Last Year
SUMMER PREVIEW
MID-SEASON
FINAL PROJECTIONS
THE RESULT
Girls
- Adrian (10th)
- Monroe Jefferson (13th)
- Chelsea (18th)
Boys
- Chelsea (2nd)
- Dearborn Divine Child (7th)
- Adrian (4th)
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 (9th), Chelsea (21st)
Boys
Adrian (Top 5), Chelsea (7th)
(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 12th to 8th to 1st. 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.
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 48th at State, while dropping more than a minute from her previous bests.
Not only did Sophy race extremely well to place 3rd 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.
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. 2nd in the SEC White and Lenawee County.
I’m sure he’ll miss going against Mike Hegarty in these regionals. Over the past three years, Connell has finished 2nd 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.
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 6th place finish here.
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.
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 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.
