*Top Invitational* – Portage Central Early Bird
Once again, a battle between East Grand Rapids and Rockford. Rockford being slightly ahead as I believe their depth may put some East Grand Rapids runners back. Jude Parks (10:18 freshman), Sam Johnson (10:34 freshman), and Ian Cook (4:43, 10:24 sophomore) will be fun to watch grow throughout the season. East Grand Rapids’ Elijah Becker busted out a 10:22 in track and looks to continue his improvement from mid 18’s as a freshmen to mid 17s as a sophomore into the 16s.
Under the Lights
Holt (#15 Overall, #12 Division 1) has both has the front-runners and the underclassmen depth behind it. A good combination, with known returners but then potential that could take them to greater heights. I’m curious how runners such as Luke Jayaraman and Devin Simon run, because we know Audugna Moritz and Alex Penski are about as good of a top two you’ll find.
Ann Arbor Running Company Fall Preview
Ann Arbor Pioneer (#2 Overall, #2 Division 1) is clearly the favorite here but we will concentrate on Ann Arbor Huron (#25 Division 1 – I had some incorrect results for Portage Central and had to move them out). They return 4 boys who ran under 17 last year and their pack places them just inside the top 25. Drake Dowdy (4:45) is a runner who could join the pack and Bertrand Chu is another who could jump to the front. This is a team that may “struggle” in smaller meets but the strength of their 4th-7th spots will help in larger fields.
Durand
Goodrich is the class of the field here. Another team that has established runners but young runners with potential that could get them in Division 2’s top 25. Mark Wood is someone who improved quite a bit in track with a 10:01. That can extrapolate to 16:30 and below.
Lenawee County Preview
Adrian and Onsted are the top two teams here. Adrian has more potential, with sophomores such as Riley Malarney (5:05), Evan Johnson (5:03, 11:09) breaking into the 17s. I’m not sure if that’s enough in a region with Chelsea, Divine Child, and Grosse Ile, but if those two make massive improvements, that could give Grosse Ile a scare.
Unity Christian Early Bird
Connor Vachon had a sensational freshman year, accumulating a 180 speed rating, then 4:33/10:16 in track. I expect him to continue that upward trajectory and potentially break into the 15s this year. Once again, a tough course.
Hemlock Classic
Saginaw Heritage loses a ton from their 6th place squad. Brady Neumann is someone who will help relieve the loss of those top 4 runners. Similar to Vachon, he ran a 10:19 in track and is on course to break 16.
Michigan XC Speed Ratings 