Hart's cross-country teams kicked off what could be a special
season Saturday with great performances at the Benzie Central Pete Moss
Invitational. The Pirate boys dominated the small-school division,
defeating every other team in the field by at least 100 points, and the
Hart girls earned fifth place out of the 17 scoring teams, only 23
behind second-place Benzie Central.
Expectations are very high
for the Hart boys, which placed 10th last year and returned every
scoring runner on the team. They began the season ranked No. 4 in the
state in Division 3, and coach Calvin Ackley believes they can aim to
place in the top two in the finals.
"The boys are looking amazing, with the most depth in the state," Ackley said.
Hart's
girls team is also likely to make its presence felt at the finals. They
begin the season ranked No. 6 in Division 3 after finishing in that
same spot a season ago.
All five Hart scorers in the boys'
meet placed in the top 20, with a pack time of just over a minute
between them. Silas Ackley was the top finisher for the Pirates, coming
in third place overall with a time of 16:19.4. Carson Ackley was not far
behind, taking fifth and posting a time of 16:27.0. Both boys set
personal bests in the race, and in fact four of Hart's eight varsity
boys did so. Carson's was especially remarkable, as he sliced nearly a
minute off his previous best, set at last year's regional meet on the
same course.
Timothy Wolff took 10th place for the Pirates and
set his own personal best time, at 16:42.3. Mason Opalewski finished
15th and had a time of 17:08.6. Trevor Vander Kodde, Hart's fifth
scorer, finished 20th and had a time of 17:23.6. Alex Schiller, a
freshman making his debut, was right behind Vander Kodde in 22nd, making
it clear he could get in the scoring mix this season, and Julian Lopez
took 24th. Grant Ackley was 33rd.
Returning all-state runner
Natalie Rosema led the Pirate girls, placing 13th in a time of 20:18.8,
and Alaina Schaner followed not far behind in 19th place (20:56.7).
Luisa VanderZwaag was 33rd (21:26.7), Emma Miller was 42nd (21:50.7) and
Bryn Riley closed out team scoring in 50th (22:12.7).
Shelby
had three runners compete in the race. For the Tigers' boys, Parker
Weirich finished 14th in a time of 17:02.98, his second-best career
time. Emilio Bustos placed 153rd and posted a time of 22:21.8. Noel
Parker was Shelby's lone girls finisher, taking 39th place in a time of
21:41.9.
Pentwater had four finishers, including three girls.
Bailey Case led the Falcon trio with a 73rd-place finish and a time of
23:48.2. Lily Smith was 124th (26:44.8) and Maggie Jorissen was 147th
(30:58.4). Ben Roberson carried the flag for the Pentwater boys, placing
157th (22:49.8).
