Strong headwinds slow state run

Windy conditions at the Michigan High School Athletic Association state cross-country meet at Michigan International Speedway on Saturday, Nov. 7, may have hampered some times but six of Lenawee County's runners earned all-state honors by finishing in the top 30 positions.

Clinton senior Kenny Cooper led the pack of local runners with a time of 16:44. He hoped to finish stronger than he did but was glad to have finished 22nd out of the 252 listed finishers in the Division 3 race. His time splits were 5:08 at one mile, 5:27 the second mile and 5:39 at mile three.

“My season went pretty well,” said Cooper. “I'm happy with what I did today. I wish I could have done a little bit better. I could have probably placed in the top 15 if I actually ran like I was supposed to. But, I'm just happy overall. I did well this season. I just hope I can get to do that in college.”

Hudson had a pair of boys, Stephen Tennis and Derick Clark, earn honors while Blissfield had Justin Bateson medal.

Tecumseh junior Leon Miller placed 68th in the division 2 boys race with a time of 17:07.3, out of a list of 249 runners. It wasn't his best run of the season, however he has another year left with the Indians to lower his times. This year his lowest time was 16:48.

“It was a tough race,” said Miller. “I wish I could have done better but I mean, that was tough mentally and physically. Like, my muscles were hurting so much more than any other race. That sprint at the beginning, was so long, so tough.”

Miller and the rest of the runners had to battle the wind right from the start of the race and he felt it slowed him down.

“Definitely, in that first stretch the wind was blowing against you. It was tough,” said Miller.

For the girls, Lenawee Christian's Natalie Perry and Sand Creek's Melanie Glinski earned All-State honors. Britton-Deerfield's Paige Goll placed 182nd in the Division 4 girls race with a time of 24:20.9.

Goll got off to a slow start but said she progressively improved as the season went on. She cut a minute off her previous best time and wound up just making the state cut at the regional run.

“The regionals, the course was really tough,” said Goll. “Like, I was right at 17th at the start and then I got all the way down to 15th and that's where I finished. So, I was really lucky.”

There were 230 finishing positions listed in the division 4 girls race so Goll had her hands full trying to free herself from the large pack.

“The start, I kind of got pushed back a little bit, but then once I hit the mile it was all downhill from there. So, it was pretty nice after there. But then the finish was like all wind and stuff. It was, yeah, it was really hard.”