I tell this tale every time, but maybe there’s an 8th grader reading these things: Mylie was a good middle school runner, not outstanding by any stretch, but between her 8th grade fall and 9th grade season, she dedicated herself to the sport, turning a 14:00 2 miler to a 19:00 5k runner
As such, she had a freshman year full of accolades and surprises, going sub-19 a few times, finishing 8th in D3, running 11:09 at Bluejay Elite, medaling at both the 1600m and 3200m.
There’s been bumps along the way, but Mylie has proven that if you keep sticking with it and rely on your support system, you can come out a stronger girl
A 19:30 at Pete Moss could’ve wrecked her confidence, she finishes the season 6th at D3 State and breaks the school record
An 18th place in the Indoor State 3200m was well below expectations, at that point she might as well give up on the weekend, she came back the next day to help win the 4×8
Mediocre race after mediocre race may have made a mere mortal shut down her track season, she held on for 8th at D3 State
So yep, that perseverance inspires confidence that when she gets rolling again, she’ll really be rolling
And hey, if you’re up to date on your Fourth of July road races, you’d know Mylie’s on the right path
Grade
Name
Time
Rating
Meet
Course
Date
10
Mylie Kelly
19:30.1
133.6
Pete Moss
Benzie Central HS
28-Aug
10
Mylie Kelly
18:52.9
138.7
NWC 1
Buckley HS
14-Sep
10
Mylie Kelly
19:30.2
139.9
Spartan
Forest Akers
17-Sep
10
Mylie Kelly
18:19.4
148.5
Cadillac
Veterans Serving Veterans Park
25-Sep
10
Mylie Kelly
19:02.2
145.9
NWC 2
Kingsley HS
28-Sep
10
Mylie Kelly
18:13.9
154.4
Bluejay
Shepherd HS
2-Oct
10
Mylie Kelly
18:29.6
154.1
Portage
Portage West MS
9-Oct
10
Mylie Kelly
18:14.4
140.5
NWC Benzie
Benzie Central HS
12-Oct
10
Mylie Kelly
19:19.5
149.8
Freeland Falcon
Freeland
16-Oct
10
Mylie Kelly
18:09.1
142.3
20 Benzie
Benzie Central HS
30-Oct
10
Mylie Kelly
18:38.2
139.3
D3 State
MIS
6-Nov
10
Mylie Kelly
19:23.1
130.0
MMOC
Shepherd HS
13-Nov
Grade
Name
Rating
Meet
Course
Date
9
Mylie Kelly
124.0
Pete Moss
Benzie Central HS
29-Aug
9
Mylie Kelly
131.4
Benzie Tri
Benzie Central HS
12-Sep
9
Mylie Kelly
129.7
Ottawa Hills
Riverside Park
18-Sep
9
Mylie Kelly
132.7
Petoskey
Petoskey MS
26-Sep
9
Mylie Kelly
123.1
NWC Jamboree 2
Benzie Central HS
29-Sep
9
Mylie Kelly
140.8
Shepherd Bluejay
Shepherd HS
3-Oct
9
Mylie Kelly
125.9
D3 Reg 20
Buckley HS
31-Oct
9
Mylie Kelly
140.5
D3 State
MIS
7-Nov
On the contrary, Tyler came into high school as a stud, WITH expectations, and boy has he lived up to those
His times haven’t been eye-popping, but as a Bulldog team member, he’s been just what they need, progressing throughout the year and coming through in championship races when it matters
As a freshman, he ran his season best at State, helping Brighton secure a top-15 finish
As a sophomore, he went sub-16:20 at KLAA and State, both of which Brighton victories
Again, I just love this Brighton website, and Tyler’s bio on here sums up why I think he’ll be ready to handle the season’s challenges
“I can’t wait to see how our team can evolve and respond to meet new challenges. Most importantly, after winning a big state title, we must stay humble and hungry for the next season.”
Not resting on laurels, not coming into meets thinking they’re better than their competition, being aware of needed growth – with this correct mindset, he’s set up for success in 2022
Now we’re getting to the fun part! In previous years, what I’ve done is list the top teams, top individuals. Prior to last summer, I’d write and write and write, then never finish my writings before the season started. In 2021, I made the decision to just list the top teams and not add any creative input. I’m going to bridge that gap this year. The best of the best are covered in the 50 Tickets, the fastest runners on the best teams will be covered in their Top 10s. In these previews, I want to write just a tiny bit about everyone else. Maybe it’s only a sentence, but y’all deserve even the tiniest bit of recognition.
These projections include incoming freshmen. This is a necessary step in the previews, however there are some unknown areas. Many of the schools in this region have identifiable feeder schools, but I’ll always miss someone that didn’t run 8th grade XC or add someone that ran 8th grade XC and won’t run in HS. There’s really no other way to do it other than make it a guessing game or to ask every coach individually, which would take years. As always, if you’re reading here, have an upcoming region with an odd case, reach out!
Where: Ella Sharp Park. The home of cross country in the Jackson area. Unless there’s a better setup in the northern part of the State, this is by far the easiest course to spectate. You can see the runners at least seven times, be able to see the start, get to the finish, optimal for the old, slow folks such as myself. Tends to run fair in late September, then a little fast come championship season. Many turns and maneuvering around trees/boulders, but runners are aided by long, gradual downhills.
I love the old-school map carved into the wood at Sharp Park, but this online version will suffice:
2021 Boys: Concord (2nd), Hillsdale Academy (1st), Adrian Lenawee Christian (11th)
2021 Girls: Hillsdale Academy (4th), Adrian Lenawee Christian (12th), Pittsford (17th)
Top 25 Boys: Hillsdale Academy (Top 10), Adrian Lenawee Christian (Top 10)
Top 25 Girls: Hillsdale Academy (Top 10), Pittsford (20th)
(As stated earlier, the shoutouts and anecdotes here will be anyone in the Top 15 isn’t on a top 10 team. Top incoming freshmen will get their due at the end of summer or throughout their career 🙂 )
Tyler Bays – Twice has saved his best performances for the end of the fall season, Tyler has been All-State the past two years. Track took a different turn this past spring, where he won over 50% of his races, including a victory in the 800m at State. Competitors will be looking at the back of that iconic Nike/Hoka hat all season.
Kade Spahr – 3x State Qualifier here, each of which he finished in the top-10. Had his best track season yet, knocking 25+ seconds off his previous best in the 1600m and nearly hit 20’ in the long jump.
Evan Suydam – I shouldn’t have been surprised given how his 2020 season ended, but what a race at State last November. 24th place, 17:07, a level he hadn’t reached until months earlier at the Huron Invite. That championship success carried over into track where he was able to gruel out a 10:25 3200m at State, good for a 6 sec. PB and 14th place finish.
Bryson Bachelder – Junior year started in the 20’s, ended in the 17’s and a second consecutive State Meet appearance.
Michael Allen – Here on account of a track season where he ran 2:16/4:55/10:39 and placed in both the 1600m and 3200m in the Cascades Conference
Caleb Diener – Many consistent 3200m’s this spring for Caleb. He didn’t attain any marks in the 10’s, but but continually knocked on the door with four races between 11:00 and 11:10.
Reece Poole – Freshman year contained a 15th place finish at SCAA and 18:57 at Jackson.
Izzy Brooks – Showed a fearlessness beyond her years, nabbing the Lenawee County crown in cross and All-States in both track and cross.
Ava Mallar – Inaugural HS season featured two sub-20’s, the latter of which resulting in a 12th place finish in Brooklyn.
Brooke Smith – Brooke has a penchant for showing up at the end of the year and that characteristic was on display in track, where she ran a 20+ second personal best to finish 10th in D4’s 3200m.
Stephanie Hernandez – To knock more than 4 minutes off one’s time is simply amazing, Stephanie did that en route to 7th place regional finish and 55th spot at State.
Neili Pike – Big time track season, especially in the 800m, where she finished 5th in D4, running 2:24. 1600m not too bad either, a 5:40. If that translates to cross, All-State easily within reach.
Riley McCumber – Displayed some serious reliability as a freshman, a steady 3rd girl was needed if Pittsford were to have postseason success. They qualified largely because of Riley’s reliable efforts in the 22’s.
Priya Mericle – Freshman year in both track and cross ended with great motivation for the next year. This spring, three efforts between 6:00 and 6:10, last fall, a personal best at the Speedway.
Taylor Lautermilch – Recovered from a 28:00+ opener to have a solid freshman year featuring 11th places at both SCAA and here at this region.
