Division 4 Boys: Flight of the Concord

BROOKLYN, Mich – There were the Kyle Stack-led champs of 2009.  Then came the titlists of 2011, headed up by Spencer Nousain.  Now, in 2012, a sophomore has led them, with Jesse Hersha’s 15:32.3 ruling over the field by more than 20 seconds in Saturday’s MHSAA Lower Peninsula Final Boys Division 4 at Michigan International Speedway.

There seems to be no end in sight to Concord’s dominance in the state’s smallest class.

The Yellowjackets backed up Hersha with their next young star – freshman Josiah Ottolini scoring 9th at 16:23.0 – and three seniors, with two of them also finishing under 16:30.  The result was a victory even more decisive than last year, when Concord won by 35 points.  This time the margin was 61-100, with Evart claiming second.

“We thought we were going to be pretty good again, at the end of last year, but we lost one of our best runners (soph Jacob Hall) to a broken leg earlier in the year,” said Concord coach David Jordon.  “So the rest of these guys have really stepped up.”

Regarding Hersha, who was 19th last year in 16:40.6, Coach Jordon said, “He put in a lot of work this year to get better ... when he won Portage (Oct. 6, 15:43.3), he gained a lot of confidence.”  But he also added that an earlier turning point for Hersha came in the pre-season, when Concord ran a scrimmage with neighboring school Hanover-Horton from D3.  There, he had a chance to match up with H-H senior Bryce Stroede, who would go on to place 2nd in D3 Saturday in 15:22.4.

Not surprisingly, Concord’s sterling above-mentioned former state champ alums did a lot to motivate Hersha, too.  “Spencer (Nousain) and Kyle (Stacks) were both here today to cheer him on,” said Coach Jordon.  “They trained with him and encouraged him all summer.  They both run for Central Michigan University, now.”

Both Stacks and Nousain won as seniors, however, while Hersha did it as just a soph.

Meanwhile, Evart’s runner-up finish was paced by senior David Zinger, who was 2nd behind Hersha in 15:52.8.  It was the highest finish in meet history for the school.  2011 runner-up Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart was seventh this time, while Pewamo-Westphalia – 8th in D3 last year – was five places higher with 117 points after dropping down a class this time.

Saugatuck senior Sean Kelly was third individually in 15:58.9.  It was a reversal of 2011, when Kelly was second behind Nousain and Zinger third.  In fourth was Fremont Providence Christian senior Nick Vanderkooi, who was 11th in 2011.