Prep Wraps
All-Area Boys Track & Field: These thinclads were fast to the finish
BY Dan Stickradt
Jul 08 2010
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
It’s seems like there is a trend in the area in recent years, where boys track and field performers have taken home individual or relay state crowns. It happened again in 2010.
Auburn Hills Avondale’s 1,600-meter relay unit broke the tape at the Division 2 state finals, making it the fourth straight year that a local athlete or relay captured a state title. Last year Rochester Adams’ Aaron Taylor (200 meters) and Auburn Hills Oakland Christian’s Kurt Schneider (high jump) finished as state champs and both competed at Big Ten universities this past school year.
On the prep scene this year, most of the area teams competed with youthful lineups and a majority of the talent should be back in uniform next spring. There were still plenty of encore performances by seniors and fast-rising stars made their mark on the grand oval the past few months, many with fine resumes that will or have attracted college scouts.
All of this can be found on the 2010 All-Area Boys Track and Field team. On this postseason squad, individuals were limited to just one open event on the first-team and second-team, but others were allowed to be listed as honorable mention under more than one event.
Below are the profiles for each of the 17 first-team events. The squad was picked by area coaches in conjunction with the staff at www.northoaklandsports.com:
Field Events
SHOT PUT: SIR RALPH RODRIGUEZ, Oxford: Although he did not qualify for the state meet and missed the top eight at the Oakland County Championships, Rodriguez had the area’s best efforts in both the shot put and discus this season. In the shot put, the junior was third at the Oxford Invitational, fifth at the Flint Metro League meet and fourth at the Ortonville Brandon regional. In the discus, he was third at the Oxford Invite, fourth in the league and sixth at the regional. He had season bests of 46-10 and 138-6.
“He didn’t have the year he wanted to, but he still placed at a lot of meets, including the league and regional for us,” said coach Jeff Zoli.
DISCUS: COREY MEYER, Troy: Joining Oxford’s Rodriguez as the only two local discus throwers to eclipse 130-0 this season. Meyer was the OAA Red Division champion and placed eighth at the Warren Mott regional. The junior also won all but one dual meet.
“Corey came a long ways this season,” said coach Eric Prowse. “There were a lot of very good throwers in Macomb County, so he wasn’t going to get out of our regional, but he still had a good season. He got into the 130s at the end of the year and we hope he can do even better next year.”
HIGH JUMP: RYAN BRANCHEAU, Auburn Hills Avondale: This junior was part of a talented crop of high jumpers in Oakland County again this season. He was consistent at the championship meets, winning the OAA Gold Division league meet (6-6), placed second at the Bloomfield Hills Lahser regional and Oakland County meet, was fourth at the West Bloomfield Invitational and eighth at the Division 2 state finals. Brancheau also ran the 110 hurdles in 15.9 and was the starting center on Avondale’s basketball team.
“Ryan stepped up at the big meets this season. He was second at the county and he placed at the state meet,” said coach Chris Rennels. “I don’t think he’s reached his potential yet. I think next year he can leap a few more inches. I truly believe he can be a 6-8, 6-9 guy nest year and finish higher in the state.”
LONG JUMP: TREVON SALTER, Auburn Hills Avondale: The Yellowjackets’ Mr. Versatility competed in multiple events in his junior year and was the sole area long jumper to clear the 21-foot barrier this season. The OAA Gold Division runner-up did not compete in the long jump at the county and state finals to concentrate on other events. In the 200 meters, he was the league champion (22.5), placed second at the regional and competed but did not advance out of the prelims at the Division 2 state finals. In the 400, he was the league champ (50.3), placed second at the regional and 21st at state.
“Trevon didn’t long jump at the county or state meet because of a slight injury, but he is a very fast sprinter so we ran him in the 200 and 400 and two relays,” said Rennels. “He’s a legit long jumper, though. He was one of the best in the county, going over 21 feet. I think if he really works at it next year, he can be over 22 feet and be all-state.”
POLE VAULT: AUSTIN WESTMORELAND, Oxford: This senior, who had a season-best of 12-10, was the Wildcats’ first state qualifier in several years in the pole vault and ended the campaign tied for 14th at the Division 1 state finals. He was also second at the league, Oxford Invitational and Ortonville Brandon regional, and was sixth at the Oakland County meet.
Hurdles
110 HURDLES: AARON STUK, Oxford: This junior improved leaps and bounds to post a stellar campaign. In the 110 hurdles, his best event, he was champion at the Oxford Invitational, league (14.59), regional and county meets and capped the year with a fifth-placing showing in D-1. In the 300 hurdles, he was second at the league meet and claimed a regional championship (39.9), but opted out of the event at the county and state meets. He also rotated on two relays for the Wildcats.
“Aaron really came on for us this season and we’re hoping he can contend for a state title in the 110s next season,” said Zoli. “He ran the 300s for us on a few times to get points and was always willing to run relays. We don’t graduate very many guys, so he’ll be a big part of our team again next season.”
300 HURDLES: JOSH MAIER, Rochester: An accident after the regionals limited Maier’s ability at the end of the season, but he still departs as a state qualifier and four-year varsity veteran. Maier finished as the OAA Red Division champion (40.4), placed second at the West Bloomfield regional, seventh at the county and 23rd at the D-1 state meet. He also ran the 110 hurdles in 15.9 and also ran on the two distance relays for the Falcons.
“He was banged up at the end of the season, but it was great for him to get to go to the state meet,” said coach Gary Cousino. “Josh did everything we asked of him during his career. He ran on the relays when we needed him to, but we knew the 300s was his best event.
Sprints
100 METERS: CHRIS ROLLE, Oxford: The Wildcats’ one-year wonder had not run track since the eighth grade, but debut onto the prep scene and became Oakland County’s fastest sprinter in 2010. In the 100 dash, he had a best of 10.7, won the league, regional and county titles and finished third at both the Division 1 state meet and Midwest Meet of Champions. In the 200, Rolle ran 21.8 with wins at the Oxford Invitational, league, regional and county meets. He also finished third at the MMOC and reached the semifinals at state.
“I think he turned a few heads with the college scouts once he started turning in some fast times,” said Zoli. “The kids has amazing speed, the kind that you don’t always see in high school. It makes you wonder if he would have ran all four years of high school. He was our one-year wonder type guy. Wherever he winds up in college, he has some great potential to do well there.”
200 METERS: BRANDON TYUS, Rochester: Tyus is another young athlete that improved by large measures this season, as the sophomore ran 11.0 in the 100 and 22.4 in the 200. The sophomore was fifth in a deep field at the West Bloomfield regional but still advanced to the state finals. He did not make the finals heat at the county or state meet in the 200 but wound up fifth in the 100 at the OAA Red Division meet. He also helped the Falcons go 44.2 in the 400 relay and 1:31.8 in the 800 relay.
“I think Brandon really started to see that by hard work that he can become a quality sprinter,” said Cousino. “He really came on strong this year. We have all of our sprinters back next year, so I’m anxious to see how Brandon and the other guys will do.”
400 METERS: ERIC ROBERTSON, Troy: Outside of relays, Robertson normally ran just one open event and the 400 was his specialty. The sophomore, who also competed in a state-qualifying 3,200 relay, ran second at the Warren Mott regional in a season-best 51.0. He was also second at the OAA Red Division, 11th at the county and 21st at the Division 1 state finals.
“Eric just came on strong this season and made the state meet in the 400,” said Prowse. “He’s only going to get better. He ran 51-flat as a sophomore and we’re hoping that he can drop even more time in the future.”
Distances
800 METERS: ZAC MIKLJA, Auburn Hills Avondale: This junior broke school records in the 800, 1600 and 1,600 relay for the Yellowjackets and had his best races at the D-2 state meet. In his signature open event, the 800, Miklja was second by one-tenth of a second at the state finals with 1:55.1 clocking. He was also the OAA Gold Division and Bloomfield Hills Lahser regional champ and placed second at the county meet. In the 1,600, he was fourth at the West Bloomfield Invitational, won the league meet and placed third in the county (4:22.85), but was disqualified after running second at the regional for stepping over the inside line too many times on the back straightaway.
Zach is one of those natural athletes. He just keeps getting better and better,” said Rennels. “I truly expect him to contend for a state title again next year. He has so much talent.”
1,600 METERS: JAMES YAU, Troy: Head for the University of Michigan, Yau left quite a mark on the Colts’ cross-country and track program as a four-year letterwinner in both sports. Running the maximum four events in many meets, Yau put up some quality times throughout the season and the 1,600 was his best event. He won the OAA Red Division, Warren Mott regional and county meet and wrapped up the campaign by placing fifth at the D-1 state meet with a career-best 4:17.21. In the 800, he was the league champion and placed third at the regional (1:57.4) but scratched out of the event at both the county and state meets. His 1,600 relay ran 3:28 and his 3,200 relay went 8:03 this season.
“James had a great career, where he got better each year,” said Prowse. “He started out as a freshman running around 4:40 and just improved each year. He was eighth in the state as a junior in the (1,600) and now as a senior, he ran under 4:20 for the mile and 1:57 for the half. It was just progression for him each year.”
3,200 METERS: NATHAN ZIOLKO, Lake Orion: After missing the state meet last season due to a foot injury, Ziolko came on strong in 2010 and had a fine season. In the 3,200, he was fifth at the West Bloomfield Invitational, won the Ortonville Brandon regional, placed second at the league meet, and fifth at the D-1 state finals in 9:18.94, his career best by nearly 20 seconds. In the 1,600, he placed third at the league and Oxford Invitational, second at the regional and fifth at the county meet (4:23.32). Ziolko will compete for Oakland University next year.
“Nathan decided just to run one event at the state finals and he put it all out there and broke 9:20,” said coach Stan Ford. “He was always one of the top runners the hole season, but to see him move up in the pack at the state finals was a great way for him to end his (high school) career.”
AT-LARGE: SEAN BONE, Lake Orion: Running the 800, 1,600 and 3,200, plus the 3,200 relay, Bone was always near the front pack at every meet. In the 1,600, he was the runner-up at the West Bloomfield Invite and OAA Red Division meets, won the Ortonville Brandon regional and was sixth at the D-1 state finals in 4:18.54. In the 3,200, Bone was the league champion, placed second at the regional and Oxford Invite, ran third at the West Bloomfield Invite (9:36.6), ninth at the county and 23rd at the state finals. He also ran 1:58 in the 800 and ran on the Dragons’ league champion 3,200 relay that clocked 8:09.1. Bone is headed for Michigan next school year.
“Sean was solid for us for his whole career, but his goal was to break 4:20 in the mile and he went after that and did it at the state finals,” said Ford. “He was a big part of our team the past few years. He scored a lot of points for us.”
Relays
400-METER RELAY: OXFORD (Anthony McDugald, Mike Cynowa, Aaron Stuk, Chris Rolle): The foursome broke the school record this season, running sixth at the county meet with a 43.34 clocking. This unit was also the league and regional champions and finished 20th at the D-1 state meet. Rolle is a senior while the other three legs on the relay are juniors.
“They really started to click at the end of the season and we won the league and regional and placed at the county,” said Zoli. “I thought the guys did a good job with their handoffs.”
800-METER RELAY: AUBURN HILLS AVONDALE (Takemi Smith, Dom Gordon, Jeff Douglas, Trevon Salter): This unit broke the school record on multiple occasions, with its best coming at the Lahser regional (1:30.11), which they won convincingly. They were also fourth at the West Bloomfield Invitational and OAA Gold Division, eighth at the county and fifth at the D-2 state finals (1:30.34 FAT). Gordon is a senior, Salter and Smith juniors and Douglas a sophomore.
“We broke another record here and I expect that we can challenge to get well under 1:30 next year,” said Rennels. “We only have to replace one leg and I think have some young guys in the lineup that can fill in. One of our goals is to place at the state meet in all four relays next year.”
1,600-METER RELAY: AUBURN HILLS AVONDALE (Zac Miklja, Nathan Chapman, Dom Gordon, Trevon Salter): After finishing second to eventual Division 1 state champion Novi-Detroit Catholic Central at the county championships, this foursome broke the tape at the D-2 state finals to finish as the area’s sole state champion this season. They were also the OAA Gold champ and finished second at the regional to Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook, who they beat at both the county and state finals. Their best effort of 3:22.46 recorded at the county meet is a new school mark. Gordon is a senior, Miklja and Salter juniors and Chapman a sophomore.
“We made a switch late in the year and we had our two best races at the county and state meet and we won the state title by less than a second,” said Rennels. “We will bring back three of these guys next year and what’s so promising it that Dylan Chapman ran a 49 split at the state meet. That shows that we have the potential to go under 3:20 next year.”
3,200-METER RELAY: AUBURN HILLS AVONDALE (Nathan Chapman, Jeremy Wdowik, Brad Lowe, Zac Miklja ): While both Troy and Lake Orion both dipped under the 8:10 barrier during the championship stretch of the season, Avondale’s unit was the most consistent and finished with a best of 8:02.12. They were the league and regional champs in this event and unbeaten in duals. Chapman is a sophomore, Wdowik and Miklja are juniors and Lowe a senior.
“They just kept taking big chunks of time off the whole season and wound up placing at the state meet,” said Rennels. “”We have three of the four coming back, so if we can develop a fourth leg, I truly believe will run in the 7:50s next season.”
Coach of the Year
CHRIS RENNELS, Auburn Hills Avondale: Taking over the Yelowjackets program a couple of years ago, Rennels vowed to build Avondale into a Oakland County and state powerhouse and has lived up to that promise. His team finished 4-1 in duals, but won the OAA Gold Division league meet to share the league crown. His team also finished second by one point to Birmingham-Detroit Country Day at the Lahser regional (100-99), finished sixth at the county meet as the highest finishing non D-1 school and tied for fifth with 25 points at the Division 2 state finals, the school’s first top-10 state finish in many years. This junior-heavy Yellowjackets had 34 juniors and just four seniors that were regular point scorers and should be among the favorites for a state title next year with double-digit state qualifiers returning.
“I have the guys believing that when you work hard and you get a lot of bodies out for track that good things can happen,” said Rennels, who finished his third season at the helm. “Now, they are working harder and ever, a lot of these guys are involved with summer track programs, running cross country and now we have interest from kids in other sports that want to be a part of it. We have wrestlers, basketball players, soccer players, football kids that are coming out for track. Next year our goal is to put it all together and contend for the state championship.”
ALL-AREA BOYS TRACK AND FIELD TEAM 2010
FIRST TEAM
Shot Put: Sir Ralph Rodriguez Oxford
Discus: Corey Meyer Troy
High Jump: Ryan Brancheau A.H. Avondale
Long Jump: Trevon Salter A.H. Avondale
Pole Vault: Austin Westmoreland Oxford
110 Hurdles: Aaron Stuk Oxford
300 Hurdles: Josh Maier Rochester
100 Meters: Chris Rolle Oxford
200 Meters: Brandon Tyus Rochester
400 Meters: Trevon Salter A.H. Avondale
800 Meters: Zac Miklja A.H. Avondale
1,600 Meters: James Yau Troy
3,200 Meters: Nathan Ziolko Troy
At-Large: Sean Bone Lake Orion
400 Relay: Aaron Stuk Oxford
400 Relay: Mike Cynowa Oxford
400 Relay: Anthony McDugald Oxford
400 Relay: Chris Rolle Oxford
800 Relay: Takemi Smith A.H. Avondale
800 Relay: Dom Gordon A.H. Avondale
800 Relay: Jeff Douglas A.H. Avondale
800 Relay: Trevon Salter A.H. Avondale
1,600 Relay: Zac Miklja A.H. Avondale
1,600 Relay: Nathan Chapman A.H. Avondale
1,600 Relay: Dom Gordon A.H. Avondale
1,600 Relay: Trevon Salter A.H. Avondale
3,200 Relay: Nathan Chapman A.H. Avondale
3,200 Relay: Jeremy Wdowik A.H. Avondale
3,200 Relay: Brad Lowe A.H. Avondale
3,200 Relay: Zac Miklja A.H. Avondale
COACH OF THE YEAR
Chris Rennels Third Season A.H. Avondale
SECOND TEAM
Shot Put: Marcel Johnson, Rochester jr.; Discus: Aaron Rathbun, Auburn Hills Oakland Christian sr.; High Jump: Taylor Jongekrijg, Lake Orion jr.; Long Jump: Brian Benway, Clarkston jr.; Pole Vault: Cody Westmoreland, Oxford soph.; 110 Hurdles: Evan Carpenter, Troy Athens jr.; 300 Hurdles: Alex Roberts, Lake Orion soph.; 100 Meters: Takemi Smith, Auburn Hills Avondale jr.; 200 Meters: Jeff Douglas, Auburn Hills Avondale soph.; 400 Meters: Brian Murphy, Troy sr.; 800 Meters: Adam Bruderick, Clarkston soph.; 1,600 Meters: Eli Nasr, Rochester Stoney Creek; 3,200 Meters: Mitchell Dale, Auburn Hills Oakland Christian sr.; At-Large: Michael Atchoo, Troy sr.;
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Shot Put: Chris Wheeler, Troy sr.; Dom Gordon, Auburn Hills Avondale sr.; Discus: Nick Bruewer, Rochester jr.; Ken Coffman, Oxford soph.; Dom Gordon, Auburn Hills Avondale sr.; High Jump: Dan Nguyen, Rochester jr.; Xavier Burns, Auburn Hills Avondale jr.; Jordon Garrison, Clarkston sr.; Long Jump: Chris Sachs, Oxford fr.; Luke Nicholaou, Rochester Adams sr.; Sam Ward, Troy Athens, soph.; Pole Vault: Steve Ferguson, Oxford sr.; 110 Hurdles: Jeremy Nixon, Lake Orion jr.; Ben Hollett, Rochester Adams jr.; Aaron Moore, Rochester Adams jr.; Doug Klimbal, Oxford soph.; Elive Erkine, Rochester jr.; Etiowo Usoro, Auburn Hills Avondale sr.; 300 Hurdles: John Schmidt, Troy sr.; T.J. Bearse, Oxford soph.; Jeremy Nixon, Lake Orion jr.; Etiowo Usoro, Auburn Hills Avondale sr.; Ben Hollett, Rochester Adams jr.; Travis Smith, Clarkston soph.; Michael Roberts, Lake Orion soph.; Brent Kostich, Auburn Hills Oakland Christian jr.; 100 Meters: Darrien Bell, Rochester Adams soph.; Anthony McDugald, Oxford soph.; James McDonald, Troy jr.; Brandon Long, Troy Athens soph.; Luca Cutraro, Rochester jr.; Xavier Burns, Auburn Hills Avondale jr.; 200 Meters: Nick Balavich, Lake Orion soph.; Darren Lumpkin, Oxford soph.; 400 Meters: Dan Peck, Oxford jr.; Willis Mason, Rochester Stoney Creek jr.; Corey Risinger, Oxford soph.; 800 Meters: Mike Atchoo, Troy sr.; Conner Wildren, Rochester Stoney Creek sr.; Adam Boike, Rochester Adams soph.; Anthony Cappuccilli, Oxford soph.; David Arenz, Lake Orion fr.; Jeff Slavick, Lake Orion sr.; Nathan Chapman, Auburn Hills Avondale soph.; 1,600 Meters: Mike Atchoo, Troy sr.; TJ Carey, Lake Orion fr.; Blake Pozolo, Rochester fr.; Steve Biebelhausen, Rochester Adams fr.; Cameron Bruce, Rochester Adams soph.; William Yau, Troy soph.; Anthony Cappuccilli, Oxford soph.; 3,200 Meters: TJ Carey, Lake Orion fr.; Steve Biebelhausen, Rochester Adams fr.; Cameron Bruce, Rochester Adams soph.; Blake Pozolo, Rochester fr.; William Yau, Troy soph.; Austin Tretheway, Rochester Stoney Creek jr.; 400 Relay: Rochester, Rochester Adams, Lake Orion, Troy; 800 Relay: Rochester, Troy, Lake Orion, Rochester Adams, Troy Athens; 1,600 Relay: Lake Orion, Rochester Adams, Rochester Stoney Creek, Clarkston, Oxford; 3,200 Relay: Lake Orion, Rochester Adams, Rochester Stoney Creek, Clarkston, Oxford.
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Last updated: Sep 08 2010 at 5:24 AM
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