Barn burners: Stars aligning just right for Avondale’s track team
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
AUBURN HILLS — To enjoy tremendous success in the sport of track and field, the stars must sometime align just perfectly.
First and foremost, athletes must remain healthy. A coaching staff must have a solid core of athletes that can also score and score big in a variety of events. You must also have those athletes actually come out for the team and not lose them to club sports or specialization to other sports.
OVER THE TOP: Auburn Hills Avondale's Ryan Brancheau should be one of the state's top high jumpers this season and hopes to play his part in the Yellowjackets' quest for the Division 2 state championship. File Photo | Dan Stickradt
There are obstacles for prep track and field, which encompasses 17 events in Michigan, although many teams in this state do not compete in pole vault.
Even with all of obstacles and distractions track and field can face in today’s environment, Auburn Hills Avondale seems to have all of the necessary ingredients to put together a season of a lifetime.
Chris Rennells and his staff have a fine collection of athletes and look to score big at every meet this season.
“We have been building towards this the past couple of years,” said Rennells, who is in his fourth season at the helm. “We have most of our team back from last year. We have 11 seniors that set school records, went to the state meet or won league or regional championships last season. We have a ton of experience.”
When Rennells took over the team four years ago, there were 24 athletes on the boys team at Avondale. Today, there are over 60 athletes — and the team still lost a few kids this season because of the stadium renovations which has forced the team to practice mostly off campus.
“There were some kids we lost due to the transportation issues to get to practice,” said Rennells. “We practice at other schools, the Ultimate Soccer Arenas, anywhere else we can find.”
Avondale, nevertheless, returns a bulk of its team and is one of talent-laden Oakland County’s top programs this season, along with the likes of Novi Detroit Catholic Central, Oxford, Lake Orion, Birmingham-Detroit Country Day and Milford. The Yellowjackets should be a team to watch at the Oakland County meet in late May and any other invitational-style meet this season.
A year ago, Avondale finished 4-1 in dual meets in the OAA Gold Division, dropping a dual to Bloomfield Hills Lahser. The Yellowjackets stormed back to take the league meet with an impressive 171 points to kick off the championship season.
At the Division 2 regional, Avondale collected 99 points, just one point behind regional champion Country Day, and that was after a key runner was disqualified in the 1,600 meters after originally finishing second.
Avondale also finished sixth at the county meet, scoring 30 points, the following weekend.
At the D-2 state meet, Avondale tied for fifth with 24 points and were only six points behind state champion Byron Center’s 30 points. Zeeland West was second with 29 points, with Flint Southwestern (26), Ferndale (25), Cadillac (24), Avondale (24), Big Rapids (21) Cedar Springs (21), East Lansing (21) and DeWitt (20) all in a logjam of teams, making it one of the closest D-2 finals in many years.
Over 75 percent of the key point scorers are back for Avondale, and with some talented newcomers, there’s reason to believe that the Yellowjackets can be a serious threat to win a state title.
In other words, Avondale has it sights set on not allowing this year’s state finals to be too close.
FAST AND FURIOUS: Auburn Hills Avondale has a pethoara of state-caliber sprinters this season, including Takemi Smith (left) and Travon Salter, both whom ran at the state meet last season. File Photo | Dan Stickradt
“That’s when we want to be at our best,” said Rennells. “I think if things go right, we could be right there. The guys are working towards that goal. But we have to remain healthy and everything has to fall into place.”
The Yellowjackets have more than a dozen athletes that can score at large meets and they have the ability to put together four impressive relays. Avondale placed in the top eight at the D-2 state finals last year in the 800-, 1600- and 3,200-meter relays, with the 1,600 unit winning a state title. The 400-meter relay just missed placing at state.
“We have a lot of sprinters and guys that can run so many events, that we have interchangeable (parts).We have four, five, six guys that we use in various relays. We have options that most people don’t have,” offered Rennells.
The return of junior Kyle Redwine, who missed all of last season for personal reasons, gives the team one of the state’s better sprinters to add into a mix of already talented barn burners. Redwine ran 10.8 in the 100 as a freshman two years ago before going down with an injury and has gone faster in the summer club circuit.
Seniors Travon Salter, Xavier Burns and Takemi Smith all have state-meet experience, as does junior Jeff Douglas. Sophomore Michael Johnson is also another capable sprinter ready to make an impact.
“We have at least four guys that can run 11-flat in the 100 and a bunch of quality guys in the 200 and 400,”said Rennells. “I think we have 4-5 guys who might be able to break 50 in the 400. It’s a good problem to have so many guys we can insert into relays like that.”
Senior Ryan Brancheau, also a starter in football and basketball, takes his wirery 6-foot-4 frame to the high jump pad and the starting blocks for hurdles. Brancheau went a career-best 6-6 last season in the high jump and placed eighth at the state meet.
CENTER OF ATTRACTION: Auburn Hills Avondale's Zac Miklja (middle) placed in three events at the state meet last season, including a leg on the state championship 1,600 relay and a runner-up slot in the 800 meters. File Photo | Dan Stickradt
Salter, who did not long jump most of last season due to a minor injury, just missed 23 feet indoors this winter and hopes to add that dimension to the team this year. With a deep crew of sprinters, Salter may be pulled from one of the relays to add points in the long jump pit.
Senior newcomer Calvin Jackson and junior Jason Chapman will also give the Yellowjackets two more quality hurdlers.
In the middle and long distances, Avondale is improved. It all starts with senior Zac Miklja and junior Nathan Chapman, both a pair of versatile multi-event runners.
Miklja, who was DQd in the mile at the regional, was state runner-up in the 800 meters (1:55.1) and ran legs on the 1,600 and 3,200 relays last spring that medaled at the state meet. Chapman ran on two relays last season and is a sub-two minute 800 runner and sub-50 seconds quarter miler.
Miklja, Chapman and Salter all return for the state championship 1,600 relay (3:23.19). Salter, Smith and Douglas ran on the 800 relay that placed fifth (1:30.34).
Senior Nick Rennels and Jeremy Wdowik will also help in the middle distance events and relays. Wdowik, Miklja and Chapman were on the 3,200 relay that was eighth at state (8:08.12).
In the distance events, Avondale will look to Miklja in the 1,600, while junior Alex Kluseman, senior newcomer Skyler Lehto, freshman James Sailor and sophomore Geoffrey Williston join a group which hopes to help this team improve its point scoring in the 800 on up, especially in dual meets.
The Yellowjackets will get a chance to test their mettle this Saturday at the prestigious West Bloomfield Invitational, where several powerhouse teams from around the state in multiple divisions will be part of the 32-school field. Avondale was sixth last season.
“That will be our first real test,” said Rennells. “There’s always a lot of very good teams there.”
Avondale only lost five main point scorers and two athletes that competed at the state meet last season, that being Dom Gordon (sprints) and Brad Lowe (middle distance). Gordon ran on two state-placing relays last season, while Lowe was on the 3,200 relay unit.
“We lost a couple of guys, but I think we have other guys that are faster,” said Rennells. “I’m not 100 positive on our relays lineups, but we have some guys that I know that can make us faster than we were last year. When you have guys like Chapman, who can run anything from the 200 to the mile, and several fast sprinters, we can tweak our lineup and move people around.
“If Zac (Miklja) is healthy and can run the mile this year as well, and the fact that Kyle (Redwine) is with us this year, I think we have the makeup of a team that (can contend),” continued Rennells. “I’m not saying that we are going to win the regional, or county, or state meet. There are some great teams out there. We have to face Country Day at the regional, and teams like (Catholic Central) at the county, and they are always loaded. But I think if we are healthy at the end of the season, I think we’ll have a chance.”
SCHOOL: Auburn Hills Avondale
HEAD COACH: Chris Rennels, fourth season.
LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 4-1, 4-1 OAA Gold Division (tied-first overall).
LEAGUE: Won OAA Gold Division league meet (171 points).
REGIONAL: Second at Division 2 Bloomfield Hills Lahser (99 points).
COUNTY: Sixth at Oakland County (30 points).
STATE: Tied for fifth at Division 2 state finals (24 points).
SPRINTS: Kyle Redwine, jr. (injured last season; one of state’s top sprinters); Travon Salter, sr.; Xavier Burns, sr.; Jeff Douglas, jr.; Takemi Smith, sr.; Michael Johnson, soph.
HURDLES: Ryan Brancheau, sr.; Calvin Jackson, sr.; Jason Chapman, jr.;
MIDDLE DISTANCE: Zac Miklja, sr. (state runner yup in 800); Nathan Chapman, jr.; Nick Rennels, sr.
LONG DISTANCE: Jeremy Wdowik, sr.; Alex Kluseman, jr.; Skyler Lehto, sr.; James Sailor, fr.; Geoffrey Williston, soph.
THROWS: Jeff Douglas, jr.; Zach Porcelli, fr.
JUMPS: Travon Salter, sr.; Ryan Brancheau, sr. (high jumped 6-6 last season); Xavier Burns, sr.
KEY LOSSES: Dom Gordon (sprints); Brad Lowe (middle distance); Jeremy Cooper (hurdles, sprints); Etiowo Usoro (hurdles); Donald Matthews (distance).
NOTABLES: Along with Novi Detroit Catholic Central, the Yellowjackets are the cream of the crop in Oakland County and Avondale is a serious contender for the D-2 state crown this season with several big-meet performers and four stellar relays; most of this team’s key athletes are seniors, so if this team is to win it all, it will likely to be this season; this team has exceptional depth, with 11 current seniors being all-state, a school record holder, a league or regional champion last season.
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Category: Auburn Hills Avondale, High School, Prep Wraps
