ALL-AREA BOYS TRACK & FIELD: Power, speed highlight postseason squad

BY DAN STICKRADT

SENIOR EDITOR

dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com

In a bizarre spring, track and field athletes generally had slow starts due to consistent bad weather, but were still able to pull off some fine finishes in the final weeks of the season.

That is all evidenced on the 2011 All-Area Boys Track and Field Team.

Across the board, athletes saw significant time drops in the running events or significant increases in the field events at the regional, county and state meets and, collectively, put together some pretty impressive resumes despite what seemed to be a shortened outdoor track season.

Out of this year’s elite group, there were state champions in three events and dozens of state placers and state qualifiers. The squad was selected based on overall performances at the state, county, regional and league meets, plus other large invitationals.

Athletes were allowed just one spot on the first team, excluding relays, and were removed from open events elsewhere on the list to spread the talent around.

The team was selected by NOS staff in conjunction with area coaches.

Below are profiles of all of the first team honorees:

FIRST TEAM

SHOT PUT: COLLIN GOETZ, Oxford: A junior who was coming off injury-plagued seasons in football and basketball, the 6-foot-6 Goetz came on strong as a thrower this season. In the shot put, his best effort came at the Division 1 state finals, where he recorded a heave of 51-2 ¾. He was also second at the OAA White Division league meet and third at the Ortonville Brandon regional. Goetz recently committed to Central Michigan University for football.

DISCUS: SIR RALPH RODRIGUEZ, Oxford: Rodriguez has been one of the Wildcats’ top throwers all four years and finished with season bests of 53-7 ½ for the shot put and 150-4 for the discus, both tops in the area. Although he missed the regional meet due to a family matter, Rodriguez stil had a fine senior season. In the shot put, he was fourth at the Oakland County meet, won the OAA-White Division title and finished second at the Oxford Invitational. In the discus, he was a league champion and finished second at both the Oxford Invitational and Davison Invitational and placed 10^th at the county meet.

HIGH JUMP: RYAN BRANCHEAU, Auburn Hills Avondale: Part of Avondale’s arsenal of weapons on the football field and a starting forward on the OAA White Division champion basketball team at the school, the 6-foot-4 Brancheau was also a fine track and field athlete, specializing in the high jump and 100 high hurdles. In the high jump, the senior was the OAA Gold Division champion, placed second at the West Bloomfield Invitational and Bloomfield Hills Lahser regional, placed fourth at the Division 2 state meet with a season-best 6-6 and was sixth at the county meet. In the 110 hurdles, Brancheau won the OAA-Gold crown and was fourth at the regional. His best was 15.3.

“We knew he would b\e one of the best jumpers in the state and he proved that placing at the state meet,” said coach Chris Rennels.

LONG JUMP: SAM WARD, Troy Athens: One of many jumpers in the area that leaped around 21 feet this season, Ward was consistent enough to earn the first-team nod even though he fought through a minor leg injury that kept him from running the 400 meters and 1,600 relay with regularity. A junior, Ward was third at the Warren Mott regional and fifth at both the OAA Blue Division league meet and county meet in the long jump. In the high jump, he placed fifth at the regional and sixth at the league meet. He posted bests of 21-1 in the long jump, 6-0 in the high jump and 52.0 in the 400.

“Sam didn’t get to run in as many events as he wanted to, but he was solid in the field events and nearly made the state meet in the long jump,” said coach John Epple. “We’re hoping he can come back even stronger next season.”

POLE VAULT: CODY WESTMORELAND, Oxford: A junior in his third varsity campaign, Westmoreland qualified for the state finals for the first time after he won the Ortonville Brandon regional crown. Westmoreland also won the Sterling Heights Invitational, placed ninth at the county and 26^th at the Division 1 state meet. His best effort on the year was 13-0.

110 HURDLES: EVAN CARPENTER, Troy Athens: The Red Hawks’ MVP was consistently a big point scorer and even won three events at the Warren Mott regional to highlight his resume. Although he regularly ran four events, his best was the 110 hurdles. The senior, headed for the University of Michigan for academics, was regional champion, placed third at the OAA Blue Division league meet, sixth at the county and 12^th after the semifinals at the Division 1 state meet in the 110 hurdles. In the long jump, he placed first t the regional, second at the league, seventh at the county and 13^th at the state finals. In the high jump, he was regional champ, finished fourth at the league, 19^th at the county and 13^th at the state finals. Carpenter, also a two-year starter on the Red Hawks soccer team, posted season bests of 14.7 in the 110 hurdles (15.1 FAT), 6-2 in the high jump and 20-10 in the long jump.

“Evan had a great year and a great day at the regional, winning three events,” said Epple. “He had a good state meet, he wasn’t that far off making the finals in the high hurdles. He was a big part of our team and I was glad to see him have such a strong senior season (individually) because we were young as a team.”

300 HURDLES: AARON STUK, Oxford: Headed for Michigan State for track and field, Stuk was the area’s most dominant hurdler and finished with a top-eight medal at the Division 1 state meet for the second straight season. In the 300 hurdles, Stuk was first at the Sterling Heights Invitational, Oxford Invitational, Davison Invitational, OAA White Division league, Ortonville Brandon regional and county meets and finished 10^th at the state finals. In the 110 hurdles, he won the Oxford and Sterling Heights invites, league, regional and county meets and placed eighth at state. He posted a school record of 38.2 in the 300 hurdles and his 14.4 in the 110s is second-fastest in school history. Stuk also ran on the Wildcats’ state-qualifying 400 relay and 1,600 relay, both of which placed at multiple meets this season.

100 METERS: JAMES MCDONALD, Troy: The senior bounced back from injuries the previous season to have a fine encore campaign which saw him qualify for the state finals in the 100 and 200 dashes and also in the 400 relay. In the 100, where he had a best of 10.7 (hand-timed), McDonald was the Sterling Heights Invite and Warren Mott regional champion, placed third at the OAA Red Division league meet, seventh at the county and 11^th at the Division 1 state finals (10.87 FAT in the semifinals). In the 200, McDonald was a regional champ, placed second at the Sterling Heights Invite, third at the league and Shumake Relays, sixth at the county and 11^th at the state. His best was 22.2. In the 400 relay, his unit was second at the regional (44.3), fourth at Shumake, sixth at the league, 15^th at the county and 24^th at the state finals.

200 METERS: DARREN LUMPKIN, Oxford: Another versatile sprinter who rotated between the 100, 200, 400, 400 relay, 800 relay and 1,600 relay, Lumpkin made a return trip to the state finals, this time in four events as a senior. In the 200, he was the Ortonville Brandon (21.9) and Sterling Heights Invitational champion, finished as the OAA White Division league runner-up and was ninth at the D-1 state finals. In the 100, an event he did not run in at the regional and state meets, he was league (10.8) and Oxford Invitational champion and placed 14th at the county meet. He ran at the state meet in the 400 relay (18^th), 800 relay (15th) and 1,600 relay (third) and each of those relays placed high at multiple meets throughout the campaign.

400 METERS: TREVON SALTER, Auburn Hills Avondale: Few athletes had the type of senior season like Salter, who is headed to Division II Saginaw Valley State next season for track and field. He recently competed at the Midwest Meet of Champions, where he placed third in the long jump (23-5 ¾), sixth in the 200 (22.4 FAT) and second as part of Team Michigan’s 400 relay (41.58). Competing for Avondale, he was the Division 2 state champion in the 400 (48.7) and placed second at both the county and Bloomfield Hills Lahser regional in the same event. In the 200, he was OAA Gold Division champion and placed third at the regional. He also ran on the state champion 400 relay and 800 relays units that set school records and had numerous top-five finishes throughout season and occasionally ran on the 1,600 relay that won a league title this season and state title last season.

“He had as good of day at the state meet as anybody in the history of the Division 2 state meet,” said Rennels. “He won the 400 and ran on two state champion relays and few kids can have that kind of day. He was great for us all season long.”

800 METERS: BRIAN BEECHER, Rochester: Beecher improved leaps and bounds throughout his career and had a fine senior campaign where he qualified for the state meet in the 800. He was the OAA Red Division (1:57.2) and West Bloomfield regional champion, placed 11^th at the county meet and 17th at the Division 1 state finals. In the 1,600, he was the league champion (4:29.6). As anchor of the Falcons’ 1,600 relay, he helped that foursome finish third at the regional (3:29.2), fourth at the league meet and fifth at the county meet.

1,600 METERS: WILLIAM YAU, Troy: Yau became the Colts’ distance ace this season as a junior and he missed the Division 1 state meet by just a tenth of a second, running third at the Warren Mott regional in 4:27.0. He was also second at the Shumake Relays, fifth at both the OAA Red Division league meet and Sterling Heights Invitational and eighth at the county. Yau ran a leg on the Colts’ 3,200 relay that finished third at the league meet, seventh at the regional and ninth at the county (8:25.0).

3,200 METERS: BLAKE POZOLO, Rochester: The lone sophomore to earn first-team status in an open event, Pozolo had a fine season running the 1,600, 3,200 and 3,200 relay for the Falcons. In the his best event, the 3,200, Pozolo was the OAA Red Division and West Bloomfield regional champion, placed fifth at the county (9:44.55), eighth at the West Bloomfield Invitational and gutted out a 12^th place finish in the blistering heat at the Division 1 state finals (9:47.64 FAT), an event where the pace was slower due to the heat index. In the 1,600, he was third at the league meet and 10^th at the county (4:31.55). Pozolo also ran on the Falcons’ 3,200 relay that placed fifth at the regional. (8:41.7) and sixth at the league meet.

AT-LARGE: ELIVE LIKINE, Rochester: While Likine missed the state meet despite placing in four events at the West Bloomfield regional, the senior still had a fine season and good enough to earn the at-large position on the first team. Normally competing in four events, Likine was sixth at the regional (15.4)and seventh at the OAA Red Division league meet in the 110 hurdles. He was fourth at the regional (21-0 ½), sixth at the league and 17^th at the county in the long jump. As part of Rochester’s 800 relay, he helped that unit run fourth at the league, fourth at the regional (1:31.1) and 16^th at the county, while he aided the Falcons’ 1,600 relay foursome to third at the regional (3:29.2), fourth at the league and fifth at the county.

400-METER RELAY: XAVIER BURNS-JEFF DOUGLAS-TAKEMI SMITH-TREVON SALTER, Auburn Hills Avondale: This unit was consistently near the top of every meet and performed best on the biggest stage by winning the Division 2 state title in a swift 42.75 seconds (FAT), good enough for the school record. This unit was also first at the Birmingham Groves Invite, West Bloomfield Invite and OAA Gold Division league meet, placed third at the Bloomfield Hills Lahser regional and fifth at the county meet.

“Their handoffs were flawless (at the state meet),” said Rennels. “In the sprint relays, if the handoffs are off, you’re not going to win. These guys put it together on the right day.”

800-METER RELAY: NATHAN CHAPMAN-JEFF DOUGLAS-TAKEMI SMITH-TREVON SALTER, Auburn Hills Avondale: The Yellowjackets were defeated only once all season in this event, and that came at the Bloomfield Hills Lahser regional, where they were second to Ferndale. They came back to win the county and Division 2 state title and set the school mark and D-2 state meet record (1:28.11 FAT). They were also champions at the Groves Invite, West Bloomfield Invite and OAA Gold Division league meet. Smith and Slater are seniors while Douglas and Chapman, are juniors.

“The only difference with this relay (compared to the 400 relay) is that Nathan Chapman was in instead of Xavier Burns and their handoffs were flawless, too, which is why we won and set the state-meet record,” said Rennels. “We also won this relay at the county but not the regional. They had their best day at the state meet.”

1,600-METER RELAY: TERRANCE WEBB-AARON STUK-CONNOR RISINGER-DARREN LUMPKIN, Oxford: This unit of four seniors staved off the extreme heat at the Division 1 state finals to cap the season with a third-place finish (3:22.81). the school record holders in the event, the Wildcats’ foursome also won the Ortonville Brandon regional, OAA White Division league meet and Sterling Heights Invite crowns and placed second at the Oxford Invitational. They were disqualified at the county meet.

3,200-METER RELAY: MIKE MCCORD-AUSTIN YARGER-SPENCER PAWLIK-ADAM BRUDERICK, Clarkston: Made up of two seniors, McCord and Yarger, and juniors Bruderick and Pawlik, this unit had its best outing at the regional, finishing third on the track at Ortonville Brandon in 8:05.2. They were also the OAA Red Division champions, won the Titans Relays, ran fifth at both the county and Bay City Western Invitational and placed 17^th at the Division 1 state meet.

COACH OF THE YEAR: CHUCK SNYDER, Auburn Hills Oakland Christian: While the Lancers sit underneath the radar as a Class D school in Oakland County, a region full of Class A and Class B schools, the Lancers have slowly built a strong program under the coaching of Chuck Snyder since resurrecting the track and field program at the school eight years ago.

This season, the Lancers won their second Michigan Independent Athletic Conference title in three years with a junior-heavy squad, finished second at the Division 4 Webberville regional and placed 11th at the D-4 state finals.

The school does not have a track to cal its own, practicing on streets or in the parking lot and occasionally traveling to other schools to work on relay handoffs or field events. Still the program has performed well the past several years, even finishing ninth at state two years ago in D-4.

ALL-AREA BOYS TRACK TEAM 2011

FIRST TEAM

Field Events

Shot Put:        Collin Goetz                           Oxford

Discus:            Sir Ralph Rodriguez           Oxford

High Jump:   Ryan Brancheau                  A.H. Avondale

Long Jump:   Sam Ward                               Troy Athens

Pole Vault:    Cody Westmoreland           Oxford

Sprints

100 Meters:   James McDonald                Troy

200 Meters:   Darren Lumpkin                 Oxford

400 Meters:   Trevon Salter                       A.H. Avondale

Distances

800 Meters:   Brian Beecher                       Rochester

1,600 Meters: William Yau                         Troy

3,200 Meters: Blake Pozolo                        Rochester

Hurdles

110 Hurdles: Evan Carpenter                     Troy Athens

300 Hurdles: Aaron Stuk                             Oxford

Utility

At Large:        Elive Likine                              Rochester

Relays

400 Relay:     Takemi Smith                          A.H. Avondale

400 Relay:     Xavier Burns                           A.H. Avondale

400 Relay:     Jeff Douglas                             A.H. Avondale

400 Relay:     Trevon Salter                          A.H. Avondale

800 Relay:     Nathan Chapman                  A.H. Avondale

800 Relay:     Takemi Smith                          A.H. Avondale

800 Relay:     Jeff Douglas                             A.H. Avondale

800 Relay:     Trevon Salter                          A.H. Avondale

1,600 Relay:  Aaron Stuk                              Oxford

1,600 Relay:  Connor Risinger                    Oxford

1,600 Relay:  Terrance Webb                      Oxford

1,600 Relay:  Darren Lumpkin                    Oxford

3,200 Relay:  Austin Yager                          Clarkston

3,200 Relay:  Michael McCord                   Clarkston

3,200 Relay:  Spencer Pawlik                      Clarkston

3,200 Relay:  Adam Bruderick                   Clarkston

COACH OF THE YEAR

Chuck Snyder  A.H. Oakland Christian     8th Season

SECOND TEAM

Shot Put: Marcel Johnson, Rochester sr.; Discus: Ken Coffman, Oxford sr.; High Jump: C.J. Gozdor, Clarkston jr.; Long Jump: Drew Perrin, Auburn Hills Oakland Christian jr.; 110 Hurdles: Alex Roberts, Lake Orion jr.; 300 Hurdles: David Jordan, Troy jr.; 100 Meters: Takemi Smith, Auburn Hills Avondale sr.; 200 Meters: Zach Arnold, Lake Orion fr.; 400 Meters: Eric Perez, Rochester soph.; 800 Meters: Adam Bruderick, Clarkston jr.; 1,600 Meters: Eli Nasr, Rochester Stoney Creek jr.; 3,200 Meters: Stephen Biebelhausen, Rochester Adams soph.; At-Large: Felix Sickmann, Auburn Hills Oakland Christian sr.; 400 Relay: Oxford (Anthony McDugald, sr., Mike Cynowa, jr., Aaron Stuk, sr., Darren Lumpkin, sr.); 800 Relay: Oxford (Terrance Webb, sr., Mike Cynowa, jr., Anthony McDugald, sr., Darren Lumpkin, sr.); 1,600 Relay: Lake Orion (Dominic Arnold, sr., Matt Emerick, sr., Zach Arnold, fr., Nick Balavich, jr.); 3,200 Relay: Lake Orion (David Diaz, fr., T.J. Carey, soph., Justin Prawdzik, jr., David Arenz, soph.).

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Shot Put: Michael Eldridge, Rochester Stoney Creek jr.; Dane Hayes, Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest soph.; Prescott Line, Oxford jr.; Cory Meyer, Troy sr.; Zachary Purcilly, Auburn Hills Avondale fr.; Nick Breuwer, Rochester sr.; Discus: Nick Breuwer, Rochester sr.; Matt Wright, Clarkston jr.; Davis Rossman, Lake Orion jr.; Cory Meyer, Troy sr.; Michael Eldridge, Rochester Stoney Creek jr.; High Jump: Aaron Moore, Rochester Adams sr.; Terrance Webb, Oxford sr.; Daniel Nguyen, Rochester sr.; Mike Schwartz, Clarkston jr.; Long Jump: Zach Friedel, Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest sr.; Michael Owusu, Rochester Adams soph.; Jeremy Nixon, Lake Orion jr.; Sean O’Connell, Rochester Stoney Creek jr.; Marco Bonfiglio, Oxford jr.; Brian Benway, Clarkston sr.; 110 Hurdles: Doug Klimball, Oxford jr.; Ben Hollett, Rochester Adams sr.; Jeremy Nixon, Lake Orion jr.; Aaron Moore, Rochester Adams sr.; 300 Hurdles: David Jordan, Troy jr.; Brent Kostich, Auburn Hills Oakland Christian jr.; Michael Roberts, Lake Orion jr.; Terrance Webb, Oxford sr.; Alex Roberts, Lake Orion jr.; Calvin Jackson, Auburn Hills Avondale sr.; Doug Klimbal, Oxford jr.; Evan Glinn, Rochester Stoney Creek soph.; Ben Howlett, Rochester Adams sr.; Brent Cousino, Clarkston sr.; 100 Meters: Xavier Burns, Auburn Hills Avondale sr.; Anthony McDugald, Oxford sr.; David Jordan, Troy jr.; Drew Perrin, Auburn Hills Oakland Christian jr.; 200 Meters: Jeff Douglas, Auburn Hills Avondale jr.; Avery Taylor, Rochester Adams soph.; Nathan Chapman, Auburn Hills Avondale jr.; Mike Schwartz, Clarkston jr.; Avery Taylor, Rochester Adams soph.; 400 Meters: Nick Balavich, Lake Orion jr.; Connor Risinger, Oxford sr.; Danny Wunderlich, Troy fr.; Nathan Chapman, Auburn Hills Avondale jr.; John Ozerities, Auburn Hills Avondale fr.; Lewis Mason, Rochester Stoney Creek sr.; Nick Rennels, Auburn Hills Avondale sr.; 800 Meters: Nathan Chapman, Auburn Hills Avondale jr.; Anthony Cappuccilli, Oxford jr.; Michael McCord, Clarkston sr.; Curtis Kocher, Oxford sr.; Justin Krolik, Troy Athens sr.; Jeremy Wdowik, Auburn Hills Avondale sr.; Steve Pawlik, Clarkston jr.; 1,600 Meters: Sam Taniellian, Clarkston soph.; David Diaz, Lake Orion fr.; T.J. Carey, Lake Orion soph.; 3,200 Meters: Jackson Gilbert, Rochester sr.; Dylan Smith, Oxford sr.; Ryan Gillespie, Oxford jr.; T.J. Carey, Lake Orion soph.; David Byrne, Clarkston soph.; Jake Lauka, Lake Orion sr.; Austin Tretheway, Rochester Stoney Creek soph.; Sam Tanielian, Clarkston soph.; 400 Relay: Auburn Hills Oakland Christian, Troy, Rochester, Lake Orion; 800 Relay: Lake Orion, Auburn Hills Oakland Christian, Rochester; 1,600 Relay: Auburn Hills Avondale, Auburn Hills Oakland Christian, Clarkston, Rochester; 3,200 Relay: Oxford, Rochester Stoney Creek, Troy.

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Tags: All-Area Boys Track & Field Team 2011

Category: All Area Teams, Auburn Hills Avondale, Auburn Hills Oakland Christian, Clarkston, Clarkston Everest Catholic, High School, High School (M-Z), Lake Orion, Oxford, Prep Wraps, Rochester, Rochester Adams, Rochester Hills Lutheran NW, Rochester Stoney Creek, Troy, Troy Athens, Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes