Calumet Invite Produces Northern Stars
September 18, 2013
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The Calumet Invitational dates back roughly 30 years as an annual staple of the cross country schedule for schools at the northernmost tip of Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
A creative move by the Copper Kings last year added some statewide prestige to the event.
Last week, for the second season, Calumet ran the series of races at Keweenaw Mountain Lodge, a resort near Copper Harbor and the northern bank of the Keweenaw Peninsula.
Calumet is the northernmost high school in Michigan. And moving this race another 35 miles northeast more or less guaranteed it's the northernmost event run in the state.
"We figured it was pretty safe. We're the northernmost school in the state, and you can only go four more miles and you're in Lake Superior," Calumet athletic director Sean Jacques said. "Nobody else is going to do anything more north than that."
A total of 10 schools were represented this fall in the races for boys and girls varsity, junior varsity and middle schoolers.
Jacques said the event formerly was run at a golf course in Calumet. But a few years ago, Calumet graduate and former Copper Kings cross country runner Dan Harri moved home from Florida to become general manager at the Mountain Lodge (he's also a renowned chef and has owned restaurants in Miami with Hall of Fame Dolphins coach Don Shula).
Harri had asked a few times about bringing a cross country or golf event to the lodge. Jacques told him last year they'd give it a try, so Harri set up a course that includes golf course, a couple of bridges, trails and finishes with a climb on the No. 1 fairway. It also provides various points for fans to watch runners go by, not always available on other courses.
"We were looking for a little bit of a change, and it's a beautiful course," Jacques said. "We thought if people were willing to make the extra drive, it would be really nice."
Calumet won the boys race this season, just ahead of runner-up Houghton. Houghton's girls were victorious, followed by the host Copper Kings.
Click to read more about this year's event from the Houghton Mining Gazette.
Michigan's claim to an NFL evolution
As part of its NFL preview this month, Sports Illustrated reported on one of the most significant developments for offenses over the last few decades – the silent snap count, which is used regularly by visiting teams because offensive linemen can’t hear the quarterback calling for the ball over the clamor of the home crowd.
And the article explained that the silent snap count might’ve gotten its start at one of Michigan’s smallest high schools – Flint’s Michigan School for the Deaf.
Offensive linemen during the 1980s were feasted on by pass rushers like Lawrence Taylor and Bruce Smith, who built record sack totals by blasting past blockers who seemed a step slow. Turns out, that was true. Defensive players were getting an edge by attacking as soon as they saw the ball move. But blockers (especially offensive tackles), focused instead on the defensive ends and linebackers lined up across from them, and didn’t have the luxury of watching the ball – and since they also couldn’t hear the snap count, started each play a step behind.
Enter the silent count. The quarterback signals to the center that he is ready to receive the ball (with a pat on the back, by raising a foot, etc.). The center then raises his head, and after a predetermined count of at least one second snaps the ball without a sound. This means an offensive tackle doesn’t have to listen for a snap count – he just counts after seeing the center get set.
The SI report recognized longtime offensive line coach Howard Mudd as the guru of the silent snap count. But Mudd recalled a conversation he’d had while working for the Seattle Seahawks with another coach, the late Andy MacDonald, who also had coached early in his career at a school for the deaf in Michigan.
The article doesn’t mention Michigan School for the Deaf by name. But it seems to make sense that the Tartars were the first to use the now-revolutionary count. MacDonald – who played at Central Michigan University and went on to coach at Michigan State and four other colleges and also for the Buffalo Bills – grew up in Flint and attended Flint Northern before playing for the Chippewas from 1950-53. The historical web site Michigan-football.com has results for Flint’s Michigan School for the Deaf dating to 1950, making it a decent assumption that MacDonald might’ve gotten in a little early coaching experience at the school down the road from his home.
Click for the SI story and go to page 4 for the mention of Michigan’s school.
Michigan mourns trooper, running standout
The law enforcement community is mourning the death of Michigan State Police trooper Paul Butterfield, who was shot Sept. 9 during a traffic stop in Mason County. He also was a well-known distance runner during the 1980s and the MHSAA Class A cross country champion running for Bridgeport in 1987.
According to a Ludington Daily News report, Butterfield continued running after high school at the University of Tennessee, and also competed at the 1989 Pan American Junior Games in Argentina.
Butterfield was stationed in Hart after previously serving in Manistee, and lived in Mason County. He also had served in the U.S. Army. Click to read more from the Ludington Daily News.
PHOTO: Calumet's Chelsea Jacques (right) won this season's Calumet Invitational with a time of 21:08.06, just ahead of Ironwood's Jessica Gering at 21:46.16. (Photo courtesy of Calumet athletic department.)
Preview: Benzie's Jones, Team Favorites Among Several Chasing History
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
November 2, 2022
Three of four teams entering Saturday's MHSAA Lower Peninsula Boys Cross Country Finals ranked No. 1 in their respective divisions are hoping to complete the day at Michigan International Speedway as first-time MHSAA Finals champions.
Northville in Division 1, Hart in Division 3 and Wyoming Potter's House Christian in Division 4 are those hopefuls, with the top-ranked team in Division 2 – Pinckney – merely seeking its first team championship since 2007.
And yet, amid the possibility of so many first-time team title winners, the biggest story this weekend might be Benzie Central senior Hunter Jones' pursuit of his fourth individual Finals title. He has the fastest time in Michigan this season, 14.32.1 run at his school's Pete Moss Invitational on Aug. 27, and if he can add another Division 3 Finals title to last week's Regional win he'll complete his high school cross country career as the second Lower Peninsula runner to claim four Finals titles. The only other was Central Lake's Ryan Shay, who won four straight in Lower Peninsula Class D from 1993-96. Potter's House Christian senior Lezawe Osterink also is back seeking a repeat individual title in Division 4.
See below for more on several team and individual contenders Saturday. The "season bests" list referred to frequently is a ranking list of every runner's best time this season, maintained by Athletic.net. The first race begins at 9:30 a.m.; click here for the full schedule and ticket information. Additionally, all eight races Saturday at MIS will be streamed live and viewable with subscription on MHSAA.tv.
Division 1
Reigning champion: Brighton
2021 runner-up: Caledonia
2022 top-ranked: 1. Northville, 2. Saline, 3. Traverse City Central.
Northville’s lone top-two Finals finish came in 2015, when the Mustangs placed runner-up, and they were fourth last year. But they are coming off a Regional title that saw them place four racers among the top seven despite running against a field including No. 4 Plymouth. Junior Brendan Herger’s 15:23.9 to win that Regional ranks 14th on the statewide bests list this fall, and senior Brady Heron was fourth at that Regional and also has posted a top-50 time. Herger placed 18th at last year’s Final. Saline is coming off an eighth-place team finish last season and is seeking its first Finals championship as well to go with four runner-up finishes, the most recent in 2016. Senior Samuel Jackson won his Regional in 15:29.38, the 17th-fastest time on the best-times list, and he’s joined by junior Truman Johnson among the top 50. Traverse City Central also is seeking its first team title and first top-two finish since placing Class A runner-up (while still Traverse City High) in 1996. Senior Joe Muha made the best times top-50 list with his Regional runner-up time of 15:41.8, and five Trojans finished among the top 13 as they won the team championship. Central finished sixth at the Final last season.
Individuals: From last season’s top 15 Finals finishers, 12 graduated but two of the top three are back. Grand Haven junior Seth Norder finished runner-up to Hartland’s Riley Hough with a 15:19.91 last fall, and Norder has the third-fastest best time statewide this season at 14:45.4. Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills senior Benne Anderson was third at the 2021 Final and has the second-fastest best time at 14:44.1 – they ran those in finishing third and second, respectively, to Benzie Central’s Hunter Jones on Oct. 8 at the Portage Invitational. New Baltimore Anchor Bay junior Thomas Westphal is another contender coming off a personal-record 15:12.2 to win his Regional, and he and Utica senior Trent McFarland have run some fantastic races against each other over the last month especially. McFarland, Norder, Anderson, Ann Arbor Skyline senior Nicolas Fry, Berkley senior Matthew Short and Traverse City West senior Jonah Hochstetler also were Regional champions, and Kalamazoo Central junior Jasper Cane ran one of the top times in LPD1 this season as runner-up to Anderson last weekend.
Division 2
Reigning champion: Otsego
2021 runner-up: Chelsea
2022 top-ranked: 1. Pinckney, 2. Chelsea, 3. East Grand Rapids.
Pinckney is in position to win its first championship since claiming three straight from 2005-07, and after finishing fifth a year ago. The Pirates graduated individual champion Caleb Jarema but return five of their top seven racers and placed four among the top 10 in winning last week’s Regional at Waterford Mott. Junior Evan Loughridge’s 15:20.9 at the Portage Invite is tied for 10th on the statewide best times list. Chelsea finished team runner-up last season and previously won Division 2 in 2017 and 2018. Junior Connell Alford has run the fourth-fastest time on the statewide list at 14:53.1, and he finished fourth at last year’s Final. Chelsea total returns its top four and five of its top six from 2021, with senior Bram Hartsuff having finished 14th individually a year ago. East Grand Rapids was fifth as a team last season with only two seniors, and its top four from that lineup are back led by junior Alex Thole, who finished second at last weekend’s Regional at Grand Rapids South Christian.
Individuals: Alford and Hartsuff are joined as returnees from last year’s top 15 by Dearborn Divine Child senior Michael Hegarty (third), St. Johns senior Joey Bowman (10th) and Freeland sophomore TJ Hansen (12th). Hegarty’s 15:03.7 to finish second to Alford at the Milan Regional also is the fifth-best time on the statewide bests list, and Bowman and Hansen both have season-best times among the top 30. Monroe Jefferson senior Carter McCalister ran third at Milan, but his 15:07.4 is seventh on the statewide bests list and third among Division 2 runners to Alford and Hegarty. Bowman and Hansen also were Regional champs, joined by Loughridge, Otsego senior Colin Wesseldyk, Ada Forest Hills Eastern senior Aiden Sullivan, Grand Rapids Christian sophomore Simon Triezenberg and Cadillac junior Nolan Nixon.
Division 3
Reigning champion: St. Louis
2021 runner-up: Hart
2022 top-ranked: 1. Hart, 2. Traverse City St. Francis, 3. Hanover-Horton
St. Louis has won the last two championships and Hart finished runner-up both years, but the Pirates enter with the top ranking this time as they seek their first Finals team title. Hart won a Regional including No. 7 Reed City and No. 11 Benzie Central with five placers among the top 12, and seniors Clayton Ackley and Wyatt Dean are among five returnees to the Finals lineup after finishing 10th and 26th, respectively, a year ago. St. Francis is expected to be in the mix for its first top-two team finish returning five runners from last season’s sixth-place team and after placing seven among the top 12 to win a Regional at East Jordan that included No. 9 Clare and No. 13 Elk Rapids. Hanover-Horton is seeking its third championship in six seasons after winning Division 3 in 2017 and 2019. The Comets were 16th last season but return three of their top four led by senior Rogan Melling, who placed seventh individually in 2021. St. Louis is ranked No. 4 and returns four of last year’s top six including junior Ben March, who ran ninth individually.
Individuals: Benzie Central’s Jones is arguably the biggest story going into the weekend, and he’ll have an experienced group attempting to push him. Melling, March and Ackley were among the top 10 a year ago, with Ithaca senior Parks Allen (11th), Quincy senior Rhett Reif (13th), Bloomingdale junior Jaden Barnes (14th) and Pewamo-Westphalia junior Collin Farmer (15th) among other high Finals placers heading back to MIS. Joining Jones among Regional champs were Melling, Allen, March, Dansville sophomore Thomas Davis, Parchment senior William Winter, Grandville Calvin Christian senior Nathan Jenkins and Clare junior Brad White. Davis finished fifth in Division 4 last season.
Division 4
Reigning champion: Hillsdale Academy
2021 runner-up: Concord
2022 top-ranked: 1. Wyoming Potter’s House Christian, 2. Johannesburg-Lewiston, 3. Petoskey St. Michael
Six schools have won Division 4 championships over the last six years, and Potter’s House Christian could run that streak to seven if it can make the jump from last season’s 12th-place finish. The reigning individual champion, now-senior Lezawe Osterink, leads three Potter’s House returnees followed by senior Logan Swiney who placed 25th a year ago. Potter’s House, Johannesburg-Lewiston and St. Michael are among teams seeking a first Finals championship. Johannesburg-Lewiston finished ninth last season with three top-23 individual finishers, and all three are back – senior Jacob Wartenberg (10th), junior Malaki Gascho (21st) and junior Blake Fox (23rd). St. Michael was sixth last season with only one senior, and now-senior Macartan Moore sets the pace among returnees after finishing 17th a year ago.
Individuals: Osterink won last season by nearly 24 seconds, and his best time this fall of 15:05 (run at the Portage Invite) ranks sixth on the statewide season bests list with the next-best time in Division 4 a 15:50. Four more runners are back from last season’s top 15 – Reading senior Tyler Bays (seventh), Wartenberg, Kalamazoo Christian senior Isaac Bogard (12th) and Riverview Gabriel Richard senior Alex Meszaros (14th). Wartenberg, Osterink and Bays were joined as Regional champions last weekend by Mason County Eastern senior Nathan Wing, Blanchard Montabella senior Dakota Dykhuis, Concord senior Adair Artis, Whitmore Lake senior Braylan Majesky, Kingston senior Ethan Green and Allen Park Cabrini senior Christopher Russelburg.
PHOTO Grand Haven’s Seth Norder, left, and Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills’ Benne Anderson enter the final stretch during last season’s LPD1 Final. (Click for more from RunMichigan.com.)