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].
Litzner Completes Career Finals Sweep to Set Pace at UP Boys XC Finals
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
October 18, 2025
MUNISING — It’s not often a cross country runner gets to end his or her high school career as a four-time Upper Peninsula Finals champion.
Sault Ste. Marie senior Gabe Litzner wasn’t going to be denied on this sunny and warm Saturday, however, completing the sweep by covering the Pictured Rocks Golf Course 3.1-mile course in 15:58.3.
He was followed by Marquette seniors Rorik Holmquist at 16:15.8 and Peter Argeropoulos (16:24.5) and junior Lucas Ballard (16:40), and Sault Ste. Marie senior Shea Armstrong (16:54.9).
“It’s awesome to look back at all the memories and friends I made,” Litzner said. “It feels like the conditions were a lot better last year. It warmed up quickly, and I think it caught everybody off guard. We’ve had quite a few colder races. The temperature had been in the 50s nearly every day.
“The Marquette guys were definitely pushing me throughout the race. I used a lot of the same strategy as last year. I followed a conservative approach in the first mile, then took off.”
Marquette captured its seventh-straight Division 1 title with 34 points. Sault was runner-up for the seventh consecutive time at 43, and Houghton placed third with 84.
Litzner became the first boys runner since 2019 to take a fourth U.P. championship, following Brimley’s Austin Plotkin, who earned top honors four times in a row in Division 3.
“Gabe and Shea did what they do,” Sault coach Jim Martin said. “We had some kids step up. One of our freshmen (Drew Burtt) really stepped up. We had five guys run good races. They found a way to get it done.”
Division 2
Painesdale Jeffers made it five team titles in a row, placing seven racers among the top 14 and scoring 23 points. The Jets were followed by Rudyard with 51 and Munising with 117.
“On the first day of practice we talked about it, and the biggest accomplishment is all seven boys and both girls medaled,” Jeffers coach Sam Kilpela said. “It ended up being a great day.
"This speaks volumes for our program. Overall, we stayed healthy, and on the last day we finished the job. This is the first time in our school history we won it five years in a row.”
Jeffers senior Cameron Anderson won an individual Finals championship for the first time, in 16:41.1, followed by classmate Landon Larson (17:33.4), Rudyard senior Steven Kirschner (17:51), Jeffers sophomore Branson Anderson (18:07) and Pickford junior Jacob Mitchell (18:11.6).
Division 3
Crystal Falls Forest Park clinched its first Division 3 championship with 58 points, followed by St. Ignace with 71 and 2024 champ Engadine at 91.
“This is a very special day,” Forest Park coach D.J. Rasner said. “I couldn’t be more proud of the boys. They worked so hard all year. Having a full team put us in a better situation. We got our fifth runner halfway through the season, and it gave us a lot of momentum. I think we’re also gaining some momentum in our school. More kids want to be a part of this.”
Cedarville/DeTour junior Ethan Snyder gained the top individual honor at 17:32, becoming the first from his school to take a U.P. title since 2004 when Cedarville’s Chad Schlosser was crowned champion.
Ishpeming junior Kemper Gearhart was runner-up at 17:51.7. He was followed by Rock Mid Peninsula freshman Ashdeyn Gerow in a personal-best 17:55, Engadine sophomore Nate Stielstra (18:13.4) and St. Ignace senior Dalton Champion (18:30.9).
PHOTOS (top) Sault Ste. Marie's Gabe Litzner is the first to cross the finish line in the UP Division 1 Boys Final on Saturday in Munising. (Middle) At the beginning of the Division 2 Final, Painesdale-Jeffers' Cameron Anderson (280), Wakefield-Marenisco/Bessemer's Sean Lake, Pickford's Jacob Mitchell (293), and Rudyard's Eli Folkersma (331), Seth Templeton (336) and Oliver Dankert (330) lead the field. (Below) Cedarville/DeTour's Ethan Snyder takes over the lead in the Division 3 race. (Photos by Cara Kamps.)