Many Contribute in Marquette Boys Repeat
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
June 5, 2016
KINGSFORD — The Houghton boys gave chase, but Marquette withstood the Gremlins’ challenge while retaining the Upper Peninsula Division 1 track and field title Saturday.
Marquette collected 144 points to repeat and win its fifth title in seven seasons. Houghton followed with 111 points, and Kingsford tallied 72.
“We had a lot of guys step up,” said Marquette coach Kyle Detmers. “I’m proud of their effort. Hats off to Houghton. They had a great meet. I think they’ll be the team to beat next year.”
Senior distance ace Lance Rambo provided the Redmen with victories in the 800-meter run at 1 minute, 59.23 seconds and 1,600 (4:25.26).
Then in the 3,200, Rambo was well ahead of the field on the last turn of the sixth lap (of eight) when he suddenly hopped off the track in a great deal of pain caused by plantar fasciitis.
“I’ve had it for about a week,” Rambo said. “It’s really not that bad, but I didn’t get to ice it down after the 800 and it got worse during the 3,200. I’m happy about my first two races and the fact our team did so well. I had decent times in the 800 and 1,600.”
Rambo’s misfortune opened the door for Escanaba junior Joey Wolfe, who won in a personal-best 9:59.78.
“Hats off to Joey,” said Rambo. “He ran a great race.”
Lance’s brother, Luke Rambo, was runner-up (10:05.29) and Sault Ste. Marie’s Aaron Kinsella took third (10:07.11) in a race where the Division 1 and 2 runners ran together.
“It was a tragedy and a blessing,” said Wolfe. “I saw Lance go off the track and didn’t know what to think. Nate (Carey of Iron Mountain) and the kid from the Sault were right next to me. I told myself, ‘this is my chance,’ and took off in the last lap. Anything can happen. That’s why you always try to do your best. Yet, I feel bad for Lance. I just hope it wasn’t anything too serious.”
Marquette’s Pat Burmeister won the 100 (11.4), placed second in the 200 (23.36) and anchored the runner-up sprint relays.
Teammate Brad Seaborg added a first in the 300 hurdles (42.32). Payton Muljo won shot put at 44 feet, ½ inch, and Taylor Althouse took high jump (5-10).
“Lance ran great races in the 800 and 1,600,” said Detmers. “Luke really helped us by taking second in the 3,200 when Lance went down. We scored about 40 points in the field events, which hasn’t been common for us. We were seeded fourth in long jump and we got second and fifth. The only disappointment we had is our 3,200 relay got disqualified.”
Houghton won the day’s opening race in 8:15.38, and Clayton Sayen captured the 400 (51.7), took second in the 800 (2:02.49) and third in the 1,600 (4:38.48). Brad Ohtonen added a first in discus (120-2).
Kingsford’s sprint relays, anchored by Ben Moreau, took first in the 400 (45.01) and 800 (1:34.1).
The Flivvers also got a first from Mike Jamar in long jump (20-1¼), with Marquette’s Wyatt Goodwin runner-up (20-½).
PHOTOS: (Top) Marquette and Houghton battle during the 3,200 relay, won by the eventual overall runner-up Gremlins. (Middle) Negaunee’s Joe Grasso (far left) celebrates his 110 hurdles championship. (Photos by Cara Kamps.)
Monroe St. Mary's Boys Finish Meteoric Rise with 1st Finals Team Title
By
Todd VanSickle
Special for MHSAA.com
May 30, 2026
KENT CITY – This was a season of first for the Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central boys track & field program.
And for the first time in school history Saturday, the Falcons won a Finals championship, scoring 39 points to claim the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 3 title.
Elk Rapids (32) took second and Reed City (31) was third.
“What an amazing day,” said SMCC coach Roman Smith. “This is very exciting. This is the first year our boys have even won a league meet. We went from being winless to state champions. It is pretty special. We have special group of kids.”
Monroe St. Mary’s 400 relay team earned a first place (42.20). The team included Cole Reinhardt, Gavin Swartout, Vince Harris and Brady Reinhardt.
“We had a plan going in to it,” Smith said. “As a coach you look at what your kids can do and seed times, and you hope that they live up to that.”
Monroe St. Mary’s first-year coach felt comfortable with how his relay teams were expected to perform, but knew it would take more to pull off a team championship.
“We knew we had to have some special things happen with our individual medalists, and those things happened,” Smith said. “When you have a kid seeded 23rd and he ends up with a third-place finish in the 100 meters, it really helps when it comes to points.”
Smith was referring to Gavin Swartout, who ran 10.82 seconds in the 100 meters for third place. Wyatt Dehring, of Clinton, won the sprint (10.75).
“I just told my kids to run your marks; go run the times you know you can run and let the chips fall,” Smith said. “It was a battle towards the end. When people were saying we won mathematically, I didn’t believe it. I didn’t want to talk about it.”
Elk Rapids slid into second place late in the meet.
“We are a young group and worked hard to get here,” said Elk Rapids’ coach Cameron Ward. “This means everything. It is still a surprise. It was a great team effort, and hopefully there is more to come.”
The Elks’ were led by freshman Garett Godden, who took second in the 100 meters (10.79) and 200 meters (21.80), the latter after he ran a personal best in the prelims (21.66). All told, he competed in four events.
“With all this running, your legs get so tired,” Godden said, who was making his first Finals appearance. “(This meet) is definitely bigger and a lot more people. It gives me adrenaline.”
The Elks also won the 1,600 relay (3:23.58) with Noah Liggett, Miles Prabhaker, Gavin Hamilton, and Godden. The same team took second in the 800 relay (1:30.07) behind Adrian Madison’s Wade Garza, Bryson Ballantyne, Derrell Tillman and De’Lante Garrison (1:30.01).
Jonesville’s 3,200 relay team (8:01.99) rounded out the relay winners with a team of Nicholas Fowler, Collin Fucile, Ashton Potwin and Caleb Blonde.
In the field events, Montague’s Isaac French won the shot put (54-1), and Bronson’s Brayden Fritz threw the discus 164-2 to claim the title. The top high jumper was Tayeden Redding, of Warren Michigan, with a clearance of 6-6, and Tucker Wiginton, of Springport, pole vaulted a winning height of 15 feet. Reed City senior Jack Deitsch repeated in the long jump (23-5¼).
Charlevoix’s Hunter Eaton ran a personal best to win the 1,600 meters (4:16.08).
“At the 600-meter mark, I was like let’s hammer down and see what happens,” Eaton said. “I was going into today fearing nobody. Try to win. That was the goal.”
It was his third individual Finals title. Last year, he also won the 1,600, and he was the Division 3 cross country champion in the fall.
Eaton also finished fourth in the 3,200 (9:34.53). Logan Youngman, of Hillsdale, won with a personal best performance (9.26.08). Monroe St. Mary’s Christian Craanen took second with a personal best (9:29.35).
Lansing Catholic’s Leland VanAlstine won both the 300 hurdles (14.19) and 110 hurdles (14.42). Detroit Edison senior Dennis Jackson repeated as the 400 champ with a season-best time (48.11) and finished second in the 200 meters (21.80) after finishing fourth last year. Landon Rogers, of Red Arrow (Three Oaks River Valley/New Buffalo), won the 800 meters (1:56.15). Central Montcalm's Zade Kooistra finished first in the adaptive 100 and shot put.
PHOTOS (Top) SMCC's Brady Reinhart, center, runs the final leg for his team's winning 400 relay Saturday. (Middle) Elk Rapids' Garett Godden sets the pace for the winning 1,600 relay. (Click for more from Mary Wilson and John Willoughby/RunMichigan.com.)