TRACK AND FIELD: Rochester Adams, Lake Orion race to Oakland County titles
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
Twitter: @LocalSportsFans
HOLLY — One thing that eluded Rochester Adams’ best girls track and field team during their best season last spring was an Oakland County championship. The Highlanders gained that distinction this season.
Adams won its fourth county title in school history Friday on the grand oval of Holly High School, racking up 80 points to topple the field of some 50 schools at the 54th running of the prestigious meet.
Oak Park was second with 69 points, while Walled Lake Central (63), Birmingham Seaholm (54), Novi (52), Farmington Harrison (43), Farmington (29), Ortonville Brandon (27), Birmingham Groves (23) and Clarkston (22.5) followed in the top 10.
“It’s an honor,” admitted second-year Adams coach Eric Lohr. “We have won a county in the past, but not recently. When you think about all of the great teams and individuals here, it’s the best meet other than the state meet. It’s an honor to win it and score 80 points. That’s tremendous.”
Lake Orion’s boys team, despite a revolving door of injuries this season, continued to excel and will take an undefeated season into the state finals next weekend at East Kentwood. The defending Division 1 state champs also defended its county title, as the Dragons scorched up the track with 63 points.
“We knew it was going to be close. In fact when we seeded it out, I thought that Walled Lake Central and Southfield would finish ahead of us,” said Lake Orion boys coach Stan Ford. “Last year we scored 105 points and we kind of knew we were the heavy favorite. Not this year. We’ve had injuries and the type of season some of these others schools have had, we knew it would not be easy to repeat.”
Walled Lake Central collected 51.35 points to finish second, mostly on the strength of the field events. Southfield finished third with 48 points, followed by Novi (37), Clarkston (35), Oak Park (33), Auburn Hills Avondale (32), Walled Lake Northern (31), Birmingham Brother Rice (31) and Rochester Adams (30) in the top 10.
Lake Orion won two events and placed in 10 of 17 events overall, including a pair of runner-up finishes.
The foursome of Kirk Hansen, David Arenz, David Diaz and T.J. Carey cruised to a win in the 3,200 relay (8:04.75), while Carey sailed past three other runners in the final lap of the 1,600 meters to win with a blistering 4:13.3 clocking.
“I knew I had to kick strong, based on who was up there with me,” said Carey. “It’s a great honor to win this race at the county with so many great runners.”
Great athletes were the sign of the day, as collectively, state leaders converged on a single sight for eight hours of competition.
Walled Lake Central’s Cullen Prena, who has cleared 200 feet this season, won the discus with a heave of 196-1 for a county-meet record. He also won shot put (57-7).
Groves’ Ross Williams captured both the 110 hurdles (14.45) and 300 hurdles (38.47) to emerge as another double winner.
Avondale won two events as Geoffrey Williston held off challengers in the 800 (1:57.33) and sophomore Joshuwa Holloman was the fastest man of the day with a win in the 100 (10.88)
Southfield broke the tape in the 800 relay 1:28.48), while Oak Park’s Davon Friar, Michael Cleveland, Drewe Jackson and Malik Washington joined forces for a win in the 400 relay (43.1). Brother Rice took the 1,600 relay (3:24.6).
Stephen Biebelhausen of Rochester Adams led from start to finish in the 3,200 (9:34.67), Southfield Lathrup’s Brandon Wilks won the 200 (21.97), Southfield’s Alex Foster the 400 (50.18) and teammate Brandon Bean captured the high jump (6-5).
Ali Taha of Novi had the best effort in the long jump (22-5.75), while North Farmington’s Daivd Mittlebrun bested the field in the pole vault (13-6).
Adams’ girls team, which is undefeated this season, has goals in mind of finishing in the top three at the state finals. This was the latest benchmark for this senior-laden squad, which also won the Oxford Invitational, OAA Red Division and D-1 Brandon Regional titles in convincing fashion this season.
“We didn’t win (the county) last season, so we really wanted to do well here this year,” said senior Gabrielle Thivierge, who placed in three events. “I think we did really well.”
Jessica Howell won the 100 meters (12.46), Jamie Morrissey captured the 800 (2:14.34) and Thivierge won the 3,200 (10:45.58), one of four runners to break the 11-minute mark in the event. Thivierge and Morrissey teamed up with Lydia Stanley and Caroline Kletzien for a victory in the 3,200 relay (9:33.17) for the Highlanders, who scored in 11 events total.
Walled Lake Central’s Josephine Jackson won both the shot put (43-9) and discus (136-2), as she ranks among the best in the state in each of two events. Lathrup’s Keinna Ingram captured the high jump (5-4), Berkley’s Shelby Allen the long jump (16-11.5), and Brandon’s Olivia Parry the pole vault (10-6).
Farmington Harrison’s Maya Roberts recently came back from injury and was still able to win the 100 hurdles (15.27). She teamed up with Deja Hunter, Priscilla Asekome and Jazmine Skala-Wade for a victory in the 400 relay (50.61).
Seaholm’s Audrey Belf captured the 1,600 (4:58.19), as distance runners shined bright in the chillier temperatures.
“There were so many good girls to push me the whole way,” said Belf, a sophomore. “This is a hard meet to win.”
Novi Lina Davis the 300 hurdles (46.02) and Birmingham Detroit Country Day’s Kendall Baisden sailed to a win in the 200 meters (24.7).
Oak Park’s foursome of Johnyce Powell, Anna Jefferson, Brianna Holloway, Jayla Fleming captured the 800 relay (1:41.95).Jefferson, a freshman, won the 400 (55.54), while she teamed up with Fleming, Powell and Courtney Hewitt to cap the meet with a win in the 1,600 relay (3:53.87).
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