Preview: Classic Clashes and Broken Records Expected
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
June 5, 2021
The attention that will be paid to one of the Lower Peninsula Boys Track & Field Finals on Saturday will go past usual interest in just a local school or single division.
Many eyes will be turned to the Division 1 meet, featuring among many Ann Arbor Skyline senior Hobbs Kessler, who has made national news over the last few weeks by setting the national high school record in the 1,500 (3:34.36) and qualifying for the Olympic Trials in the event.
But he’ll be facing some familiar competition in his distance races at East Kentwood – including Hartland junior Riley Hough, who edged Kessler by two seconds in the Division 1 cross country final this past fall.
Their matchup is just one of many stories worth tuning in for this weekend. Events at all four sites begin at 10 a.m. (EDT) and tickets to attend can be purchased online only at GoFan. The meets also will be broadcast on MHSAA.tv and viewable with subscription. Click to watch each division: LPD1 | LPD2 | LPD3 | LPD4.
Below is a glance at team contenders and individuals to watch in all four divisions.
Division 1 at East Kentwood
Top Regional scores: Macomb Dakota 160, Traverse City West 145½, Northville 136, Novi 136.
Team forecast: East Kentwood won the last three championships before COVID, with Ann Arbor Pioneer finishing runner-up in both 2018 and 2019. Dakota is an interesting possibility this time with qualifiers throughout the meet. Fenton has top-three seeds in six events, and Zeeland West is another team with scoring opportunities in a variety of events.
Trey Gardette, Ann Arbor Huron: The senior sprint star has taken amazing strides over the last two years and may be on the verge of an unforgettable finish to his high school career. Gardette’s top-seed 10.5 in the 100 is a blink faster than the LPD1 Finals record of 10.53, and he’s second-seeded in the 200 and also will run on the 400 relay.
Riley Hough, Hartland: The I-96 corridor has been the center of distance running this school year, and Hough hopes to follow his Division 1 cross country championship in the fall with titles in the 1,600 and 3,200. He’s seeded first in the former with a 4:13.93.
Hobbs Kessler, Ann Arbor Skyline: He’s slated to run the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 and on the top-seeded 3,200 relay (7:53.30) Saturday. He won all three of those open races at his Regional, and so while he isn’t top-seeded in any that likely means little as he could drop major time.
Tamaal Myers II, Detroit Cass Tech: The Technicians standout junior has the top 110 hurdles seed time (14.06) by nearly a second and is tied for the top seed time in the 300 (39.32). He’ll also run the 400 and on the 1,600 relay.
Brandon Miller, Fenton: He finished fifth in the 200 as a sophomore in 2019, but he can take a massive leap Saturday as his top seed time in that race (21.25) is five hundredths of a second off the meet record. He’s also the second seed in the 100 with a seed time of 10.60 that is seven hundredths of a second off that meet record. And he’ll also run on contending 400 and 800 relays.
Division 2 at Zeeland
Top Regional scores: Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 216½, Dearborn Divine Child 186, Frankenmuth 164.
Team forecast: Four teams have won this championship over the last four seasons. Flint Powers Catholic is a possibility to make it five as it runs for its first team title led by sprint standouts and relays. Frankenmuth with top qualifiers in the sprints, relays and field events is another to watch in what lines up to be a low-scoring team race. A total of 10 schools won championships in this division over the previous 11 seasons before 2020 was canceled.
Ryan Brenner, Frankenmuth: The senior Eagles hurdler is the top seed in the 300 with a time of 40.1 and also will run on the top-seeded 1,600 relay (3:28.44) and high jump.
Jamal Hailey, Berrien Springs: The standout junior sprinter has the top seed time in the 100 (11.04) and the third-fastest in the 200, and he’ll also run on the second-seeded 400 relay.
Austin Hamlin, Flint Powers Catholic: The Chargers sophomore would play a major role in any team title pursuit, entering with the top seed in the 200 (22.5), third-fastest in the 100 and as part of the top-seeded 400 relay (43.3) and fourth-seeded 800 relay. That 400 relay time is a second off the meet record.
Alex Mansfield, Monroe Jefferson: The junior thrower is another who has made a major move over the last two years. He enters Saturday with the top seed in the shot put (56-3) by two feet and the top seed in the discus (163-11) by nearly 10.
Luke Stowasser, Edwardsburg: The junior Eddies jumper also is top-seeded in both of his events, with a 22-6½ in the long jump and 6-10 in the high jump. That high jump is six inches better than the field and two off the meet record. He was the high jump runner-up as a freshman.
Division 3 at Jenison
Top Regional scores: Grass Lake 132, Caro 129, Pewamo-Westphalia 126 1/3.
Team forecast: Grass Lake will be pursuing its first team title since 1970 and has six top-four seeds leading the way. Figuring the next few contenders is difficult with points looking to be spread among a number of teams.
Brennan Bargesser, Grass Lake: A drive for the team championship would include significant points from Bargesser, who is seeded first in the 200 (21.98) and 400 (49.34) and second in the 100 for his final high school meet. He’ll also run on the top-seeded 400 relay (44.14) – that seed time is one second off the meet record.
Hunter Jones, Benzie Central: The sophomore standout has two Division 3 cross country championships to his credit and will make his Track Finals debut as the top seed in the 3,200 (9:37.42) and a likely contender in the 1,600 and 800 as well.
Josh Jones, Harrison: He’ll close his high school career running the 800, 1,600 and 3,200, with his 1,600 seed time (4:19.84) topping that event list.
Brenden Quackenbush, Chesaning: He’s set to establish himself in both throws at this level Saturday, with the top seed in the discus (143-0) by nearly two feet and the third seed in the shot put.
Derrick Voltz, Carrollton: A qualifier in the 100 as a freshman in 2019, he could cap his junior season as a two-event champion. He’s seeded first in the long jump (23-2) by nearly a foot with that leap only five inches off the meet record. He’s also the top seed in the 100 (11.11) just ahead of Bargesser.
Division 4 at Hudsonville
Top Regional scores: Lutheran Westland 171, Reading 170, Carson City-Crystal 147.
Team forecast: Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep was the back-to-back champion before COVID, and Saugatuck was the Division 3 runner-up in 2019 but is back in Division 4. Saugatuck won’t run a relay this weekend but has favorites in the hurdles and distance events, and Breckenridge’s strengths in the sprints and relays should make it a team title contender as well as it seeks its first championship.
Coleman Clark, Carson City-Crystal: The lone returning champion in this division won the 3,200 as a sophomore in 2019 and will run that race along with the 800 and 1,600 and as part of the top-seeded 3,200 relay (8:19.40).
Benny Diaz, Saugatuck: The junior sprint/hurdles standout could make a run at four individual titles Saturday or next season. He’s the top seed in both hurdles races this time (15.01 in the 110 and 40.59 in the 300), and the fourth seed in the 200 and seventh in the 100. He was third in Division 3 in the 300 as a freshman.
Zane Forist, Carson City-Crystal: He was the runner-up in the discus and eighth in the shot put as a freshman two years ago, and he’s aiming for much more this time. His top-seed throws of 196-8 and 64-4, respectively, would both set LPD4 championship meet records – both by roughly six feet.
Nik Pettinga, Saugatuck: A top distance runner in cross country the last few seasons, he is looking to finish as a champion in his last high school meet and enters as the top seed in the 1,600 (4:26.99) and second seed (to junior teammate Max Sharnas) in the 3,200.
Charlie Steinhaus, Breckenridge: The speedy senior would help lead any charge for a team championship, entering as the top seed in the 100 (11.01) and second in the 200. He’ll also run on the top-seeded 400 relay (44.51) and second-seeded 800 relay.
PHOTO: Carrollton’s Derrick Voltz, right, breaks across the finish line during the 100-meter preliminaries at his Division 3 Regional at Shepherd last month. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)
Nori Continuing Minor League Climb Boosted by World Baseball Classic Stardom
By
Steve Vedder
Special for MHSAA.com
April 20, 2026
It wasn't until Dante Nori stood star-struck in the outfield grass at Houston's rollicking Daikin Park that he fully grasped the massive leap he had just accomplished.
Less than two years after helping Northville to its first Division 1 baseball title before a crowd of hundreds at McLane Stadium, Nori last month found himself playing before a partisan crowd of 38,653 against arguably the best club the United States has fielded for the World Baseball Classic.
It's a leap that few other WBC players have made and not only humbled Nori – a member of Italy's national team – but fulfilled a lifelong dream.
"You're sitting out there in left field and you look at your (defensive) shift card and you see names like Bobby Witt or Aaron Judge or Kyle Schwarber, and I was like a little kid," said Nori, who had turned 21 just five months before the start of the tournament. "You see those guys, the crowd is chanting 'USA, USA,' and it's so cool."
Nori's rapid progression from Michigan's Mr. Baseball Award honoree in 2024 to top Philadelphia Phillies prospect to the WBC could be the stuff of which movies are made. A MaxPreps All-American at Northville, Nori was the 27th overall player taken in the 2024 MLB draft. He promptly opened his professional career with 14 games at low Class A Clearwater to finish out the summer.
He began catching the eye of places like MLB.com, where he's ranked seventh among Phillies prospects, and Baseball America, where he's sixth, by sweeping across three levels of the minors in 2025 while hitting .261 with 18 doubles, 12 triples and 52 stolen bases in 62 attempts.
By the time the Phillies opted to send Nori to the prestigious Arizona Fall League last October, representatives from the Italy team scheduled to play in March's WBC were very much interested. Italy and then the Phillies okayed his participation and left the decision to Nori, who called it a no-brainer.
"Right away I said yes," he said. "I've always dreamed of that and when that dream finally comes true, it's great."
Whether it was spearheading Northville to a 2-1 win over Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice at the MHSAA Finals or helping Italy to one of the biggest upsets in WBC history – a stunning 8-6 win over Team USA – Nori said he long ago learned to deal with the pressure of the moment.
"I've always been the kind that the more pressure there is, the more I calm down," he said. "It doesn't matter if you're playing Salem High School in 30-degree weather or whether it's the WBC, it's still baseball.
"But if you told me that I'd be playing in a high school state championship game and then would be in the WBC, I wouldn't have believed you. The WBC was just great. I enjoyed the heck out of it. It's so nice when a dream comes true."
Nori admits the only time he ever got a bit antsy on a ballfield was when he caught the eye of Northville teammate Joey Broughton, now in the Milwaukee Brewers chain, during the team's 9-2 win over Bay City Western in the 2024 Semifinals. The pair, who combined to score three runs and drive in six that day, were transfixed on what the team was on the verge of accomplishing.
"I remember it was the most I've ever been hyped up," he said, "but it still wasn't about nerves."
Help for Nori in navigating a pressure-filled WBC came from an unlikely source. Italy's roster featured two other former Michigan high school baseball stars in infielder Jon Berti and center fielder Jakob Marsee, who like Nori are both from the Metro Detroit area. Berti, from Troy High School, was a Mr. Baseball finalist and all-stater in 2008 when he batted .467 with a school record 66 hits and 66 stolen bases. Marsee earned 11 varsity letters in three sports before graduating from Allen Park High School in 2019. He was taken by San Diego in the sixth round of the 2022 draft before being traded to Miami.
Nori said the pair provided a steadying influence.
"I knew they were both from Michigan, but I had never met either one," he said. "But my mom and Jakob's mom are friends, so it was kind of cool to bond with him. I had never played left field before, and he helped me with directions in playing out there. It helped me get a feel for playing."
Italy wound up being one of the WBC's best stories, winning its bracket and making the semifinals before finishing 5-1. The team was a combination of veterans such as Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino and Aaron Nola of the Phillies, but also top prospects like Nori and infielders Andrew Fischer and Sam Antonacci.
"If you look at the roster with the prospects and major leaguers, absolutely," he said of making the semifinals. "It was a blend of everything – experience and young talent who worked so well together. We all believed the same way – that we could be in the championship game. We played with a chip on our shoulder."
Nori not only enjoyed the WBC, he excelled. The 5-foot-9, 170-pound speedster wound up leading Italy in hitting with a .400 mark while adding a pair of homers, six RBIs and two stolen bases. His tournament included going 3-for-3 with two runs, two RBIs, a double and a homer against Brazil, a pair of hits and an RBI against Great Britain, a key sacrifice fly against USA and an RBI single against eventual champion Venezuela.
But maybe the biggest honor came after Nori returned home and received a late-night phone call from his father. Nori joined USA's Roman Anthony and Fernando Tatis Jr. of the Dominican Republic on the WBC all-tournament outfield.
"I was asleep about midnight, and I was kinda groggy and the phone goes off," he said. "It's my dad and he never calls that late unless it's important. I'm half asleep and confused and my dad says, "Did you see that?' It still hasn't hit me. You look (at the outfielders), and you see names like Tatis and you're the only minor leaguer on that team. That's something."
With this WBC now in the record books, Nori can now turn his attention to playing for Double-A Reading (Pa.) this summer. He's off to a solid start through the team's first eight games with a .310 batting average, seven extra-base hits and six RBIs.
As for the prospect of playing in the next WBC, Nori finds himself in a rare position. He already has Italy qualification, but since he was born in Canada he could play for that country's national team. Or if his career blossoms, he could one day play for the United States. Actually, Nori said there is little doubt what choice he'd make.
"I thought about that, playing for one of the three," he said. "But with Italy, we created such a relationship and bond that I'm locked in for Italy. There is no way I would leave that group."
PHOTOS (Top) Dante Nori (6) stands in for the next pitch during an at bat for the Reading Fightin Phils this spring. (Middle) Nori watches the home run he’d just launched travel out of McLane Stadium during Northville’s 2024 Division 1 Semifinal win over Bay City Western. (Top photo courtesy of the Reading Fightin Phils.)