Lake Linden-Hubbell Boys End Title Wait with 1st Finals Championship
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
May 31, 2026
KINGSFORD — They say there’s a first time for everything.
The Lake Linden-Hubbell boys proved that beyond any shadow of a doubt here Saturday, earning their first Upper Peninsula Division 3 track & field championship with 64 points.
Rapid River was runner-up with 55 and St. Ignace placed third at 46.
“We’ve been waiting for this for four months,” LL-H coach Brett Gervais said. “Back in March we started asking a lot of the boys. I couldn’t be happier for the kids. I’m super happy for the boys. Having coach (Gary Guisfredi) here really helps. He has coached the girls team for many years. I’ve watched the way they did things and learned a lot from that.”
The Lakes won just two individual events, but had enough depth to carry them through.
Junior Lukas Axford won the 400-meter dash in a personal-best 53.48 seconds and sophomore Tobin Baril took pole vault at 11 feet on this sunny and warm day at Flivver Field.
“I was almost in disbelief with all the work the boys had done,” Gervais said. “The weather sometimes made it tough to prepare. There’s roughly 30 teams in our division. They’re working just as hard as we are. There’s a high level of competition in our region, which helps us so much. Dollar Bay and Baraga pushed us all year. It’s such a great feeling to be part of this.”
Baraga senior Matt Rinkinen won the 100-meter dash in 11.66 seconds, just 0.2 of a second ahead of LL-H junior Josh Daavettila.
Superior Central junior Will Spranger took the 200 (23.31), followed by Rinkinen (23.71) and Dollar Bay junior Baron Colbert (23.96).
“I thought my start was a little weak, but I was able to accelerate,” Spranger said. “I need to work on my blocks in the offseason. Our 4x2 (800 relay) went well. Our handoffs were good.”
Cedarville/DeTour junior Ethan Snyder set the meet record in the 1,600 (4:25.8), shaving 0.11 of a second off the previous best by Dollar Bay’s Nik Thomas from four years ago, then added firsts in the 800 (2:02.18) and 3,200 (10:24.21).
St. Ignace senior Kollin Bird captured both throws with a personal-best heave of 45-6 in shot and a toss of 138-11 in disc. L’Anse junior Taven Lewis placed second in shot (41-9) and disc (137-9).
In the hurdles, it was Brimley junior Brady Leblanc winning the 110 event (16.43) and 300 (41.66), both with personal-best times. Connor Kemppainen, also a junior from L’Anse, was runner-up in both races at 16.54 and a person-best 42.68, respectively.
Also winning individual events were Rock Mid Peninsula sophomore Lewis Holmes with a personal-best leap of 6-3 in high jump and Bessemer junior Henry Jenkins taking long jump (19-2), also with a personal best.
PHOTOS (Top) Lake Linden-Hubbell's Lukas Axford, center, crosses the finish line first in the 400 meters Saturday. (Middle) Brimley's Brady Leblanc, second from left, and L'Anse's Connor Kemppainen, just to his right, jump over the last hurdle in the 100 hurdles. (Click for more from Cara Kamps/RunMichigan.com.)
Pickford Boys Score Big in Sprints, Hurdles & Jumps to Run Finals Streak to 3
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
June 1, 2025
KINGSFORD — The Pickford boys made it a three-peat here Saturday, earning their third straight Upper Peninsula Division 2 track & field championship with 127½ points.
They were followed by Munising with 77½ points and Rudyard with 63.
Pickford junior John Anderson set U.P. Finals and school records in high jump, soaring 6-7, three inches higher than the previous record by James Sutton of Newberry 12 years ago.
“This feels great,” he said. “I’ve been chasing that for a while. We had a light practice here yesterday (Friday) and I worked on form. Warm weather and a positive mindset also helped. … This is definitely a good confidence builder.”
Anderson became runner-up in the 110-meter hurdles after Bark River-Harris sophomore Gionni McDonough dived across the finish line for the victory. Anderson also took second in long jump (19-½)
“Before the race I knew it was going to be close,” McDonough said. “Right before the finish I decided to go for it. There was nothing to lose. Without diving I don’t think I would have won it. Pickford really does have a strong program. I told the guys I’m going to give it my all and maybe they will, too.”
McDonough was clocked in 16.18 seconds, a personal record by fourth tenths of a second, with Anderson at 16.20.
Pickford junior Gunner Bennin added a first in the 400 (52.87), anchored the winning 800 relay (1:35.79) and placed second in the 100 (11.38) and third in the 200 (23.54).
“I knew the wind was going to be a factor in the backstretch,” he said. “Our handoffs went real well. I got the baton a little late, but was able to hold on. We ran a season-best time. That definitely helped set the tone.”
Senior Tom Storey added a first in the 300 hurdles (42.7), tied for second with Gwinn senior Don Jourden in pole vault (10-6) and placed fourth in the 110 hurdles (17.1).
McDonough was runner-up in the 300s (44.15) and helped the Broncos take third in the 400 relay (47.17).
The Panthers also won the 1,600 relay (3:43.53) and placed second in the 3,200 (8:50.1). Junior Carver Day, a part of both relays, added a third place in long jump with a personal-best leap of 18-7½.
Munising senior Dan Goss had a hand in four firsts, taking the 800 (2:05.63), 1,600 (4:38.12) and 3,200 (10:34.55) and leading off the winning 3,200 relay (8:45.96). Classmate Trevor Nolan was runner-up in the 800 (2:07.09) and 1,600 (4:40.97).
Ironwood junior Talon Hughes took the 100 (11.18) and 200 (23.22) and placed third in the 110 hurdles (16.45).
PHOTOS (Top) Pickford's Carver Day hands off the baton to Luke Koben in the 3,200 relay Saturday in Kingsford. (Middle) Bark River-Harris's Gionni McDonough dives for the finish line and beats Pickford's John Anderson by two hundredths of a second in the 100 hurdles. (Click for more from Cara Kamps/RunMichigan.com.)