FLAT ROCK — The Marquette boys continued their hold on the Upper Peninsula Division 1 cross country title here Saturday, scoring a meet-record 22 points.

Marquette, which placed seven among the top nine runners, was crowned champion for the fifth-straight time. Sault Ste. Marie was next with 64 points and Houghton was third at 74.

“We’re happy with the state record, and the girls tying the state record,” said senior Cullen Papin, who placed 10^th, noting Marquette’s girls championship as well. “We had some guys really step up. This is a great day for Marquette. It’s great to see the hard work pay off. There was definitely special motivation with this being my last high school cross country meet. We went 4-for-4 during my high school career, which is special for me.”

Sault sophomore Gabe Litzner retained his individual title by covering the 3.1-mile course in 15 minutes, 56.6 seconds, becoming only the second runner to break 16 minutes in U.P. Finals history. Colton Yesney of Negaunee remains the U.P. recordholder at 15:49.8 from seven years ago.

“I went out a little hard, and the second mile went okay,” he said. “In the third mile, I really felt good. I just wanted to get a gap right away. It seemed like when I got an adrenaline rush, I didn’t feel it.

“We’ve come a long way from the beginning of the season. Eli (Hills) came out late, and it really helped the team. I’m very proud of our team today.”

Litzner was followed by Marquette juniors Seppi Camilli (16:29.1) and Evan Balko (16:33.5) and freshman Lucas Ballard (16:37.5), and Sault sophomore Shea Armstrong (16:41.8) on this cloudy, cool and breezy day at the Farmhouse Bed & Breakfast in Flat Rock.

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Division 2

Painesdale Jeffers claimed its third straight Finals championship with 48 points, followed by Rudyard with 66 and Munising with 105.

“Overall, it was a great day,” Jeffers coach Sam Kilpela said. “Our fifth runner was up in the air. We’ve had two freshmen battling for that. We knew it wasn’t a given. Rudyard ran well today. The boys are excited for next year already.”

Jets sophomore Landan Larson earned his first title in 17:10.3. He was followed by Ishpeming freshman Kemper Gearhart (17:20.8), Jeffers sophomore Cameron Anderson (17:28.1), Munising junior Dan Goss (18:03.5) and Gogebic freshman Noah Verbos (18:12.4).

“I just wanted to go out hard and open a gap,” Larson said. “The first mile was real fast. Running with Kalvin (Kytta, of Chassell) helped me a lot.

“It’s a pretty special feeling to win this as a team for the third year in a row. Kemper did real well for a ninth-grader. He’s going to be good next year.”

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Division 3

It was also a three-peat for Dollar Bay, which captured the D3 crown with 54 points, followed by Eben Junction Superior Central with 78 and Stephenson with 104.

“The Copper Mountain Conference did real well,” Dollar Bay coach Matt Zimmer said. “It’s a tough conference to run in, and we just kept getting better all year long.

“We did the work and told the kids the hay is in the barn. We also told them to ‘do what you can do.’ The parents made sure the kids ate right. Dollar Bay is just one big community.”

Chassell junior Kalvin Kytta won at 16:49.9, followed by Pickford seniors Hayden Hagen (17:18.8) and Quinn Socia (18:29.1), Dollar Bay junior Joshua Gaunt (18:32.6) and Engadine sophomore Duane Krenek (18:36.9).

“I’m happy with that,” Kytta said. “I pretty much knew I’d be running by myself and tried to make each mile a time trial. It’s pretty easy to get sidetracked when you’re running by yourself. This is pretty special. I feel very blessed.”

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PHOTOS (Top) Sault Ste. Marie's Gabe Litzner (119) leads the pack at the start of the Division 1 U.P. Final at Farmhouse B & B in Gladstone on Saturday. (Middle) Jeffers' Landon Larson rounds a corner on his way to a win in Division 2. (Below) Chassell's Kalvin Kytta, right, runs with Pickford's Hayden Hagen during the Division 3 U.P. Final. Kytta won, and Hagen took second. (Photos by Jason Junio. Click for more from RunMichigan.com.)