Fast and Steady, Newberry Wins Race
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
June 4, 2017
KINGSFORD — Steady improvement through this season paid off for the Newberry boys track team Saturday as it scored 130½ points to win its first Upper Peninsula Division 2 title in 11 years.
The Indians were followed by three-time defending champ Ishpeming with 102 and Stephenson at 58.
“We had a lot of great performances,” said Newberry coach Gene Schroll. “Our goal was to improve through the year, and we did that. We had our share of firsts and scored in every event. We were fortunate enough to have four good seniors.”
Senior John Paramski had a hand in four firsts, taking long jump at 18 feet, 10 inches, shot put (48-7) and discus (119-5) and helping the Indians take the 400-meter relay in a U.P. Division 2 Final-record 45.03 seconds on a day that saw temperatures soar above 80 degrees in Dickinson County. St. Ignace previously set the 400 relay record (45.11) in 2009.
“The weather and atmosphere helped,” said Paramski, who will play football at Michigan Tech this fall. “When you have all the teams here, it really motivates you. It’s nice to have everything come together in the U.P. Finals.
“I didn’t have my best throw in disc, but it was good enough.”
Classmate Alex Johnson won the 110 hurdles in 15.99 seconds, edging Norway’s Inocenio Stankevich on a lean, and placed third in the 300 (43.69).
Ishpeming senior Grady Kerst took first in the 800 (2:00.65) and 1,600 (4:29.11), anchored the winning 3,200 relay (8:37.40) and was runner-up in the 3,200 (10:36.22).
The Hematites also took the 800 relay (1:35.69) and placed second in the 400 (45.70) and showed their depth in the distances.
Ishpeming’s Daren Guichin was runner-up in the 800 (2:10.73), with Kyle Pruett fourth (2:12.62).
In the 1,600, Spencer Giroux placed third (4:42.15), followed by teammate Jonah Broberg (4:54.45). Giroux also took third in the 3,200 (10:40.13).
Stephenson sophomore Montell Glover became a triple winner, taking the 100 (11.41), 200 (23.65) and 400 (50.76) and anchoring the second-place 800 relay (1:36.51)
Munising sophomore Matt Revord set a meet record in pole vault (13-6), topping the previous best (12-6) by Sam Winkler of Stephenson in 2001.
“In practice, I’ve been working on getting vertical,” said Revord. “I had 13-9 cleared, but came down on the bar. I definitely felt quick on the runway, but I wasn’t as fast as on other days. I’ve been working on inversion for the most part.”
Ironwood sophomore Nick Niemi took the 3,200 (10:20.23), anchored the winning 1,600 relay (3:43.47) and placed second in the 1,600 (4:36.99).
PHOTOS: (Top) Newberry’s anchor runner stretches to finish a meet record run in the 400 relay Saturday. (Middle) Ishpeming’s Grady Kerst passes Newberry’s Kindred Griffis during the 3,200 relay. (Photos by Cara Kamps.)
St. Joseph Boys Make Every Point Count in Clinching 1st Finals Since 1997
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
June 3, 2023
ROCKFORD – Entering the final event of Saturday’s Lower Peninsula Division 1 Final, the 1,600 relay, St. Joseph was in first place – but by the slimmest of margins.
St. Joseph had 35.75 points, while Rockford had 35, Clinton Township Chippewa Valley had 32, and Ann Arbor Huron had 30.
Bears head coach Todd Rose knew his team was in the second heat before faster teams after, but his for sure needed to be faster than Rockford.
“I don’t teach them to worry about who they are running against,” Rose said. “Just run within themselves and run how we teach them.”
St. Joseph did that behind the team of Shay White, Will Fiesbeck, Eli Toney and Alex Moyer, finishing fourth in the event with a time of 3:21.50 to earn a meet-best 40.75 points – clinching the program’s first Finals team championship since 1997.
Chippewa Valley was runner-up with 38 points, while Rockford was third at 36 points.
St. Joseph senior Gerald Capaccio scored 18 precious points for his team, most notably winning the discus with a winning throw of 167-2. Capaccio said he was in second going into his last throw.
“I just had the mindset that everyone can have a big throw, and it just has to be me that gets the big throw,” Capaccio said. “It happened on my final throw.”
Capaccio also was second in the shot put with a throw of 56-11¼.
In addition to Capaccio earning big points in the shot put and discus, Rose gave credit to high jumper Joshua Scott for finishing in a tie for seventh in that event. That gave the Bears two points, and they proved to be especially important as the team won by less than one.
It’s rare when a runner does something that hasn’t been achieved since before automobiles were invented, but Ann Arbor Huron senior Braxton Brann had that distinction.
Brann won the 110 hurdles and the 200 dash, becoming the first athlete to win those two events at the same state meet since 1895 – three decades before the MHSAA was formed.
“It’s great to be in that kind of conversation,” said Brann, who will run in college at Ohio State.
First, Brann won the 110 hurdles in a time of 13.77. He said that was the event he was most concerned about.
“I haven’t really been consistent, so I just wanted to be that,” Brann said.
Feeling much more comfortable and at home in the 200 dash, Brann ran a winning time of 21.12.
“Everybody comes in looking at the stats of everybody else,” he said. “I saw I was in the best position to win. But I knew I had to run by butt off against this great field and come out with a win.”
Just about everyone in the stadium did a double-take when Northville’s 3,200 relay time was posted. The team of Brandon Latta, Brock Malaikal, David Whitaker and Brendan Herger set a new all-Finals record with a blistering time of 7:35.32, which was the best time in the nation this year.
Herger said when he got the baton on the anchor leg, he knew his teammates set him up incredibly well. But even he and Northville couldn’t have foreseen this.
“I had to run 1.54 to get it, and then I ended up running a bit faster than that,” Herger said. “I was so happy. I love my boys so much. It was great to share the moment together.
Herger also ended up finishing second in the 800 meters with a time of 1:52.19 behind Utica’s Trent McFarland.
Detroit U-D Jesuit senior Jaiden Reed won the 100 (10.74), and Clinton Township Chippewa Valley junior Shamar Heard won the 400 (47.78). Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills senior Benne Anderson won the 1,600 (4:05.44), and Grand Haven junior Seth Norder won the 3,200 (9:04.68). Kalamazoo Central senior Kayenn Mabin won the 300 hurdles (38.31). Rockford in the 400 (42.01), Chippewa Valley in the 800 (1:26.41) and Oak Park in the 1,600 (3:18.90) also won relay titles.
Battle Creek Lakeview senior Andrew Berryhill was champion in the shot put (58-¼), and Saline senior Dolan Gonzales won pole vault (16-0). Ann Arbor Huron junior Andrew Harding won the high jump (6-7), and Canton sophomore Quincy Isaac won the long jump (22-11). New Baltimore Anchor Bay sophomore Luke Bowman competed in the adaptive 100 (19.65), 200 (35.66) and 400 (1:14.39).
PHOTOS (Top) St. Joseph celebrates its LPD1 championship Saturday. (Middle) Ann Arbor Huron's Braxton Brann finishes one of his two race wins. (Below) Northville makes the final exchange of its record-setting 3,200 relay. (Photos by Jamie McNinch [top two photos] and Carter Sherline/RunMichigan.com.)