Category: 2020 Previews

2020 Previews

An Early Look: Region 14-2

mixcspeedratings

Teams

Charlotte
Corunna
Eaton Rapids
Fowlerville
Haslett
Jackson Northwest
Lake Odessa Lakewood
Lansing Catholic
Mason
Olivet
Owosso
Portland
St. Johns
Williamston

Boys

The transfers out of a certain school in this region are some of the worst kept secrets in Michigan HS XC.  I had originally feared these were for competitive reasons, but diving further into it, I’m relieved to report that’s not the case.  The athletes that are switching teams are extremely talented, and their future results will speak for themselves.  Some of the runners that are running for their hometown teams will be highlighted below:

Team Projections

Individual Projections

Ranked Teams

St. Johns (4), Lansing Catholic (16), Fowlerville (21)

Highest Rated Seniors

During championship season, Nathan peaked extremely hard.  His regional race was rated the highest, a 2nd place finish (and 30 sec. PR!) when he was projected outside of the top-20 coming in.  Throughout his three years, he’s shown he’s capable of improvement, look for that to continue.

Mason looks to continue Corunna’s rich tradition.  Late in his sophomore year, he made a leap, then last season, continued that progress.  To close the year, he had Top 5 finishes at FML, Shiawassee County, and Region 15-2. 

St. Johns success is dependent on their ability to pack up.  Just take a look at the 1-5 spread projected above.  Runners such as Ryan play a role in that.  His consistency (his ratings were all between 178-185) and his ability to step up in important races (ran his best at regionals) will aid the Redwings down the stretch.

Career Achievement

During his sophomore campaign, Josh was able to achieve quite a few honors.  He was victorious in two CAAC White Jamborees, finished in the Top 5 at Michigan Catholic, Marauder, and Spartan.  He also qualified for MIS for the second year in a row.

Anyone Else?

Tremendous improvement between his 9th and 10th grade years.  Zach was able to accomplish a few sub-18 runs as a freshman.  In 2019, he raised himself to a new level, running a 16:29 to finish 10th in this regional. 

Koda has a great chance of following in the footsteps of Bryce Dubay and Kobe Blanco.  Early in his freshman year, he ran to his potential, nailing a sub-18 at Harper Creek.  Although he didn’t get an individual qualifier, he was able to run 17:19 later in the year at the Portage Regional.

One of the benefits of training with a fast pack like St. Johns has is that you’re almost forced to speed up.  Bryce has done just that.  As a freshman, he hovered around the 20:00 mark.  As a junior, he lowered that average by almost 3:00. 

Girls

Team Projections

Individual Projections

Ranked Teams

Haslett (5), Mason (10), St. Johns (22), Lansing Catholic (23)

Highest Rated Seniors

I feel this tandem has represented Corunna extremely well over the past three years.    Between the two, they have six All-Region finishes, six Top-3 Shiawassee County finishes, and one All-State honor.

After missing a sub-20 by 0.3 seconds as a sophomore, Sarah made sure to smash her way through that barrier.  She ran 19:54 early at the Corunna EB, then was steadily in the mid-19’s for her championship season.  The best race of which came at MIS, her 19:37 placing 48th.

Career Achievement

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Anyone Else?

In her freshman campaign, Olivia had her share of outstanding races.  A few stand out: her two breakthroughs at DeWitt and Portage, along with 13th place finish at this tough regional.

Over the past two years, Amalia has shown she belongs and will likely succeed at the HS level.  She’s been in the 12:00 range multiple times, even running 11:53 to conclude her 7th grade season.

As with Olivia, Katie was able to string together strong performances at Portage and Regionals.  Her Regional race was a 17 sec. PR, and compared to her early season, a sign that she responded quite well to her training.