Questions Answered for D1 Winner
November 2, 2013
By Bill Khan
Special to Second Half
BROOKLYN — It's been a year of "what-ifs" for Grand Blanc junior Grant Fisher.
What if the Bobcats' soccer team hadn't made the MHSAA Division 1 Final last season?
What if Fisher, a starting midfielder as a sophomore, hadn't chosen to play in the championship game instead of running in the MHSAA Cross Country Finals, which took place on the same day?
How would he have done against the best runners in the state?
"The soccer final didn't turn out the way we wanted," Fisher said. "We lost 1-0 to East Kentwood. There's always the thought that maybe I could've come here that day and not gone to the soccer game and maybe contended for state. I don't regret that decision, but it's definitely good to be back."
There will be no questions swirling in Fisher's head for the next year. He ran to the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 1 championship Saturday with a time of 15:13.7, beating Kensington Lakes Activities Association West rival and defending champion Brian Kettle of Milford by 18 seconds.
The soccer issue was settled when an unbeaten Grand Blanc team was upset 1-0 in the District Final by Clarkston on Oct. 19. Fisher had already determined that he would run in the cross country finals if the Bobcats reached the soccer final.
"We definitely had a good chance to make it in soccer," Fisher said. "We were ranked fourth going in. It was really too bad of a way to go out. It's allowed me to train for cross more and focus. It's definitely helped my cross country. I haven't won a state title in cross. That's something I really wanted to do."
Fisher already had an MHSAA championship on his resume, winning the 3,200-meter run in track and field last spring after taking second in the 1,600 by the narrowest of margins. In his only cross country final before Saturday, Fisher was 44th as a freshman in 16:14.3.
He had raced Kettle one other time this season, winning by 14.6 seconds in the KLAA Lakes Conference meet on Oct. 17. As was the case in that meet, Fisher and Kettle ran together through two miles before Fisher pulled away.
"I didn't want to leave it for too late, so I made my move at two miles," Fisher said. "Brian was with me for a good amount of time. He was right on my shoulder."
Fisher became the third Bobcat to win an MHSAA championship. Mark Mesler was the Class A team champion in 1977 and Chris Catton was the 2002 Division 1 winner.
Kettle didn't come away empty-handed, as he led Milford to a third straight team championship by placing in the top two for the third year in a row.
Milford edged KLAA Lakes rival Waterford Mott, 165-170, for the title. Mott had beaten Milford in both of the teams' meetings this year, winning 88-114 at the Oakland County Championships on Oct. 5 and 63-72 in the KLAA Lakes Conference meet on Oct. 17.
Milford put it together at the right time to win a fifth championship in the last 11 years.
The difference for the Mavericks was at the No. 4 spot, where senior Kevin Black had a 24-point advantage on Mott's No. 4 runner. Three positions were relatively even between the teams, while Mott had an 18-point advantage at No. 2.
Scoring for Milford were Kettle, senior Jeffery Field (28th in the team race, 16:24.0), junior Sean Noone (31st, 16:25.2), Black (34th, 16:26.6) and senior Clinton Caddell (70th, 16:48.5).
Mott had two runners in the top 10 in the team race, third-place Ryan Robinson (15:42.6) and 10th-place Sam Albaugh (15:55.5).
Traverse City Central also was in the title hunt, taking third with 180 points. The Trojans had three runners in the top 11 in the team race, but their No. 5 runner was 118th.
PHOTO: Grand Blanc's Grant Fisher (1023), Waterford Mott's Ryan Robinson (1175), Royal Oak's Ben Hill (1254) and Milford's Brian Kettle (1047) paced the field at Saturday's LP Division 1 Final. (Click to see more from RunMichigan.com.)
Litzner Sets UP Finals Record, Jeffers Reigns Again & Engadine for 1st Time
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
October 19, 2024
MUNISING — It was a cross country race for the ages here Saturday as nine boys runners broke 16:30 at the Upper Peninsula Division 1 Finals.
Sault Ste. Marie junior Gabe Litzner set the U.P. Finals all-class/division record, covering the 3.1-mile course in 15:14.4. He was followed by Marquette seniors Seppi Camilli (15:34.7) and James Barch (15:57.8).
“I came into this race very nervous,” Litzner said. “I knew Seppi was going to give me a good race. I felt the way to beat him was to stick with him in the first mile. I didn’t want to wait until the last mile or 800 meters. He’s very fast. I knew he would kick it in during the last mile.
“Adrenalin got me through the whole race, especially today. I knew it was going to be hard. It’s exciting to be part of U.P. history. It feels really great. I love running with these guys.”
Marquette captured its sixth consecutive title with 20 points, followed by Sault with 56 and Houghton with 89.
“We had a great season as a team,” Litzner said. “Marquette is just a great team. They’re real tough to beat. They’re one of the best in the state. I’ll never forget this U.P. Finals. It was a great time.”
Camilli’s time was the second-best in U.P. history, and Barch finished with the third best.
“I wish it would have been a little more exciting (individually),” Camilli said. “It was close through the first mile. I ran a 4:45, and I think it caught up with me in the end. It’s a little disappointing in a way, but it was still a good race. I was six seconds off my PR (personal record) at two miles and fell off a little in the third.
“Winning as a team was exciting for sure. It’s high pressure and exciting.”
Division 2
Painesdale Jeffers collected its fourth-straight Division 2 championship with 33 points, followed by Rudyard’s 81 and Ironwood’s 84.
Munising senior Dan Goss earned the top individual honor at 16:43. He was followed by Jeffers’ junior Cameron Anderson (16:55.2) and Rudyard junior Steven Kirschner (17:23.4) on a sunny and mild day at the Pictured Rocks Golf Course.
“Winning on our home course is awesome,” Goss said. “I definitely had special motivation. There was a lot of pressure, but our coaches are very supportive. We couldn’t ask for better.
“This happened to be my mom’s birthday, which also motivated me. I didn’t want to let her down. We had plenty of community support, which we appreciate.”
Ironwood senior Zach Smith was fourth (17:26) and Jeffers junior Landon Larson took fifth (17:30.9).
“The race was pretty good, but my legs weren’t feeling up to snuff,” Larson said. “It felt awesome to win as a team. We were going for a four-peat. I just ran fast and hard. Training during the summer helps. We came into the season in good shape.
“We have no seniors this year. We have a lot to look forward to.”
Division 3
Engadine was crowned U.P. Division 3 champion for the first time with 62 points, followed by Stephenson with 82 and 2023 champ Dollar Bay at 106.
“It’s pretty awesome,” Engadine coach Tracy Germain said. “As we were coming through the line, I knew we had it. There’s always little bit of doubt until it happens. This is a real boost for our program. We put a lot of work into it. It’s not a given.”
Chassell senior Kalvin Kytta earned his second U.P. individual title at 16:10.2.
“That was close to a PR,” he said. “I’m pleased with how the race went. I knew it would be a battle with myself for time and set goals for my split times. I fell off a little in the last mile, but I’m still pleased. When the gun went off for the Division 1 race, I got more excited for my race.”
Engadine senior Dakota Taylor was runner-up (17:22.2), with Ewen-Trout Creek freshman Brody Majurin third (17:28).
“We’re very grateful,” Taylor said. “It’s rewarding, and we feel very accomplished. I’m thankful to Tracy for everything she does. It’s so hard to get that first one.
“Last year we had a small group. It’s good to reach personal goals, but it’s even better with a great group of guys. I think Kalvin had 4:57 in the first mile. He ran a great race.”
PHOTOS (Top) Marquette's Seppi Camilli (227) and Sault Ste. Marie's Gabe Litzner (361) run together during the Division 1 Final on Saturday. (Middle) Rudyard's Steven Kirschner (347) and Jeffers' Cameron Anderson (288) are in the second and third position, respectively, after about one-third of the Division 2 race. (Below) Chassell's Kalvin Kytta crosses the finish line first in the Division 3 race at Pictured Rocks Golf Course in Munising. (Click for more from Cara Kamps/RunMichigan.com.)