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2026 Rankings: Mid-September Boys

And so it begins.

The first batch of rankings are out. As time has gone on, I’ve pushed these back further and further. One, to grab more data and not rush. Two, beginning my own running journey again and trudging through Woodstock for hours in the woods.

Those two factors allow some of Michigan’s major invites to occur and great data to come in. Many of our state’s best have competed at Spartan, Holly, or Ottawa Hills, with seemingly everyone getting some results on paper. Every single meet with over 50 participants in each gender is accounted for (even if ratings aren’t posted for everything, they’re in my database).

The rankings take the individual ratings from each race and weigh them using factors of recency, field size, and field competitiveness. In order to account for races where a runner may not go all out, when four or more races are run, the top 67% of a runner’s resume is considered. Those weighted ratings are then sorted by team, scored against the entire division, and ranked. Thus, teams with more depth tend to be ranked a little higher than they’d be at a regular invite or even the State Finals. But I know no better way to rank all the teams in a division than to compare against all teams in a division.

As always, these are for fun and a vehicle to drive interest in the best sport in the world. If they cause undue stress or pressure or motivate you to write me unkind messages (has only happened this summer, not in season, believe it or not) this site might not be for you. That’s fine, the many XC fans of Michigan will enjoy it all the same.

Summer Misses

Martin

The Clippers have benefitted from the addition of Thomas Sigler, a transfer from Allegan. As a freshman, Sigler raced into the 17’s on a few occasions and this year, he’s already matched those marks. As an example of their progress, take a peek at the SAC Jamboree results. Last year in the SAC Championship, Martin placed 11th. This fall’s first conference matchup, 4th.

Title Contenders

About the same as thought in the summer – Holland Calvary Christian, Breckenridge, and Hillsdale Academy separating themselves from the field. The latter two faced off at Holly, with the Huskies prevailing by way of their two low-sticks and the better fifth guy. Calvary has laid low these past few weeks, intentional scheduling a benefit of being conference-free. Their last great effort came with great results, a runner-up finish in their division (Nightfall, comprised of D2/D3 teams) at Under the Lights. Calvary is still the favorite at this point, with Breckenridge and Hillsdale Academy showing the potential to hang given their days at Holly.

Summer Misses

Benzie Central

Returning to the sport for the first time since 8th grade, Oliver Graetz has been a welcome addition to the Huskies. He’s spent the past two springs running for their track squad, specializing in mid-distance with his 2:02 800m and place on BC’s state qualifying 4×8. Moving up to 5k, he’s been able to reach into the mid-17’s on three occasions, including this past weekend at Holly, where Benzie placed 4th in D4.

Ithaca

Coming out for the sport for the first time as a sophomore, Dutch Smith has catapulted the Yellowjackets into the top-27. He experienced success as a freshman on the track, his sub-11 in the 3200m ranking 26th among D3’s 9th graders. He’s undeniably progressed since then, dropping a 17:21 in the muck at Holly.

Title Contenders

Hanover-Horton has passed all the tests thus far. The Comets haven’t been shy about traveling to large meets, competing at both Spartan and Holly. Each of those two consequential meets have seen H-H beat other top-5 teams, Saugatuck at Holly and Hart at Spartan. Thus far, the Comets are displaying a lethal combo of depth that can compete with anyone, supplemented by low-sticks that see the need for only scoring three.

There does seem to be a gap between H-H and the others, but Hart, Saugatuck, Lansing Catholic, and Maple City Glen Lake all have the mettle to find early November glory. As thought in the summer, Hart might have the best depth of the bunch, the ability for all seven Pirates to score. Both Glen Lake and Saugatuck are seeing improvement from runners that gives thought to their potential. Racing in less than admirable conditions at Holly didn’t matter much to Leo Avalos, who nearly matched his PR. Dean McKellar didn’t have quite as much mud in his Saturday, but he still had to traverse the Glen Lake hills, which even then couldn’t derail his ascendancy, as he notched a lifetime best. And Lansing Catholic is likely a bit underrated, as the Cougars cruised through their home invite. I’d expect their ranking to improve as future results pour in.

Summer Misses

Petoskey

Collectively, the Northmen have just gotten a ton better. The projected top-five from this summer’s work is the same as their top-five through this first month. The summer projections had their top-five averaging ~177, right now they’re sitting at a 187, around a 30 sec. difference. If I had to pick one runner to highlight, it’d be Garrett Lansing, who had broken 18:00 once prior to this year and has already dropped a minute from that accomplishment.

Title Contenders

Holland Christian is the clear favorite thus far. The Maroons have three big races under their belt – Portage Central Early Bird, Under the Lights, and Ottawa Hills. They’ve emerged from all three with dominating wins, sometimes over the best D1 has to offer. They’ve got the frontrunners AND the depth, sub-16 from three of their boys and all projected scorers under 16:15.

At Holly, Pinckney put up the kinda performance that can put the Pirates in contention. The course was getting rough by their midday races, but that didn’t deter the red n’ black from placing five in the top-13. Flint Powers Catholic was runner-up in that race, but was missing one of their typical contributors.

Summer Misses

East Kentwood

Not even AI could predict new additions coming into the fray who had never run XC prior. Both Blaiz Shyaka and Jimma Atem have been impactful for the Falcons, each reaching into the 16’s this fall. Their contributions helped EK win the first OK Red Jamboree and stun the west side scene with a division win at Under the Lights.

Title Contenders

This year will be as fun as any, five teams seeming to separate themselves thus far – Brighton, Jenison, Ann Arbor Skyline, Lowell, and Traverse City West.

We’ve been blessed to see these five go at it in varying matchups:

Brighton vs. Jenison at Northville Mustang, with Jenison claiming titles in both the under and upperclassmen race.

Jenison, Lowell, and Traverse City West at Ottawa Hills, with Traverse City West emerging on top. The Titans had a whopping four boys under 16:00, matching Jenison’s depth, but also placing two in the top-10 of that loaded field.

Brighton vs. Ann Arbor Skyline at Holly, with Brighton winning by three points.

Traverse City West is probably a little underrated as it’s clear that they cruised through their Titan Takeoff. Lowell’s ranking is aided by having Avi Elabed, who can hopefully return to give the Red Arrows their full potential. Jenison has been consistent all year, and Skyline/Brighton had their best effort of the year at Springfield Oaks.

Summer Misses

Munising

Freshmen have improved the Mustang fortune, notably Evan Kelto and Orin Shalom. The two have gotten faster and faster, their latest escapade coming at Holly, where both embraced the trek to find faster competition, setting significant lifetime bests.

Title Contenders

Going for eight straight are the Marquette Sentinels, running so quick that there doesn’t seem to be much stopping them. They’re not as dominant as the 2024 team, but still tried their hand in the elite section of the Spartan Invite.

In D2, early returns suggest two teams in top competition – Rudyard and Munising. They’ve faced off twice, Rudyard prevailing at the Emerald Invite and Munising coming through at Holly. Munising appears to have the better depth, Rudyard the quicker frontrunner, and as XC tends to go, this could depend on the field’s quality and quantity.

Two D3 teams dot these top-10 rankings, the highest ranked being Rapid River. The Rockets likely made the longest drive of anyone coming to Holly, placing 9th in the D5 race.

Individual Rankings

As each year comes and goes, I’ve tended to gradually dislike ranking individuals during a season. But I feel this list is better than just sorting by SB’s. And I’ll just hide this at the bottom. When we get closer to championship time, more writing will be dedicated toward individuals, for now, this’ll do.

RankGradeNameS20 RatingTeamRegion
111Lincoln Laansma205.3Tri-Unity Christian31
212Anthony Rowe205.1Breckenridge30
310Abram Fettig197.3Saginaw Nouvel30
412Christian Getz197.0Holland Calvary Christian31
512Noah Schipper197.0Holland Calvary Christian31
69Cooper Burt195.3Breckenridge30
712Brady Edwards194.4Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart30
812Kyle Redman192.0Mesick29
912Gibson White189.2Holland Calvary Christian31
1012Jacob Ferdubinski187.0Riverview Gabriel Richard36
1112Elias Baldwin186.2Decatur32
1211Peter Winn185.8Hillsdale Academy34
1310Stephen Holm185.3Hillsdale Academy34
1412Francis Austen184.9Portland St. Patrick31
1510Henry Rorick184.4Hillsdale Academy34
1611Reagan Downing183.8Holland Calvary Christian31
1712Timothy Gaebler183.8Hillsdale Academy34
1812Owen Ledebuhr183.5Holland Calvary Christian31
1912Brody VanTuinen183.2Holland Calvary Christian31
2012Wesley Chaffee181.4Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart30
2111Leo Weaver179.3Whitmore Lake33
2211Nolan Stadel177.6Genesee Christian33
2311Liam Knuth176.7Cardinal Mooney Catholic36
2412Dom Chiverton175.7Breckenridge30
2510Gus Barr175.2Breckenridge30
2612Alec Dodak174.2Manchester34
2711Lance Niedzielski173.2Mason County Eastern29
2810Gabe Schultz172.9Genesee Christian33
2912Daniel Chaney172.2Lake Leelanau St. Mary29
3010Gavin Bowers171.1Austin Catholic36
3112Rush Marsden168.7Fulton30
329Samuel McIndoe168.4Novi Christian Academy33
3310Fletcher Amos168.0Gobles31
3411Nolan Koscinski167.7Bear Lake29
359Grady Hanes167.2Petoskey St. Michael28
369Benjamin Bolinder167.1Bridgman32
3710Blake Root166.6Sand Creek34
389Linkon Utter166.4Holland Calvary Christian31
3910James Sanders166.4Breckenridge30
4011Wyatt Blohm165.3Vassar35
4112Max Barron165.0Tekonsha32
4210Ethan Harrand164.8Buckley29
4310Thomas Sigler164.8Martin31
4412Micah Arlow163.9Cardinal Mooney Catholic36
4512Silas Daniels163.8Sand Creek34
4611Owen Jarosz163.2Frankfort29
4711Christopher Knudsen162.1Leland29
4812Hunter Hayes162.1Martin31
4911Cole Wesley161.9Petoskey St. Michael28
5011Beckett Dennis161.7Grand Traverse Academy29

RankGradeNameS20 RatingTeamRegion
112Cooper Flick212.9Hanover-Horton23
212Luke Herron212.4Caro25
311Nole Lorenzen211.8Rochester Hills Lutheran NW26
412Logan Youngman209.0Hillsdale23
511Will Hulin205.5Centreville23
610Spencer McNitt203.4Maple City Glen Lake20
712Chad Tyson203.2Hanover-Horton23
812Hunter Eaton203.2Charlevoix19
910Mason Rogers202.9Three Oaks River Valley22
1011Owen Poppema202.1Bath24
1110Isaac Cox201.0Plymouth Christian Academy27
1211Christian Craanen200.2Monroe St. Mary CC27
1311Eli VanPoortfliet199.5Benzie Central20
1412Marshall Brandt198.5Midland Bullock Creek25
1510Asher Putman198.1Reese25
1612Owen Windgaston197.8Clawson26
1712Caleb Blonde197.6Jonesville23
1811Soren Crosthwaite197.5Jackson Lumen Christi23
1912Abraham Feeney196.2Maple City Glen Lake20
2012Cage Edingfield193.7Benzie Central20
2112John Kowatch193.0Pewamo-Westphalia24
2210Max Reed192.8Centreville23
2311Silas Ackley192.6Hart20
2412Isaac Dionne192.3Boyne City19
2511Jackson Bowman191.9Saugatuck22
2612Evan MacLaren191.9Ithaca24
2712Naveen Kulkarni191.7Ann Arbor Greenhills27
2812Everett Beach191.3Lansing Catholic26
2911Michael Weidmayer191.0Blissfield27
3011Noah Sills191.0Blissfield27
3111Tristan Hernandez190.9Kingsley20
3210Wesley Mair190.6Montague21
3312Rocky Bolton190.3Jackson Lumen Christi23
3412William Ready190.2Traverse City St. Francis19
359Nick Overweg189.6Centreville23
3612Barrett Nance189.0North Muskegon21
3712Grant Rehkopf188.7Saugatuck22
3812Téo Krumm188.6Lansing Catholic26
3912Carson Ackley188.4Hart20
4012Collin Fucile187.8Jonesville23
4112Sawyer Monroe187.7Saugatuck22
4212Avery Morrow187.3Jackson Lumen Christi23
4312Jonas Ballard187.2Holland Black River22
4411Simon Reed186.9Plymouth Christian Academy27
4512Ryder Hopkins186.7Charlevoix19
4611Timothy Wolff185.8Hart20
4711Edison Huizinga185.2Manistee20
4810Christian Feeney184.4Maple City Glen Lake20
4912William Gancer183.9Stockbridge26
5011Wyatt Hassenzahl183.5Hanover-Horton23

RankGradeNameS20 RatingTeamRegion
112Robert Jazwinski III230.4Whitehall10
211Lennox Naswell212.0Flint Powers Catholic15
312Cole McCraw210.9Pinckney16
411Micah Becker209.1East Grand Rapids12
512Ezekiel Baltierra207.3Alma15
612Mitchell Dunlap207.0Grand Rapids Catholic Central11
712Lukas Albright205.4Big Rapids10
811Ashton Fink204.7Grand Rapids Christian12
912Broden Ladd204.2Holly17
1011Jack Hincks202.8Detroit Country Day16
1111David Kore202.7Three Rivers13
1212Mason Hill202.4Allendale11
1310Grant Lampen202.3Holland Christian11
1410Zander Stewart201.4Holland Christian11
1512Bryce Falbe201.4Muskegon Oakridge10
169Drew Franken201.1Holland Christian11
1711Ethan Ferguson200.6Edwardsburg13
1812Caiden Caswell200.4Vicksburg13
1911James Scholten-Holcomb199.8Grand Rapids Christian12
2011Duncan Palmer199.7Williamston14
2112Lincoln Reed199.5Pinckney16
2212Abraham McHugh199.4Marshall13
2310Logan Cristian199.2Parma Western14
2411Liam Dewitt198.8Haslett14
2511Aiden Lambers198.7Holland11
2611Cole Heikka198.6Holly17
2712Thomas Fisher198.3East Grand Rapids12
2812Cole Coffman198.3Holland Christian11
2912Ben Bouchey196.0Flint Powers Catholic15
3012Seth Betzold195.8Essexville-Garber15
319Camden Clevenger195.6Goodrich15
3212Wyeth Angus195.6Chelsea16
3312Nick Parker195.2Frankenmuth15
3412Seth Randall195.2St. Joseph13
359Connor Charboneau195.0Saginaw Swan Valley15
3612Jack Frentz194.6Petoskey10
3711Grayson Michels194.5Forest Hills Eastern12
3810Zach Diller194.3Holland Christian11
3912Cameron Crane194.1New Boston Huron18
4012Joshua Macri194.0Macomb Lutheran North17
4111Andrew Nunning193.8Pontiac Notre Dame Prep17
4211Teddy Weber193.8Williamston14
4312Ben Verlin193.4Grand Rapids South Christian12
4412Bryce Cahoon192.9Shepherd15
4512Hunter Smith192.8Vicksburg13
4612Reeve Oberman192.6Petoskey10
4711Rex Pumford192.4Whitehall10
4811Ryan Rathsburg192.4Flint Powers Catholic15
4911Christian Pavlige191.8Fruitport10
5010Leonidas Erfourth191.6Owosso14

RankGradeNameS20 RatingTeamRegion
112Luka Hammond224.5Grand Haven1
212Kamari Ronfeldt222.2Ann Arbor Pioneer5
312Caden Livermore221.5Grandville1
412Jack MacGregor221.0Howell4
512Marshall Huhn219.9Lowell3
612Matii Tarekegn219.1East Kentwood1
712Samuel Baker218.6Kalamazoo Central3
812Brandon Cloud215.0Northville7
911Todd Tobin Jr214.4Highland-Milford8
1012Jacob Szalay213.4Saline5
1110Archer VerHage213.1Grand Haven1
1212Austin Mercado212.3Salem6
1311Cooper McNaughton208.4Clarkston8
1411Gavin Katic208.2Fenton2
1511Rylen Richey207.7Grand Ledge4
1612Blake Kulesza207.7Brighton4
1712Liam Wierzba207.0Traverse City West2
1811Alexander Allen206.1Alpena2
1912Josiah Derksen206.0Rockford1
2010Josh Keillor-Beale204.5Brighton4
2112Caelan Marsh204.0Grand Ledge4
2211Xavier Solgot203.8L’Anse Creuse North9
2310Hudson Doll203.6Ann Arbor Skyline6
2411Caleb Conner203.4Jenison1
2511Aidan Schwalbach203.3Rochester Hills Stoney Creek9
2611Wes Rogan202.9Saline5
2712Ethan Burks202.1Jenison1
2810Grant Kulesza201.5Brighton4
2911Carter Cooke201.4Jenison1
3011Lucas Campbell201.4Rochester9
3112Colin Stawasz201.2Lowell3
3210Tanner Smith201.2Zeeland West3
3312Jack Hanner200.9Salem6
3410Aiden Doggett200.9Highland-Milford8
3511Marcus Essling200.8Portage Central3
3610Tucker Asman200.5Brighton4
3711Johnathan Elsea200.4Mt. Pleasant2
3810Tommy McCormick200.3Grand Blanc2
3912Justin Johnson200.2East Kentwood1
4011Roman Stilwell200.0Ann Arbor Skyline6
4111Bennett Snapper199.8Caledonia3
4212Cody Bromley199.8Lowell3
4311Luke Bultman199.8Rockford1
4411Finn Frost-Grayson199.6Traverse City West2
4511Chase Sherman199.5Jenison1
4611Rem Piper199.4Holt4
4711Kilian Boulware-Lopez199.2East Lansing4
4811Nikhil Ball199.2South Lyon East4
4912Logan Gessford199.2Midland2
5011Ricardo Guajardo198.8Lake Orion9

RankGradeNameS20 RatingTeam
112Lucas Ballard204.5Marquette
212Eli Folkersma172.9Rudyard
311Lake Skytta171.5Marquette
411Brandon Van Karsen169.0Houghton
512Chase Aldridge163.8Sault Ste. Marie
611William Lindsay163.0Marquette
712Cavan Mulligan157.6Kingsford
810Ashdeyn Gerow157.0Rock Mid-Peninsula
911Garrett Crimmins156.7Marquette
1010Calvin Carlson156.4Ishpeming Westwood
1112Welly Fillmore154.8Marquette
1210Eduel Spencer153.8West Iron County
139Tyler Rule153.3Houghton
1412Blake Lakosky152.3Munising
159Evan Kelto152.2Munising
169Bradley Klann151.6Menominee
1710Drew Burtt151.0Sault Ste. Marie
1810Jack LaLone150.9Rudyard
1911Wyatt Huhn150.5St. Ignace
209Anthony Messina149.2Marquette
2110Owen Truitt148.4Rapid River
2211Branson Anderson147.6Painesdale-Jeffers
2312Chuck Cameron146.1Gladstone
2412Vasu Esplin144.8Marquette
2512Jon Denkins142.7Rapid River

RankGradeNameS20 RatingTeam
111Abenezer Olson206.0Kalamazoo Homeschool Sports
212Noah Rice199.9Kalamazoo Homeschool Sports
312Evan Armstrong196.6Kalamazoo Homeschool Sports
411Eli Miller189.7GRTC Peregrines
510Colton Childress187.3Monroe Milers
611Andrew Egli186.6GRTC Peregrines
712Anthony Schmitz184.1GRTC Peregrines
89Rocco Street183.5GRTC Peregrines
910Calvin Graham183.0GRTC Peregrines
1011Tyler Egli183.0GRTC Peregrines
1112Brennan Ackerman182.8GRTC Peregrines
1212Brian Artman181.8Kalamazoo Homeschool Sports
1311Timothy Adair179.6Kalamazoo Homeschool Sports
1411Daniel LaRoy179.4Kalamazoo Homeschool Sports
1510Dawson Kolehouse174.0West Michigan Homeschool
169Kyle Whitacre169.0Kalamazoo Homeschool Sports
1712Riley Weed164.0West Michigan Homeschool
1811Garrett Potts160.3MACH
199Zeke Lindell157.3West Michigan Homeschool
2012Caleb Miller156.5West Michigan Homeschool
2112Nathan Perez154.1MACH
2210Colin Maurer154.1MACH
2310Joel Vanderwey152.9Capital Homeschool
2410Jeremy Long151.7West Michigan Homeschool
2512Allen Sumego149.9Capital Homeschool