Meyers Gives Kentwood Crowd Final Show
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
June 3, 2017
Khance Meyers put on one final show in an East Kentwood uniform Saturday, and did it on his home track.
The senior sprinting star won the 100 and 200 meters for the second straight year at the Lower Peninsula Division 1 Boys Track & Field Finals, and anchored the winning 800 relay team also to a repeat championship.
“Doing all this on my home turf feels amazing,” said Meyers, who also anchored the runner-up 1,600-relay team. “Just knowing that you’re at home, competing against the best, the top in the state, some even nationally ranked, it’s just amazing. Coming out here, giving the fans what they want, giving them a show – all I can say is I thank God that I’m able to do this.”
Meyers’ performance led an all-around remarkable day for the Falcons, who finished with 78½ points to claim their first MHSAA team title since 2014. It was the school’s sixth title under coach Dave Emeott. Rival Rockford was second with 62 points, followed by defending champion Oak Park in third with 44.
“Ultimately it was a full team approach,” Emeott said. “We won a bunch of events, and we set a state record in the long jump and ended up second place; that doesn’t happen very often. Our kids were on fire, every event. I’m so proud of them.”
Meyers set the Division 1 meet record in the 100 meters with his time of 10.53 seconds. He just missed breaking his own 200-meter record, winning in 21.27. He joined teammates Al Jeffries, Jacobie Welch and Stephan Bracey to run 1:26.07, breaking the Division 1 meet record East Kentwood set a year ago.
“People ask me all the time, ‘Khance, how does it feel to be No. 1 in the state?’ or ‘How does it feel to be competing at the top level?’” Meyers said. “Just being No. 1 in the 100, 200 and dropping your times -- all I can say is, I just thank God.”
Meyers wasn’t the only Falcon to take home an individual title, as sophomore thrower Logan Brown won the shot put with a toss of 60 feet, 1½ inches.
He also wasn’t the only record setter on the day. Salem’s Mason Phillips won the long jump with a leap of 24-2¾, the best mark not only in Division 1 meet history, but for all Finals.
Rockford’s 400-meter relay team did the same, as their time of 41.2 seconds is a new top mark in MHSAA Finals history. The team included Melvin Moseley, Noah Stallworth, Josh Patterson and Nicholas Isley.
Like Meyers, Oak Park’s Cameron Cooper came away with three titles and one runner-up finish. He won the 800 in 1:51.22, teamed with Dewan Hawthorne, Bryce Pickett and Javonne Kirksey to win the 1,600 relay in 3:17.58, and teamed with Hawthorne, Kirksey and Michael Campbell to win the 3,200 relay in 7:44.85. He was second in the 1,600 meters, edged out at the line by Rockford’s Cole Johnson.
“I just ran it,” Cooper said of the 800. “I had to come back after all of those events -- I can’t really feel my legs. I’m kind of used to (running four events) because I do it throughout the year, sometimes even doing two meets a week. I’m really strong, so I can come back and still run the same thing.”
For Johnson, his 1,600 win was a redemption story. He stumbled early in the race a year ago, but bounced back to take third. This year, he got out fast and won in 4:08.60, despite a late push from Cooper.
“Since I wanted to run fast, I had to be out there pushing the pace,” Johnson said. “I definitely learned from my fall last year to get out fast. I knew that I could go out in sub-60 (seconds on the first lap) because that’s what I went out at in an MSU meet earlier this year. I definitely wanted to get out fast.”
East Lansing’s Kentre Patterson doubled in the hurdle races, winning the 110 in 13.84 and the 300 in 38.23 seconds despite not running in the final heat. It was the second straight title for Patterson in the 110 hurdles.
“I always love competition, but being in the slow heat, kind of controlling the race was pretty good,” Patterson said. “It let me relax and do my own thing. I didn’t put my clothes back on until after (the final heat).
“I just had it in my head that this is the last race of the season, last time running the 300 hurdles. My coaches had me thinking about it all week, telling me I could do it coming out of the slow heat.”
Ypsilanti Lincoln’s Matthew Moorer won the 400 meters in 47.42 seconds. Fenton’s Dominic Dimambro won a tight 3,200-meter race in 9:07.79.
Randy Prince of Portage Northern won the discus with a throw of 173 feet. Connor Bush of Plymouth won the high jump with a jump of 6-6. Cale Snyder of Macomb Dakota won the pole vault, clearing 15-6.
PHOTO: East Kentwood's Khance Meyers pushes past his competitors during a sprint win Saturday. (Photo by Carter Sherline/RunMichigan.com.)
North Dickinson sprints, hurdles to first in D3
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
June 2, 2013
KINGSFORD — Hurdles and sprints have been major strengths for the Felch North Dickinson boys track and field team all season.
That continued at Saturday's Upper Peninsula Track Finals, as the Nordics gained their first Division 3 title in five years with 77 points.
Five points then separated the next five teams, with defending champ Pickford taking runner-up honors this time with 51. The Panthers were followed by St. Ignace with 48, Rapid River at 47 and Rock Mid-Peninsula and Bessemer with 46 apiece.
The Nordics, led by junior Tim Hruska, scored 32 points in field events to go with 28 in the sprints.
Hruska finished as a triple winner, taking the 100-meter dash in 11.53 seconds, 110 hurdles (16.17) and 300 in a personal-best 41.89.
"I just practiced a lot on hurdles," Hruska said. "I was hoping to get first in the hurdles, and the 100 was a bonus. This is awesome. Now that I know I can run these times, I hope to be faster next year."
Senior teammate Ken Pekarek grabbed third in the 110 hurdles (17.16) and junior Logan O'Neil took third in the 300 (43.46).
"This is really about the whole team," said Nordics' coach Mike Lindholm. "Everybody pushes each other. They've had confidence all year."
Mid-Peninsula senior Brett Branstrom was also a triple winner, including his personal-best leap of 6 feet, 1 inch in high jump. He also captured shot put (47-11½) and discus (153-9¼).
"I think just being here helped," said Branstrom, who will play basketball at Northern Michigan University next winter. "I didn't have my best throws in shot and disc, although going 3 for 3 is a nice way to end it. We had a perfect day for it. I just didn't perform as well as I liked."
Bessemer junior Alex Smith had a hand in two firsts, winning long jump (20-5) and helping the Speedboys take the 400 relay in a school-record 45.91 seconds.
"We were really pumped to come here," Smith said. "Our handoffs were working real well, and we really wanted to get the record for our school."
Cedarville senior Josh Hester won the 800 and 1,600 in season-best times of 2:03.63 and 4:37.79, respectively.
"The nice track and nice weather helped," said Hester, who plans to run cross country and track at Lake Superior State University next school year. "My training has gone well, and it paid off. We've been doing speed work the past couple weeks, and that also helped. I didn't want to go out too hard in the 1,600 because I didn't want to burn myself out in the first lap.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Three North Dickinson hurdlers (including eventual winner Tim Hruska, far right) made up nearly half the field of the 110 hurdles final. (Middle) Pickford won the 1,600 relay and finished second overall in U.P. Division 2. (Photo by Paul Gerard. Click to see more photo coverage from RunMichigan.com.)