Well, it’s only been four full years that I’ve been doing these ratings. One of the few projects over the past nine months was to get the Upper Peninsula up and going.
The first order of business was to obtain ratings on the 2021 season. Because teams such as Gladstone, Sault Ste. Marie, among others were able to travel south of the bridge on occasion during the prior season, I was able to work back and calculate ratings, course differentials, all that fun info.
The methodology will be a bit different than normal, but should emit similarly accurate projections during the season. Field size limits me from using one method, but I should be able to compare this year’s performances at many of the courses to last year’s, with the assumption that field quality remains consistent (it’s not as if an influx of LP D1 teams are entering the Queen City Invite).
I’m not gonna pretend I know many of the runners up in God’s Country, that’ll come in time throughout the season. But I will list my top returners and their projected scores.
First, a little history. The MHSAA has done a wonderful job on their new website, easier to use, tabs are lightning fast, history dating back many years. In recent memory, here’s how things have shaken out on those Superior shores: BOYS GIRLS
| Total Boys Champs (2000-2021) | Number |
| Marquette | 12 |
| Ishpeming | 7 |
| Munising | 6 |
| Stephenson | 5 |
| Sault Ste. Marie | 4 |
| Chassell | 4 |
| Painesdale-Jeffers | 3 |
| Houghton | 3 |
| Carney-Nadeau | 3 |
| Rudyard | 2 |
| Rapid River | 2 |
| Negaunee | 2 |
| Ishpeming Westwood | 2 |
| Eben Junction Superior Central | 2 |
| Dollar Bay | 2 |
| Cedarville | 2 |
| Wakefield-Marenisco/Bessemer | 1 |
| St. Ignace | 1 |
| Powers-North Central | 1 |
| Escanaba | 1 |
| Brimley | 1 |
| Total Boys Runner-Ups (2000-2021) | Number |
| Sault Ste. Marie | 7 |
| Houghton | 4 |
| Ishpeming Westwood | 4 |
| Marquette | 4 |
| Painesdale-Jeffers | 4 |
| Cedarville | 3 |
| Escanaba | 3 |
| Munising | 3 |
| Pickford | 3 |
| Stephenson | 3 |
| Wakefield-Marenisco/Bessemer | 3 |
| Brimley | 2 |
| Calumet | 2 |
| Chassell | 2 |
| Dollar Bay | 2 |
| Ironwood | 2 |
| Ishpeming | 2 |
| Rudyard | 2 |
| Eben Junction Superior Central | 1 |
| Gladstone | 1 |
| Hancock | 1 |
| Kingsford | 1 |
| L’Anse | 1 |
| Norway | 1 |
| Painesdale Jeffers | 1 |
| Powers-North Central | 1 |
| Rapid River | 1 |
| Republic-Michigamme | 1 |
| St. Ignace | 1 |
| Total Girls Champs (2000-2021) | Number |
| Marquette | 15 |
| Chassell | 5 |
| Ironwood | 5 |
| Stephenson | 5 |
| Cedarville | 4 |
| Hancock | 4 |
| Calumet | 3 |
| Ishpeming | 3 |
| Munising | 3 |
| Powers North Central | 3 |
| St. Ignace | 3 |
| Eben Junction Superior Central | 2 |
| Houghton | 2 |
| Rudyard | 2 |
| Sault Ste. Marie | 2 |
| Carney-Nadeau | 1 |
| Dollar Bay | 1 |
| Newberry | 1 |
| Pickford | 1 |
| Rapid River | 1 |
| Total Girls Runner-Ups (2000-2021) | Number |
| Calumet | 6 |
| Marquette | 6 |
| Sault Ste. Marie | 6 |
| Cedarville | 4 |
| Hancock | 4 |
| St. Ignace | 4 |
| Ironwood | 3 |
| Painesdale-Jeffers | 3 |
| Rudyard | 3 |
| Chassell | 2 |
| Dollar Bay | 2 |
| Ishpeming | 2 |
| L’Anse | 2 |
| Munising | 2 |
| Pickford | 2 |
| Rapid River | 2 |
| Rock Mid-Peninsula | 2 |
| Stephenson | 2 |
| Escanaba | 1 |
| Gladstone | 1 |
| Houghton | 1 |
| Ishpeming Westwood | 1 |
| Kingsford | 1 |
| Menominee | 1 |
| Newberry | 1 |
| Powers North Central | 1 |
| Superior Central | 1 |
| West Iron County | 1 |
And the projections.
Incoming freshman are added where they made sense (aka Gabe Litzner), but with very few MS programs across the UP, I didn’t make it a point to throw them into the mix. For Division 2 especially, not many schools have enough returners to field a full squad, but I’m confident that division will fill throughout time.
Excited to include our better peninsula this year.
Michigan XC Speed Ratings 