Hillsdale Academy Finishes Championship Climb Securing 1st Title on Final Race
By
Brian Freiberger
Special for MHSAA.com
May 30, 2026
HUDSONVILLE – After years of climbing the standings at the Lower Peninsula Division 4 Finals but not yet reaching the top, Hillsdale Academy won its first championship Saturday at Hudsonville Baldwin – thanks to its depth and a heroic 1,600 relay win to close the meet.
The Colts scored 46 points to edge Eau Claire by two and Royal Oak Shrine Catholic by seven.
“We've been blessed to have a lot of success at the state meet for a number of years, but this is our first MHSAA state title, so it's extra special,” Hillsdale Academy coach Mike Roberts said. “This is a really good group of guys. … The depth of the team showed. There are two points in the high jump, one point in the two-mile. All of that mattered, and those extra points really added up.”
Hillsdale Academy clinched the team championship when its 1,600 relay team of Jordan Perry, Luke Molenkamp, Grayson Rorick and Dawson Scharer finished seventh with a time of 3:32 as Shrine finished 10th and Eau Claire took 11th. That left Eau Claire as overall team runner-up and Shrine third.
The Colts were led by Scharer, who also earned championships in the 110 and 300 hurdles with times of 14.63 and 38.52, respectively.
“I'm so glad that I was able to run a good time today and just everybody else was able to run good times,” Scharer said. “I was hoping for the back-to-back all year. I've just not had the fastest time in the 300 hurdles.”
Rorick and Molenkamp also helped lead the Colts to a championship in the 3,200 relay with a time of 8:09, as Jonah Cuthbert and Stephen Holm joined in the dominating win by eight seconds over Holland Calvary.
“It's absolutely incredible. I'm so happy. I was not expecting it, but then when it came down to the 4x400, we were all on the edge of our seats watching it, going crazy,” Rorick said. “That's a great thing for the team. It was a great time for everyone.”
Eau Claire had a remarkable day on its way to that runner-up finish. The boys 400 relay of Melvin Davis Jr., Devin Hill, A’darion Fort and Elijah Marlowe edged second-place Maple City Glen Lake with a time of 43.36. The same foursome also took home the top honor in the 800 relay.
“It means a lot to me that we came a long way from last year,” Davis Jr. said.
Devin Hill added: “I'm pretty shocked. But also at the same time, I knew we were going to be at this moment because we were talking about this all summer, our whole lives, basically.”
Shrine senior Abenezer Cerone capped off his high school career by breaking the meet record in the 800-meter run (1:52). He also took home the title in the 1,600 with a time of 4:14.
The senior finally ran the race he has been preparing for all season long.
“I didn't really know what was gonna happen, even though I wanted the record still. That 800 hurt. Literally from the first step, everything. But I believed in my training that my coaches gave me, and I believed in myself, and I just went for it,” Cerone said. “I always remember that my teammates and my coaches were the best part. Also, I got to thank God and the many blessings given to me. … I’m super grateful.”
After a midseason plateau, Manchester junior Jayden Johnson saved his best for last on his way to a 200-meter championship with a time of 22.34.
“I've been the underdog all year. I've been slept on by so many people. I thought I wouldn’t even end up here …,” Johnson said. “I gotta get better every single day. I decided that I had to put in the extra time. I did workouts after practice … and I got it done.”
Other champions included Blanchard Montabella’s James Rodriguez in the 100, Beal City’s Aaron Locke in the 400, Harbor Beach’s Brody Karg in the 3,200, Morrice’s Oliver Long in the shot put, Climax-Scotts’ Gabe Walliczek in the discus, Glen Lake’s Jacob Plamondon in the high jump, Buckley’s Easton Harrand in the pole vault and Webberville’s Matthew Howery in the long jump. Detroit Douglass won the 1,600 relay.
PHOTOS (Top) Hillsdale Academy's Dawson Scharer, far left, carries the baton in the 1,600 relay Saturday. (Middle) Eau Claire completes a handoff during one of its two relay championships. (Click for more from Ken Swart/RunMichigan.com.)
Peramaki Adds to Past Finals Fame by Leading Munising to Team Title
By
Jason Juno
Special for MHSAA.com
June 4, 2023
KINGSFORD – Munising’s Micaiah Peramaki couldn’t really top last year’s Upper Peninsula Division 3 Finals. He became the eighth male all-time to win four events at an MHSAA track & field championship meet.
“I proved myself last year, so it’s a little more of a fun meet this year,” Peramaki said. “But it’s still important for me just to do good.”
And he was excellent again.
He led the Mustangs to the team title with individual wins in the 100, 200 and 400. He was also a part of the winning 1,600 relay team.
“The 100, I was right next to my brother, Josiah; he ended up getting third. That was really fun actually. We both did really good in that,” Peramaki said. “The 400, I had Aa’Keem (Jackson) from Newberry to watch out for. He pushed it hard in the corner over here, I was prepared for it and I just ran hard from there.”
Josiah Peramaki repeated with a win in the pole vault. Other members of the 1,600 relay were Kane Nebel, Zack Lindquist and Josiah Peramaki.
Munising won the team title with 103.5 points. Newberry was second with 81, Bessemer third with 52 and Rapid River fourth with 44.
Bessemer won the 400 relay (Tommy Trudgeon, Landon Peterson, Daniel Lis and Vinnie Triggiano). Bessemer also finished fifth in the 800 relay – despite being seeded first – and Trudgeon said he had to make a comeback in the 400 relay, which also was seeded first.
He was behind after a shaky handoff, though. But the 100 meters is probably his best race anyway. He finished runner-up to Peramaki, one-tenth of a second behind him.
“I guess I just had to close like a train,” he said of his leg of the relay. “It feels great, glad to win.”
Newberry won the 800 relay (Marco Juarez, Jackson, Matthew Rahilly and Kennedy Depew) and Dollar Bay the 3,200 relay (Joshua Gaunt, Josh Luukkonen, Caleb Kentala and Amos Norland).
Crystal Falls Forest Park’s Samuel McKissack won the 110 hurdles, and Newberry’s Chris Hopson was champion in the 300 hurdles.
In the distance races, Dollar Bay’s Norland won the 800, Forest Park’s Gaven Rintala the 1,600 and Chassell’s Kalvin Kytta the 3,200.
The latter race with Norland was so close – Kytta won by seven hundredths of a second – that Kytta wasn’t sure if he was in fact champion or not.
“I got passed by the leader. I tried to stick on him through the rest of the race,” he said. “He got a little gap on me the last 100 meters. I just felt that juice. I think I passed him.”
It turns out he did.
Whitefish Township, which has just 22 students in the high school, went home with a champion for the first time in school history – Seth Mills in the discus. Newberry’s Rahilly won the long jump, North Central’s Dylan Plunger won the high jump and Rapid River’s Kody Goldi took the shot put.
PHOTOS (Top) Munising's Micaiah Peramaki, center, wins the 400 on Saturday. (Middle) Bessemer's Vinnie Triggiano (4) is able to hold off Lake Linden-Hubbell's Matthew Jokela and Newberry's Kennedy Depew to win the 400 relay. (Below) Chassell's Kalvin Kytta, left, and Dollar Bay's Amos Norland run together until the end of the 3,200. (Photos by Cara Kamps/RunMichigan.com.)