Work, Patience Paying Off as EGR's Workman Finds Pace Among State's Lead Pack
By
Dean Holzwarth
Special for MHSAA.com
September 25, 2025
EAST GRAND RAPIDS – Earlier this month, East Grand Rapids cross country standout Jonah Workman arrived at the Sparta Invitational feeling less than enthusiastic to run as raindrops began to fall.
“I came into the race not really thinking I was going to try super hard, to be honest,” Workman said. “I got to the race and it started to rain and the course was super muddy when we were warming up. We really didn't want to run.”
A day of angst quickly turned to exhilaration hours later after Workman eclipsed 15 minutes for the first time to win the event easily.
He clocked a personal-record 14:58.8 and won the race by almost a minute.
“Jonah asked me what I thought the course record was, and I jokingly said, ‘If you break 15, I think you will get it’, and then he went out and just hammered and put it away,” Pioneers boys cross country coach Drew Collette said. “That’s a quick course, but I didn't know if the conditions would be perfect for that. But he went for it and blew me away.
“It was a significant PR, and anytime you can break 15 it's a big deal, especially by yourself. That’s really special, and it was super fun to see that.”
Workman is one of only three runners in Michigan to run under 15 minutes this season as he joins Ann Arbor Pioneer’s Kamari Ronfeldt (14:47.9) and Beckett Crooks (14:56.1).
“I went the first mile in like 4:42 and I was like, ‘I feel good. I can run pretty hard,’” Workman said. “I ran hard after that mile. It was a fluke of a race, but glad it happened.”
Workman is one of the top returning runners in the state this season and the catalyst of a talented Pioneers squad.
He finished fifth overall at the Lower Peninsula Division 2 Final last season, but hopes to end his career accomplishing a goal he set for himself in middle school when first meeting Collette.
“I met him in eighth grade, right before I took the job, and we talked about his goals and he wanted to win a state title his senior year,” Collette said. “I told him that we could get there, and we can work on that.
“He had natural talent, and he's been very dedicated to his craft and very dedicated to his goals. When you have that type of talent and mix it with someone that is driven the way he is … it's not a real surprise to see four years later and here we are.”\
Workman recalled that first encounter with Collette and the conversation concerning what he hoped to attain.
“When I met him I had just PR’d and won this race and was very pumped up with energy and confidence,” Workman said. “I thought I could have a future in this, and that would be winning a state championship for me.
“I always watched my sister, Ainsley, running at the state meet and I also watched all these family friends win it and be successful. So in middle school, I kind of always had that in the back of my mind.”
Running has been a common thread in the Workman family.
“I was put into running in sixth grade by my parents, who both ran at Calvin College, and my sisters ran, so it was kind of natural for me to go into running as well,” Workman said. “I played basketball freshman year, but sat the bench and I thought to myself, ‘Why am I sitting the bench when I can go train for track?’”
Workman was a freshman when East Grand Rapids won a Division 2 team championship, the first in program history. He finished 45th individually that season and 31st as a sophomore before making a giant leap his junior year.
“We were really careful about him and his progression,” Collette said. “He was watching and learning from the older guys and then had more of a workload as a junior when he became a lot stronger and became a leader on the team.
“Seeing him take fifth last year and now being exactly where he wants to be and where we wanted him to get to in a place where we can vie for that individual title is really exciting. It’s been an awesome progression of just being patient, being smart and having that long-term goal in mind the whole time.”
Workman’s mindfulness to his training, coupled with a strong worth ethic, were main factors in his times continuing to drop.
“It’s all about consistency within my training and building confidence over time,” Workman said. “I used to beat my stuff up after bad races and that set me back, but now I go with the one-third rule and coach has been a great tool to keep instilling that confidence in me that I can compete at a high level.”
Workman has his sights set on the EGR record (14:56), as well as capping his high school career with another Finals title. The Pioneers have finished third as a team the past two years.
“Winning state as a team is one of my biggest priorities, especially after my freshman year being able to win it as a team," Workman said. "Being able to win it now with all of my friends would just be a super way to end high school cross country.
“These guys have been dedicated to their craft and have been for four years with me. It's been amazing to be in this type of environment, and I'm surrounded by guys who want it as bad as I do.”
Expectations remain high for this group because of the runners’ experience and depth.
“It’s a group that is really driven and really wants to get back on top,” Collette said. “We want to bookend by trying to win one more time for this group. It’s going to be a hard challenge, but that’s what we’re aiming for.”
Dean Holzwarth has covered primarily high school sports for Grand Rapids-based WOOD-TV for five years after serving at the Grand Rapids Press and MLive for 16 years along with shorter stints at the Ionia Sentinel and WZZM. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Allegan, Kent and Ottawa counties.
PHOTOS East Grand Rapids’ Jonah Workman runs at Grand Rapids South Christian’s Under the Lights Invite on Aug. 22. (Photo by Willoughby Sports Photography.)
Preview: Stage Set for Several Storylines Featuring Past Champs, New Stars
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
October 31, 2025
Three returning champions to Saturday’s Lower Peninsula Boys Cross Country Finals are hoping to add to title streaks that already have extended over multiple seasons.
But none of those three is considered the favorite in its respective race – and with only one 2024 individual winner back as well, title opportunities abound at one of the MHSAA’s largest championship events.
At least two contenders hope they’ll be celebrating like it’s the 1950s again – they’re seeking first championships in more than 70 years. Division 4 favorite Maple City Glen Lake is hoping to climb the MIS stage as a team champion for the first time.
See below for several team and individual contenders. The "season bests" list referred to frequently is a ranking list of every runner's best time this season, maintained by Athletic.net. The first boys race, in Division 4, begins at 10:50 a.m.; click here for the full schedule and ticket information.
Additionally, all eight races Saturday at MIS will be streamed live and viewable with subscription on the NFHS Network: Divisions 1 & 2 | Divisions 3 & 4.
Division 1
Reigning champion: Northville
2024 runner-up: Saline
2025 top-ranked: 1. Ann Arbor Pioneer, 2. Northville, 3. Kalamazoo Central.
Northville can become the sixth program in Lower Peninsula history to win a fourth-straight Finals championship – and the first since Dexter won the last of a five consecutive in 2006. Four runners return from last year’s lineup including ninth-place senior Ben Hartigan and 10th-place junior Brandon Cloud. But the rankings call for Pioneer to move up from 14th last season to claim a first team championship since 2017. Five Pioneers are back from last season’s lineup, including eighth-place senior Beckett Crooks – who has run the second-fastest top time (14:48.2) in the state regardless of peninsula or division – and junior Kamari Ronfeldt, who was fourth as a freshman in 2023, wasn’t able to finish last season’s race but enters this one with the top time statewide of 14:47.9. A Kalamazoo Central championship would make for incredible headlines; the Maroon Giants have a Lower Peninsula-record 11 Finals titles in this sport but with their most recent won in 1954. They finished fourth last season and return their top four racers from that lineup, with junior Samuel Baker back after finishing 14th individually and senior Andrew Wright posting the third-fastest top time in Division 1 this fall.
Individuals: A total of 12 of last season’s top 20 placers will return this weekend, led by Canton senior Aiden Pengelly, who finished runner-up a year ago and just 6½ seconds off the lead. Milford senior Kyle O’Rourke also returns after finishing third and just a second behind Pengelly. Joining those two and the others noted above from the 2024 top 20 are Grand Haven juniors Luka Hammond (fifth) and Aron Gal (19th), Howell junior Jack MacGregor (sixth), Kalamazoo Loy Norrix senior Jackson Lam (12th), Utica senior Harper Wesley (15th) and Saline junior Jacob Szalay (16th).
Division 2
Reigning champion: Allendale
2024 runner-up: Ada Forest Hills Eastern
2025 top-ranked: 1. Flint Powers Catholic, 2. Alma, 3. East Grand Rapids.
West Michigan teams have claimed this division three years in a row, and 2022 champ East Grand Rapids is among those expected to be in the mix again. Flint Powers is seeking its first team title since 1999, which would be an incredible story as well as the Chargers sent only two individual qualifiers to the Finals a year ago. Senior Bryce Gross (20th) and sophomore Lennox Naswell (32nd) are both headed back this weekend, and Naswell has run the fourth-fastest top time in the division. Alma is seeking to make a jump from fifth last fall to win what would be a first team title since 1952. Five of the Panthers’ top six from last season will run again, including 14th-place senior Thomas Larson, whose fastest time this fall ranks sixth just behind that of junior teammate Ezekiel Baltierra. East Grand Rapids finished third last year without a senior and the entire lineup is back, paced by fifth-place senior Jonah Workman. Parma Western, ranked No. 5, has a pair of top-20 placers from last year back in senior Edison Lopeman (eighth) and junior Ryan Good (17th), and reigning champion Allendale is ranked No. 13 but also has two top finishers back in junior Mason Hill (ninth) and senior Ronnie Silveira (15th).
Individuals: Workman was the only finisher among the top seven last season who didn’t graduate, and he’ll be considered among favorites along with Whitehall junior Robert Jazwinski III, who has won all of his races this fall, has the fastest time in the Division 2 (14:56.6, with Workman second on the top time list at 14:58.8), and placed third in Division 3 for Hart in 2023. In addition to Workman and the others mentioned above, also back from last year’s top 20 are Adrian senior Moises Salazar Jr. (11th) and Ada Forest Hills Eastern junior Steven Zawacki (18th).
Division 3
Reigning champion: Traverse City St. Francis
2024 runner-up: Saugatuck
2025 top-ranked: 1. Jackson Lumen Christi, 2. Charlevoix, 3. Lansing Catholic.
St. Francis graduated six of its seven runners from last season and will enter this weekend unranked as it races for a third-straight Finals team title. Lumen Christi graduated its top two from last year’s fourth-place team but returns the other five runners as it seeks a first championship since 2012. Charlevoix is running for its first Finals win since finishing a streak of five straight in 1991, and after finishing 14th a year ago with only one senior. Five of the Rayders’ top six runners from that lineup are back, led by ninth-place junior Hunter Eaton – who has the fastest time in Division 3 this season at 15:22.4. Lansing Catholic’s most recent title came in 2015, and the Cougars placed ninth a year ago also with only one senior. They bring back their top three from that lineup and five racers total.
Individuals: Central Montcalm senior Gage Hoffman was the only non-senior among last year’s top four, finishing third, and he has the third-fastest top time in Division 3 this season. Joining him and Eaton back from last year’s top 10 are Jonesville junior Caleb Blonde (fifth), Ithaca senior Landen Styka (sixth) and Flat Rock senior Jacob Stanislawski (eighth). Junior William Ready (11th) is the only St. Francis runner returning. Manton senior Robert Dykhouse (12th), Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central sophomore Christian Craanen (14th), Flat Rock senior Lucas Taraszkiewicz (18th) and Caro junior Luke Herron (20th) also placed among the top 20 last fall, and Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest sophomore Nole Lorenzen was 21st and has the second-fastest top time (15:24.5) in the division this season.
Division 4
Reigning champion: Hillsdale Academy
2024 runner-up: Holland Calvary
2025 top-ranked: 1. Maple City Glen Lake, 2. Holland Calvary, 3. Hillsdale Academy.
Hillsdale Academy has finished first and Holland Calvary second the last two seasons, and they’re expected to be in the mix again. But Glen Lake is the favorite this time as it pursues a first Finals championship. The Lakers finished third last year and return their second through fifth runners, led by 18th-place junior Abraham Feeney, plus have one of the top freshmen in Spencer McNitt. Holland Calvary ran all sophomores in 2024 to its second-straight runner-up finish, and five are back including Noah Schipper (23rd) and Christian Getz (29th). Hillsdale Academy graduated just two runners after last season and has four runners back including fourth-place senior Grayson Rorick.
Individuals: This field is loaded, with 13 of last year’s top 20 back including the top four placers. Now-senior Marek Butkiewicz is the reigning champion after clinching last year’s race 15 seconds ahead of the field. Royal Oak Shrine Catholic senior Abenezar Cerone is the reigning runner-up, while Three Oaks River Valley senior Landon Rogers was third and Hillsdale Academy’s Rorick fourth. Petoskey St. Michael senior Cody Bradley (seventh), Whitmore Lake senior Landen Livingston (10th), Mesick juniors Kyle Redman (13th) and Ty Redman (20th), Hackett senior Sean Siems (14th), Riverview Gabriel Richard junior Jacob Ferdubinski (15th), Harbor Beach senior Brody Karg (16th), Glen Lake’s Feeney (18th) and Brown City senior Carson Burgess (19th) also are back from the top 20. Butkiewicz (14:59.4) and Cerone (15:25.0) rank first and second, respectively, on the Division 4 top times list.
PHOTO Central Montcalm’s Gage Hoffman crosses the finish line first Saturday at his Division 3 Regional at Bath. (Photo by John Johnson.)