The Regional Previews: Division 2, Region 18

Last Year

SUMMER PREVIEW
MID-SEASON
FINAL PROJECTIONS
THE RESULT

Girls

1. Adrian (10^th)
2. Monroe Jefferson (13^th)
3. Chelsea (18^th)

Boys

1. Chelsea (2^nd)
2. Dearborn Divine Child (7^th)
3. Adrian (4^th)

Top 27 Teams

Previous years had top-25 teams, but there’s 27 (and sometimes more) team qualifiers and what does it hurt to add another two?

Girls

Adrian (9^th), Chelsea (21^st)

Boys

Adrian (Top 5), Chelsea (7^th)

(If your team isn’t listed in the images above or the scores below, you probably don’t have five returners, at least on ol’ athletic.net. I’m sure many of these teams will fill out their rosters by late October)

Projected Scores

Place	Girls Team	Score
1	Adrian	35
2	Chelsea	69
3	Tecumseh	92
4	Monroe Jefferson	108
5	Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard	157
6	New Boston Huron	157
7	Dundee	186
8	Milan	199
9	Grosse Ile	214
10	Carleton Airport	237
11	Riverview	271

Place	Boys Team	Score
1	Adrian	39
2	Chelsea	47
3	New Boston Huron	101
4	Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard	126
5	Monroe Jefferson	155
6	Riverview	184
7	Tecumseh	187
8	Dundee	252
9	Grosse Ile	254
10	Milan	275
11	Carleton Airport	278
12	Trenton	305
13	Ypsilanti	327

Top Runners

Thought I’d give a review of some of the top returners in each region. Returners means no incoming freshman (you’ll get your days in the sun). If you’re on a top team or in the 50 Tickets and you’re projected highly here, you hit the jackpot! Yes, I’m writing a bit less than previous years, but I think I’ve learned my lesson in that I need to conserve energy and brainpower for all divisions and regions. Typically by August, I’m rushing to get these done. This time around, hopefully all regions get the same amount of coverage.

Jenna Pilachowski, Monroe Jefferson

At the regional scene, she’s gone from 12^th to 8^th to 1^st. In order to defend her crown, she’s going against seven returners that are underclassmen. But with a 30+ second victory in 2022, she may have provided herself with enough of a cushion.

Natalia DeMea, Chelsea

Underwent serious growth as a sophomore. It wasn’t as if Natalia was bad as a freshman, it’s just that she moved up nearly 100 spots to finish 48^th at State, while dropping more than a minute from her previous bests.

Sophy Skeels, Adrian

Not only did Sophy race extremely well to place 3^rd here, she also set an MIS best the following week. Her 19:38 was 40+ seconds faster than where she finished in 2021 and she moved up 56 spots in those 364 days.

Anastee Davis, Adrian

Not only had improvements on the grass, but on the track as well. Her 11:50 at Golden Triangle probably has the most relatability to cross country. Her championship season, although a bit slower, still proves that was no fluke. 2^nd in the SEC White and Lenawee County.

Connell Alford, Chelsea

I’m sure he’ll miss going against Mike Hegarty in these regionals. Over the past three years, Connell has finished 2^nd twice before winning last year. With a team title on the line and those Adrian boys looking to for any opportunity to snatch an upset, look for Connell to assertively try to win two straight.

Braylon Petty, Adrian

Has high hopes and dreams for this season and a great backdrop on which to perform them. Braylon was sub-16 in more than half of his races in 2022, including a 6^th place finish here.

Logan Ruffner, Riverview

Looking to his track season, I think it could give some insight into how he’ll perform this fall. Before his junior year, his 1600m best was 4:37, and that junior year he rattled off a number of 16-flat type efforts. With a 4:25 under his belt, one can easily project a 20-30 second improvement.

Moises Salazar, Adrian

I’ve written about a few sophomores in the 50 Tickets, but neither of those two had the MIS experience that Moises had. His 16:18 was the best time of the day amongst any freshman, that 16:18 earning him an All-State. Who knows when I’ll release it, but I also did some research into how fast MIS has run over the years, and in doing so, compared performances over the year. Moises’s freshman effort was right in line with a number of other successful freshmen – TJ Carey, Riley Hough, Maverick Darling to name a few.

Isaak Rubley, Dundee

Isaak is wise beyond his years. His 2022 season contained quite a few wins, five in fact. In these wins, unless needed, he didn’t go to the well. When needed, he brought his best efforts, such as a 16:32 to clinch the LCAA or a 16:33 at the season ender at Shepherd.