TRACK: Oak Park girls, Novi boys emerge as Oakland County champs
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BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
Twitter: @LocalSportsFans
WATERFORD — As one of the best girls track teams in the state, Oak Park again served notice that the Knights are coming of age at Friday’s 55th Annual Oakland County Championships.
Despite competing without any seniors, Oak Park blasted past the field of more than 50 schools with an eye-popping 123.5 points to claim the school’s first crown since 1982.
“I think they are really starting to come together,” said Oak Park coach Brandon Jiles. “We only have one senior that scores points this season and she didn’t even compete today. We’ll have all of these girls back next year. I am pleased with how they have improved this season. Last year we were very young and had to overcome some adversity. Everything is (falling) into place this year.”
Ditto for Novi’s boys team.
Expected to be a top-10 contender, the Wildcats captured their first-ever crown with 63 points. Two-time defending champion Lake Orion was second (50.5), while Oak Park (50), Auburn Hills Avondale (36), Waterford Mott (34), Clarkston (30), Rochester Adams (29), Birmingham Brother Rice (29), Walled Lake Central (26.5) and Birmingham Groves (26) rounded out the top 10.
A total of 36 out of 56 boys teams scored points, while 34 of 55 girls teams cracked the scoring column.
“What a surprise,” said veteran Novi coach Marsha Reed. “Our girls won a couple (county titles), but never the boys. This wasn’t expected. I couldn’t be more prouder of this group of guys. We set four school records tonight and we had some kids step up where we needed them to.”
Jordan Love won the 100 (10.79) and Ali Taha the long jump (21-7) to lead Novi, which set school marks in the 100, 1,600 relay, 800 meters and the 800 relay. The Wildcats had nine top-eight finishers, including a couple of runners-up to go along with their two wins.
Love was second in the 200 and Brian Barnes claimed second in the 800 for Novi.
Throwback: Auburn Hills Avondale’s Zachary Purcilly had the top effort in the shot put at Friday’s Oakland County Championships…
“You not only have to have a lot of guys score, but you have to have them score high and we were able to do that,” said Reed.
Avondale’s Zachary Purcilly won the shot put (54-8) and teammate Joshuwa Holloman captured the 200 (21.94) after false-starting in the prelims of the 100, an event he won last season.
“I know I have God on my side. That’s all I need,” said Holloman after winning the 200.
Farmington’s Joe Ghafari emerged from a deep well of throwers to win the discus with a 166-3 toss, topping the field where all eight placers hit the 150-0 mark. White Lake Lakeland’s Cody Stemple captured the high jump with a season-best 6-10, one of the best efforts in the state.
Lake Orion’s foursome of Sheldon Drake, Zach Arnold, David Diaz and Kirk Hansen ended the running events with an impressive 3:21.12 clocking in the 1,600 relay. North Farmington’s David Mittlebrun ended the meet just past 10 p.m. with a win in the pole vault (14-10).
“I am surprised because we had two DQs and we actually loaded up individual events this year,” said Lake Orion coach Stan Ford of his team’s runner-up performance. “We again had some nice races.”
Brent Santana of Rochester Adams won the 400 (49.59), one of many standout performances on the night.
“I was trying to go under 50 (seconds) and I was able to do that. It’s been a while,” said Santana. “Last year I did that at the regional, then was disqualified. This is kind of my redemption this year.”
Troy’s Kunal Tangri pulled away from the pack to win the 3,200 (9:21.09). Royal Oak’s Ben Hill won the 1,600 (4:16.74) by nearly 10 seconds.
“Being the county champion is a huge thing and I really wanted that,” said Tangri, who qualified for the state meet in the 1,600, 800 and 1,600 relay.
Mott’s Brennan Munley broke a 36-year-old county meet record by surging ahead of the pack to win the 800 (1:52.79). Munley also joined forces with Sam Albaugh, Ryan Robinson and Tommy Osika for a 7:55.52 effort in the 3,200 relay, staving off Lake Orion and Ortonville Brandon in the final meters.
“That was a fast (group),” said Munley of a pack of 11 runners under two minutes in the 800.
Ross Williams of Birmingham Groves won both the 110 hurdles (14.16) and 300 hurdles (38.43).
“There was a lot of competition here, which is good,” said Williams. “I want to have some confidence going into the state meet. It feels great to win them both at (the county). I don’t want to take second place (in the 110s) at the state meet three years in a row. This will help prepare me.”
Oak Park’s quartet of Davon Friar, Ricardo Brown, Eli Minor, Keyshawn Dunwoody won the 400 relay (42.90) to round out the winners in the boys meet.
Oak Park’s girls were as dominant as any team in meet history, setting the meet record with its 123.5 points. The old record was 119 points set by Walled Lake Western back in 1976, which was just the third year the county was contested in girls track.
Birmingham Seaholm’s 72.5 points would have won it in a lot of years, but was only a distant second this time around. Novi was third with 42 points, while Farmington Harrison (40), Farmington (29), Southfield (25), West Bloomfield (25), Waterford Mott (24), Birmingham Detroit Country Day (24) and White Lake Lakeland (23) also finished in the top 10.
Oak Park’s Brianna Holloway, Jayla Fleming, Anna Jefferson and Carlita Taylor won the 1,600 relay (3:52.12), another county meet record. The old mark was set by Southfield in 1999.
Jefferson (24.44) and Tamea McKelvy (25.62) took the top two slots in the 200, with Taylor grabbing fourth as the Knights flexed some serious muscle in the sprints.
Holloway won the 300 hurdles (43.96) with Kailsi Latta-Thompson finishing fourth in the same event. Jefferson, Taylor, Holloway and McKelvy set another meet record in winning the 800 relay (1:40.27), while Holloway was second in the 100 hurdles for Oak Park. The Knights racked in points in just eight events.
Fleming was third in 800 and Oak Park also finished second in the 3,200 relay. Jefferson (12.19) and McKelvy (12.47) reeled off the top two spots in the 100 meters, while Latta-Thompson claimed fourth in the 300 hurdles and Taylor was fourth in the 400.
The Knights were disqualified in the 400 relay.
“I just had to do whatever it takes to help the performance of our team,” said Holloway.
Madison Pierce of Ortonville Brandon won the pole vault (12-0) by an entire foot, as she gears up for the state meet.
“My ultimate goal is to win states,” said Pierce, who has not lost this season in the pole vault.
Holly’s Alyssa Copley, who did not compete in track the past two years, shattered her own school record with a 41-3 heave in the shot put. Taylor Pavilka of Novi won the discus (124-4). Copley is an All-State basketball player.
Novi’s Kerri McMahan captured the high jump (5-5), Country Day’s Jacqueline Bredenberg the 3,200 (10:55.93) and Farmington’s foursome of Emma Roberts, Casey Isles, Akili Echols and Aria Moore broke the tape in the 400 relay (49.65).
Seaholm’s Audrey Belf, who recorded the third-fastest time of any Oakland County athlete in the 1,600 (4:45.97), anchored the Maples’ 3,200 relay (9:08.94), which set the county meet record and breaks into the top 20 on the state’s all-time list. Rachel Dadamio, Marissa Dobry and Patty Giradot comprised the rest of the relay.
Dadamio (2:13.66) and Brooke Callaghan (2:16.39) took the top two spots in the 800, while Dobry was second in the 3,200. The Maples also ran 3:55.73 in the 1,600 relay, good for the runner-up slot.
“It was hard running alone,” said Belf, the state champion in cross-country last fall who won the 1,600 by 18 seconds. “I really had to push myself.”
Farmington Harrison’s Maya Roberts defended her title in the 100 hurdles (14.62). Walled Lake Northern’s Allyson Goff had the best leap in the long jump (18-0.5).
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