year, Visser was third and McCann was 26th.
"I raced McCann four times this season," said Visser, who won all four matchups. "Each time, he's given me quite a run. He really came out of nowhere this year. It was unexpected, but I'm glad he made that jump, because it pushes me. It helps me run well."
Visser also lamented the absence of Zac Wright-Fisher of Scottville Mason County Central. Wright-Fisher is a three-time all-stater who was second last year, but an uncharacteristic third in the Regional last Saturday in 16:33.27.
"My main competitor, who would've been here this year, I think is injured," Visser said. "That's not good. That would've been fun to race him really hard."
Winning the title is the culmination of a dream Visser didn't believe was possible when he finished 51st as a freshman.
"A couple years ago, I never thought this would happen," he said. "But after last year at state, I realized I might be able to do it. You never expect to win state, at least not that young. That's just insane."
Despite lacking the star power of its most recent teams, Lansing Catholic won an MHSAA championship for the first time in 13 trips to the Finals, edging two-time defending champion Benzie Central by a 124-127 score. Holland Black River was third with 149 points.
Lansing Catholic had individual champions in Zachary Zingsheim (2011) and Keenan Rebera (2013 and 2014) in recent years, finishing second twice and third once in the last five seasons. The Cougars finally got to the top, despite not having a runner finish among the top 19.
Junior Ethan Markey, running in his third MHSAA Finals, placed 20th in 16:25.1 to lead Lansing Catholic. Also scoring for the Cougars were freshman Will Peters (26th, 16:32.1), sophomore Ryan Schroeder (28th, 16:33.5), freshman Erin Warriner (46th, 16:59.1) and sophomore Sammy Migaldi (72nd, 17:10.0).
Benzie Central had two runners cross before Markey in third-place Brayden Huddleston (15:55.3) and 15th-place Jake Williams (16:16.2), but didn't have Lansing Catholic's depth.
Benzie Central was trying to match the three-peat of its teams from 1984-86. The Huskies have eight MHSAA championships.
The MHSAA Cross Country Finals are sponsored by the Michigan National Guard.
PHOTOS: (Top) Grandville Calvin Christian’s Abe Visser makes his way toward the finish and the school’s first individual cross country championship. (Middle) Lansing Catholic’s Will Peters came in 26th to help the Cougars to their first MHSAA team title.