Marquette Boys Rally with Richardson to Extend Finals Winning Streak
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
May 31, 2026
KINGSFORD — The Marquette boys maintained their stranglehold on the Upper Peninsula Division 1 Track & Field Finals title by scoring 117 points Saturday.
The Sentinels, who won for the sixth consecutive year, were followed by Sault Ste. Marie with 103 points and Houghton with 78.
Minnesota-Duluth football recruit Ford Richardson provided Marquette with firsts in the 300-meter hurdles in a season-best 40.99 seconds and the 400-meter dash at 50.84, and placed second in the 100 (11.2).
Richardson, who will play quarterback for the Bulldogs, also won the 300 hurdles in a school-record 40.15 a year ago.
“I’m pretty happy with that,” he said. “Going back-to-back feels real good. My starts went well today. I’ve been working out since basketball. I’m excited about playing college football this fall.”
The Sentinels continued to show their strength in the distances, led by junior Luke Ballard, who won the 800 (2:02.64) and 1,600 (4:24.26).
Senior teammate Rorik Holmquist was runner-up in the 800 in a personal-best 2:04.14 and the 1,600 (4:25.75) and 3,200 (9:41.97).
“My time was not as good in the 3,200 as I hoped, but I’m happy about my 800 and 1,600,” Ballard said. “The difference in the 1,600 was definitely my kick. Once I got around the last turn, I could open it up pretty easily. It’s always good to see the finish line.”
Sault senior Gabe Litzner, an Oakland University recruit, set a meet record in the 3,200 (9:33.81) which was slightly more than two seconds faster than his previous record from two years ago.
Litzner, however, ran his PR (personal record) earlier this spring at Shepherd where he was clocked at 9:06.22.
“I think I’m a little sick today, but I wanted to come here and win one anyway,” he said. “I’m definitely run down. I had been doing races for five months indoors. I’m just happy to bounce back and get a win. I’ve been getting ahead of myself and thinking more about college than high school. Marquette has a good program, and I’m glad they’re here to push me. The 4x800 (3,200 relay) and 1,600, I’m a little disappointed in that. I really had to grind it out in the 3,200. I’m taking a good 10-day break. I’m super excited to run for Oakland.”
Houghton junior Sam Roth claimed the 100 (11.1) and 200 in a school-record 22.53.
Classmate Michael Solena captured shot put (50-1¼) and discus (139-9).
“I’m just excited because the work I put in has paid off,” Roth said. “Brayden (Goudge) is really good. Having someone who’s competitive to run with in practice helps a lot. My start in the 100 was pretty bad, but I caught up. I’m just glad I could get it done. I just hope there’s good competition next year because that pushes you a lot. I’m just happy everything worked out.”
Gladstone junior Andrew Karl soared to victory at 14 feet in pole vault and Escanaba sophomore Andrew Hamlin won high jump (6-2).
Kingsford junior Gaige Sorenson took long jump (21-5) and Marquette senior Jacob Norman took the 110 hurdles (16.28). Sault Ste. Marie won the 400, 800 and 1,600 relays, and Marquette won the 3,200 relay.
PHOTOS (Top) Marquette's Ford Richardson catches his heel on the last hurdle, but he is still able to get the victory just ahead of Kingsford's Sid Olson. (Middle) In a very close 200, Houghton's Sam Roth, second from left, crosses the finish line ahead of Richardson (4) and Sault Ste. Marie's Kyan Hemenway (6). (Click for more from Cara Kamps/RunMichigan.com.)
Smith Sets Tone as Multi-Talented Pewamo-Westphalia Ascends Again
By
Dean Holzwarth
Special for MHSAA.com
June 1, 2024
KENT CITY – Trevor Smith set the tone early for the Pewamo-Westphalia boys track & field team Saturday at Kent City.
The junior sprinter earned a narrow win in the 100 to collect early points that would prove beneficial in the Pirates’ pursuit of their latest Lower Peninsula Division 3 championship.
“It was a big win right away in the beginning, and it helped put us in a good position,” Smith said. “It was a big emotional shift, and it was unreal.
“I didn’t really expect it, but it was a big help toward our team with points. I just missed winning last year, so to come back and win it meant a lot.”
Pewamo-Westphalia kept its early advantage throughout and hung on in the end to capture the title. The Pirates, last year’s runners-up, recorded 49 points to clip second-place Clare by four points. Detroit Edison was third with 32 points.
P-W senior Gavin Nurenberg repeated in the shot put (60-02), while senior Collin Farmer added a pair of top-4 finishes in the distance events.
“Our boys had a really nice season, but this was always the focus from Day 1,” Pirates coach Scott Werner said. “We felt we had the pieces in place when we got out of Regionals, and we were just excited to attack the day.
“We are the type of program where we are good in quite a few events. We don't rely on one person. We set the tone early with unexpected points in the 3,200 relay, and it built from there.”
Farmer finished runner-up in the 3,200 and fourth in the 1,600.
“There are not a lot of teams that have good guys in the field, sprints and distance, so I think that brings a lot of peace to the team,” Farmer said. “We knew that we could trust each other, and not one person had to take control.”
Senior Dalton Brown also provided a lift with a personal record en route to a third-place finish in the shot put.
“I challenged each of the separate groups to go out and score a minimum of 15 points,” Werner said. “We had a plan and an approach for every single event, and they trusted the process and executed at the highest level. I’m proud of them.”
Clare made a late push with a strong showing in the relays, while also receiving a boost from senior Brad White. He cruised to a win in the 800 with a new personal-best time and also was part of the winning 1,600 relay.
“Honestly, I didn't expect this,” White said. “I came into today pressure-free. I’ve already accomplished everything I could ever want in a season, and I'm just as happy as I can be to come out here and do something special, especially in my last high school race. I’m proud of my team and my PR.”
North Muskegon senior Jerry Wiegers repeated in the 400 by edging Geoffrey McBurrow of Detroit Edison. Wiegers also won the 200.
“There was a lot of pressure (to repeat), and I was worried on the whole ride here that I was going to screw up and I was going to have to hand the title to someone else,” Wiegers said. “But when I finally passed the finish line and I won, I was like, ‘I did this again, in my final year in high school.’ It was a good way to cap off my career.”
Coloma senior Boden Genovese (1,600) and Grayling senior Drew Moore (3,200) won the distance races, and Napoleon senior Holden Van Poppel (110) and Elk Rapids junior Max Ward (300) were hurdles champions. Standish-Sterling (400), Edison (800) and Traverse City St. Francis (3,200) also won relays. Lawton junior Mason Mayne (discus), Ovid-Elsie junior Tryce Tokar (pole vault) and Clare sophomore Conan Weeks (long jump) were other field event winners. Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett senior Jake Juip (100 and 200), Montague junior Wyatt Fairchild (400) and Perry senior Alec Chapman (shot put) won the adaptive event championships.
PHOTOS (Top) Pewamo-Westphalia's Trevor Smith, center, edges Dearborn Advanced Technology's Cobey Cureton and University Liggett's Santino Cicarella, among others, in the 100 on Saturday. (Middle) Ovid-Elsie's Tryce Tokar attempts a vault amid the rainy conditions. (Click for more from Jamie McNinch/RunMichigan.com.)