Oxford anchors D-1 meet with all-state effort in 1,600 relay
ALL HE HAS ... : Oxford's Darren Lumpkin sprints towards the line during the 800-meter relay at Saturday's state finals. Staff Photo | Dan Stickradt
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
ROCKFORD — After a day of sub-par performances in the blistering heat, Oxford saved its best for last — by far.
The Wildcats’ foursome of Terrance Webb, Aaron Stuk, Connor Risinger and Darren Lumpkin overcame an almost unbearable heat index at the Lower Peninsula Division 1 state finals at Rockford High School, clocking 3:22.84 to finish third in the 1,600-meter relay to cap the day.
“We had to leave it all out on the track, said Risinger. “This was our last race.”
Aaron Stuk, who competed in four races for Oxford, was more pleased with the relay than prior performances.
“This is much better,” he said. “…after what happened earlier.”
Stuk, headed for Michigan State, failed to advance to the final heat of the 110 hurdles after placing in the top eight last season. He placed eighth in the 300 hurdles (40.55) this season after being seeded second.
“I got out of the blocks okay, I just hit a hurdle and it broke (my concentration),” said Stuk. “I just didn’t run that well.”
In a rarity, Oxford was one of only two local schools from the www.northoaklandsports.com coverage area to place at Saturday’s D-1 boys meet. The Wildcats tied for 33rd with seven points, while Lake Orion scored four points to finish in 51st place.
Lake Orion won the second-to-fastest head and placed fifth in the 1,600 relay (3:24.71).
‘RICCO’-LOADING AT EAST KENTWOOD
East Kentwood won back-to-back D-1 state titles and eventual national crown as a club team last summer.
This season despite graduating 33 athletes and a bulk of its state-meet scoring, the Falcons were able to reload in a major way.
East Kentwood won the team crown, as expected after several eye-catching performances throughout the season and backed that up with an impressive 72 points in claiming its third straight crown, yet another rarity in a finicky sport such as track and field.
East Kentwood benefitted from transfer Ricco Hall, who came over from D-3 Wyoming Park. Hall won the 100 in 10.55 and 400 in 47.0, while anchoring the 800 relay (1:26.34) and 1,600 relay (3:19.95). The Falcons scored in 10 events.
“I wasn’t even that good last season,” smiled Hall.
Ypsilanti was a distant second with 28 points, followed by West Bloomfield (28), Rockford (23) and Portage Northern (22). A total of 50 schools scored points.
ONE-INCH
Okemos high jumper Owen Hughes had a fine day, recording a career-best 6-11 in winning the state title by three inches. The senior missed on three attempts at 7-foot, even with a large crowd backing him up with chants and claps.
Hughes will have another shot next weekend at the Midwest Meet of Champions, where he’ll be joined by D-2 state champion Dartis Willis, who has gone 7-2 this year.
Despite 95 degree temperatures with humidity and heat index well over 100 degrees, there were several scorching performances on the day.
Pinckney put together a fine 7:49.45 clocking in the 3,200 relay, the first final contested on the day.
Ann Arbor Pioneer’s Drake Johnson defended his crown in the 110 hurdles (13.73), as did Grand Blanc’s Omar Kaddurah in the 1,600 (4:12.41).
Rockford won the 400 relay (42.38)
Portage Northern’s Javonte Lipsey won the 300 hurdles (37.44) by more than a second, while Nick Kaiser of Temperance-Bedford won the 800 in 1:52.91. Going after the 1:50 barrier, Kaiser waivered down the stretch battling the heat and fell short of that goal.
Jackson’s D’Ontae Hopson won the 200 (21.56), Saginaw Heritage’s Evan Chiplock the 3,200 (9:20.9), as he too staggered across the line in exhaustion before shaking his fist in celebration.
Waterford Kettering’s Dequante Humphrey won the long jump (22-1.75), Traverse City West’s Connor Kostrzewa the discus (160-1) into a breeze and Dexter’s Andrew Herring won the pole vault with a 15-7 effort.
Dearborn’s Feerooz Yacoobi won the shot put with a 59-4 heave, which helped him defend his title by over three feet.
TASTE OF HISTORY
Six schools have combined to win the past 10 titles. East Kentwood became the first school to three-peat since Detroit Mumford pulled off the hat trick from 2002-04. Detroit Cass Tech also accomplished the same feat by winning three straight from 1994-96.
Before that, the last schools to even repeat came in the 1980s, when Lansing Sexton won in 1986 and 1987 with Southfield winning in both 1988 and 1989. Detroit Central also won three straight from 1980-82.
The last team to repeat before that was Battle Creek Central in 1967 and 1968.
The record for consecutive title s in boys class A/Division 1 competition was five straight. Saginaw pulled that feat from 1945-1949.
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Category: Clarkston, High School, High School (M-Z), Lake Orion, Oxford, Prep Wraps, Rochester, Rochester Adams, Rochester Stoney Creek, Troy, Troy Athens
