#TBT: 1st UP Regional Sends Vulcan Star
June 21, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
A runner who starred 90 years ago for a western Upper Peninsula high school that closed long ago surely won’t jog many memories these days.
But Lawrence Pedo’s accomplishments in 1928 were noteworthy and remain memorable as we turn the page on another spring of track & field championships.
The MHSAA began sponsoring statewide track & field finals meets in 1927, drawing qualifiers from a series of Regionals. The first Upper Peninsula Regional was added to the lineup a year later, and on May 19, 1928, Michigan College of Mining and Technology – better known as Michigan Tech – hosted hopefuls from 23 schools who competed in Class B, C and D for the opportunity to travel downstate and face Michigan’s best at Michigan State College in East Lansing.
While this program from that first Regional meet survives, results for the Class C and D portions are not easily available (although the Class B winners were found in the archives of the Escanaba Daily Press and show nine first places across 14 events for the “Escanabans,” as referred to by the home paper.)
It’s a fair guess that Vulcan’s Pedo had a good day in the Class D Regional portion as well. The following week at MSC – now MSU – Pedo won the 880-yard race in 2:08.1 and took second in the javelin throw. His 880 time remained a Class D Finals record until 1940, which, coincidentally, also was the first season with separate championship meets for the Upper and Lower Peninsulas.
Vulcan, meanwhile, remains a small community just east of Norway along U.S. 2 and the Michigan/Wisconsin border. Vulcan schools consolidated with Norway in 1964, with high school students attending Norway High School.
The Regional program includes a page listing the meets officials and order of events, but also a list of all competing athletes, pages to write in event-by-event results, and an advertisement for Michigan Tech.
Fowler Boys Clinch 1st Team Title since 1988, Buford Leaps Into Record Book
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
June 2, 2024
HUDSONVILLE — In 2023, Anthony Buford of Detroit Frederick Douglass would have won the long jump at the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 4 Track & Field Finals if not for a historic effort.
Buford nearly was first, but had to settle for second after Peck’s Alex Affer jumped a meet-record distance of 23-feet, 1.5-inches.
Affer graduated last year, but he still was providing Buford plenty of motivation when he started the long jump event at this year’s event.
“My main motivator all year has been my main guy Alex Affer, the former record holder at 23-1,” Buford said. “He was really anticipating me breaking his record this year.”
Buford made good on Affer’s proclamation by setting a new Division 4 Finals record, jumping a recorded distance of 23 feet, 2 inches, into a headwind to best what Affer achieved a year ago.
“I was really surprised I broke it with that headwind I was jumping into,” Buford said. “But honestly, I just had to make it happen.”
Oh, but Buford wasn’t done during his busy and successful day.
Buford then won the 400 dash, finishing first in a time of 49.91 in a headwind and with rain coming down.
“I’ve been fighting to beat 49 (seconds) all season,” said Buford, who decided to focus on the 400 meters and long jump this year after primarily competing in the 100 and 200-meter dashes last year. “Just to come out here and beat my time while it was raining and a headwind coming into my face, that really shows how much more mentally tough I’ve gotten over time.”
Buford was also second to teammate Adrian Smith in the 200 and ran in the 1,600 relay to help Douglass finish second on the day.
Buford’s performance wasn’t quite enough to lift his team past Fowler, which captured the team title with 56.5 points, four more than Douglass. It was Fowler’s first Finals team championship since 1988.
Brady Feldpausch led Fowler’s point scoring by finishing first in the 110 hurdles with a time of 14.57, running as part of the winning team in the 800 relay, taking second in the 300 hurdles and then being a part of the winning 1,600 relay that clinched the title.
“It feels amazing,” Feldpausch said. “I don’t know what to say. We just all have the same mindset. We come to practice and work hard. We knew if we all ran like we knew how to, we’d have a shot.”
Fowler entered the last event, the 1,600 relay, knowing that in order to clinch the team win it had to win the race and have Douglass finish fifth or lower.
A strong event all year for the Eagles, they delivered again, winning in a time of 3:26.43. Pair that with a ninth-place finish by Douglass, and Fowler had what it needed.
Fowler head coach Brett Schafer credited unsung heroes with stepping up for his team and fulfilling a goal talked about all year.
“We scored in field events where we didn’t expect to,” he said. “Our first meeting with them at the start of the year, our whole goal was to hang a banner in the gym. We did that today.”
Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep took third with 44 points after winning the last two LPD4 team titles.
PHOTOS (Top) Fowler’s Brady Feldpausch, left, edges Reading’s Tayshawn Bester to win the 110 hurdles Saturday at Baldwin Middle School. (Middle) Detroit Douglass’ Anthony Buford finishes his win in the 400. (Click for more from Ken Swart/RunMichigan.com.)