Did you see that?
May 7, 2012
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Michigan high school athletes are accomplishing great things so quickly this spring, we're missing one every once in a while -- which is why we'll kick off this week's "Did you see that?" with a finish from 10 days ago that we found out more about last week.
Girls Track and Field
Moving up fast: The Grosse Pointe South 3,200-meter relay team of Haley Meier, Hannah Meier, Ersula Farrow and Kelsie Schwartz ran a blistering 8:59.69 to lead their team to a championship at the Michigan State Spartan Invitational on April 27. That's nearly six seconds faster than Rochester's all-MHSAA Finals record set in 2010. (Mlive Detroit)
Golf
This time, it’s FHC: Top-ranked Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central and No. 2 Muskegon Mona Shores are waging a back-and-forth battle not just to be called west Michigan’s top team, but the best in Division 1 overall. Forest Hills Central won the Ranger Invitational by seven strokes Saturday over Mona Shores. (Grand Rapids Press)
Ram tough: The Capital Area Activities Conference includes four teams ranked either in Division 2 or 3 – Division 2 No. 1 DeWitt, Division 2 No. 4 East Lansing, Division 3 No. 1 Jackson Lumen Christi and Division 3 No. 4 Lansing Catholic. But it was unranked Division 1 team Holt that claimed the CAAC Open by four strokes Friday. (Lansing State Journal)
Soccer
Streak over: Scoring two goals in each half Tuesday, Traverse City Central broke Petoskey’s 35-game Big North unbeaten streak with a 4-0 win over the still first-place Northmen. (Petoskey News)
Football
Changes coming in the PSL: School closings and mergers this June will significantly change the football landscape in the Detroit Public School League, home of reigning Division 1 champion Detroit Cass Tech. The formerly four-division league will switch to two divisions. Two schools are closing and two more are forming a new school. (Detroit News)
Editor's note: Did we miss something? Comment below and tell us about it. Is there an event coming up that we should make sure to note? Comment or e-mail [email protected].
Benzie's Jones Continues Legendary Chase, St. Louis Extends Reign
November 6, 2021
BROOKLYN — Hunter Jones isn’t running against his peers on the current MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 3 cross country scene, because he’s actually without peer at that level.
The Benzie Central junior is actually in pursuit of a legend from the past.
Jones is one victory away from becoming the first boy to win four outright MHSAA individual championships after another dominant performance Saturday at Michigan International Speedway.
Jones crossed the line in 15:08.39, the third-fastest time in Division 3 history.
Only Ovid-Elsie’s Maverick Darling (14:52.8, 2007) and Erie Mason’s Nick Raymond (15:05.1, 2012) have run faster in Division 3.
The only boys to win four races at an MHSAA final meet is the late Ryan Shay of Central Lake. Shay won his races every year from 1993-96, but his time in the 1993 individual race wasn’t the fastest in Class D that day back when there were separate races for individual and team qualifiers.
Jones has beaten all comers in Division 3 for three years in a row.
“Ryan Shay is a big inspiration for me,” Jones said. “I look up to him very much. He was the only guy who won four times in a row. That’s my goal, to be like Ryan Shay. He was an NCAA champion; I want to get to that level.
“We’re about an hour-and-a-half from (Central Lake). I met their family. It’s really cool.”
The only runners to beat Jones this year were Division 1 stars Riley Hough of Hartland and Peter Baracco of Farmington, as well as Connor Ackley of Hilliard Davidson in Ohio. All three finished ahead of Jones in the Spartan Elite race at the Spartan Invitational, while Hough also won a showdown with Jones in the Pete Moss Invitational on Benzie’s home course.
“I raced Riley a couple times,” Jones said. “I was pretty disappointed with how I did. It is what it is. I’ve just got to concentrate on my own race and try to get faster; that’s all I can do.”
As Jones crossed the line, runner-up Noah Morrow of Manton was just coming into view down the long home stretch at MIS. Morrow finished in 15:49.09.
Morrow was also second at Regionals to Jones, who ran 14:44.4 that day.
St. Louis repeated as the Division 3 team champion, scoring 104 points to outscore runner-up Hart by 42.
Senior Nate March was eighth in 16:17.70, sophomore Ben March was ninth in 16:19.23, senior Aaron Bowerman was 24th in 16:40.99, junior Dylan Marr was 43rd in 17:13.15 and freshman Landon Pestrue was 63rd in 17:21.89 for St. Louis.
PHOTOS (Top) Benzie Central’s Hunter Jones cruises through the final stretch of Saturday’s Lower Peninsula Division 3 Final. (Middle) St. Louis’ Aaron Bowerman (1113) leads a pack toward the finish. (Click for more from RunMichigan.com.)