C.C. Thomas
Sports Scene
Each year, the Sparta Invitational serves as a midseason regional for high school cross country teams throughout the state.
The invitational, which brings over 100 schools from across the state to Sparta, is divided into four divisions.
And whichever team makes it successfully through its division usually does well when the state finals come around in early November at Michigan International Speedway.
The Ionia Bulldogs prove that each year. The last two years the team has done well and won at Sparta. And those wins have helped the Bulldogs win a Division 2 state championship in 2009 and take fifth last year.
This year Ionia won the Gold Division of the race September 17 with a score of 30 points, 19 points ahead of runner-up Cedar Springs.
“The course was fast, and we had a race without rain, which we’ve had here the last two years. We came out strong,” Ionia coach Chris Young said. “Connor Mora [Cedar Springs] went out strong and did his thing. We went with our second guy and tried to get a pack. Our pack was only about 40 seconds apart from one to five. That will win you races. You need a pack. You can’t win with a stud. You have to have a pack, and we have a great pack. Their best times are from 15:50 to 16:30. That is a good pack.”
Mora did with the Gold race with a time of 15 minutes, 30.18 seconds. Ionia was led by Nick Wharry, who was second in 16:06.66, Connor Montgomery, who was third in 16:16.87, and Brice Brown, who was fifth in 16:30.61.
In the girls Gold Division, Spring Lake won with 54 points, five ahead of Cedar Springs.
The invitational’s largest division, the Blue Division, was won by Hudsonville boys with 25 points, and Jenison girls with 37.
Rockford finished second on both races.
Hudsonville’s Taylor Tafelsky won the boys race in 16:49.6, while Greenville’s Bailey Parmelee won the girls Blue race in 18:37.54.
South Christian swept the White Division, as the boys team won with 41 points and the girls with 29. NorthPointe Christian won the boys Silver race with 69 points, while Saugatuck girls were victorious in the girls Silver race with 63 points.
Evart’s David Zinger put in a strong showing, winning the boys Silver race with an impressive 16:20.59.
ANOTHER BIG CROSS COUNTRY MEET AT MSU
Sparta wasn’t the only place some of the best high school cross country runners shined the third weekend of September.
Michigan State University hosted the Spartan Invitational September 16, and the Calvin Christian boys team won the Elite Division with a score of 172, eight points better than runner-up Hartland. Simon led the Squires to their victory by coming in sixth place with a time of 15:42.
Heritage’s Evan Chiplock won the prestigious race in 15:18.
Saline won the Elite girls race with 156 points.
The Sacred Heart Academy boys team won the White Division with 140 points, while Hepseria was the winner in the girls race with 119 points.
FHE GIRLS GOLF RELOADS
The Forest Hills Eastern girls golf team was almost perfect last year on its way to winning the Division 3 state championship. But the Hawks lost some good talent off that team, including Soleil Singh and Jennifer Elsholz.
However, the Hawks were able to reload, and that was evident when they won the 29th Annual Russ Johnsen Invitational September 16 at Gracewil Country Club.
Forest Hills Eastern was led to victory by Jordan DuVall’s 80.
Grandville’s Kim Morris was medalist, with an impressive 6 over par 78.
CONGRATULATIONS TO LONG-TIME GREENVILLE GIRLS GOLF COACH
Long-time Greenville girls golf coach Nancy Johnson received a special ring last year for being inducted into the Michigan Interscholastic Golf Coaches Association’s Hall of Fame. The award well deserved by Johnson, who has led her Yellow Jackets to 10 straight OK White Conference championships. This season, she appears well on her way to No. 11 with a strong team led by Britta Bernth.
GABE DEAN READY TO SURPASS A MILESTONE
The Lowell football team continues to cruise along. The Red Arrows are undefeated through four games, outscoring their opponents 154-27.
Lowell, like it has been the past three years, is led by senior quarterback Gabe Dean.
Dean is closing in on a milestone number for his career. He is close to passing 10,000 total yards of offense. Only one player in state history has gone over the 10,000 yard mark, and that was Jason Fracassa of Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Sterling Heights. Fracassa threw for an incredible 10,615 yards in his four-year career that spanned 2006 to 2009.