Kelloggsville Shines in First Title Run
June 1, 2013
By Geoff Mott
Special to Second Half
COMSTOCK PARK – Saturday’s Lower Peninsula Division 3 Boys Track and Field Finals just kept getting better and better for Wyoming Kelloggsville senior T.J. Burnett.
First he won the 400-meter dash title in 48.59 seconds, a mark he thought was well short of the LP Division 3 meet record.
“Coach had told me that 47.9 was the record, and when I got that time, I was pretty disappointed,” Burnett said. “Then I’m getting my medal, and I found out that I set the record.”
Then Burnett went out and helped his team win the 800 relay in 1:31.10 and close the meet with a title in the 1,600 relay (3:24.27).
And then Burnett found out the Rockets had captured their first-ever team title in track and field.
Wyoming Kelloggsville scored 52 points to easily outdistance runner-up Mason County Central (31) and third-place Standish-Sterling (28).
“The individual medals feel great, but nothing is better than winning that team title,” said Burnett, who immediately celebrated with family that numbered more than 10, including his sister from Texas.
Kelloggsville coach Tom DeGennaro has coached for 27 years, including the last three with the Rockets. It’s his first MHSAA title and a gratifying one at that.
“This group is special and full of outstanding kids,” DeGennaro said. “I can think of a lot of kids over the years that have helped build into this. But these kids are just awesome. They are gifted, but they also have great attitudes.”
DeGennaro pointed to athletes like Dionte Williams, who finished fourth in the 800 and ran legs for both relay title teams.
“He’s capable of competing in anything,” DeGennaro said. “He filled in for an injured kid in the 400 relay. He competed in the long jump this year.”
DeGennaro also was pleased to see Burnett come out on top.
“I saw something special in him the moment I took over the team,” DeGennaro said. “This has been a wonderful four-year journey for him. He’s a bulldog on the track and in the classroom, where he’s a 4.0 student.”
After a second-place finish in the 1,600 run last year, Mason County Central junior Chase Barnett wasn’t coming home without hardware this year. He won the race with a 4:15.97 finish, then added another win in the 800 run in 1:57.41.
“All the glory to God because I’m feeling pretty blessed right now,” Barnett said. “I really felt stronger this year. There was weird weather that kind of shortened up the season, but we figured out new ways to train and get the job done.
“I put in a lot of miles in the winter for this.”
Barnett brought home three championship medals, anchoring a Mason County Central title in the 3,200 relay – the team crossed with a 7:57.04 finish, nearly 17 seconds better than its qualifying time of 8:14.
“Now it’s time to go home and relax,” Barnett said.
Warren Michigan Collegiate senior Teo Redding glanced at the qualifying times heading into Saturday’s 110 hurdles and wasn’t sold on the 15.5-second time that had him seeded 19th in the event.
“I took second last year, and I’ve had better times than that,” Redding said. “Seeing that time made me even more hungry. I’ve been waiting all year for this. I was ready to go.”
Redding won his first MHSAA title and claimed the first title in school history, finishing the race in 14.65 to clip Burnett’s 14.77 finish. Redding took second in the long jump, clearing 6-8 on his first attempt, and also took second in the 300 hurdles with a 39.7 finish. Bangor’s Jesse Ring won the event in 39.17.
“I ran a really clean race,” Redding said. “I took off fast and wanted to leave (the field) as far behind as I could. It still came down to a photo finish.”
Redding, 18, will play football and hopes to run track next year at Bowling Green University.
Morley-Stanwood senior Travis McCuaig claimed back-to-back titles in the high jump, clearing 6-9 to edge Redding. McCuaig finished with three medals on the day, finishing fifth in the 300 hurdles (40.39) and eighth in the 110 hurdles (15.95).
“It’s funny because I’ve been down in the high jump and I changed some things this week,” McCuaig said. “I’m a power jumper, not a speed jumper. I’ve found I was running too hard and running into the pole. So I slowed it down today and got 6-7 on my first jump.
“Then Redding hit 6-8 on his first attempt, and I thought I was in trouble. I finally got it on my last attempt and then nailed 6-9 on my first attempt. I peaked at the right time this week.”
The 100 meter dash was decided by one hundredth of a second, and the third-place finisher was just three hundredths of a second from the top spot. In fact, one tenth of a second is all that separated the winner from fifth place.
But prevailing as champion was Southfield Bradford Academy senior Alize Champion. His 11.03 finish edged runner-up Jonathan Fife of Flint Southwestern and Carrollton’s Landon Lyons.
“Once I hit 50 meters, my long strides started to kick in,” said Champion, who placed eighth in the event last year and was seeded 22nd heading into Saturday. “I just had to give it my all because I knew this race was very competitive. There was a little pressure.”
The most interesting title went to Watervliet senior Jake Cowsert, who won the long jump with a 21-foot-1½ inch leap. He edged Pewamo-Westphalia’s Andy Pung by a half inch.
Cowsert didn’t compete in track and field until this season. After setting the long jump school record in middle school, all Cowsert wanted to do this year was set the high school record in the event and continue playing with the baseball team.
While his baseball team competed in Districts, Cowsert found a way to win a Finals championship.
“This is unbelievable,” said Cowsert, who’ll play football at Olivet College. “Our school doesn’t like us to compete in multiple sports in a season, but I really wanted the record.
“I didn’t even know what it took to win a state title or what the marks were. I broke the school record in the fourth meet of the season and just kept going. I graduated last night, and now I’m a state champion. Unbelievable.”
Bath senior Jeff Dempsey improved his pole vault by nearly a foot, winning the event with a 14-foot, 7-inich vault after qualifying with a 13-9 in the event. He finished third in 2012.
“I couldn’t be happier right now,” said Dempsey, who next heads to Pensacola Christian College (Fla.) to major in pastoral studies. The school doesn’t have pole vault. “It’s a great way to end a career. It feels great for the personal accomplishment, but I love for God. He gets the glory.”
Dempsey also credited pole vault coach Jerry Sessions from Maple Valley. Dempsey started training with the coach as a sophomore, improving his vault from 12-6 to 14-7.
“He did a tremendous job and gave me a lot of confidence to compete at this level,” Dempsey said. “He brought me a pole that worked very well.”
Niles Brandywine’s Evan Hartman won the discus with an LP Division 3 Finals record of 187-1, while Standish-Sterling’s Clayton Walderzak won the shot put with a toss of 55-2½.
Saginaw Nouvel Catholic Central’s Tyler Hendricks bounced back from horrible injuries a year ago to win the 200 dash in 22.82, while Lansing Catholic’s Rebera Keenan won the 3,200 title in 9:32.46.
Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard won the 400 relay in 43.99.
PHOTO: Wyoming Kelloggsville won the 800 and 1,600-meter relays on the way to claiming the overall team championship at Comstock Park. (Photo by Jackie Gomez. Click to see more photo coverage from RunMichigan.com.)
State's Fastest Aiming for Record Finish
May 24, 2017
By Dean Holzwarth
Special for Second Half
KENTWOOD – Khance Meyers is widely regarded as the fastest sprinter in the state.
The East Kentwood senior track star will attempt to live up to that billing next weekend when he competes in the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 1 Finals.
Meyers is the reigning champion in the 100 and 200.
“I feel amazing going into the state meet as a 100 and 200 runner and defending my title,” Meyers said. “I’m just really excited, and I’m planning on trying to take the state meet record in the 100 and going back for the 200 record and dropping that even more.”
Meyers made a sparkling debut last season at the Finals as a junior, becoming a dual champion while also setting a new meet record in the 200.
He clocked a 21.24, eclipsing the previous mark of 21.30 seconds.
Although he had never competed in the Finals until last season, Meyers had lofty expectations for himself.
He had spent the previous two seasons watching and waiting for his time to shine.
“Last year was just like, ‘wow,’” Meyers said. “I’m here, and it’s time to show them what I have. It’s my time to show them what I can do, and that’s where all the pressure came from. My coaches explained to me how big it was and how important it is to be a state champion and to try my best.”
Meyers also ran the first leg on the victorious 800 relay team.
For Meyers, his final Finals meet is expected to be special for a couple reasons.
Not that he needed extra motivation, but he will be running on his home turf as the Division 1 Finals will be held at East Kentwood High School.
“Being able to run my last year with my team and to run at East Kentwood is making me feel so amazing inside,” he said. “To have that feeling that I have that advantage to run in my home territory.”
Meyers has the top times in the state this season in both of his signature events (10.55 in the 100, 21.29 in the 200), but he knows the competition will be stiff at the Finals.
He isn’t taking anything for granted.
“You get everybody at their best level and everybody is battling for a title,” Meyers said. “There is just going to be a lot of pressure on not only me, but everyone else to get a state championship.
“I’m always looking at other people because someone who isn’t ranked can come out of nowhere. You have to be prepared for that, and being number one in the state you can’t slack off or take your time. You have to be fully alert that anybody can just come up and do anything.”
Falcons boys track coach David Emeott said Meyers remains humble despite his past accomplishments. He doesn’t rest on his laurels, and instead displays a work ethic that is unmatched.
“He’s a pretty amazing athlete, there’s no doubt about that, but he’s an incredible worker and no one outworks him,” he said. “He puts the time in on the track more than anybody and he spends time watching film and studying the sport.
“He does what he needs to do to get better, and it’s pretty rare. Usually you get a kid that talented and he doesn’t necessarily want to put in the time. He comes with some natural ability, but he just trusts the process.”
Meyers didn’t know he was gifted on the track until he was in middle school. As an eighth-grader, people began taking notice of his raw speed.
“I came from nowhere in seventh grade to somewhere the next year,” Meyers said. “I became pretty fast, and everyone was telling me that. I was happy and excited to become better for myself and also help people around me get better.”
Meyers also has displayed his prowess at the national level. He took part in the New Balance Outdoor Nationals and placed second in the 200 with a time of 20.78 seconds.
He said competing against the top runners in the country was beneficial.
“Running in the 200 open on the big stage at the national level was amazing,” he said. “That experience gave me a different thought process. I just wanted to run my race, and do what I can do to get better.”
Meyers, who next will attend Hinds Junior College in Mississippi (which finished fourth at junior college nationals this past weekend), has a ritual before the start of every race.
“I pray before I go, and I try to channel everything,” Meyers said. “I just have my mind go blank and just focus on the race. As soon as I get off the blocks, I know it’s just a straight shot from the starting line to the finish.”
Meyers will be the catalyst of an East Kentwood team that will vie for a team Division 1 title. The Falcons placed third last season.
“I feel good about where we’re at,” Emeott said. “All of the guys who made it through have the opportunity to score. If we step up and do our jobs and focus on what is important, then we have a real opportunity to maybe win another state title. I have no reason to think that we’re not definitely in the conversation.”
Dean Holzwarth covered primarily high school sports for the Grand Rapids Press and MLive for 16 years and more recently served as sports editor of the Ionia Sentinel and as a sports photojournalist for WZZM. Contact him at[email protected] with story ideas for Allegan, Kent and Ottawa counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) East Kentwood's Khance Meyers breaks away from the field during last season's 200-meter preliminaries at the Lower Peninsula Division 1 Finals. (Middle) Meyers stays a step ahead of Oak Park's Miles Daniel (left) and Saginaw Heritage's Sean Beckom II during last season's 100 championship race. (Photos by Carter Sherline/RunMichigan.com.)