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.)
Preview: MIS Set to Host Next Wave of Boys Cross Country Champions
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
November 3, 2023
The podium at Saturday’s Lower Peninsula Boys Cross Country Finals could welcome a host of new champions.
Division 4 is assured of a new team title winner, with 2022 champion Wyoming Potter’s House Christian running in Division 3. Anticipation is likely high for Ada Forest Hills Eastern in Division 2 and Traverse City St. Francis in Division 3 among others as well, as they are ranked No. 1 in their respective divisions and seeking their first championships in this sport.
There will be at least three new individual champions, with last year’s Division 2 pacesetter Connell Alford of Chelsea the only one running again. But he is part of an elite group who have emerged this fall, and there’s more on many of those and other team contenders below.
The "season bests" list referred to frequently is a ranking list of every runner's best time this season, maintained by Athletic.net. The day’s first race, Division 4 girls, begins at 9:30 a.m.; click here for the full schedule and ticket information. Additionally, all eight races Saturday at MIS will be streamed live and viewable with subscription on MHSAA.tv.
Division 1
Reigning champion: Northville
2022 runner-up: Traverse City Central
2023 top-ranked: 1. Brighton, 2. Northville, 3. Grand Haven.
While Northville won last season’s championship, Brighton won in 2021 and 2019, and they’ve matched up multiple times this season with Northville notably claiming the Kensington Lakes Activities Association championship race but Brighton winning the early-season Spartan Invitational Elite race on a tie-breaker. Brighton is paced by senior Tyler Langley, who finished 24th last season and has the 17th-fastest season-best time in Division 1 this fall, while Northville follows senior Brendan Herger and junior Ethan Powell, who finished third and 28th, respectively, at last season’s Final – and both have top-15 times on the season bests list this year. Grand Haven was 11th last season behind individual runner-up Seth Norder, who finished just 1.63 seconds off the lead, and he has the fastest time in Division 1 this fall of 14:48.2 run to win the Allendale Regional.
Individuals: Jenison junior Seth Connor was right behind Norder at Allendale and has the second-fastest season best in Division 1 with a 14:54 from that day. He should make a big jump from 34th a year ago. Six more runners join Norder and Herger from last season’s top 20, with New Baltimore Anchor Bay senior Thomas Westphal fourth last year and eighth on this year’s season bests list, and Romeo junior Vincent Guaresimo back after finishing eighth and sitting 12th among the season bests. Dexter senior Brandon Anderson has the third-fastest season best in Division 1 and was 12th last season, and Battle Creek Lakeview senior Aiden Moore is tenths of a second behind him this fall after finishing 21st at last year’s Final. A big Finals debut is anticipated from Ann Arbor Pioneer freshman Kamari Ronfeldt, who owns the fifth-fastest season best in Division 1 and won his Regional. Joining him and Norder among Regional champs were Bay City Western senior Noah Selvaraj (20th at last year’s Final), Moore, Anderson, Herger, Milford sophomore Kyle O’Rourke, Troy senior Vishvaa Ravishankar and Westphal.
Division 2
Reigning champion: East Grand Rapids
2022 runner-up: Chelsea
2023 top-ranked: 1. Ada Forest Hills Eastern, 2. Allendale, 3. Pinckney.
This might be the toughest race to forecast of the entire Finals day. East Grand Rapids won last season with its top five finishing between 28th-46th, and three Pioneers sit among the top 23 on the Division 2 season bests list this fall as the team enters ranked No. 4. Forest Hills Eastern is seeking its first championship and finished 21 points better than EGR at their Regional at Grand Rapids South Christian after placing fifth at last year’s Final but graduating the third-place runner. Allendale is seeking its first championship since 1999 and was 11th a year ago with five underclassmen leading the way, and Pinckney is seeking its first Finals team title since 2007 and was third last year. The Pirates have three runners among the top 26 on the season bests list including senior Evan Loughridge, who finished 10th a year ago. Chelsea has finished runner-up the last two seasons and returns individual champion Connell Alford but graduated its next three placers from last season.
Individuals: Graduated seniors made up most of the top 10 last season, but elite runners return from that group to contend again. Freeland junior TJ Hansen finished fifth at last year’s Final and has posted the fastest boys time in the state this fall, regardless of division, of 14:46.3. Alford (15:06.2) ranks fourth overall regardless of division in addition to being second-best in D2. Loughridge has the third-fastest season best, and Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood senior Solomon Kwartowitz checks in at No. 11 this season after finishing ninth at last year’s Final. Marshall junior Jack Bidwell is fourth on the season bests list as he looks to jump from 30th in 2022, and EGR senior Alex Thole sets the pace for the reigning champ, having finished 33rd last year but entering this weekend with the fifth-fastest season-best time in Division 2. Bidwell, Hansen, Loughridge, Alford, Fremont senior Sean Pettis, Holland senior Noah Lambers, Plainwell junior Henry Cox, Haslett senior Nate Carmody and Macomb Lutheran North senior Brewer Slay won Regional titles.
Division 3
Reigning champion: Hart
2022 runner-up: Traverse City St. Francis
2023 top-ranked: 1. Traverse City St. Francis, 2. Pewamo-Westphalia, 3. Grand Rapids Covenant Christian.
After finishing second to first-time team champion Hart last year, St. Francis is looking to improve on its best Finals finish with its first championship as well. The Gladiators return four of their top six from that race including junior Josh Slocum, who was 23rd individually and sits 14th on the Division 3 season bests list with junior Leo Swager ranking eighth and four more St. Francis runners between 23-37th. Pewamo-Westphalia senior Collin Farmer has run the second-fastest season best in Division 3, 15:29.3, after finishing 26th a year ago and will try to lead the Pirates from 12th last season to their first title since 2016 in Division 4. Covenant Christian returns four runners from last year’s fourth-place finish, with junior Levi Kamps the top placer back and 20th on the season bests list. Last season’s Division 4 champion Potter’s House is ranked No. 11.
Individuals: Led by four-time Finals champion Hunter Jones, seniors took the top five spots individually last season – and a freshman has the top time in the division this fall. Hart’s Robert Jazwinski II has run a 15:23.9 to set that pace for the reigning team champion, which graduated two top-12 individual finishers. Four top-10 finishers from 2022 return: Kent City senior Samuel Martini (sixth), Bloomingdale senior Jaden Barnes (seventh), Central Montcalm sophomore Gage Hoffman (ninth) and Dansville junior Theodore Davis (10th). Clare senior Brad White was 17th a year ago and sits third on the season bests list for this fall, followed by Onsted junior Mitchell Hiatt and St. Louis senior Ben March – the latter after finishing 15th at last year’s Final. White, Farmer, March, Davis, Reed City junior August Rohde (18th in 2022), Potter’s House senior Jackson Rodriguez, Olivet senior Lucas Hopkins, Jackson Lumen Christi junior Isaiah Dinverno and Flat Rock sophomore Jacob Stanislawski won Regional titles. Rodriguez finished third in Division 4 last season and has the 12th-fastest season best in Division 3.
Division 4
Reigning champion: Wyoming Potter’s House Christian
2022 runner-up: Johannesburg-Lewiston
2023 top-ranked: 1. Hillsdale Academy, 2. Mason County Eastern, 3. Holland Calvary.
With Potter’s House running in Division 3, a new champion is guaranteed – and both Mason County Eastern and Holland Calvary are seeking their first team titles in this sport, while Hillsdale Academy is running for its second after earning its first in 2021. Hillsdale Academy was fourth a year ago with just one senior, and four runners return including 12th-place senior Thomas Holm and 13th-place junior Reece Poole. They rank 11th and 18th, respectively, on the Division 4 season bests list this fall. Mason County Eastern has two runners among the top 30 on that list, led by junior Alex Tyndall, who sits ninth and should make a big jump from 54th at last year’s Final, where MCE finished seventh as a team. Holland Calvary was 14th last season with its five top runners in eighth grade and followed by a sophomore and freshman. Five of those seven will run this weekend.
Individuals: Potter’s House placed the top three runners last season and four of the top 11, and with several more seniors running fast only five of last year’s top 20 will join this race again Saturday. Holm and Poole are two, joined by Vestaburg senior Owen Patton (eighth), Johannesburg-Lewiston senior Blake Fox (16th) and Three Oaks River Valley sophomore Landon Rogers (17th). Patton has the fastest time in Division 4 this fall, 15:36.9, followed on the season bests list by Mesick freshman Kyle Redman, Maple City Glen Lake junior Colebrook Sutherland, Bear Lake/Onekama senior Kaden Forward and Pentwater senior Abe VanDuinen. Redman, Patton, Holm, Johannesburg-Lewiston senior Malaki Gascho, Muskegon Western Michigan Christian junior Matthias Morse, Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep sophomore Marek Butkiewicz, Genesee senior Connor Rouse, Harbor Beach sophomore Brody Karg and Royal Oak Shrine Catholic sophomore Abenezer Cerone won Regional titles.
PHOTO Northville’s Ethan Powell (111) leads a pack toward the finish of last season’s Lower Peninsula Division 1 Final at Michigan International Speedway. (Click for more from RunMichigan.com.)