Friendly Foes Deliver Division 1 Show
November 2, 2019
Second Half reports
BROOKLYN – Carter Solomon could finally relax, a luxury he couldn’t afford himself for almost 3.1 miles.
The Plymouth senior had the fastest time in the state this fall and was fourth in the Foot Locker National Cross Country Championship last year, accomplishments that didn’t intimidate the other two runners who clung to Solomon in pursuit of the same dream.
When Solomon had finally shaken his rivals and was in the clear, he thrust his arms in the air in a display of emotion he rarely showed while winning races all season.
He had finally checked off the final box on one of the best high school cross country careers in Michigan history.
Solomon won the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 1 individual championship at Michigan International Speedway with a time of 15:01.2, the fastest time in any division Saturday.
“I think I came in as the favorite, but coming away with it still means a whole lot,” Solomon said. “People had me as the favorite, but these guys are coming for me. In my head, I was the third guy coming into this race. These guys are legit. I raced how I wanted to race, and it worked out.”
In his career, Solomon won a team championship with Plymouth last year, made All-America at Foot Locker and put himself in select company by earning all-state for the fourth time Saturday.
Solomon placed in the top 18 all four years. The only boy to accomplish that feat in the MHSAA’s largest classification since separate team and individual races were discontinued in 1996 was Rockford legend Dathan Ritzenhein, who made the top five four years in a row from 1997-2000.
Only two other boys have even been four-time all-staters in the top classification: Lake Orion’s T.J. Carey (2009-12) and Brighton’s Zach Stewart (2016-19).
Running stride for stride with Solomon for much of the race were Clarkston senior Brendan Favazza and Brighton senior Jack Spamer. Favazza finished second in 15:06.0, and Spamer was third in 15:17.1.
“It helps when you’re best friends with him,” Favazza said of Solomon. “He pulled up right beside me when I took the lead and he said, ‘Let’s go one and two together; this is it.’ I’m like, ‘This is the guy. I’m sticking with him the whole way.’”
While Spamer was third in the battle for the individual championship, he got the prize that Solomon and his teammates won last year.
With Spamer in third and Stewart in fourth in 15:30.7, Brighton won its first MHSAA championship since 1995 and third overall by a 136-154 margin over Dexter.
Senior Scott Spaanstra was 31st in 16:05.4, just missing an all-state berth by one place. Sophomore Evan Ross took 46th in 16:17.6, and senior Andrew Hanna took 114th in 16:45.8 to complete Brighton’s scoring.
It was the fourth MHSAA Final meet for Stewart and Spaanstra and the third for Spamer, but the other four Brighton runners were competing at MIS for the first time.
“We didn’t need to run any A-plus races,” Stewart said. “We just needed to have an average day. We came out and did that.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Plymouth’s Carter Solomon (105) pulls to the front of the pack near the start of the Division 1 Final on Saturday. (Middle) Brighton’s Zach Stewart stays a few paces ahead of Plymouth’s Patrick Byrnes as the two went on to finish fourth and fifth, respectively. (Photos by Matt Yacoub/RunMichigan.com.)
Match Race Makes for Intriguing Change, but Favorites Still Find Ways to Front
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
September 17, 2025
HOUGHTON — After following the traditional format for several years, organizers of the Bill Fezzey Memorial Invitational cross county meet decided to do something a little bit different for their races Sept. 4.
They elected to host a match race, formerly known as fox and hounds, on the cloudy and cool day in the Copper Country.
“We decided to make it different this year,” Houghton coach Traci Welch said. “Our kids were really upset about it at first. Although they were apprehensive, I think this brought out the best in them. Some of them ran significantly better times.
"This was the first perfect score ever for our girls. I was a little worried about the boys because we knew (Painesdale) Jeffers was going to be tough.”
The Houghton girls grabbed the top five places in their race and scored 15 points, followed by L’Anse with 49 and Calumet at 74. Jeffers squeezed past the Gremlins 27-28 for the boys title, and third-place Dollar Bay scored 88 points.
Runners followed a 20-second stagger, starting with the No. 7 runners from each school and working their way toward the top. The first one to cross the finish line in each race was the winner regardless of starting position.
Houghton senior Tessa Rautiola was clocked at 22:14.1 in winning the girls race.
“I’ve never done a race like this before,” she said. “All varsity runners go out at once in other races. It’s just a matter of getting into a good mindset.
“This is a learning curve for me. I should be happy I’m still running. I was just trying to catch other people during the race, which added to the intensity somewhat.”
Houghton sophomore Sela Niska was runner-up (22:23.4), and senior teammate Jovie Williams took third (22:38.8).
Jeffers senior Cameron Anderson was the boys winner at 18:33.4, followed by Houghton sophomore Xavier Hutchinson (19:08.3) and freshman Cole Ceane (19:08.8).
“Cam started last and came in first,” Jets coach Sam Kilpela said. “We had him timed at 16:31. It’s so easy to start out fast, which in a way is the hardest part. Once the guys settled in, they knew their job and got it done. This is a big win for us.”
Anderson said he didn’t mind the new format.
“It wasn’t bad,” he added. “I wouldn’t mind doing it again. It made me push myself and want to catch the other guys. You had to make sure you held your pace.”
Hancock senior Lydia Pelli took 18th (24:12.9) among the girls.
“(The match race format) gives the people who are usually first more of a challenge,” she said. “I think I like the regular races better because I’m more familiar with them. You have a better idea of what to expect.”
Ironwood senior Jaelyn Novasconi previously played volleyball but decided to go out for cross country this year. She finished 37th (27:48.8).
“This was a hard choice because I love volleyball,” she said. “I also love basketball, and this will get me in better shape.
“This was my (second) meet since middle school. This is also a great opportunity to compete with kids from other schools. The start was definitely different, but I ran faster than in my first meet.”
John Vrancic has covered high school sports in the Upper Peninsula since joining the Escanaba Daily Press staff in 1985. He is known most prominently across the peninsula for his extensive coverage of cross country and track & field that frequently appears in newspapers from the Wisconsin border to Lake Huron. He received the James Trethewey Award for Distinguished Service in 2015 from the Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association.
PHOTOS (Top) Houghton senior Tessa Rautiola runs to the Upper Peninsula Division 2 Finals championship last season. (Middle) Painesdale Jeffers’ Cameron Anderson moves toward the front of the lead pack at last year’s UPD2 Final. (Photos by Cara Kamps.)