Britton Deerfield Boys Following Bigger Numbers to Championship Results
By
Doug Donnelly
Special for MHSAA.com
May 6, 2026
Each week during boys track & field season, Dustin Longnecker gathers his Britton Deerfield team in his classroom. They call it the “War Room.”
Longnecker and his Patriots stand in front of the white board and go through the upcoming track meet or invitational event-by-event, figuring out where they can score the most points. The fact that BD is even focused on dual meets is a complete change of thinking for Longnecker.
“I’m so blessed,” he said. “I could go on and on about this group. I’ve never had numbers like this. My first year I had eight kids on the boys and girls team combined.
“One year I had this phenomenal sprinter, a high jumper with turf toe and some throwers. I’ve never cared about dual meets because we just couldn’t compete.”
As Longnecker says, this is “the good old days” for BD.
The Patriots finished the Tri-County Conference with a winning record at 3-2-1 and head into Friday’s league meet with a good shot at third place. They won a home invitational Friday against some established programs from the Lenawee County Athletic Association and Cascades Conference.
“Before the season Erik (Johnson) asked me what kind of trophy to get for the Bob Beckey Invite. I said I didn’t care because we’d never sniff that,” said Longnecker, referring to a conversation with his athletic director. “Turns out, we won. It was so great for the kids. We score up to eight places and had all sorts of kids contribute. That was the great thing about it. It is more special when everyone contributes.”
The Beckey Invite was named after longtime coach Bob Beckey, who died in 2016.
Ottawa Lake Whiteford coach Jay Yockey coached at BD previously and was elated to hear BD took home the trophy.
“Bob was also a great guy and coach, and he loved track, but he loved our athletes more,” Yockey said. “So, to see BD win an invite that is named after him is incredible. Bob had a saying that he used often when he was happy. He would say, ‘I’m tickled pink.’ Now he probably would be embarrassed to have an invite named after him, but to know the school he last coached at won that invite, I would have to imagine that he would say that he was ‘tickled pink.’”
Longnecker has had to utilize various strategies over the years as a track coach due to BD’s low numbers. For example, he’s seldom been in favor of pushing kids to run in four events in one day. He’s also never concerned himself with winning dual meets.
“We have a winning record in the TCC for the first time in my career,” he said. “I never thought I’d say that. We just don’t win dual meets. We haven’t had the numbers. This year, the kids have been all about it. We have a really strong freshman and junior class. The great thing about it is that it is really from top to bottom. The kids are still getting better.”
Typically, Longnecker is focused on getting kids to qualify for the MHSAA Finals and run record times at BD.
This year he can do both.
“I was a two-miler in high school,” he said. “I’ve never had a kid who would run it here. This year, I have Donovan McCarthy who runs it. He doesn’t like it, but he likes scoring points.”
McCarthy finished third in the 3,200 at the Beckey Invitational in a great finish.
“He fought a kid from Hudson the whole way,” Longnecker said. “Performances like that is why I love this group.”
The Patriots 400 relay is knocking on the door of a Finals-qualifying time. Freshman Elijah Fortune is a talented athlete who vomited twice and took a nap in the parking lot before returning to the track and helping his team win that race.
BD could get multiple distance runners to the Finals, and all four throwers have had an impact this season, especially senior Andrew Bunker.
“He’ll have both records before the season is over,” Longnecker predicted about Bunker.
Bunker has been an amazing story in his own right. He weighed less than 200 pounds when the Britton Deerfield 8-player football season ended in 2024. He’s now up to 275 and will play college football. He’s become a fitness guru, counting every calorie and working out daily with a stringent routine.
“I try to stay clean,” he said. “I track my protein, carbs and fat. I try to eat as clean as I can. You can’t always eat clean 24/7. I’m in high school. I just do the best I can – a lot of chicken, eggs and rice. I think in that first year we went through dozens and dozens of eggs. (My brother and I would) come home and just devour eggs after the gym – eggs, rice and chicken. You just have to eat what you can.”
Longnecker said Bunker has turned into a great team leader for track, too.
“He’s such a cerebral kid. It’s rare to be around a kid who is that committed to anything,” the coach said.
For Britton Deerfield, which has a high school enrollment of 125, the track numbers might stay high for the next few years. Longnecker credits the middle school coaches with helping kids get interested – and stay interested – in track & field.
“We have a good nucleus right now,” he said. “I think next year we’re going to be just as solid.”
Doug Donnelly has served as a news and sports reporter at the Adrian Daily Telegram and the Monroe News for 30 years, including 10 years as city editor in Monroe. He's written a book on high school basketball in Monroe County and compiles record books for various schools in southeast Michigan. He is now publisher and editor of The Blissfield Advance, a weekly newspaper. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for Jackson, Washtenaw, Hillsdale, Lenawee and Monroe counties.
PHOTOS (Top) The Britton Deerfield boys track & field team gathers around coach Dustin Longnecker after winning its Bob Beckey Invitational. (Middle) Patriots throwers (from left) Drew Bunker, Zach Gonzalez, Kurina Dotson and McKenna Allshouse show off their trophy and medals won at the Clinton Throwers Meet. (Photos courtesy of the Britton Deerfield athletic department.)
Belleville Boys Follow Davis-Price's Direction to Historic Championship
By
Steve Vedder
Special for MHSAA.com
May 31, 2025
KENTWOOD – Three years ago the Belleville athletic department asked Candice Davis-Price whether she was interested in taking a shot at making boys high school track & field history.
It took little time for her to buy into the notion – and then three springs to see it happen.
Davis-Price led Belleville to its first Finals championship in this sport in any division, and also became the first female coach to lead a Michigan boys track team to a Lower Peninsula Division 1 Finals title during Saturday's meet at East Kentwood. Belleville finished with 57 points to outdistance runner-up Northville, which finished with 35.
Previously an outstanding multi-sport athlete at Ann Arbor Pioneer, Davis-Price took over the Belleville program three years ago and quickly built a champion by accomplishing everything from collecting superior athletes for the sport to juggling a busy life off the track.
Heading her beliefs is that talent should be pointed toward where it's most likely to succeed.
"I coach athletes and not positions or events," she said. "It's important to identify talent and get guys to believe in whatever they're doing."
But a Finals title? In just three short seasons? Last year the Tigers came within a hair of winning, scoring 38 points to finish behind only Kalamazoo Central (41 points) and Clinton Township Chippewa Valley (39). Davis-Price said that finish both boosted her coaching status with male athletes and proved to them success could be had at the school in boys track – whoever the coach.
"I won't say (success) was expected, but it's become standard," said Davis-Price, a sprinter who won three Finals titles at Ann Arbor Pioneer and also was an outstanding three-year letterwinner in basketball. "Last year was kinda hard to stomach. We learned we had to be able to spread out the points, and we did."
Giving Belleville's chances a huge boost was senior Will (Jaiden) Smith, who turned a good junior season into going out with a bang this year. He won the 110 hurdles (13.35) and 300 hurdles (37.79) and finishing fifth in the 200 dash after a year after finishing fourth in the 110 hurdles, second in the 300 and just missed scoring in the 200. He was seeded first in the 300 and second in the 200 going into this Finals. He was also part of Saturday's winning 1,600 relay (3:15.52).
Smith said the key to making the jump from good to outstanding is not getting caught up in success.
"You can't get used to it because if you get comfortable, you'll fall back," he said. "I know they were going to be tough races, but you've got to push yourself to do better."
Grand Haven was third with 31 points, while Novi and Oak Park both had 28.
Belleville was outstanding in the relays, also winning the 400 (41.85) and 800 (1:26.50).
Among the other winners Saturday was senior Quincy Isaac of Canton, who claimed the long jump (24-11½) for a third-consecutive season. Each championship, Isaac said, featured a different pathway to the medal stand.
"Each year had different expectations, like with the first one I was nervous because I was one of the youngest guys there." he said. "There were still a lot of nerves as a junior and trying to win it twice in a row. This year I knew what I had to do, then I pulled a hamstring at the conference meet and didn't even go to the Regional. I didn't practice, didn't compete and came here with almost nothing."
One performer who did come to the meet with something was East Kentwood junior pole vaulter Reece Emeott. A Finals champ by nine inches last year and the son of Falcons coach Dave Emeott, Reece said there was one major difference between winning the event this year (16-0) as opposed to a year ago.
"This year was more about relief," he said. "We were expected to win, and it happened. Last year there was no pressure, no expectations. I could just jump how I jumped. This year was a huge relief."
The pole vault was particularly rugged this year as five of the top eight vaulters turned in personal bests.
Emeott said he already has designs on next season and a third individual title, but he expects a radically different showing. In the attempt to bolster the Falcons as a whole, he plans on spreading his talent to the long jump, 100-meter dash and maybe even a relay.
"The main goal will be to win a (team) state title," he said. "This is good, but that would be way better."
Samson Gash of Detroit Catholic Central won the 100-meter dash (10.41) after a strong second half to his race.
"I took the lead about halfway through and I like my time for sure," he said. “I knew it would be a fast (event), but there was no worry about times. It is what it is, but it was pretty exciting," he said. "It feels good, but I've got more work to do."
That work, however, may not come in track. He's being recruited by football programs including Illinois, Michigan State, Purdue, West Virginia and Vanderbilt.
"We're talking with the school and family about what we're going to do," he said.
Among other champs were two Walled Lake Central field event performers. Garrod Alexander won the shot (64-1.25), while Giovanni Charles took the high jump (6-8).
Also in field events, Ray Glory Ejoyokah of Birmingham Groves won the discus (179-3).
Other winners were senior Jeremy Dixon of Kalamazoo Central (21.11). A year ago he helped Central to the team championship by winning the 100 and finishing second in the 200 while also assisting on two winning relays.
Rounding out the other Finals champs were Byron Center’s Brady Leyendecker in the 400 (47.96), Wendell Childs of Clarkston in the 800 (1:50.71), Luka Hammond of Grand Haven in the 1,600 (4:09.69) and Beckett Crooks of Ann Arbor Pioneer in the 3,200 (9:00.80).
Northville won the 3,200 relay (7:41.24), and Oak Park the 1,600 (3:15.52).
PHOTOS (Top) Belleville hurdlers Will (Jaiden) Smith, right, and Schmar Gamble approach the finish in the 110 final Saturday. (Middle) Detroit Catholic Central's Samson Gash, right, and Novi's Chance McNeill set the pace in the 100 dash final. (Click for more from Carter Sherline/RunMichigan.com.)