CADILLAC — Runners from nearly 40 high schools took to the 5,000-meter course in Cadillac for the Vikings’ annual Veterans Serving Veterans Invitational with Traverse City St. Francis and Benzie Central earning team wins in their divisions.
For St. Francis, the Gladiators jumped up from the Division 3-4 races to take on deeper pools of competition in the Division 1-2 races Saturday.
And it paid off.
The Glads took first place in the D1-2 boys division and third place in the girls division. St. Francis and Traverse City West tied with 74 points apiece in the boys race, but the Gladiators won the sixth-runner tiebreaker to give St. Francis the win.
Midland Dow won the D1-2 girls division title with 60 points as West finished in second with 64 and St. Francis took third with 87 points. Cadillac placed fourth, and Gaylord took eighth as Traverse City Central finished 10th.
Sophomore William Ready led St. Francis with a fifth-place individual effort, crossing the finish line in 15 minutes, 50.55 seconds.
Robby Myler (11th, 16:26.54), Owen Read (18th, 16:43.12), Riley Pattinson (21st, 16:53.41) and Joseph Carlson (23rd, 17:08.12) pushed the Gladiators to the win with Lewis Walter (25th, 17:16.76) providing the crucial tiebreaking performance.
“The boys ran good races after a tough week of workouts,” St. Francis coach Julie Duffing said, adding that Ready has proved himself to be among the top four runners in Division 3.
West’s top five were Liam Wierzba in sixth at 15:51.27 followed by Aidan Simrau (14th, 16:39.97), Hayden Murray (15th, 16:40.96), Finn Frost Grayson (17th, 16:43.12) and Ben Irwin (26th, 17:17.2).
Bear Lake-Onekama’s Mason Sinke also jumped into the big pool of the D1-2 race. The senior finished in ninth place with a 16:24.84 as the only other area runner to make an appearance in the top 10.
In the girls race, Gaylord’s Katie Berkshire set a new personal record and eclipsed the 18-minute mark for the first time in her decorated high school cross country career.
The junior Blue Devil ran a 17:58.72 to finish in second place behind Midland Dow senior Victoria Garces, who dusted the field with a 17:16.91.
St. Francis’ Betsy Skendzel was third with an 18:23.67 followed by West sophomore Tessa Mascari in fourth with an 18:27.22.
Cadillac’s Brooklynn Brown and West’s Abby Veit were the other two area runners to earn a place in the top 10 of the stacked collection of athletes. Brown ran a 19:28.45 for seventh place, and Veit took ninth with a 19:33.48.
Finishing in the top 20 were Cadillac’s Ella McInerney (11th, 19:36.29), St. Francis’ Molly Kate Hollandsworth (12th, 19:54.95), West’s Alyssa Fouchey (13th, 20:03.54), Cadillac’s Chloe Mazza (14th, 20:03.54), West’s Reese Smith (17th, 20:32.62) and St. Francis’ Mary Masserant (20th, 20:41.11).
Traverse City Central’s top runner in the boys race was Miles Kirkwood (37th, 17:42.77), and the Trojans’ top runner in the girls race was Sienna Houlberg (40th, 22:02).
Benzie Central won both the boys and girls team championships in the D3-4 races.
The Huskies finished with 92 points in the boys division, winning by four over runner-up Clare. Benzie tallied 56 points in the girls division, five better than second-place McBain.
Jackson Schaub paced the Huskies with a fifth-place individual finish, running a 17:04.03. Eli VanPoortfliet was close behind in sixth at 17:06.74.
The Huskies’ three other scoring runners in the win were Wyatt VanPoortfliet (23rd, 18:12.24), Benjamin DeRidder (30th, 18:29.61) and Walter Armstrong (35th, 18:38.39).
The senior-freshman combo of Nora Grossnickle and Avery Kelly led the Huskie girls to the win. Grossnickle placed second with a 19:28.57, and Kelly was third with a 19:41.83.
Two other Benzie freshmen, Maggie McClellan and Lilly Whaley, along with senior Ava Iverson helped in the victory. McClellan finished 15th (21:30.93) and Whaley was 20th (21:58.93), while Iverson placed 26th (22:32.19).
Despite the team wins, no Huskie took first place individually in the boys or girls race.
That honor went to Manton junior Robert Dykhouse in the boys race with a 16:26.32 and McBain freshman Caelyn Torry in the girls race with a 19:19.98.
Other area boys runners in the top 10 included Glen Lake’s Abraham Feeney (third, 16:53.14), Elk Rapids’ Qwynn Darnell (seventh, 17:09.35) and Lake City’s Caiden Helsel (eighth, 17:10.14).
Four other area runners earned a top-10 spot in the girls race, including Lake City’s Megan Gottschall in seventh (20:27.88), Bear Lake-Onekama’s Addy Zeller in eighth (20:33.02), Glen Lake’s Carmella Julian in ninth (21:03.65), and Grand Traverse Academy’s Addison Patrzik in 10th (21:05.55).
CROSS COUNTRY
Pawlick leads Petoskey to win at 50th Kiwanis Invitational
PETOSKEY — Ava Pawlick nabbed first place and helped Petoskey to a team win in the Division 1-2 race of Saturday’s 50th Petoskey Kiwanis Cross Country Invitational.
Pawlick ran a 20:46.21 as Petoskey won the girls division championship with 24 points.
Reeve Olberman was the Northmen’s top finisher in the boys race, taking second with a 17:07.29.
The Division 3 team titles went to Charlevoix in the boys race and Boyne City in the girls.
The Rayders swept the top four spots in the boys division, led by sophomore Hunter Eaton with a 16:39.7 for first place. Hailee Bertels led the Ramblers, taking gold with a 21:19.46.
The Harbor Springs Rams were champs in the Division 4 boys and girls races, but Petoskey St. Michael runners earned individual honors in both events.
Teddy Kreiger ran a 17:48.48, taking second place to lead Harbor Springs to the win. St. Michael’s Cody Bradley was the top finisher in 16:52.91.
Stefi Reskevics placed second in the girls race, pacing the Rams with a 20:26.14. But it was St. Michael’s Jane Manthei with the first-place effort at 19:48.27.
Trojans run at Jackson Invitational
JACKSON — The Traverse City Central boys team took seventh place at Saturday’s Jackson Invitational while the girls team placed 13th.
Leading the Trojan boys was Caleb Keller with a 16th-place finish. The junior ran a personal-record time of 15:53.5.
Jack Steen (53rd, 16:30.78), Lawrence Cubitt (66th, 16:46.49, PR), Neil Oyer (78th, 16:55.39) and Luke Byland (89th, 17:00.88) also scored for Central.
Freshman Ariana Rajah led the Trojan girls with a 36th-place effort in 19:30.04. She was joined by Emily Truszkowski (51st, 19:51.07), Annabelle Sketch (88th, 20:39.65), Sienna Cobb (106th, 20:55.37) and Kelly Comfort (107th, 20:55.37).
BOYS SOCCER
Vikings go 3-1 at Sunrise Side Challenge Cup
ALPENA — Grayling was involved in four more shutouts as the Vikings played in the Sunrise Side Challenge Cup in Alpena on Saturday.
After starting the season with a 9-0 record that included nine shutouts, the Vikings added three more to their tally after going 3-1 in the Wildcats’ tournament.
Grayling now has 13 shutouts after beating Alpena, 1-0, Gladwin, 5-0, and Roscommon, 3-0. The Vikings suffered their first loss of the season, dropping a 4-0 decision to Marquette in the morning contest.
Grayling gets back to action Monday when the Vikings host Harbor Springs.
Elk Rapids 0
GR West Catholic 0
Elk Rapids: Jacob McManus 1 save.
UP NEXT: The Elks (8-6-1) travel to Harbor Springs on Thursday.
Leland 5
Charlevoix 0
Leland: Weston Burda 1 goal; Brian Mosqueda 1 goal, 1 assist; Alan Cortez 1 goal; Liam Waskiewiscz 2 goals; Max Waldrup 2 assists; Evan Keen 1assist; Nano Creamer 1 assist; Ravello Smith, Howie Kropp share shutout.
UP NEXT: The Comets (11-1-1) host Suttons Bay on Monday. The Rayders (4-6) welcome Kingsley on Monday.
BOYS TENNIS
St. Francis goes 0-3 at quad
Results: Forest Hill Central def. Traverse City St. Francis, 5-3; Rockford def. St. Francis, 6-2; Midland Dow def. St. Francis, 7-1.
St. Francis winners: (1S) Owen Jackson def. FHC (6-2, 7-5), def. Rockford (6-4, 6-2); (2S) Eli Schmude def. FHC (6-2, 6-2), def. Rockford (7-5, 6-1); (3D) Brady Thelen/Casey Jackson def. FHC (6-2, 6-1), def. Dow (3-6, 6-2, 10-6).
8-PLAYER FOOTBALL
Gaylord SM 56
Bellaire 8
Gaylord St. Mary: 459 total yards; 48 carries, 361 yards; 21 first downs; Hogan McKinley 4-6 passing, 98 yards, TD, 13 carries, 75 yards, 2 TDs; Daniel Jacobsen 15 carries, 158 yards, 3 TDs, 2 catches, 51 yards, TD; Eli Major 10 carries, 74 yards, TD; Logan Greenier 8 carries, 53 yards, TD.
Bellaire: 61 total yards; 7 first downs; Eagles managed just 1 yard on six plays in the second half.
UP NEXT: The Snowbirds (3-1) host Onaway on Friday. The Eagles (3-1) welcome Central Lake on Friday.
Inland Lakes 60
Bridgman 26
Inland Lakes:
UP NEXT: The Bulldogs (4-0) travel to Ispheming on Saturday.