Adams wins first regional track title since 2002

BY DAN STICKRADT

SENIOR EDITOR

dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com

ORTONVILLE — A few track athletes at Rochester Adams had an excuse Friday night. Apparently, the Highlanders forgot that a team actually needs a trophy before for a victory lap can take place.

One can’t blame them, as the last time Adams won a regional trophy, they were all in elementary school.

Nevertheless, Adams earned such an award Friday night at the grand oval at Ortonville Brandon, collecting 86 points to win the school’s first regional title in girls track and field since 2002.

“We were too excited to wait for the trophy. We got it for the last 100 for our victory lap,” said sophomore Jamie Morrissey. “It was an honor to be here. Our coaches were awesome. We give them all the credit because they worked us so hard all year and got us to this point.”

Adams piled on points in the final five events to outdistance runner-up Holly (76.5) and 13 other schools. Grand Blanc was third (67.5), defending champion Lake Orion fourth (60) and Clarkston fifth (57) in the top five. Pontiac (54), Oxford (54) and Ortonville Brandon (51) also broke 50 points at the meet, which took nearly 10 hours to complete.

Adams won the title with just one senior scoring points. The Highlanders scored in 12 of 17 events and produced state qualifiers in eight events.

The top two finishers in each event, plus others reaching the pre-determined state qualifying mark, advance to the Lower Peninsula Division 1 state finals June 4 at Rockford High School.

“The nice thing is we didn’t have to do any adjustments,” said Adams coach Eric Lohr. “We didn’t run Jamie in the (1,600) and some other girls didn’t load up. We said, ‘you know what, we’ll keep people fresh for their (race).’ Other teams were changing things around for individuals. Our team was built for this (regional) race.”

Meanwhile in the boys meet, Grand Blanc took advantage of its balance and nudged past Oxford, 114-108, for the boys team title. Defending champion Holly was third (78), followed by Romeo (72) and Swartz Creek (65.5) and Lake Orion (52.5).

It was a change of venue but same results for Grand Blanc, which won a regional crown last season at Traverse City Central. It marked the Bobcats’ sixth regional title in the past decade.

“I think it was our balance attack and the points that we got in the distances that Oxford didn’t,” said Grand Blanc Ed Stanbury. “This is a great for the kids, because we graduated a lot of guys and I didn’t think we would be able to do this. We got a lot of guys going on to the state meet.”

Oxford, which did not have one of its top throwers, won six events and even set a few school records along the way.

“We still had a great meet,” said Oxford coach Bob Blunk, whose team finished runner-up for the second straight season. “I would say that 75 percent of our guys had PRs. We had some great efforts and we have a lot of kids going to the state meet.”

Aaron Stuk won the 110 hurdles (14.4) and 300 hurdles (38.2) to pace Oxford. Terrance Webb, Mike Cynowa, Anthony McDugald and Darren Lumpkin clocked 1:29.9 in winning the 800 relay.

Lumpkin came back to break the tape in the 200 (21.9), while he joined with Webb, Stuck and Connor Risinger to set the school record and win the 1,600 relay in 3:22.1. Cody Westmoreland took the pole vault crown (12-10) for Oxford.

Grand Blanc’s Jamil Banks, Jalen Cureton Damonta Maddenwarner and Justice Hayes led three qualifiers in the 400 relay (43.2), ahead of Utica Eisenhower and Oxford. Omar Kuddurah, the defending state champion in the 1,600, won both the 800 (1:55.3) and 1,600 (4:15.2), surging past the pack in the final 200 meters in both races. Clarence Turner won the high jump (6-1) for Grand Blanc.

Romeo’s Nathan Fraeyman won the 400 (49.8) and long jump (21-1 ¾) and Sam Brunner the discus (169-11).

Holly’s foursome of Luke Schwerin, Keon Ellison, Davis Nixon and Mike McCarty pulled away from the pack to win the 3,200 relay in 7:56.8, leading three qualifying units. Grand Blanc and Clarkston also made the cut.

Swartz Creek’s Alvin Jones was the fastest man of the day in winning the 100 (10.8), leading five qualifiers under 11 seconds. Teammate Jeremy Dickie, second in the 1,600, won the 3,200 (9:31.8) and Travis Campbell was victorious in the shot put (50-11), leading a cast of four qualifiers, for the Dragons.

In the girls meet, Adams’ Morrissey clocked 2:15.6 to win the 800, and Gabrielle Thiverge was second in both the 1,600 and 3,200 runs. The Highlanders were also second in the 3,200 relay and 1,600 relay. Jessica Howell won the long jump (17-2 ¾) and was second in the 200.

Grand Blanc’s Gabriella Anzalone posted two of the state’s top efforts in the distance events, winning both the 1,600 (4:51.2) and 3,200 (10:35.0). The Bobcats’ Tere Colley clocked 57.6 in winning the 400, where four runners reached the standard and dipped under one minute.

Lake Orion’s Alexandria won the 100 hurdles (14.1) and 200 (25.2) and qualified third in the 400 for a productive day. Linnea Berriman, who was ninth at the state meet last June, heaved the discus a career-best 120-9 for Lake Orion.

Port Huron’s Monica Fusee the pole vault (10-8, edging Oxford’s Sarah Hillebrand (10-5) for top honors. Brandon’s Tiffany Owens won the 100 (12.0), where five sprinters advanced.

Pontiac’s Angela Bursey won the shot put (41-4) and Mariah Owens the high jump (5-2), edging Clarkston’s Anna Manilla (5-2) on fewer misses.

Oxford’s foursome of Megan Seeley, Brittany Johnson, Brooke Kovacic and Chelsea Johnson clocked led from start to finish in clocking 9:28.4, shattering the school record by early 20 seconds and leading a group of five qualifiers. Adams, Holly, Rochester Stoney Creek and Clarkston also made the cut.

“We wanted to get the lead and try to keep it,” said anchor Chelsea Johnson. “We changed the order this time and this was the first time I ran anchor. I didn’t know how close they were, so I just kept going.”

Stoney Creek’s foursome of Colleen Brummitt, Stephanie Cosentino, Ashley Halm and Berrion Berry, who was second in the 100 (12.1), shattered the school record by three seconds in winning the 800 relay (1:44.1).

“Last year we were one of the top teams and we were disqualified,” said Ashley Halm, one of two seniors on the relay. “This was our last chance. This was way better than we ever ran before.”

Clarkston’s Franzi Loetzner won the 300 hurdles (47.4), ahead of Oxford’s Michelle Gilmore, to round out the winners.

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Category: Clarkston, High School, Lake Orion, Oxford, Prep Wraps, Rochester, Rochester Adams, Rochester Stoney Creek