Carson City-Crystal Earns Finals Sweep
November 7, 2020
By Jason Schmitt
Special for Second Half
BROOKLYN – When Carson City-Crystal’s Coleman Clark crossed the finish line Saturday, he raised his arms over his head and belted out a loud scream.
He had plenty of reasons to celebrate.
The senior captured the Division 4 individual title at the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Boys Cross Country Finals, beating out a loaded field in the second of two races in the division. He broke 16 minutes, finishing in 15:58.55.
And his Eagles also captured the school’s first boys cross country team title since 1994.
“My goal was to come in here and win it,” said Clark, who finished runner-up to Breckenridge’s Mason Sumner a year ago. “And to have my team win as well, this is awesome.”
Clark said his strategy was to take an early lead and keep it. That’s what he did.
“Throughout the race, it could have been anybody’s. But once I got to the stretch, I knew I was going to win it,” he said. “This is the strongest front pack we’ve had in a long time. There were a lot of top runners up there. I’m friends with a lot of them. I race them all the time.
And to break 16. It feels great, amazing.”
Saugatuck junior Max Sharnas finished runner-up in a time of 16:06.51. Sumner finished third (16:31.27), while Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart senior Matthew Nowak finished fourth and Petoskey St. Michael Academy junior Samuel Paga fifth overall.
As a team, Carson City-Crystal was solid one through five. Junior Ashton Keiffer finished 25th overall, earning all-state honors after running a time of 17:38.74. Also scoring for the Eagles were sophomore Brayden Clark and seniors Jared Shepler and Calvin Clark.
“In past years, we haven’t had a super, great team,” Clark said. “This year, we’ve got the most amazing, talented group of guys I’ve ever raced with. I knew that we could pull off a state title if we worked hard.”
Head coach Grant Woodman knew a championship would not come easy. But when he learned his team had accomplished the feat, he was more than fired up.
“It’s pretty freaking awesome,” the coach said, still somewhat in disbelief. “Our history at the school is pretty steeped with tradition, so to bring a state title back is pretty cool.
“We knew it was going to be a fight from the beginning. Saugatuck, Breckenridge and Webberville, we’ve been fighting back and forth with those teams all season. Breckenridge is in our league, and we’ve been keeping an eye on Saugatuck on the other side of the state. They are a powerhouse every year.
Carson City-Crystal’s last Finals team title came back in 1994, the same year the school last produced an individual state champion (Justin Curry).
Breckenridge finished runner-up, led by Sumner’s third place. Also earning all-state honors for the Huskies were junior Trent Carter (8th place) and Colttion Vine (20th place).
Concord was third overall, followed by Kalamazoo Christian and Saugatuck in the top five.
PHOTOS: (Top) Carson City-Crystal’s Coleman Clark digs for the final paces of his Division 3 Finals heat with Saugatuck’s Max Sharnas just behind. (Middle) Ashton Keiffer was the second Eagles runner to cross Saturday. (Click for more from RunMichigan.com.)
Solgot Realizes Championship Potential, Working to Become Michigan's Best
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
October 30, 2026
MACOMB — For Macomb L’Anse Creuse North junior Xavier Solgot, last year’s Lower Peninsula Division 1 Cross Country Finals were about more than just where he finished.
Sure, Solgot was thrilled to nearly crack the top 10, placing 11th and finishing as the top underclassman at the meet.
But more than the result, his performance was a personal revelation revealing what kind of runner he can become.
“It gave me a lot of confidence and just showed I can stick with those top guys,” Solgot said. “Last year, I came in and I didn’t think I was going to be up there that much. I feel like my goal was just to get all-state. Getting 11th was more than I expected. Going into this year, it showed me that I can push through what my expectations are for myself.”
Solgot has certainly pushed to even better things so far this fall. Last month, Solgot broke his own school record, clocking a time of 15.02. He also repeated as champion at the Macomb County meet on Oct. 17, finishing nearly a full minute ahead of the second-place finisher with a time of 15:22.9.
Barring anything unforeseen at the Regional on Friday at Algonac, Solgot should qualify for next week’s Finals and enter on the short list of individual Division 1 title contenders.
“I’m not as worried about place this year as I was last year,” Solgot said. “I think that I just want to push myself as much as I can. Just give it everything and just stay with the top guys as long as I can. Last year, I think I was third at the mile (marker). This year, I think I can stick with them longer.”
Solgot said he first got into cross country when he was in sixth grade after being “peer pressured” by friends to get into the sport, but said a turning point came when he was running a meet during eighth grade.
“In eighth grade, we had a Regional meet and I took my (2-mile) PR from 12:00 to an 11:31, and then I realized I could be pretty good at this and I should start training more in the offseason,” he said.
This season, Solgot looks to be in even better form, and for more reasons than just being a year older and stronger.
For one, he said he prioritizes being fresh each day.
“I’m always getting about 10 hours of sleep every night and making sure I’m well-rested before starting to train,” he said.
Two, Solgot said he has remedied an issue that plagued him during track season when he ran the 1,600 and 3,200 meters.
“I found out at the beginning of cross season that I was very deficient on iron,” he said. “That is kind of why I did so bad at the end of the season of my track year. I’ve been taking iron supplements, and every day I feel better than the last day.”
Finally, Solgot said he has made sure to fully optimize his mental outlook going into each race.
“I’ve kind of changed my perspective going into races,” he said, noting he has upped his training by five miles per week this season. “I used to be nervous, and then I started seeing a sports psychologist to feel less nervous and more prepared for the race. Not be so anxious.”
It’s all made for a terrific junior season, and going into the final week, Solgot and the rest of the state know he belongs among the top echelon of Division 1 contenders.
Keith Dunlap has served in Detroit-area sports media for more than two decades, including as a sportswriter at the Oakland Press from 2001-16 primarily covering high school sports but also college and professional teams. His bylines also have appeared in USA Today, the Washington Post, the Detroit Free Press, the Houston Chronicle and the Boston Globe. He served as the administrator for the Oakland Activities Association’s website from 2017-2020. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties.
PHOTOS (Top) L’Anse Creuse North’s Xavier Solgot runs with a pack toward the finish of last season’s Lower Peninsula Division 1 Final at Michigan International Speedway. (Middle) Solgot holds up his medal after this season’s Macomb County championship meet. (Finals photo by RunMichigan.com. County awards photo provided by Solgot.)