Hematites Boys Go Distance in Repeat
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
June 5, 2016
KINGSFORD — There was reason to celebrate Saturday evening in Ishpeming as both of its track and field teams came home as Upper Peninsula Division 2 champions.
Earlier in the day, the Ishpeming boys retained their title, as did the girls.
The Ishpeming boys scored 134 points, followed by Iron Mountain with 94 and Iron River West Iron County 65.
“We had a fire truck parade through town and the booster club bought us a bunch of pizzas,” said first-year coach P.J. Pruett. “The boys ran good. One of the bigger battles we had was with the senior party (on Friday night).”
The Hematites, who swept all four places in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200-meter runs in the Regional at Manistique on May 18, again scored heavily in the distance races in Saturday’s Finals.
Ishpeming grabbed three places each in the 1,600 and 3,200 and two in the 800.
Junior Daren Guichin paced the Hematites by taking runner-up honors in the 800 in 2 minutes, 11.31 seconds and 1,600 (4:57.39) and helping their 3,200 relay place second (9:16.2).
“We went through the Regional with four in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200, and that ended up well for us,” said Pruett. “That gave us a chance to score some points in the Finals. We were neck-and-neck with Iron Mountain until the distances. They had good runners, but we had more of them. Our depth really showed. When you get to the Finals, points are points. Our distance guys ran as a pack, as they did in the Regional.”
The Hematites gained three firsts, with those coming in the 400 (47.48), 800 (1:37.9) and 1,600 (3:48.79) relays.
Ishpeming’s Isaac Olson, who placed second in the 100 (11.83), also helped the 800 relay.
“It felt like everything clicked for us,” said senior Kazmine Langness, also part of that relay. “Our handoffs were good, and everybody took off at the right time. Communication is the key. The chemistry is there.”
“Our 1,600 relay really took off,” said Pruett. “We were the underdog and ended up winning that one.”
Iron Mountain senior Nate Carey won 1,600 (4:45.04) and 3,200 (10:11.44) and helped the winning 3,200 relay (8:54.81).
“I wanted to go faster in the 3,200, but it’s tough to do when you get close to 10 minutes,” said Carey. “This is the first year I got under 10:20. I started training earlier this year (in late January) than in the past. I also did some weight training, which helped my leg strength. Running with the D-1 guys was a good motivator because I was running with the same guys I ran against in cross country.”
Teammate Tanner Huotari, also part of the winning 3,200 relay, added a first in the 800 (2:08.37).
Iron Mountain’s Aaron Bolo became a double-winner, taking high jump (5-8) and long jump (18-10), and Charlie Gerhard added a first in the 100 hurdles (17.36).
West Iron’s Bryant Schram dominated shot put (48-1¼) and took second in discus (118-7).
Hancock’s Alex Dewald won the 100 (11.68) and 200 (23.52), and senior Gage Hawthorn captured disc (140-2).
PHOTOS: (Top) Ishpeming’s Kyle Pruett cruises through the rain during the 3,200 relay; his team finished second in the race. (Middle) Hancock’s Alex Dewald crosses first in the 100. (Photos by Cara Kamps.)
Whittemore-Prescott Gets Win That Counts Most
By
Wes Morgan
Special for MHSAA.com
June 3, 2017
GRAND RAPIDS – Winning it all doesn’t necessarily mean winning them all when it comes to track & field.
In fact, the Whittemore-Prescott boys team didn’t win a single event at Saturday’s Lower Peninsula Division 4 championship meet at Grand Rapids’ Houseman Field.
The Cardinals still managed to rack up 36 points for the team title to hold off Manton (31), Harbor Springs (28) and two other schools that finished within 10 of the lead.
Seniors Ian Driscoll and Azaiyah Bell, sophomore Ridge Schutte and junior Bradley Lomason had one of the best finishes of the day for the Cardinals, clocking in at 3 minutes, 27.98 seconds in the 1,600-meter relay for second place. Junior Michael Eagan was also runner-up after he sailed 20 feet, 10½ inches in the long jump.
The top eight finishers in each event secure all-state status from the coaches association, and Whittemore-Prescott boasted five more all-state performances. Bell took fifth in the 100 (11.50), Driscoll, Schutte, Lomason and Bell were third in the 800 relay (1:32.92) and Lomason crossed the line in sixth in the 400 (51.52).
Senior Hunter Kensa added a seventh-place effort in the 800 with a time of 2:02.04, and junior Zane Aldrich was fourth in the 3,200 (10:04.19).
No records were broken at Houseman Field on a day with perfect weather. There were, however, a handful of double champions.
Harbor Springs sophomore Jeremy Kloss swept the 1,600 and the 3,200 with times of 4:25.73 and 9:46.25, respectively. He was fueled by a runner-up finish this past fall at the Cross Country Finals, but his game plan for both races seemed to have been scrapped immediately. Kloss reacted well to the chaos that often can accompany the pressure-packed championship meet.
“In the mile, I went out a little harder than I would normally because I didn’t want to get pulled in and surrounded by a pack,” Kloss said. “So I led the race the whole time.
“In the two mile I went out a little slow (4:57) and I was maybe in 10th place at the mile mark. I made up a lot of ground and caught the Saginaw Nouvel kid around the 300-meter mark. It was a completely different race, but it totally worked out in the end. I wanted to redeem myself during track, and it feels really nice. I was really happy.”
Livingston Christian senior Paxton Titus felt his heart rate increase when he had to make his third attempt in the discus count following two scratches. His final toss in the preliminaries went 169-10 to ensure a spot in the finals. He wouldn’t need the extra throws, though, as that mark was good enough to win a title.
He ran his hand through his mohawk, pumped his fists and let out some deep sighs of relief as he left the circle.
Titus was also the favorite in the shot put, and he delivered with a winning distance of 55-9½. Titus was the Finals champion in the discus last season as well and seventh in the shot put last June.
Sand Creek sophomore Alec Muck also doubled Saturday, securing victories in the 100 and 200. He cruised to a time of 10.98 seconds in the 100 and turned in a 22.14 in the 200. The times were personal records, and Muck edged Reading’s Ethan LoPresto, who also has two more years of competition ahead, setting up what should be some exciting matchups to come.
"It felt great to win this year," Muck said. "It was a goal I had this past year, and it's what I strived to do. It felt surreal to accomplish it. The weather was really nice today, and that helped me a lot, I think.
“Coming off last year winning the 200, I was nervous and felt like I had a lot to live up to. It was nice to be able to represent my county and bring home the wins in both races."
Marcellus junior Derek Flory also put his stamp on Saturday’s Finals with a pair of victories. He sprinted to the line in a time of 39.89 in the 300 hurdles and logged a distance of 20-11 to win the long jump.
PHOTOS: (Top) Whittemore-Prescott runners pass the baton during a relay Saturday at Houseman Field. (Middle) Muskegon Catholic Central and Fulton-Middleton anchors cross the finish line during the 400 relay. (Photos by Dave McCauley/RunMichigan.com.)