Rockford Finishes Extraordinary Repeat
November 7, 2015
By Bill Khan
Special for Second Half
BROOKLYN — It's not every high school cross country program that can lean upon the wisdom of an alumnus who is a three-time Olympian.
Rockford is no ordinary program, however.
Rockford cross country was put on the map by two runners who would become elite competitors in major races, Jason Hartmann and Dathan Ritzenhein. Ritzenhein is one of America's most recognizable runners, making the last three U.S. Olympic teams.
"Ritz" is living back in Michigan while training for next year's U.S. Olympic marathon trials, making him accessible to the current group of Rams, for whom he's a running idol.
Ritzenhein spoke with this year's team as it prepared to do something that not even the great teams led by he and Hartmann could do — win back-to-back MHSAA championships. Every little bit helped, as the Rams squeaked out a 99-101 victory over Northville in the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 1 meet Saturday at Michigan International Speedway.
Senior Isaac Harding won in 15:10.4, becoming Rockford's first individual champion since the four-year run of Hartmann (1997 and 1998) and Ritzenhein (1999 and 2000).
"It's kind of nice to sort of race through his footsteps a little bit," Harding said of Ritzenhein. "He supports the Rams. He talked to our team a little bit earlier this week. He reminds us to stay composed for the end of the season, supporting us and stuff like that."
Rockford had two MHSAA titles, in 2000 and 2002, before winning these back-to-back championships. The Rams, who have been to 21 straight MHSAA Finals, were runners-up three straight years from 1997-99.
"Winning the state meet last year was really exciting," Harding said. "We came back this year with four of our top five back. We had our fifth guy step up."
Harding, sophomore Cole Johnson, senior Grant Gabriel and senior Grayson Harding scored for Rockford each of the last two years. Johnson was third in 15:15.0, Gabriel 34th in 16:00.3 and Harding 39th in 16:04.4. Rounding out the scoring was senior Matthew MacGregor, who ran 16:24.9 in his first MHSAA Finals.
Northville had five runners cross among the top 33 among team runners, while Rockford's were in the top 54. Northville, however, couldn't overcome Rockford's strength at the top in Harding and Johnson.
In the individual race, Harding bided his time in windy conditions before breaking away from Alpena junior Mitchell Day in the final quarter mile. There were four runners in contention as the leaders entered the track.
"My goal was to make a move in the last 1,200 (meters) or 1K," Day said. "Four people did, then in the last 300, 400 meters is when the two of us made another move. He kind of took off."
Harding is the only member of the current Rockford team to run in the Finals for four years. He has improved every year in place and time, going from 70th (16:14.6) to 31st (16:06.8) to fourth (15:23.2) to champion.
"It's been kind of a really long road," Harding said. "Since my freshman year, I've been looking at results, trying to think if I can beat most of the people in my grade. Toward the end of my freshman year, I started thinking I could just try to work my way up the ladder and get to the top so my senior year I came through first."
It's the third straight year Northville has produced the best boys finish in school history. The Mustangs were fifth in 2013 and fourth last year. Prior to this run, the Mustangs' back-to-back ninth-place showings in 1977 and 1978 represented the high-water mark for the program.
Junior Ben Cracraft was 14th in 15:42.1, while senior Conor Naughton was 15th in 15:42.5 to lead Northville. Naughton has been part of all three top-five teams.
Novi was third with 176 points.
The MHSAA Cross Country Finals are sponsored by the Michigan National Guard.
PHOTOS: (Top) Rockford’s Isaac Harding pushes down the final stretch on the way to winning his first MHSAA title. (Middle) Rockford senior Grant Gabriel, 121, leads another pack toward the finish. (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.)