St. Joseph Boys Make Every Point Count in Clinching 1st Finals Since 1997
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
June 3, 2023
ROCKFORD – Entering the final event of Saturday’s Lower Peninsula Division 1 Final, the 1,600 relay, St. Joseph was in first place – but by the slimmest of margins.
St. Joseph had 35.75 points, while Rockford had 35, Clinton Township Chippewa Valley had 32, and Ann Arbor Huron had 30.
Bears head coach Todd Rose knew his team was in the second heat before faster teams after, but his for sure needed to be faster than Rockford.
“I don’t teach them to worry about who they are running against,” Rose said. “Just run within themselves and run how we teach them.”
St. Joseph did that behind the team of Shay White, Will Fiesbeck, Eli Toney and Alex Moyer, finishing fourth in the event with a time of 3:21.50 to earn a meet-best 40.75 points – clinching the program’s first Finals team championship since 1997.
Chippewa Valley was runner-up with 38 points, while Rockford was third at 36 points.
St. Joseph senior Gerald Capaccio scored 18 precious points for his team, most notably winning the discus with a winning throw of 167-2. Capaccio said he was in second going into his last throw.
“I just had the mindset that everyone can have a big throw, and it just has to be me that gets the big throw,” Capaccio said. “It happened on my final throw.”
Capaccio also was second in the shot put with a throw of 56-11¼.
In addition to Capaccio earning big points in the shot put and discus, Rose gave credit to high jumper Joshua Scott for finishing in a tie for seventh in that event. That gave the Bears two points, and they proved to be especially important as the team won by less than one.
It’s rare when a runner does something that hasn’t been achieved since before automobiles were invented, but Ann Arbor Huron senior Braxton Brann had that distinction.
Brann won the 110 hurdles and the 200 dash, becoming the first athlete to win those two events at the same state meet since 1895 – three decades before the MHSAA was formed.
“It’s great to be in that kind of conversation,” said Brann, who will run in college at Ohio State.
First, Brann won the 110 hurdles in a time of 13.77. He said that was the event he was most concerned about.
“I haven’t really been consistent, so I just wanted to be that,” Brann said.
Feeling much more comfortable and at home in the 200 dash, Brann ran a winning time of 21.12.
“Everybody comes in looking at the stats of everybody else,” he said. “I saw I was in the best position to win. But I knew I had to run by butt off against this great field and come out with a win.”
Just about everyone in the stadium did a double-take when Northville’s 3,200 relay time was posted. The team of Brandon Latta, Brock Malaikal, David Whitaker and Brendan Herger set a new all-Finals record with a blistering time of 7:35.32, which was the best time in the nation this year.
Herger said when he got the baton on the anchor leg, he knew his teammates set him up incredibly well. But even he and Northville couldn’t have foreseen this.
“I had to run 1.54 to get it, and then I ended up running a bit faster than that,” Herger said. “I was so happy. I love my boys so much. It was great to share the moment together.
Herger also ended up finishing second in the 800 meters with a time of 1:52.19 behind Utica’s Trent McFarland.
Detroit U-D Jesuit senior Jaiden Reed won the 100 (10.74), and Clinton Township Chippewa Valley junior Shamar Heard won the 400 (47.78). Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills senior Benne Anderson won the 1,600 (4:05.44), and Grand Haven junior Seth Norder won the 3,200 (9:04.68). Kalamazoo Central senior Kayenn Mabin won the 300 hurdles (38.31). Rockford in the 400 (42.01), Chippewa Valley in the 800 (1:26.41) and Oak Park in the 1,600 (3:18.90) also won relay titles.
Battle Creek Lakeview senior Andrew Berryhill was champion in the shot put (58-¼), and Saline senior Dolan Gonzales won pole vault (16-0). Ann Arbor Huron junior Andrew Harding won the high jump (6-7), and Canton sophomore Quincy Isaac won the long jump (22-11). New Baltimore Anchor Bay sophomore Luke Bowman competed in the adaptive 100 (19.65), 200 (35.66) and 400 (1:14.39).
PHOTOS (Top) St. Joseph celebrates its LPD1 championship Saturday. (Middle) Ann Arbor Huron's Braxton Brann finishes one of his two race wins. (Below) Northville makes the final exchange of its record-setting 3,200 relay. (Photos by Jamie McNinch [top two photos] and Carter Sherline/RunMichigan.com.)
Ironwood Savors Home-Track Advantage in LaBlonde Memorial Invitational Sweep
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
May 15, 2025
IRONWOOD — Most high school tracks have at least six lanes and are 400 meters.
But there’s an exception to every rule.
That’s the case at Ironwood, where the Red Devils run on a 350-meter, five-lane asphalt surface.
“That’s something we’ve addressed,” Ironwood coach Cecilia Aho said “We’re probably the last ones who have a track this small, although the distances are the same. When we do mile repeats the kids don’t like it, but it’s better than not having a track. We make it work. Some of the smaller schools don’t have a track.”
Both Ironwood teams retained their titles Saturday afternoon at the Jim LaBlonde Memorial Invitational at Longyear Field, with the boys scoring 74 points to stay ahead of Hurley, Wis., at 57, and the Ironwood girls collecting 104 points to pull away from the field.
“The kids come here and have fun,” Aho said. “We have a nice group of kids who are working real hard.”
Ironwood junior Talon Hughes, who had a hand in four meet records, said the smaller track provides some challenges.
“It’s a pretty unique track,” he added. “We have different lanes and it’s hard to switch lanes. It can be intimidating for visiting teams. It’s sometimes hard for them to adapt, although we get used to it through practice. The biggest adjustment for us on 400-meter tracks is they have longer straightaways.”
Hughes won the 100-meter dash in 11.74 seconds and also took first in the 200 (24.42), 110 hurdles (16.84) and helped the Red Devils take the 800 relay (1:40.37).
“It’s a great feeling to win at home,” he said. “Many of your friends are here to cheer you on. We’re looking forward to our last few meets.”
The different exchange zones appeared to affect the Bessemer girls 800 relay the most. After a fast start, the Speedgirls struggled with all three handoffs, dropping them to third place (2:06.05), fewer than two seconds behind the winning team from Ironwood.
“I think it has a mental block on you,” Bessemer sophomore Sarah Hoffenberg said. “It really depends on the person. In my opinion, I think it helps if you don’t think about it. It’s really a learning experience.”
Hoffenberg later helped the Speedgirls bounce back with a victory in the 400 relay (1:01.38).
Ironwood senior Aubrey Smith, who will be attending classes at University of Michigan this fall, said it’s like having a homecourt advantage.
“It’s a little confusing,” she added. “It’s a little less than 4½ laps for a mile. It’s hard to tell where everyone is.”
Smith dominated the distances, taking the 800 (2:38.84), 1,600 (5:59.53) and 3,200 (11:58.87).
The Red Devils also ran in Wednesday’s Upper Peninsula Division 2 Regional at West Iron County, the boys team winning and the girls finishing runner-up to the host Wykons. Ironwood travels to Lake Linden-Hubbell for the Copper Mountain Conference meet Monday before ending the season at the Upper Peninsula Finals on May 31 at Kingsford.
“Our seniors are looking forward to their last couple meets,” Aho said. “I’m going to miss them. Our school is 100 years old. We started celebrating our centennial last July. We’re in the process of finishing up our celebration.”
John Vrancic has covered high school sports in the Upper Peninsula since joining the Escanaba Daily Press staff in 1985. He is known most prominently across the peninsula for his extensive coverage of cross country and track & field that frequently appears in newspapers from the Wisconsin border to Lake Huron. He received the James Trethewey Award for Distinguished Service in 2015 from the Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association.
PHOTO Skyla Ballew clears a hurdle during a race at Ironwood High School. (Photo by Jason Juno/Ironwood Daily Globe.)