Category: 2020 Previews

2020 Previews

An Early Look: Region 18-2

mixcspeedratings

Teams

Adrian
Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard
Carleton Airport
Chelsea
Dearborn Divine Child
Dearborn Heights Annapolis
Detroit Cesar Chavez Academy
Detroit West Side Academy
Dundee
Flat Rock
Garden City
Grosse Ile
Melvindale
Milan
Monroe Jefferson
New Boston Huron
Riverview
Romulus
Summit Academy
Tecumseh
Trenton

Boys

Team Projections

Individual Projections

Ranked Teams

Chelsea (8), Adrian (13), Dearborn Divine Child (24)

Highest Rated Seniors

Showed great consistency throughout the season, running right near that 17:00 barrier.  Finally broke through at Regionals.  Dropped 1:00+ in many of his races from his sophomore to junior years.  Your reigning Lenawee County champion as well.

D’Anthony raised eyebrows as a sophomore, running 17:25 in only his fourth race.  Regionals may have not gone the way he wanted, but he redeemed himself this past year.  His 10th place qualified for State, and was his second time breaking 17:00.

Kenny has one of the lower PR’s in this field, running a 16:30 at Gabriel Richard last fall.  That Hudson Mills course must hold a special place in his heart, as he set a PR there as a sophomore.  Both years, he’s barely missed the cut to get to MIS, but given his year to year progress, he’s a good bet to make it there in this school year.

Career Achievement

Erik has been a key contributor on two extremely successful Chelsea teams.  In 2018, he was the 7th man on the squad that upset Fremont, running a personal best in that race.  This past year, he was the 5th man.  The race itself didn’t go as well, but he had a number of accomplishments throughout the season, including a few sub-17 races. 

Anyone Else?

Michael was probably the best freshman boy in the lower half of the state.  He showed his mettle early, running 18:00 on an always tough Cass Benton course.  The times followed late, with two consecutive sub-16:30 performances to end the year.  The latter of which earned him a spot on the podium at MIS. 

Aiden was an accomplished freshman as well.  He started off strong, opening with a 2nd place finish at the Lenawee County Preview.  In the Lenawee County Championship, he was able to repeat that feat.  At the tail end of the season, he was able to slip under 17:00, both here at Lake Erie and at MIS. 

The Alford family has been good to Chelsea, helping them reload with yet another potential frontrunner.  Connell won some huge races, the Mega Jam and Portage.  At Portage, his 8:14 places him alongside names such as Hunter Jones and Nathan Walker.  And he was even able to jump into a 5k at MITCA, coming through in 17:11 on that muddy track.

Girls

Team Projections

Individual Projections

Ranked Teams

Tecumseh (14), Dearborn Divine Child (15), Chelsea (17)

Highest Rated Seniors

The past two seasons, Kaitlin has been THE girl in Lenawee County.  She’s won the county championship twice, this past year by 45+ seconds.  Placed 2nd here at Regionals and has placed 37th at MIS two years in a row. 

Erin always steps up during championship season.  Each of the past three years, she’s been under 20:00 at Regionals, often after running above that mark for most of the year.  She’s been in the top-15 each time, lowering her place each time out.  Had her best performance of the year at MIS, reaching for that personal best in iffy conditions. 

This last October, Ashley experienced the best stretch of her career.  She brought the heat at Portage, knocking almost 40 sec. off her previous best.  She continued to roll through Catholic League (10th place) and Regionals (13th place).  For comparison, in previous years, she had not run either race at the varsity level.

Career Achievement

Caitlin has been in the 19’s each of the past two years.  In both seasons, that turn up in performance came during the championship season.  She’s been twice been top-10 in the Huron League and at Regionals.  Last fall produced some precipitous time drops as well, most impressively a 19:24 at MIS.

Anyone Else?

Riley took what was an unfortunate circumstance, missing her track season, and turned it into a positive.  She ran a freakin’ marathon.  All while raising nearly $2000 for charity.  She’s a pretty good XC runner also, running 20:1x each of the past three years. 

Izzie finally broke through with a state qualifier last year.  She’s always been in that conversation, but this time she ran a clutch race to finish 11th at this region.  Very versatile as well, on the track she competes in the rare combination of mid-distance and long jump.

As with Connell Alford, Trillian should be a major boon to the Chelsea program.  They’ve always had a solid girl’s squad, but the past few years, may have missed that frontrunner.  She’s shown she can place high, examples being a 7th place at Portage and 3rd at the Mega Jam.  She’s shown she can handle the additional distance, with a 20:11 at MITCA to her credit.    

2020 Previews

An Early Look: Region 20-3

mixcspeedratings

Teams

Benzie Central
Evart
Farwell
Harrison
Hart
Hesperia
Lake City
LeRoy Pine River
Manistee
Manton
Mason County Central
McBain
Morley Stanwood
Reed City
Shelby

Boys

Team Projections

Individual Projections

Ranked Teams

Hart (2), Manistee (7), McBain (11), Benzie Central (15)

Highest Rated Seniors

Alex’s 2019 track season was cut short, but he was able to bounce back in a major way.  He didn’t improve on his personal best, but he did cut down places in other races.  He captured the crown in the Oceana County Meet and ended the season with his first top-10 finish at MIS.  And I should mention that he’s been sub-16 in each of the past two years.

Kinkade has gone from a kid who couldn’t break 20:00 as a freshman to a successful runner who spent much time in the 17’s as a junior.  His first race under the barrier was at Carson City, a 14th place effort.  Over the next month, he was able to gradually knock that PR down to a 17:00.  He finished 11th at the regional here, much lower than his 49th and 54th place finishes the previous two seasons.

In each of his two XC seasons, Connor has been able to run his best at the end of the year.  Benzies usually produces many PRs and he has come through in both years with 16:2x efforts.  The All-State honor has escaped him, but if he runs to his capabilities as he’s displayed here, it’s within his wheelhouse.

Career Achievement

Profile.

Ransom racked up a number of victories last season in the Lakes 8 Conference.  He was victorious at both jamborees and the championship race.  He took that to Regionals, where he placed in the top-10 for the first time ever.

Anyone Else?

Following an emotional high of a PR, it’s tough to come back the next week and replicate that performance.  Wesley’s run at the State Meet showed he’s capable of embracing his success.  His 17:06 at MIS was another sub-17 equivalent, a major improvement from his underclass years spent in the 19’s.

Noah had a successful season that perhaps didn’t manifest at MIS.  But one race does not a season make.  Victories at all three of the conference jamborees, Buckley, Dwayne Rau, and Late Season Warrior.  Also, a 7th place finish and 30 sec. personal best at Regionals.

Jayce has embraced the gradual progress that many of us see in running.  He had his first taste of sub-18 at the 2018 Regional meet, then was able to considerably lower that mark this past fall.  Two consecutive individual qualifiers for him.

Girls

Team Projections

Individual Projections

Ranked Teams

Hart (1), Benzie Central (5), McBain (7), Reed City (14), Manton (18)

Highest Rated Seniors

Abbigail has a track record of progress that should continue into 2020.  Each year of HS, she’s accomplished more and more.  As a freshman, it was a sub-20, the next year, dropping that time by 25+ seconds.  As a junior, she nabbed her first All-State finish.  In track, she concentrates more on mid-distance, with PRs of 2:24/5:17.

When you’re an Ackley and running at Hart, your success might be ignored.  Savannah’s should not.  She’s been top-10 in Division 3 all throughout HS and has spent considerable time in the 18’s.  Her 2019 season may not have been as “fast” as previous years, but she placed 4th at MIS, her best finish yet.  She was also able to run 5:12 this spring, a 2 second PR. 

Lynae has been right there with Savannah, an integral part of Hart’s success.  She’s been All-State all three years as well, the final two of those in the top-15.  She was able to run her best race of the season here at Benzie, nearly breaking her 18:41 PR.

Career Achievement

Profile.

Although a 38 sec. drop in her personal best may seem par for the course, Cierra’s championship was arguably her best yet.  A win in the final NWC jamboree was one in a string of 6 consecutive sub-20 races.  The last of which was her first All-State honor.

Anyone Else?

Profile.

With her sister Klaudia off to GVSU (one of the better freshmen in the GLIAC too), Maggie stepped up her performance.  Time-wise, she dropped into the 19’s, both at Regional and State.  The State Meet performance had to be extra sweet, as she ran 70+ seconds faster than in 2018. 

Miranda has been an accomplished MS runner with results over all distances.  She finished 17th at Portage in a sub-10 (2500m) effort and 3rd at Bluejay in 12:43.

Mylie is an example of my end goal here.  This winter, she embraced the ratings and used them as motivation for her training.  This spring, she was able to run 18:45 in a time trial, a show of the direct relationship of hard work and results.  For some, that process takes longer, for her, that immediate response to a stimulus speaks to her potential in this sport.