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East Kentwood Adds Perfection to Streak

June 1, 2019

By Dean Holzwarth
Special for Second Half

KENTWOOD – A hard pounding rain began to fall shortly after the East Kentwood boys track & field team reached the podium.

It was only fitting, as the Falcons reigned once again.

East Kentwood completed a three-peat Saturday at home in the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 1 Finals.

The Falcons scored 63.5 points in winning the Finals for the eighth time in the last 11 years. They also won three consecutive championships from 2009-11.

Ann Arbor Pioneer placed runner-up with 43 points.

“An amazing group of kids that just fought and fought and fought all day,” East Kentwood coach Dave Emeott said.

The Falcons did so despite winning only three events. East Kentwood claimed top honors in the 800 and 1,600 relays, while Stephan Bracey won the long jump (24-1.25).

“We only had three firsts today, and everything else was a battle and they did it,” Emeott said. “They stepped up in every opportunity they had, and they hung together. They trusted each other as teammates and came out on top at the end of the day. I’m just so proud of this team.”

Junior Michael Osteno helped the winning 1,600 relay team as he joined Elijah Ealy, Junior Hie and Jeremiah Applewhite to clock a 3:18.54.

“It’s something you dream about, running on this track and winning another state championship,” Osteno said. “Going back-to-back-to-back was the goal today and we wanted to finish, execute and give an elite mindset to get that third one.

“We came out and did what we’ve been doing all season, and when it came time to step up like we knew other teams were going to do, that’s what we did.”

The victory also culminated a perfect season. The Falcons went undefeated in duals, in the conference championship and also won their Regional.

“At the beginning of the season the seniors talked about what we wanted to accomplish, and they talked about a perfect season,” Emeott said. “That hadn’t happened in the last couple years. They wanted to be perfect, and that’s hard to do, especially in the O-K Red, but they stepped up and did it.

“We have a lot of young athletes, and some of them sacrificed for the team. They did four or three events. The other day I said that I didn’t know why I was so stressed because I have nothing to be stressed about, because they are so nice and so great.”

Ann Arbor Pioneer finished second for the second straight year and was led by senior standout Nick Foster, who capped an illustrious prep career with wins in the 1,600 (4:12.32) and 3,200 (9:08.55).

“This is the last time wearing a Pioneer uniform, and it’s been a crazy last four years,” Foster said. “I just wanted to go out with a bang, and our team got second. I’m going to miss all these guys, and it’s pretty awesome to go out like this.”

Foster competed in four events, and actually got a little rest because of delays due to inclement weather.

“I knew it was going to be a similar challenge, and I knew I was stronger coming in,” Foster said. “This year there was more of a goal of winning all the events and trying to place in the 1,600 relay.

“There was a lot of pressure coming back, but I knew I was strong enough to do all these events and I tried to take one race at a time. Mother Nature helped with the delays.”

Foster’s final race was the 3,200, which he won by a little more than two seconds ahead of Alpena’s Aden Smith.

“My third one, that was the toughest,” Foster said. “I knew I had to stay close, and I had confidence in my finish.”

Lansing Waverly’s Keshaun Harris repeated in the 300 hurdles (37.75) and also won the 110 hurdles (13.98) after placing runner-up last season.

Rockford’s Noah Stallworth also took home a pair of titles in the 100 (10.76) and 200 (21.64).

The following also collected individual championships: Grand Blanc’s Ethan Vargo (high jump), Brownstown Woodhaven’s Clarence Corbett (shot put), Alpena’s Gabe Bullis (pole vault), Alpena’s Eli Winter (discus), Novi’s Miles Brown (800) and Westland John Glenn’s James Flournoy (400).

Click for full results.

PHOTOS: (Top) East Kentwood stays just ahead of Oak Park to claim a relay championship Saturday in LP Division 1. (Middle) Ann Arbor Pioneer's Nick Foster leads the way. (Photos by Carter Sherline. Click to see more from RunMichigan.com.)

Flint Beecher track & field

Beecher's Townsend Ready to Lead Chase Among State's Speediest Sprinters

By Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com

April 13, 2022

Jaylin Townsend’s introduction to the state’s track & field scene came a year later than planned, but it was quite a first impression.

As a sophomore, the Flint Beecher star walked out of the Lower Peninsula Division 4 Finals with two individual titles, one relay title and a runner-up finish in another relay.

“It kind of surprised me,” Townsend said. “Coming into the season off of COVID, we could barely get into the weight room, and it was hard to get on the track and run. We couldn’t get the blocks out. It was kind of an eye opener, really.”

Despite it being his first season – the 2020 season was canceled completely – Townsend was dominant throughout. He won all but one of the individual races he competed in, with the lone loss coming in the 200 meters in the first meet of the season.

That was quickly corrected, as he cut nearly four seconds off his time in his next meet and never lost the race again.

He won the 100 meters at the Division 4 Finals with a personal best of 10.98 seconds. He won the 200 in 22.75. His personal best in that event is 22.37, which was run in the prelims of the Regional.

Beecher’s relay teams that featured Townsend were equally dominant. The 800-meter relay team suffered just one defeat – disqualification at the Genesee Area Conference championship meet. Townsend, Micah Brown, Danny Bradley and Jacoby Sanders ran a season-best 1:30.59 to win at the Division 4 Finals.

The 400 relay team of Townsend, Bradley, Carmelo Harris and James Cummings II took second at the Division 4 Finals with a time of 44.11. It was their first non-DQ loss of the season.

Townsend’s contributions were good for 38 team points, which alone would have placed fourth in Division 4. Beecher as a team finished third with 54 points.

While the immediate success came as a surprise to Townsend, it didn't to his coach.

“I saw it in him,” Beecher coach Joe Wilkerson said. “I knew he could be something special. I told his mother when I talked to her, ‘This guy is going to be a state champ this year.’ There was just something about him that I saw it in him. Lo and behold, he was a three-time state champ. It just made me feel good, because I could trust my own instincts a little bit right now.”

Townsend knows his success will motivate his future opponents even more, but he’s fine with that.

“Going into this year, I know they’re coming for me,” he said. “I know I have to put in some extra work.”

Putting in extra work is something Townsend is used to, as he had to a year ago to get up to speed. He said working on his stride and coming out of the blocks were the main points of emphasis.

“I had to learn a lot, actually,” he said. “Most of the stuff, I was just doing off raw talent. I would make sure to ask Coach, ‘Hey, do you have an extra 30 minutes? Can you stay after?’ My first-ever track meet, when I came out of the blocks, I used to pop right up.”

That has Wilkerson excited, as he believes the sky is the limit for his young star.

Flint Beecher basketball“This guy, he’s exceptional,” said Wilkerson, who has coached track at Beecher on and off since 1979. “I’ve been coaching for a long time, and I’ve never had a student quite like him with that kind of natural ability.”

Townsend’s focus on track is essentially limited to the spring season, as he also plays football and basketball for the Buccaneers.

“I’ve always been a great athlete, and I wanted to continue to be great,” Townsend said. “Going into basketball, it keeps me in shape for track.”

He was a key reserve forward for the Beecher basketball team, which advanced to the Division 3 Semifinals this season. He plays mostly in the post, despite being a shade under 6-foot-1 and 165 pounds.

Football is the sport he’s most focused on, particularly when it comes to competing in college. He plays receiver, free safety and cornerback for Beecher, and said he’s had talks with Central Michigan, Ferris State and Grand Valley State.

It was his performance on the track, though, that really helped to start those.

“When I started posting the speed, some of the colleges started to look like, ‘Hey, we can use this kid,’” Townsend said. “It helped out a lot.”

Heading into his junior track season, he hopes to turn a few more heads. He knows the best way to do that is to hold off the challengers who now have him in their sights, and continue to improve on his times. His goal is to work his 100 time down to 10.5 and his 200 time into the mid 21s.

“It kind of goes together,” he said. “Coming off last season, it put a target on my back, but it made some college coaches want to come to the track meets. They want to see me run. They want to see my speed. It’s nothing I can’t handle, though.”

Paul CostanzoPaul Costanzo served as a sportswriter at The Port Huron Times Herald from 2006-15, including three years as lead sportswriter, and prior to that as sports editor at the Hillsdale Daily News from 2005-06. 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) Flint Beecher’s Jaylin Townsend, right, turns a corner as he works to get a pace ahead of Saugatuck’s Benny Diaz on the way to winning last season’s LPD4 200 championship. (Middle) Townsend gets ready to defend during last month’s Division 3 Semifinal against Schoolcraft. (Top photo by Will Kennedy; middle photo by Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)