|
Michigan High
School Track &
Cross Country
-
the original Internet home of Michigan track - |
|
Michtrack.org
|
Fire, Barbed Wire & Tacks - a first novel by Jeff
Hollobaugh
Three
years of hard work and my novel is done:
Fire, Barbed Wire & Tacks. The first thing my track buddies say is,
"It's about running, right?" Yes and no. It's about a runner in his last
semester of high school. But he's no champion. And there are races in it,
but they're not exactly triumphant celebrations of the human spirit, a la
"Running Brave." Read
more.... |
|
East
Kentwood Dominates State Finals
Photos & article by Jeff Hollobaugh,
with contributions from David Mitchell. For girls coverage, click here.
DIVISION 1 BOYS;
Kentwood, May 30 (Overcast and cool early. Mid-70s and sunny later on, with high
winds)—
Stunning. East Kentwood's
performance on its home track has to rate as one of the best team efforts ever.
The Falcons seemed to be everywhere, scoring a massive 79 points. Their depth in
the sprints was particularly impressive: 1-2 in the 100, 4-5 in the 200 (note
these weren't the same guys as in the 100), a win in the 300H, and wins in the
three sprint relays, topped by a state record 41.47.
How bad was the wind? Pretty bad.
Sprinters faced a steady headwind that had a huge effect on times. The wind
seemed to get worse as the day wore on. How fast would athletes have gone
without the wind? It's an intriguing study. Years ago, a scientist named Jesus
DaPena crunched some numbers, and his "conversion" tables are published in T&FN's
Big Green Book. Consider the 100, which Jon Henry won in 10.90 into a 2.9
wind. According to DaPena, in still conditions that would have been a 10.71. If
Henry had the maximum legal wind (2.0) at his back, he might have gone as fast
as 10.59. [Don't start converting times, though! This is just for fun. The
science is a bit iffy. For instance, the wind might be different in lane 1 than
it is in lane 8. And we know that wind affects different-sized runners
differently. You can't take these numbers to the bank.] In the 200, the numbers
are bigger. Aaron Taylor ran 21.91 into a 3.9 wind. So still conditions would
give him 21.63, and a legal aiding wind would make it 21.52. Not bad. The wind
caused even more havoc in the long jump and pole vault--see those items below.
These results are annotated,
meaning I have added a significant amount of extra information to them: splits,
etc. I also show the distance races that were held in sections broken down in
sections, instead of combined. I have also added 1500/3000m splits for the
distance runners. They'll be running those distances in college, and a numbers
geek like me likes seeing the comparison. Send corrections to
jefhollobaugh@aol.com
Special thanks to meet director
Brian Macumber for providing results and so patiently helping me to track down
the various mysteries that can pop up in the results of a major meet.
Teams: 1. East Kentwood
79; 2. Portage Northern 34; 3. Detroit Catholic Central 33; 4. Holly 24; 4.
Rochester Adams 24; 6. Southfield 22; 7. Pinckney 21.5; 8. Tie, Flushing & Romeo
21; 10. Tie, Flint Carman-Ainsworth & Grandville 18; 12. Tie, Detroit Cass Tech,
Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills, Troy & Wayne Memorial 16; 16. Tie, Lansing Eastern &
Rochester 14; 18. Tie, Ann Arbor Pioneer & West Bloomfield 13; 20. Tie, Livonia
Churchill & Monroe 12; 22. Tie, Dearborn Fordson, Grand Blanc, Holland West
Ottawa, Midland & Midland Dow 11; 27. Tie, Detroit Mumford, Northville &
Temperance-Bedford 10; 30. Farmington Hills Harrison 9; 31. Tie, Bay City
Western & Utica 8; 33. Tie, Livonia Stevenson & Walled Lake Central 7; 35. Tie,
Jackson & Saginaw Heritage 6; 37.tie, Birmingham Rice, Grand Ledge, Lake Orion,
Okemos, Port Huron Northern , Warren DeLaSalle & Woodhaven 5; 44. Detroit
Northwestern 4; 45. Salem 3.5; 46. Tie, Holt, Milford, Rockford & Royal Oak 3;
50. Tie, Hudsonville & White Lake Lakeland 2.5; 52. Tie, East Detroit & Pontiac
Northern 2; 54. Tie, Alpena, Livonia Franklin, Plymouth, Farmington, Saginaw
Hill & Romulus 1.
| 100m: It was hard not to consider
Dior Mathis of Cass Tech one of the favorites after he destroyed Melvin
Green with a 10.62w at the PSL meet. Amazingly, two of East Kentwood's best
topped him here. Jon Henry and Tyrone Green crossed in a photo finish, Henry
winning by 0.009. And honestly, you can be forgiven for not picking Henry to
win. It was his first 100m victory of the year. |
 |
100(-2.8), Jon Henry
(East Kentwood) 10.90 (10.891); 2. Tyrone Green (East Kentwood) 10.90 (10.900);
3. Dior Mathis (Detroit Cass Tech) 10.95; 4. Brandan Hall (Dearborn Fordson)
10.98; 5. Melvin Green (Detroit Mumford) 11.01; 6. Kevin Davis (West Bloomfield)
11.09; 7. Aaron Bailey (Brownstown Woodhaven) 11.13; 8. Charles Anthony
(Farmington) 11.19; 9. Jermal Hosley (Highland Park) 11.45.
Heats: I(-3.0)-1. Jon
Henry (East Kentwood) 12.54; 2. Aaron Bailey (Brownstown Woodhaven) 12.69; 3.
Brandan Hall (Dearborn Fordson) 12.74; 4. Phil Monolo (Utica Eisenhower) 12.75;
5. Albert McGee (Belleville) 12.92; 6. Austin Probst Walled Lake Western) 12.98;
7. Demere Asmar (Warren-De La Salle Collegiate) 13.04. Note: these
times were bizarrely slow, and may remain a mystery. According to the meet
director, "Prelim
1 in the men's 100 was checked on the Lynx three times because the EKW coach
felt that the race was way too slow and would affect the seeding into the
semi's. We looked at the Lynx and the times were right. I do remember the first
place kid slowing way down before the finish line, but I don't know if that
bothered the rest of the field."
II(-0.4)-1. Tyrone Green (East
Kentwood) 11.02; 2. Melvin Green (Detroit Mumford) 11.15; 3. Charles Anthony
(Farmington) 11.32; 4. Deanglo Lee (Port Huron Northern) 11.45; 5. Korvon Harris
(Detroit Northwestern) 11.47; 6. Tyler Burgess (Clinton Township-Chippewa
Valley) 11.68; 7. Leander Lewis (Saginaw Heritage) 12.03.
III(-2.2)- 1. Mathis (Detroit
Cass Tech) 11.20; 2. Kevin Davis (West Bloomfield) 11.37; 3. Jermal Hosley
(Highland Park) 11.41; 4. Jeremy Langford (Westland John Glenn) 11.43; 5. Max
Pewee (Union) 11.53; 6. Dominic Todd (Holt) 11.72.
Semis: I(-2.6)- 1. T.
Green 10.97; 2. M. Green 11.08; 3. Davis 11.14; 4. Hall 11.20; 5. Hosley 11.33;
6. Monolo 11.35; 7. Todd 11.51; 8. Harris 11.52; 9. Burgess 11.93.
II(-3.1)- 1. Jon Henry 11.02;
2. Doir Mathis 11.11; 3. Bailey 11.31; 4. Anthony 11.39; 5. Langford 11.43; 6.
McGee 11.45; 7. Lee 11.46; 8. Pewee 11.58; 9. Probst 11.72.
| 200m: Aaron Taylor won by a huge
margin of 0.44, probably one of the biggest in meet history. Notable is the
fact that he faced one of the strongest headwinds of the meet. Missing from
the semis was heat winner Paris Horgrow, whose injury after winning his heat
in 22.63 put paid to Ann Arbor Pioneer's title hopes. |
 |
200(-3.9), Aaron Taylor
(Rochester Adams) 21.91; 2. Niko Richey-Williams (Southfield) 22.35; 3. Jairus
Saunders (Rochester) 22.36; 4. Christian Jessie (East Kentwood) 22.41; 5. Dallas
Wade (East Kentwood) 22.66; 6. Aaron Bailey (Brownstown Woodhaven) 22.72; 7.
Ethan Roberson (Midland) 22.76; 8. Jeff Heath (Lake Orion) 22.91.
Heats: I(-4.2)-1. Aaron
Taylor (Rochester Adams) 22.32; 2. Dallas Wade (East Kentwood) 22.85; 3. Tyler
Allen (Lansing-Eastern) 22.93; 4. Ethan Roberson (Midland) 23.07; 5. Chris
McCall (Fraser) 23.24; 6. Dominique Williams (Salem) 23.47; 7. Marcus Beaurem
(Sterling Heights Stevenson) 23.83.
II(-4.2)- 1. Paris Horgrow (Ann
Arbor Pioneer) 22.63; 2. Aaron Bailey (Brownstown Woodhaven) 22.64; 3. Christian
Jessie (East Kentwood) 22.72; 4. Jermal Hosley (Highland Park) 23.38; 5. Jeremy
Langford (Westland John Glenn) 23.71; 6. Andre Dortch (Detroit Denby) 24.03.
III(-2.7)- 1. Jairus Saunders
(Rochester) 22.45; 2. Ryan Paxson (Brighton) 23.48; 3. DeWayne Gray (Jackson)
23.49; 4. Jeff Heath (Lake Orion) 23.59; 5. Niko Richey (Southfield) 23.66; 6.
Shawn O'Dwyer (Pinckney) 24.45.
Semis(-4.2): I- 1.
Saunders 22.14; 2. Jessie 22.49; 3. Roberson 22.53; 4. Horgrow 22.54; 5.
Richey-Williams 22.58; 6. Paxson 23.22; 7. Hosley 23.25; 8. O'Dwyer 23.30; 9.
Langford 23.97.
II(-3.9)-1. Taylor 22.21; 2.
Heath 22.97; 3. Wade 22.97; 4. Bailey 23.00 (22.991); 5. Allen 23.00 (22.997);
6. Gray 23.27; 7. Williams 23.53; 8. Dortch 24.67.
| 400m: With Horgrow out of the
picture, top seed Nathan Saliga suddenly had an easier route to victory. The
tall Romeo senior, a 50.6 runner last season, ran in dominating fashion to
finish in 48.84, 0.66 ahead of Grandville's Adam Brown.
Race video, courtesy of Jerry Fraeyman |
 |
400, I- 1. Davia Steward
(Detroit Northwestern) 49.38; 2. Deamontae Mixon (East Detroit) 50.00; 3. Ryan
Paxson (Brighton) 51.35; 4. Connor Hinebaugh (Utica) 51.50; 5. Darrel Jones
(Warren-Cousino) 52.30; 6. Denzel Wells (Detroit Cass Tech) 52.32; 7. Kendrick
Roberts (Flint Southwestern) 53.97.
II- 1. Tavarrio Davis
(Lansing-Eastern) 49.98; 2. AJ Bolden (West Bloomfield) 50.07; 3. Patrick
Kloostra (Greenville) 50.34; 4. Chad Weesies (East Kentwood) 50.44; 5. Adrien
Bouyer (Battle Creek Lakeview) 50.55; 6. Alan Swihart (Okemos) 50.65; 7. Nathan
Fraeyman (Romeo) 51.23; 8. Andre Boller (Detroit Cooley) 51.69; 9. Jesse Giles
(Auburn Hills Avondale) 52.13.
III- 1. Nathan Saliga (Romeo)
48.84; 2. Adam Brown (Grandville) 49.51; 3. Darius Davis (Farmington Harrison)
49.69; 4. Spencer Hall (Detroit Catholic Central) 49.73; 5. Jeff Kline
(Flushing) 50.05; 6. Taylor Copacia (Utica Eisenhower) 50.23; 7. Leroy Green
(Lansing-Eastern) 50.24; 8. Phillip Washington (West Bloomfield) 50.34; 9. Nate
Sergson (Livonia Stevenson) 51.24
|
Atchoo, racing the clock, runs away from his
competitors in the first section. |
800m: Mike Atchoo, after earlier
running a 1:53.3 on the relay and breaking the meet record in the 1600, made
a brave effort here to win the 800 from the first section. His 1:55.53,
virtually a solo effort, put him in fourth overall. The second section
turned out to be a very interesting match between defender Joe Reynolds,
1:53.11 performer Brandon Lagios of Holly, and sophomore sensation Nick
Kaiser of Bedford. Lagios may have been the most fresh, having bypassed the
4 x 8, but here he didn't use the same bolt-from-the-gun tactics that won
him the Oakland County title. He ran a much more conservative race and on
the backstretch looked like a possible winner. That's when Kaiser turned on
the jets and stormed away from the field, finishing in 1:52.13--the fastest
time ever by a sophomore from Michigan. Lagios, still chasing Jeff Lewis'
school record of 1:53.0y (1:52.4 converted), hit 1:52.91, giving
statisticians two weeks to argue over whether he broke the record (he'll be
running in the Midwest Meet along with Tommy Brinn). Reynolds finished well
with a PR 1:53.03. |
Kaiser--the future of the 800 in Michigan?--beats
Lagios (left) and defender Reynolds (right). |
800, I- 1. Mike
Atchoo (Troy) 1:55.53; 2. Warren Buzzard (Plymouth) 1:57.58; 3. Dylan Anderson
(Caledonia) 1:57.63; 4. Joel Rietsema (Rockford) 1:57.95; 5. Luke Dishnow
(Saline) 1:58.59; 6. Jeremy Haskins (Jenison) 1:58.70; 7. Jared Penland (Portage
Central) 1:58.89; 8. Pat Brennan (Royal Oak) 2:00.49; 9. David Reddmann (Clinton
Township-Chippewa Valley) 2:01.00; 10. Jamal Johnson (Detroit King) 2:02.39; 11.
Brandon Schneider (Novi-Detroit Catholic Central) 2:05.50; 12. Drew McBride
(Greenville) 2:08.13.
II-1. Nick Kaiser
(Temperance-Bedford) 1:52.13 (10th grade state record); 2. Brendan Lagios
(Holly) 1:52.91; 3. Joe Reynolds (Rochester Adams) 1:53.03; 4. Kyle Roche
(Walled Lake Central) 1:57.01; 5. Isaac Cox (East Kentwood) 1:57.08; 6. Travis
Borchard (Saginaw Heritage) 1:57.19; 7. Ryan Hladik (Flushing) 1:57.98; 8.
Chonsey Pogue (Detroit Cass Tech) 1:58.29; 9. Jack Schnaible (Walled Lake
Western) 1:58.42; 10. Jeremiah Hargett (Lake Orion) 1:58.58; 11. Alex Lindsay
(Rochester Adams) 1:58.94; 12. John Childers (Brighton) 1:59.80; 13. Nate Huff
(Milford) 2:00.12; 14. Zac Miklja (Auburn Hills Avondale) 2:00.18; 15. Chris
Sherlock (Lakeland) 2:01.77.
|
1600m: Debate this. Did Mike
Atchoo produce the finest four laps in state meet history? First, consider
how he did it. The Troy junior has been working hard on his speed, regularly
running the 400 and the 4 x 4 all season. It looked to this armchair coach
as if he were steeling himself for a kickers race against Stephen Walker of
Dow, who beat him at indoor states. But Atchoo had a dramatically different
race plan that many had envisioned. After watching the girls run a (too?)
conservative race in the blustery win, Atchoo blazed out from the start,
hitting 61.4 at 400 and 2:06.3 at 800. By that point, he had burned out most
of the field, with only Walker still in contention. A half lap later Walker
let go, as Atchoo produced a 63.3 for lap three (3:09.4). One might have
thought he would have ended up with a brave 4:12--not at all. Atchoo proved
his national class credentials by burning a 58.3 final lap. He hit 3:52.8 at
1500 (#5 in state history) and finished in a brilliant 4:07.71. Considering
the wind, it may have been worth much, much more. Certainly it is at least
the equal of Dathan Ritzenhein's state record 4:05.9 (run when he was also a
junior).
Said Atchoo, "That race was
awesome. It couldn't have gone better. In the first half of the race I just
wanted to get out there. The second half was to beat the competition."
Walker finished in 4:13.47, staying ahead of a strong
finish by Pinckney senior Matt Wines (4:14.73). Afterwards, the Midland Dow
senior loudly proclaimed of Atchoo, "That kid is a beast!" |
 |
So, the best ever at State? [First of
all, note that I really don't pay attention to what the MHSAA program says, for
a wide variety of reasons.] Okay: the fastest 1600 in meet history is 4:08.08 by
Ritzenhein. However, the fastest mile in meet history is Steve Elliot's 4:08.2.
That converts to a 4:06.8 for 1600. However, Elliot had Jeff Randolph of Midland
Dow pushing him the entire way (Randolph finished in 4:09.2y). Elliot didn't
have monstrous winds pushing him around. But then there's Ritzenhein again, who
was coming back from a 9:00.63 win in the 3200. The best ever? You argue it.
1600, I-1. Jack Davies
(Grosse Pointe South) 4:30.11; 2. Jeremy Dickie (Swartz Creek) 4:30.45; 3. Mark
Balle (Grosse Pointe North) 4:31.25; 4. Brian Schreur (Holland West Ottawa)
4:34.44; 5. Andrew Kalenkiewciz (Monroe) 4:36.95; 6. David Wallington (Ann
Arbor Pioneer) 4:36.99; 7. George Goad (Rockford) 4:39.46; 8. Cody Osterhouse
(Portage Northern) 4:40.17; 9. Drake Veitenheimer (Rockford) 4:42.18; 10.
Timothy Harris (Detroit Cass Tech) 4:47.24; 11. Mac Drees (Walled Lake Central)
4:53.34.
II-1. Mike Atchoo (Troy)
4:07.71 (meet record) (61.4, 64.7 [2:06.1], 63.3 [3:09.4], 58.3) (3:52.8 @
1500); 2. Stephen Walker (Midland Dow) 4:13.47 (3:55.5); 3. Matt Wines
(Pinckney) 4:14.73 (3:57.1); 4. Omar Kaddurah (Grand Blanc) 4:16.89 (4:00.8); 5.
Jeremiah Hargett (Lake Orion) 4:17.44 (4:00.9); 6. Nathan Karr (Ann Arbor
Pioneer) 4:19.16 (4:02.5); 7. Chris Lotz (Pinckney) 4:19.22 (4:03.2); 8. James
Yau (Troy) 4:20.08 (4:03.8); 9. Dan Culbertson (Ann Arbor Pioneer) 4:21.70
(4:04.1); 10. Alex Bladecki (Bay City Western) 4:25.46 (4:07.7); 11. Ryan Chute
(Waterford Mott) 4:26.06 (4:08.4); 12. Austin Whitelaw (Monroe) 4:26.96
(4:09.8); 13. Ryan Ziolko (Lake Orion) 4:29.76; 14. Alex Katona (Waterford
Kettering) 4:32.04; 15. Joe Graves Hartland) 4:36.10; 16. John-Paul Zebrowski
(Detroit Catholic Central) 4:36.90.
| 3200m: Reed Kamyszek did all he
could to make this 3200 as boring as possible. Now before his fan club jumps
on me (do we get more easily offended because of the Internet or does it
just make it too easy to get nasty before we have time to think things
through?), let me explain. Kamyszek took care of business effectively. He
burned a 4:32 opening mile that the competition couldn't handle, thereby
eliminating the opportunity for anyone to outkick him at the end. Even with
a 4:44 final four laps, it was a runaway for the Kenowa Hills junior. And
while fans and journalists love lead changes and great kicking matches, it's
perfectly understandable that Kamyszek chose to avoid that kind of stress.
Not a bad call. 3200, 1. Reed
Kamyszek (Kenowa Hills) 9:16.66 (4:32.5/4:44.2) (8:38.4 @ 3000); 2. Jon
Hurrell (Bay City Western) 9:20.37 (8:49.2); 3. Austin Whitelaw (Monroe)
9:21.97 (8:49.5); 4. Kenny Laskowski (Rochester) 9:21.99 (8:49.9); 5.
Michael Murphy (Brother Rice) 9:28.26 (8:52.7); 6. Stephen Walker (Midland
Dow) 9:31.25 (8:58.0); 7. Ben Miller (Warren-De La Salle Collegiate) 9:31.45
(8:58.7); 8. Ricardo Galindo (Detroit Catholic Central) 9:32.43 (8:59.0); 9.
Mike Blaszczyk (Novi) 9:32.52 (9:01.8); 10. Nathan Karr (Ann Arbor Pioneer)
9:34.22 (9:02.8); 11. Arthur Acevedo (Saginaw Heritage) 9:38.17 (9:03.1);
12. Brockton Feltman (Grand Ledge) 9:39.26 (9:04.5); 13. Matthew Devey
(Salem) 9:40.16 (9:05.2); 14. Evan Dancer (Traverse City Central) 9:40.39
(9:05.5); 15. Dan Culbertson (Ann Arbor Pioneer) 9:41.48 (9:06.4); 16. Adam
Kern (Ann Arbor Pioneer) 9:43.04 (9:07.2); 17. Tommy Valade
(Temperance-Bedford) 9:44.85 (9:08.0); 18. Qais Alkirsh (Dearborn Fordson)
9:48.09 (9:08.8); 19. Joe Duff (Grand Haven) 9:48.13; 20. Joshua Partridge
(Brighton) 9:48.28; 21. Viktor Puskorius(11); Novi-Detroit Catholic Central)
9:48.47; 22. Ryan Ziolko (Lake Orion) 9:48.61; 23. Tanner Pesonen (Pinckney)
9:48.90; 24. Edwin Gay (Grosse Pointe South) 9:50.99; 25. Nathan Ziolko
(Lake Orion) 9:51.30; 26. Fasika Aklilu (East Kentwood) 9:52.71; 27. Matt
Wines (Pinckney) 9:56.75; 28. Matt Van egmond (Grosse Pointe North) 9:59.06;
29. Jimmy Maloney (Wyandotte Roosevelt) 9:59.24; 30. Mike Reimann (Rochester
Adams) 10:06.72; 31. Croix Jastrow (Saline) 10:09.80; 32. Clay Woll (Howell)
10:13.68; 33. Andrew Campbell (Brownstown Woodhaven) 10:22.29; 34. Omar
Kaddurah (Grand Blanc) 10:22.51; 35. Kousei Yajima Walled Lake Western)
10:26.59; 36. Ian McGinn (Hartland) 10:40.83. |
 |
|
110H: Wayne Memorial's
Renaldo Powell had a score to settle. Last year, he finished last in his
semi. This time around, he won his semi in 14.66. he would need everything
he had to top Southfield's Travon Johnson, who had a faster semi against a
stronger wind. In the final, Powell put together a perfect race, hurdling
14.13 into a stiff 2.7 breeze. It's very safe to assume he would have broken
14 in still conditions. Johnson finished in 14.28, and behind him came the
first of the Johnson brothers (no relation to Travon). Drake Johnson of
Pioneer clocked 14.44 to set a new freshman state record (the old best was
the 14.54 he ran at the SEC meet). Drake's brother Carter, a junior, ran
injured to a 14.77 in 5th, behind Catholic Central's Scott Sansovich
(14.53).
110H(-2.7), Renaldo
Powell (Wayne) 14.13; 2. Travon Johnson (Southfield) 14.28; 3. Drake Johnson
(Ann Arbor Pioneer) 14.44 (9th grade state record); 4. Scott Sansovich
(Detroit Catholic Central) 14.53; 5. Carter Johnson (Ann Arbor Pioneer)
14.77; 6. Charles Holmes (Rochester) 14.78; 7. Aliasghar Arastu (Northville)
14.83; 8. Bashar Kazanji (Brother Rice) 14.84; 9. Tyler Danna (Clinton
Township-Chippewa Valley) 14.98.
Heats: I(-4.8)- 1.
Drake Johnson (Ann Arbor Pioneer) 15.13; 2. Aliasghar Arastu (Northville)
15.24; 3. Robert Young (Flint Carman-Ainsworth) 15.54; 4. Vince Lefler
(Midland) 15.56; 5. Brogan Bibler (Rockford) 15.67; 6. Derrick White
(Romulus) 15.67; 7. Jeffrey Hill (Detroit Mumford) 15.68; 8. Alan Ellery
(Port Huron) 20.21.
II(-1.5)-1. Renaldo Powell
(Wayne Memorial) 14.79; 2. Tyler Danna (Clinton Township-Chippewa Valley)
15.18; 3. Carter Johnson (Ann Arbor Pioneer) 15.19; 4. Charles Holmes
(Rochester) 15.28; 5. Deonte' Hurst (East Kentwood) 15.36; 6. Logan Moore
(Southgate Anderson) 15.44; 7. Adrien Grant (Flint Carman-Ainsworth) 15.68;
8. Emil Lee (Jackson) 16.16; 9. Darius Hearn (Roseville) 16.89.
III(-3.9)- 1. Travon
Johnson (Southfield) 15.13; 2. Scott Sansovich (Detroit Catholic Central)
15.30; 3. Anthony Cureton (Warren Mott) 15.44; 4. Kyle Podvin (Milford)
15.47; 5. Bashar Kazanji (Brother Rice) 15.57; 6. Ben Kober (Grand Haven)
15.58; 7. Alex Grady (Rochester Adams) 16.15; 8. Blair Bell (Traverse City
Central) 16.37.
Semis: I(-1.9)- 1.
Powell 14.66; 2. Danna 14.99; 3. C. Johnson 15.06; 4. Arastu 15.08; 5.
Moore15.19; 6. Hurst 15.30; 7. Kober 15.43; 8. Young 15.56; 9. Vince Lefler
15.59.
II(-2.3)-1. T. Johnson
14.64; 2. Kazanji 14.88; 3. D. Johnson 14.88; 4. Sansovich 15.08; 5. Holmes
15.09; 6. Cureton 15.12; 7. Podvin 15.40; 8. White 15.42; 9. Hill 15.51.
|
 |
For Hurst (left) and Arastu, it all came down to the
last hurdle. |
300H: Ali Arastu has been the
most consistent hurdler of the season, the only one with a clocking under
38.0--three in fact, all hand-timed. However, there was no denying the East
Kentwood magic. Junior Deonte' Hurst staged a come-from-behind win with his
38.01, topping Arastu's 38.26.
300H, I-1. Javonte
Lipsey (Portage Northern) 39.00; 2. Alex Guyon (Warren-De La Salle
Collegiate) 39.24; 3. Darius Savage (Detroit Northwestern) 40.10; 4. Tyler
Grob (Pinckney) 40.32; 5. Sherif Hassanien (Canton) 40.75; 6. Alan Ellery
(Port Huron) 41.16; 7. Charles Holmes (Rochester) 48.29.
II- 1. Scott Sansovich
(Novi-Detroit Catholic Central) 39.79; 2. Emil Lee (Jackson) 39.10; 3. Paul
Sulfaro (Monroe) 39.71; 4. Derrick White (Romulus) 39.87; 5. Michael Johnson
(Flint Southwestern Academy) 40.09; 6. Chris Scott (Holt) 40.43; 7. Matt
Frank (Midland Dow) 40.56; 8. Alex Grady (Rochester Adams) 40.67; 9. Ryan
McElyea (Flint Carman-Ainsworth) 40.91.
III- 1. Deonte' Hurst (East
Kentwood) 38.01; 2. Aliasghar Arastu (Northville) 38.26; 3. Renaldo Powell
(Wayne Memorial) 38.73; 4. Kyle Podvin (Milford) 39.25; 5. Ryan Versen (Kenowa
Hills) 39.70; 6. Carter Johnson (Ann Arbor Pioneer) 39.76; 7. Vince Lefler
(Midland) 40.32; 8. Travon Johnson (Southfield) 40.64; 9. Andrew Charnesky
(Grosse Pointe North) 40.91.
|
|
High Jump: When the bar was
moved to 6-8, Midland's Andrew Maxwell, the leader, knew it would take a
clutch performance. His best coming into the meet was 6-4, and he had
already overachieved with a 6-7 clearance on his second try. Holly's
Jonathon Beeler, however, had already been at that altitude with a 6-9 in a
dual meet two-and-a-half weeks ago. They both missed their first tries at
6-8. They both missed their second. On the third attempt, however, Beeler
cleared to clinch the win.
HJ, Jonathon Beeler
(Holly) 6-8 (6-0, 6-3, 6-5, 6-7 [3], 6-8 [3], 6-9 [xxx]); 2. Andrew Maxwell
(Midland) 6-7 (6-0, 6-3, 6-5 [2], 6-7 [2], 6-8 [xxx]); 3. Yusuf Naser
(Dearborn Fordson) 6-5; 4. Owen Hughes (Okemos) 6-5; 5. tie, Shane Bright
(Pinckney) & Zachary Gaskell (Salem) 6-3; 7. Nigel Preacher (Pontiac
Northern) 6-3; 8. Niran Okuwa (Midland) 6-3; 9. Kwincy Tucker (Saginaw Hill)
6-3; 10. tie, Josh Barbu (Saline), Vernard Brinson (Oak Park), Andrew Horne
(Grosse Pointe North), Tendo Lukwago (Farmington Harrison), Kamau Minetee
(Ann Arbor Huron) & Norman Scott (Utica Ford) 6-0; 16. tie, Chandler Davis
(Muskegon), B.J. Foy (Lansing-Eastern), Devin Hubbell (Detroit U-D Jesuit) &
Tyler Olsen (Saline) 6-0;... nh--Cameron Gibson (Holt), Evan McDowell
(Hudsonville), Al Myers (Northville), Frank Sanders (Sterling Heights).
Beeler
attempting 6-7 (this one actually was a miss).
|
|
|
|
Pole Vault: The big winds
certainly affected the pole vault, however the event concluded with results
that looked suspiciously like the pre-meet seedings. Flushing's Ryan Staley
needed three attempts to clear 14-10, where Tyler Grob of Pinckney took the
lead with his second attempt clearance. At 15-1, Grob didn't make the cut,
though. Again Staley needed three tries to make it, and again someone else
took the lead: Derik Peterman of Churchill cleared on his second. However,
at 15-4 only Staley had the right stuff, clearing it on another third
attempt (and probably causing another blood pressure spike for his coach and
parents). Altogether, the senior, eight last year, took an exhausting 15
jumps to win, and added three more attempts at 15-7.
This question is sure to come up...
How come there's such a thing as a wind-aided long jump and not a wind-aided
pole vault, seeing as how the events were held on parallel runways in the
same raging wind? I think it's safe to say that when discussing only the
physics involved, a tailwind is a certain advantage to a vaulter. However
(and this is a BIG however), the pole vault is the most technical of all
track & field events (maybe another argument is going to start, but I'm
sticking to my story). Unless the vaulter has been trained in very similar
wind conditions, the speed boost that the wind gives would only throw off
their carefully choreographed steps. And there are so many other variables
that enter the equation after the plant that the gusting wind generally
makes life more difficult. So from the 1920s, when the sport's wind rules
were adopted, it has always been believed that wind is probably a
disadvantage to vaulters, or at best a toss-up. Of the seven who vaulted
higher than 14-feet today, only one--Staley--got a seasonal best. In the
most important meet of the year, we surely would have seen more had there
been no wind.
As Grob prepares to vault,
eventual winner
Ryan Staley looks on.
|
PV, Ryan Staley
(Flushing) 15-4 (13-4 [2], 13-10 [2], 14-4, 14-7, 14-10 [3], 15-1 [3], 15-4 [3],
15-7 [xxx]); 2. Derik Peterman (Livonia Churchill) 15-1 (13-10 [2], 14-7, 14-10
[3], 15-1 [2], 15-4 [xxx]); 3. Tyler Grob (Pinckney) 14-10 (13-4, 14-4 [2],
14-7, 14-10 [2], 15-1 [xxx]); 4. Lance Cusac (Port Huron Northern) 14-7; 5.
Robbie Rix (East Kentwood) 14-4; 6. tie, Justin Amara-Parent (Lakeland) & Nate
Hop (Hudsonville) 14-4; 8. Trevor Baker (Port Huron) 13-10; 9. Morgan Stenz
(Alpena) 13-10; 10. Jon Grinter (North Farmington) 13-10; 11. Zak
Vanderwall (East Kentwood) 13-4; 12. tie, Zach Adkins-Korson
(Greenville) & Derek Martin (Battle Creek Lakeview) 13-4; 14. tie, Jonathon Gudeman
(Livonia Stevenson) & Tyler Zdybel (Macomb-Dakota) 12-10; 16. tie, Ryan Hecksel
(Rockford) & Mike Rosso (Grand Haven) 12-10;
18. Garrett Maciejewski (Grand Ledge) 12-4; 19. Eban Whitney (Ann Arbor Pioneer)
12-4; 20. Zach Peattie (Ypsilanti Lincoln) 11-10; 21. Cody Morgan
(Macomb-Dakota) 11-10; 22. 23. Kevin Mantay (Northville) 11-10;... nh--Nathan
Strickland (Grosse Pointe North).
|
Long Jump: The real story
here is that Flushing senior Jeff Kline produced a dominating series to win
the long jump hands-down. All told, three of his five fair jumps were better
than the second place effort of Utica's Mike Hollingsworth. He can hold his
head high.
Sadly, the story for some is that
the jumps have been labeled wind-aided, as if that is some sort of slam
against Kline's talents. Believe me, it's not. The kid's for real. The wind,
though, was real too. During the women's competition, the wind wasn't as
strong, and it was generally blowing at an angle to the runway. I was told
that the head field event official had a gauge for the event. When I found
that it wasn't being used, the long jump official said he wasn't going to
use it "because there's a crosswind."
Point of information: the guidelines
for wind gauge use stipulate that it is to be used for all long jumps, no
matter if the wind is a headwind, a tailwind, a crosswind, or a non-existent
wind. The wind gauge measurement is our only proof that a jump was legal and
good for record purposes. They're used correctly at nearly all college meets
and all pro meets. And since they cost a measly $30 now, and can be operated
by any kid with better than a 1.0 GPA, I don't think it's asking too much to
treat our high school athletes as if their jumps are important.
|
Jeff Kline crushed the competition--any
of his top three jumps would have won. |
Anyway, by the time of the boys long
jump, the winds had shifted to a direct tailwind. I monitored this a number of
times during the competition. The wind was so strong that in the vault, meet
workers had to hold the crossbar in place until the vaulter was a step or two
away, else it would blow off. The tents at the end of the field were flapping
more than a flock of geese being chased by a pit bull. And when I measured the
wind speed, what struck me was that even when it seemed calm, the lowest reading
I got was 2.4 meters-per-second. The maximum allowable is 2.0 (4.4 mph).
Can I prove that Kline's 24-1 was
wind-aided? Of course not. There may have been a few legal jumps in the
competition. However, the overwhelming probability is that more than 90% of the
jumps were windy. And you can't award records on that basis. It's unfair to the
athlete you're taking a record away from, and it's unfair to every jumper who
has to challenge a dubious record in the future.
LJ(wind-aided), Jeff
Kline (Flushing) 24-1 (21-10.25, 22-10.25, 23-3, 23-2, f, 24-1); 2. Mike
Hollingsworth (Utica) 22-11.75; 3. Deshaun Mingo (Holland West Ottawa) 22-8.5;
4. Mahluli Condelee (Holland West Ottawa) 22-6.75; 5. David Gibson (Flint
Carman-Ainsworth) 22-5; 6. Aaron Dewberry (Portage Northern) 22-4.5; 7. Julius
Rogers (Grand Blanc) 22-0.75; 8. Dave Simor (Livonia Stevenson) 21-11.75; 9.
Christian Jessie (East Kentwood) 21-9; 10. Michael Joiner-Hill (Detroit U-D
Jesuit) 21-8; 11. Kyler Cardwell (Flint Carman-Ainsworth) 21-7.5; 12. Chase
Glass (East Kentwood) 21-5; 13. Carlos Clay (Grandville) 21-4.75; 14. Isaac Cadet (Livonia Franklin) 21-3;
15. Davia
Steward (Detroit Northwestern) 21-0.5; 16. Karl Brooks (Grand Rapids-Creston)
20-11.5; 17. Donnavin Searcy (Romulus) 20-11.5; 18. Branden Vandentoorn (East
Kentwood) 20-11.25; 19. Robert Strong (Sterling Heights Stevenson) 20-10.5; 20. Alan Swihart
(Okemos) 20-10.5; 21. Mark Ragland (West Bloomfield) 20-10.25; 22. Brett Kuhn (Novi) 20-7.25; 23.
Jason Byars (Farmington) 20-3.5; 24. Nate Sergson (Livonia Stevenson) 20-2.75;
25. Blair Boussard (Muskegon Mona Shores) 20-1; 26. Jake Rohde (Lakeland)
19-7.25; 27. Nathan Fraeyman (Romeo) 19-3.75; 28. Raheem Abdul (Ypsilanti
Lincoln) 18-7.
| Shot Put: The throwers produced a
lively see-saw battle that wasn't resolved until the final throw. Andy
Stebbins of Romeo led after round one with his best of 55-11.25. In the
second round, Grandville's Ethan Dennis took over with a 57-3.75, while
pre-meet favorite Andrew Evans languished in third place. A round later,
Evans moved to second with his 56-2. He came even closer with his 56-10.75
in round four. Then in the penultimate round, the Portage Northern senior
(who is fast enough to run on the school's 4x2), popped a 57-9.75 leader.
Dennis fouled his fifth. In the final round, Evans hit 57-1.75. Dennis saved
his best for last, a 57-9.75 that at first glance tied Evans for the lead.
However, in the throws (and the horizontal jumps), the tie-breaker is the
second-best throw. Dennis's second toss was two inches farther than Evans'
last, so first place went to Grandville. Said
Evans of the heartbreaker, "This was a little disappointing. I had my focus
on the discus and the 4 x 200m Relay exchanges all week." (He didn't run the
relay as it came up during the discus, but it was a flashback to TJ Duckett
winning the shot and the 4x1 in his senior year.) |
Stebbins led after the first round. And I obviously don't have a picture of
Ethan Dennis. Anyone want to send me one? |
SP, Ethan Dennis
(Grandville) 57-9.75 (55-2.5, 57-3.75, f, f, 55-9, 57-9.75); 2. Andrew Evans
(Portage Northern) 57-9.75 (54-1.75, f, 56-2, 56-10.75, 57-9.75, 57-1.75); 3.
Andy Stebbins (Romeo) 55-11.25; 4. Ross Simons (Grand Ledge) 53-11.25; 5. Justin
Music (Grand Blanc) 53-8.25; 6. Aaron Brandt (Flint Carman-Ainsworth) 53-1.75;
7. Tremondae Branch (Flint Carman-Ainsworth) 53-0.5; 8. Jake Thompson (Milford)
52-11.75; 9. Feerooz Yacoobi (Dearborn) 51-10.25; 10. Seth Bouwman (Hudsonville)
51-8.75; 11. Nigel Agboh (Brother Rice) 51-7; 12. Edward Merhi (Salem) 50-10.5;
13. Quinn Dawson (Saline) 50-6.5; 14. Jason Christensen (Kenowa Hills) 50-5.5;
15. Dominique Washington (Flint Carman-Ainsworth) 49-11.25; 16. Antonio James
(Romulus) 49-2.75; 17. Mike Wesner (Sterling Heights Stevenson) 49-0; 18. Justin
Gaumer (Holly) 48-8.75; 19. Dan Leighty (Portage Central) 48-8; 20. Abdullah
Homayed (Dearborn Fordson) 48-2.25; 21. Matt Wilkinson (Warren-De La Salle)
47-7.5; 22. Jake Adams (Pinckney) 47-7.25; 23. Edison Vushaj (Walled Lake
Western) 46-8; 24. Sean Grisan (Brother Rice) 46-3; 25. Jeff Sherman (Detroit
Catholic Central) 44-6; 26. Stanley Scott (Grosse Pointe South) 44-3.75; 27.
Charles Koch (Roseville) 39-6.
|
 |
Discus: Evans atoned for his
shot put loss with a come-through in the discus, as teammate Bert Hopkins
grabbed second place to give Portage Northern a huge point boost.
DT, Andrew Evans
(Portage Northern) 182-10 (180-4, f, 182-10, f, f, f); 2. Bert Hopkins
(Portage Northern) 164-9; 3. Justin Gaumer (Holly) 160-0; 4. Ben Brown
(Romeo) 156-1; 5. Aaron Brandt (Flint Carman-Ainsworth) 155-1; 6. Ryan Daul
(Walled Lake Central) 154-7; 7. Tremondae Branch (Flint Carman-Ainsworth)
152-5; 8. Antonio James (Romulus) 151-0; 9. Jake Thompson (Milford) 149-1;
10. Ethan Dennis (Grandville) 148-9; 11. Nigel Agboh (Brother Rice) 147-4;
12. Gabe Helmith (Saline) 146-4; 13. Christopher DiLucia (Forest Hills
Central) 146-4; 14. Matt Wilkinson (Warren-De La Salle Collegiate) 144-6;
15. Abdullah Homayed (Dearborn Fordson) 144-2; 16. Steve Snyder (Forest
Hills Central) 143-5; 17. Justin Music (Grand Blanc) 140-8; 18. Dylan Young
(Novi-Detroit Catholic Central) 139-5; 19. Zachary Young (Grand Blanc)
138-1; 20. Ben Sobanski (Romeo) 136-5; 21. Dominique Washington (Flint
Carman-Ainsworth) 134-7; 22. Will Schwarz (Troy) 130-5; 23. Chris Molina
(Battle Creek Lakeview) 129-2; 24. Randy Roberson (Detroit Northwestern)
129-1; 25. T.J. Arancibia (Westland John Glenn) 128-6; 26. Chris Heald (West
Bloomfield) 127-7; 27. Tom Gordon (Roseville) 110-9; 28. Quinn Dawson
(Saline) 107-4.
|
|
4 x 100 Relay: Stories flying
around that the stagger in lane five was short cast a pall on the remarkable
results in the fastest of relays. In short, the East Kentwood foursome of
Jon Henry, Dallas Wade, Tyrone Green, and Kody Dantuma demolished the
competition, winning by over a second. They also apparently demolished the
state record of 41.77 set by Lansing Everett 24 years ago. Nothing should
take away the shine over their victory. However, we're checking out the
track measurement story to determine what actually happened. If the distance
was less than 400m, the time cannot stand as a record, no matter what it
might convert to on a calculator. There is some talk that the foursome may
run again together this summer--I have no doubt they can break the record by
even more--and that would eliminate all of our doubts.
|
 |
4 x 100, I- 1. Romulus
43.50; 2. Saline 44.62.
II-1. Rockford 43.52; 2.
Rochester 43.64; 3. Sterling Heights Stevenson 43.77; 4. Fraser 43.78; 5.
Pontiac Northern 44.03; 6. Battle Creek Central 44.16; 7. East Detroit 44.49.
III-1. Holt 42.98; 2. Livonia
Franklin 43.21; 3. Farmington Harrison 43.29; 4. Midland 43.32; 5. Farmington
43.56; 6. Lansing Everett 43.62; 7. Wayne Memorial 43.72; 8. Saginaw Arthur Hill
44.02; 9. Highland Park 44.28.
IV-1. 1. East Kentwood 41.47
(lane 5) (state record) (Jon Henry, Dallas Wade, Tyrone Green, Kody Dantuma); 2.
Detroit Cass Tech 42.58; 3. Southfield 42.60; 4. Detroit Mumford 42.73; 5.
Livonia Churchill 42.82; 6. Flint Carman-Ainsworth 43.13; 7. Traverse City
Central 43.30; 8. Livonia Stevenson 43.34; 9. Rochester Adams 43.72.
|
4 x 200 Relay: This time it was on Jon Henry, Tyrone Green, Dallas Wade,
and Christian Jessie who put together an incredible relay. Their 1:26.52 was
hailed incorrectly (in my eyes) as a meet record. Cass Tech ran 1:25.0 in
Midland in 1994. Still, it's always a bit eye-opening when a high school
foursome puts together perfect hand-offs and wins the state title by 2.53
seconds.
4 x 200, I-1.
Fraser 1:32.21; 2. Auburn Hills Avondale 1:32.80; 3. Detroit Denby 1:33.07.
II-1. Detroit Catholic Central 1:30.03; 2. Jackson 1:30.20; 3. Saginaw
Hill 1:31.11; 4. Flint Carman-Ainsworth 1:31.89; 5. Livonia
Churchill 1:32.02; 6. Utica Eisenhower 1:32.03; 7. Portage
Northern 1:32.20; 8. Brighton 1:32.72.
III-1. East Kentwood 1:26.72 (lane 5) (Jon Henry, Tyrone Green, Dallas Wade,
Christian Jessie); 2. West Bloomfield 1:29.25; 3. Livonia Stevenson 1:29.63;
4. Lansing Eastern 1:29.79; 5. Farmington Hills Harrison 1:30.08; 6. Romulus
1:31.77; 7. Saline 1:33.14.
|
|
4 x 400 Relay: 300H winner
Deonte' Hurst keyed off a big EK lead on the first leg, clocking 50.0. That
lead only grew when Chad Weesies ran 50.8 on the second leg. After the
halfway point, Catholic Central's Jake Spuller blew past the rest of the
field and narrowed the gap considerably, running 49.6 to the 50.1 by EK's
Issac Cox. On the anchor, Christian Jessie ran 50.2 and held on to the win
for East Kentwood as Spencer Hall's 49.3 fell a few strides short.
4 x 400, I-1. Salem
3:27.43; 2. Troy 3:29.32; 3. Livonia Stevenson 3:31.74; 4. Sterling Heights
Stevenson 3:32.70; 5. East Detroit 3:32.71.
II- 1. Kenowa Hills 3:23.79; 2. Pinckney 3:24.57; 3. West Bloomfield
3:24.80; 4. Northville 3:25.98; 5. Flushing 3:28.48; 6. Grosse Pointe North
3:28.65; 7. Saline 3:28.83; 8. Lansing Everett 3:28.89; 9. Hudsonville
3:31.62.
III- 1. East Kentwood 3:21.14 (Deonte' Hurst 50.0, Chad Weesies 50.8, Isaac
Cox 50.1, Christian Jessie 50.2); 2. Detroit Catholic Central 3:21.67 (50.7,
52.1, 49.6, 49.3); 3. Lansing-Eastern 3:23.54; 4. Rockford
3:24.78; 5. Flint Carman-Ainsworth 3:25.27; 6. Ann Arbor Pioneer 3:25.34; 7.
Milford 3:27.63; 8. Holly 3:27.88; 9. Rochester Adams 3:28.76.
CC's
charge fell just a bit short on the final
lap, as East Kentwood won its third relay of the meet.
|
 |
|
4 x 800 Relay: Rochester
Adams did everything right in trying to win this thing, leading off with a
1:54.6 to get out of trouble early, and closing with a defending 800 champ
in Joe Reynolds. Catholic Central ran from behind, anchor Spencer Hall
getting the baton a stride behind Reynolds. Hall stalked him for a lap, then
grabbed the lead. Reynolds fought back and led coming off the final turn.
Then Hall charged again, holding on for a win by 0.1. Hall negative splitted his 1:54.0: 57.6 / 56.4.
Watch the video.
4 x 800, I-1.
Northville 7:59.78; 2. Saline 8:00.54; 3. Grand Ledge 8:00.86; 4. Jenison
8:02.93; 5. Caledonia 8:09.27; 6. Macomb-Dakota 8:14.79; 7. Milford 8:15.58;
8. Holly 8:24.90; 9. Detroit U-D Jesuit 8:28.59.
II-1. Detroit Catholic
Central 7:47.57 (Brandon Schneider 1:57.6, Austin Zebrowski 1:58.8, Alex
Toloff 1:56.8, Spencer Hall 1:54.0; 2. Rochester Adams 7:47.67 (Reynolds
1:54.1); 3. Monroe
7:50.86; 4. East Kentwood 7:51.47; 5. Saginaw Heritage 7:52.44; 6. Royal Oak
7:52.86; 7. Detroit Cass Tech 7:53.62; 8. Detroit Mumford 7:53.77; 9. Troy
7:57.18 (Atchoo 1:53.3); 10. Temperance-Bedford 7:58.51; 11. Lansing-Eastern
8:03.57; 12. Okemos 8:04.16; 13. Plymouth 8:11.97; 14. Traverse City Central
8:13.59; 15. Walled Lake Western 8:19.44; 16. Midland Dow 8:22.28.
|
Catholic Central ran behind Adams for most of the relay. |
