Starting the season with just two runners returning would not make many cross country teams think about finishing the season at Michigan International Speedway.

But it didn’t take many race results for the Lake City girls team to start thinking about the possibility.

Despite starting the fall with just the two returnees, the Trojans find themselves headed to MIS for Saturday’s Lower Peninsula Division 3 Final. And not only did they qualify, but they have thoughts of finishing among the top five this weekend – if not as champions.

“To be honest, I'm still processing it,” admitted fifth-year Lake City girls coach Zach Jones. “It's a little bit, I don't know, surreal or something.”  

Juniors Harlow Hughes and Faith Helsel were the only Lake City returnees this fall. Both qualified as individuals for last year’s Final.

“They were already talented runners who had worked hard and made it to states on their own last year,” Jones said. “And they would've this year, too, probably, but knowing that those freshmen were coming up really got them excited.”

Lake City has regularly featured four freshmen and two of them, Isadora Shaw and Aubrey Doan, have been the Trojans’ top performers all season.  The other two, Milah Eising and Bailey Griessel, round out the seven-runner lineup most meets. The team also features experienced track distance runner Elise Renkiewicz, a junior, in the number three spot. 

Lake City’s roster also includes freshman Elizabeth Dulzo, sophomore Rhaelyn Davis, and seniors Emma Grady and Payton Durga.

“It's just been a really solid team effort on the part of all the girls,” Jones said. “I think they all set the primary team goal above all their individual goals. And I think that's part of why they got it done.”

Lake City qualified for the Final by winning its first Regional title, finishing first at Mancelona ahead of Traverse City St. Francis, which had won 11 straight Regional championships. The Gladiators also qualified for the Final along with third-place finisher Harbor Springs.

Lake City took three of the top four Regional individual places. Shaw led the way, capturing first place with an 18:30.6 performance. Dolan was second, finishing with a time of 18:50.7. Renkiewicz ran a 19:13.8 en route to the fourth spot. Helsel finished ninth and Hughes 12^th to round out the scoring.

Thoughts of becoming Regional champs were few and far between when the season started. But as the individual times improved throughout the season, that became the Trojans’ goal. 

They also won the Highland Conference championship along the way.

“Because St. Francis has such a strong program, they were a good target for the girls and we could see our chances getting a little bit better each week,” Jones acknowledged. “Quite frankly, it was a lofty goal. I was skeptical because they were setting a big goal for themselves, but I was happy that they were trying.”

And now Jones, who also coaches the Lake City boys team, and the entire Trojans girls squad are ready to make a bid for a Finals championship, something not even on their radar when the season commenced in August.

“It really wasn't on the radar partly because we were taking one step at a time,” Jones said. “Now I think winning is their goal. They know it's there, and they know it's possible. They’re super optimistic and excited.”

Shaw concurs with her coach’s thoughts on the Final.

“I think everybody's really excited to see how we'll do and everything,” Shaw said. “I think it's just going to take a lot of self-belief and just doing what we have been doing, like winning Regionals, the conference and everything. Honestly, it hasn't really quite kicked in yet that we're actually going to states as a team, and you never know what can happen.”

Shaw, who began running just four years ago on the Lake City Middle School team coached by Kelsey Jones, is looking for all seven runners Saturday to make the difference.

“I'm really proud of our top seven because Milah and Bailey are really giving it their all as well,” Shaw pointed out. “And honestly, they have not been running as long. They're really showing up, too, backing us. I'm really proud of our entire team.”

Shaw also pointed to having such a strong training partner and personal friend in Doan as one of the keys to the Trojans’ success. That connection led to both of them recording personal bests at the Regional.

“We are so close to each other in age and in time,” Shaw said. “It's really cool to have somebody who's so close to me because I'm able to train with her and understand our different ways of processing and just doing the whole race overall.”

Tom Spencer is a longtime MHSAA-registered basketball and soccer official, and former softball and baseball official, and he also has coached in the northern Lower Peninsula area. He previously has written for the Saginaw News, Bay County Sports Page and Midland Daily News. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, Roscommon, Ogemaw, Iosco, Alcona, Oscoda, Crawford, Kalkaska, Grand Traverse, Benzie, Leelanau, Antrim, Otsego, Montmorency, Alpena, Presque Isle, Cheboygan, Charlevoix and Emmet counties.

PHOTOS (Top) Lake City’s Isadora Shaw and Elise Renkiewicz take off with their teammates at the start of the Highland Conference championship race this season. (Middle) The Trojans pose for a photo with their Regional trophy. (Below) Shaw has been among the team’s pacesetters and won the individual Regional title. (Starting line photo by Zach Jones. Team photo by Courtney Helsel. Shaw individual photo by Hayden Fowler.)