Ishpeming Steps Up to 1st in UP D2
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
June 1, 2014
KINGSFORD — After taking home the runner-up trophy a year ago, the Ishpeming boys track and field team took that final step up the podium in Saturday’s Upper Peninsula Division 2 Finals.
The Hematites collected 115 points, earning their first title since 2003. They were followed by defending champ Manistique with 76 and Hancock with 61.
“We looked back at the seeding times, and it looked like we were 30 points better than them,” said Ishpeming coach Scott Syrjala. “We knew Manistique was faster than that. It’s a real feather in our cap to win by nearly 40. The guys were showing up for Saturday and Sunday workouts because we had practice whenever the sun was shining.”
Ishpeming senior Noah Olgren won pole vault at 12 feet, with classmate Jordan Tousignant runner-up (11-6).
Senior teammate Bobby Zhulkie was runner-up to Newberry senior Leroy Ward-Harbaum in high jump (5-8) on a tie-breaker, and junior Tommy Potter placed second in the 800-meter run in 2 minutes, 7.23 seconds, the 1,600 (4:57.9) and helped the Hematites place second in the 3,200 relay.
Ishpeming junior Nate Meyer placed second in the 400 (53.39) and senior Adam Prisk was third (54.07). Meyer added a third in the 200 (23.73). Prisk and Meyer also helped the winning 800 and 1,600 relays.
Manistique senior Ryan Ramey retained his 400 title (51.71), but yielded his 200 crown to L’Anse senior Ryan LaBerge (23.33). Ramey was runner-up in the 200 (23.63).
Senior teammate Tony Floyd won the 100 (11.64) and took fifth in the 200 (23.83).
Hancock had double-winners in senior Jacob Jarvis and sophomore Greg Hawthorne.
Jarvis won the 110 hurdles (15.65) and 300 (40.36) and helped the Bulldogs take second in the 800 relay. Hawthorne won shot put (51-/2) and retained his discus title (142-3).
“My starts have been good all day, and my legs have gotten a little quicker in the 110s,” said Jarvis, who will study at Michigan Tech this fall. “At the Regional (at West Iron County), I felt good and started thinking (winning both U.P. hurdle races) was a realistic goal.”
Ironwood junior Jared Joki became a triple-winner, taking the 800 (2:06.58), 1,600 (4:45.18) and 3,200 in a personal-best 10:19.36.
“It’s a great feeling to win here with some amazing competition,” said Joki. “It was hot out there. I have a couple friends in D-3 and you could tell the heat drained their energy. During the races, I didn’t think the heat was much of a factor. You just had to make sure you stayed hydrated.
“I had a lower body injury during the winter, otherwise I would have tried to go under 10 (in the 3,200). Overall, I’m pleased with the whole day.”
PHOTO: A pair of Ishpeming runners exchange the baton en route to winning the 1,600 relay at the U.P. Division 2 Final on Saturday at Kingsford. (Click to see more from RunMichigan.com.)
Revived Mancelona Boys Charging Ahead
May 9, 2019
By Chris Dobrowolski
Special for Second Half
Ability alone won’t get it done on the track.
That’s why the transformation of the Mancelona boys track & field team didn’t happen until the Ironmen added confidence to their talent.
“I always thought they could do it,” said Rick Ancel, Mancelona’s head coach. “I always thought we had a lot of talent. They just didn’t believe in themselves, and they ran mediocre. Once they started believing, the workouts changed. The times changed. There are very few people they are afraid of. They get beat on certain days, but they don’t beat themselves up. I think before this change they were afraid before they ever got on the track.”
Since they’ve developed some faith in themselves the Ironmen have been a force to be reckoned with, running undefeated through every regular-season invitational they competed in last year on the way to capturing the Ski Valley Conference title. With most of its squad returning this season, Mancelona has continued to dominate meets and figures to be a shoo-in to capture the league crown for a second straight year when the conference championships are run May 22. The squad has been so impressive that it earned a No. 6 ranking in the Michigan Interscholastic Track Coaches Association Division 3 poll two weeks ago.
“It’s kind of hard to think about (being ranked) because a couple years ago we weren’t even winning our conference let alone being ranked at the state level,” said junior Johnny Ancel, one of the team’s three captains, along with classmates Tommy Palmer and Wesley Fulk.
Members of the team or coaching staff point to when Rick Ancel took over as head coach before last year as the pivotal moment when the Ironmen’s outlook, preparation and performance all changed. Ancel, who ran collegiately at Saginaw Valley State, deflects the credit back to his team and its willingness to do what it takes to find success.
“I do remember during the year that the workouts started changing,” said Rick Ancel. “They started going from trying to complete a workout because they had to run that much to trying to improve. Instead of just getting through it, they were doing the workout to get better.”
The fruits of their labor paid off in the form of the league crown, a fifth-place finish in the Regional — which came in their first year competing in Division 3 — MHSAA Finals qualifiers in three events and a school record in the 1,600-meter relay.
“At the end of last year I was feeling pretty good,” said Fulk. “We were only losing two of our (top) people, so the majority of our team was still going to be here. I knew we were going to be better than last season.”
The Ironmen haven’t disappointed. In an indoor meet at Central Michigan University in mid-March, the Ironmen kicked off their season by finishing second among Division 3 and 4 teams, easily surpassing their 11th-place finish a year ago. They followed that by winning their first five regular-season meets outside. Only a second-place finish at the Blue Devil Classic in Gaylord — where Mancelona tested itself against Division 1 and 2 teams — broke up the streak of regular-season first-place finishes that started early last season.
“This year we added some big meets,” said Rick Ancel. “We really tried to ramp up our competition this year.”
Ancel’s veteran squad has welcomed the tougher competition. It’s a core of athletes who individually have the versatility to fill in at a number of different events and compete at a high level. The three captains, for instance, can run any event from the 100-meter dash up to the 800-meter run.
“We can try more people in different spots,” said Fulk.
It comes down to doing whatever the team needs at a particular meet. Even though track & field is in many ways an individual sport, the Ironmen see it from a team standpoint and embrace that perspective.
“We always start every meet and end every meet together as a team,” said Palmer. “You can’t do it alone, obviously. You can’t win a meet with just us three who are here or just one of us.”
Two years ago the Mancelona team had only 11 members. Depth is not an issue any longer, however, as the Ironmen have bolstered their roster and now have nearly every event covered. Sophomore Ryan Rebh is ranked among the best hurdlers in the state in Division 3. Sophomore Jayden Alfred is the reigning Regional champion in the high jump and long jump and has emerged as the team’s top sprinter this season. Sophomore distance runner Tyler McClure is a Finals qualifier in the 3,200-meter run. Junior Michael Wagner is one of the better discus throwers in the Ski Valley Conference. James Dunne, Ben Palmer, Sam Squires and Austin Anderson have been key point scorers as well.
Mancelona also has four top-notch relays — all four should be favored to win conference crowns — highlighted by the 1,600 team. Ancel, Tommy Palmer and Fulk all return for that squad and have their sights set on breaking the school record for a second straight year.
“We’re just trying to find the right day where we all run fast at the same time,” said Johnny Ancel. “We could probably break it again right now. We just haven’t found the day.”
Records aside, the Ironmen seem to have the lineup that could challenge for a Regional title. Mancelona’s last Regional championship came in 2012, but that was in Division 4. Running in Division 3 is a bit more difficult, the Ironmen say, but they are up for the challenge.
“Harbor Springs was (in Gaylord), and they’re in our division. They’re really good. We’ll meet them again at Regionals,” said Rick Ancel. “That will be a tough day for us, but I think we’ve got a shot at winning that.”
Chris Dobrowolski has covered northern Lower Peninsula sports since 1999 at the Ogemaw County Herald, Alpena News, Traverse City Record-Eagle and currently as sports editor at the Antrim Kalkaska Review since 2016. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, Roscommon, Ogemaw, Iosco, Alcona, Oscoda, Crawford, Kalkaska, Grand Traverse, Benzie, Leelanau, Antrim, Otsego, Montmorency, Alpena, Presque Isle, Cheboygan, Charlevoix and Emmet counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Mancelona’s Ryan Rebh leads the charge through the 110-meter hurdles during a recent meet. (Middle) Jayden Alfred launches during the long jump. (Photos by Chris Dobrowolski.)