Driver’s seat: Lake Orion, Seaholm grab first OAA red Jamboree wins

BY DAN STICKRADT

SENIOR EDITOR

dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com

ROCHESTER — Only four months ago, TJ Carey sat out the sidelines as many of his talented colleagues reaped in awards at the end of track and field season.

Carey had a bout with mononucleosis and missed the regional, county and state finals.

Now a junior, Carey is back and had one of his best cross country performances to date on Tuesday. The Lake Orion posted a sizzling finish at Bloomer Park in Rochester, winning the first of three OAA Red Division Jamborees with a 16:28 clocking.

HUFFING AND PUFFING: Lake Orion's David Diaz (left) fight off Birmingham Seaholm's Jack Howard for fifth place at Tuesday's OAA Red Division Jamboree No. 1 at Bloomer Park. Staff Photo | Dan Stickradt

“It feels great to be back. You have no idea,” said Carey, who left the OAA Red Division league track meet back on May 6 following the 3,200 really and did not race again until late August. “It was hard being out. I love to race.”

One could tell.

Carey outkicked Rochester Adams ‘Stephen Biebelhausen (16:29) and Troy’s William Yau (16:31) during the final 50 meters, signaling that he did not lose his kick during absence.

“It feels great just being out here,” said Carey. “I had goals of making it to the state meet in track and then I got sick. I knew that I could win here. If it was close, I felt I could outkick them.”

Rochester Adams' Gabrielle Thivierge finished second in the girls race. Staff Photo | Dan Stickradt

While Carey broke the tape, his team added plenty of depth. Lake Orion went on to win the boys team title with 55 points, topping seven other schools in the depth-laden league and winning by 36 points. Oxford was a distant second with 91 points, followed by Clarkston (94), Birmingham Seaholm (95), Rochester Adams (111), Rochester Stoney Creek (131), Troy (139) and Rochester (188).

Meanwhile, Birmingham Seaholm won the girls team title with 51 points, 32 ahead of Oxford (83) and over 40 ahead of defending conference champ Troy (93). Rochester Adams (96), Rochester (134), Clarkston (135), Lake Orion (152) and Stoney Creek (163) followed suit.

Oxford and Stoney Creek bumped up from the OAA-White this season and Oxford’s Brooke Kovacic made a quite a statement. The junior pulled away from the pack in the last mile to win in 18:15.

“I sat back for the first mile and then I went with the rest of the pack until the two-mile marker. That’s where I started to pull away a little bit,” said Kovacic, who was all-state last season with a 12^th place finish at the Division 1 state meet.

“I think we were all really nervous beforehand,” admitted Kovacic of her team’s debut in one of the state’s premier leagues for girls cross country. “But we ran really good. Our coach told us that in his 40 years of coaching that this is his best team. We just have to keep working hard and live up to that.”

It marked Kovacic’s third win of the young season, and her second this year at Bloomer. She also won the Adams Invitational on the same course and Saturday’s West Bloomfield Invite at Kensington Metropark.

“My best last year was 18:02 at (the state meet),” she said. “This year I want go faster than that by the state meet. I feel like I am getting closer to that already.”

Kovacic ran in a tight pack with the rest of the leaders, but gradually pulled away. First-year runner Gabrielle Thivierge of Adams was second (18:55) and teammate Jamie Morrissey crossed the line third (18:59).

Seaholm had five in the top 15, led by triplets Aubrey Wilberding (fourth, 19:19), Tess Wilberding (fifth, 19:26) and Mallory Wilberding (13^th, 20:04). Julia Demko (14^th) and Audrey Belf (15^th) rounded out the Maples team score.

With a junior-freshman heavy team, Seaholm is expected to be one of the best teams in the state, even though veteran coach Jeff Devantier was hoping his Maples would fly under the radar.

“I was hoping that no one would notice, but I guess that’s not going to happen,” smiled Devantier, whose Maples were second in the league last season. “I think we have a good shot at being really good team. But we’ll take it one day at a time. I don’t know what everyone else has around the state and in a sport like this, anything can happen. We have to stay healthy.”

Clarkston’s Natalie Smith was sixth, while Rochester’s Jessica Goethals (seventh), Adams’ Sarah Johnson (eighth), Oxford’s Brittany Johnson (ninth) and Stoney Creek’s Nicole Kowalchick (10^th) also finished in the top 10. In the varsity race, which featured a run-10, score-five format.

Lake Orion’s boys are the defending league champs and have several new runners that have filled in nicely.

“We have a front runner but it was nice to have a second guy up there in the top five. After that we just did a nice job packing it up,” said Lake Orion coach Stan Ford, who had eight of the top 22 finishers in the meet. “We have some nice first-year runners and some guys that this is their first year running varsity. The best part about these guys is they’re only going to get better.”

First-year cross-country runner David Diaz, a sophomore who went 4:32in the 1,600 during the track season as a freshman, ran fifth (16:54). Justin Prawdzik finished 12^th, while Jacob Houlihan (18^th), George Modrak (19^th) and Ryan Singles (20^th) contributed to the Dragons’ team score.

“We packed up like never before,” said Carey. “That is what coach wanted a lot of our guys to do. We feel like we have a very good team this year, maybe better than last year. We not only want to win the league, but go after the regional and county this year.”

Rochester Blake Pozolo (fourth), Seaholm’s Jack Howard (sixth) and Zach Demko (eighth), Oxford’s Ruan Gillespie (seventh) and Alec Smith (10^th) and Clarkston’s Sam Tanielian (ninth) also finished in the top 10.

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FINAL STRETCH: Rochester Stoney Creek's Laura Johnston staves off Clarkston's Jill Harris at the finish line during Tuesday's OAA Red Division Jamboree. Staff Photo | Dan Stickradt

Tags: Boys Cross Country Girls CVross Country, featured, High School Cross Country, OAA Red Division Cross Country, Prep Cross Country

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