Nine Storylines: D4

Region 28: Harbor Springs Is Back!! [screams of terror]

    D4 has lost a lot of good teams to D3 lately: Saugatuck, White Cloud, WMC, Kalamazoo Christian, Dansville, Bridgman, Saranac, and Whiteford. I'd almost say things are easier now! But like the shark from Jaws, D4 legend Harbor Springs has slipped back into the picture (I've never seen Jaws, I don't know how the shark works). After five largely successful years in D3, the Rams will be in D4 this fall, and both the boys and girls should immediately contend for a top-ten finish, maybe even better. And individually, Cal Benjamin (16th in D3 last November) could finish as high as the top three. The regional matchup against fellow title contenders Johannesburg-Lewiston, with individual stars of their own, should be lots of fun.

Region 29: Can Aiden Harrand Win a Title Now?

    To be clear, I mean an XC title - she's already got three from track. Only a junior, Aiden's already one of the best runners in recent D4 history, even beating Abby VanderKooi in the 1600 this spring (4:56 to 4:57). With Abby off to GVSU and 2020 champ Makenna Scott now at Oakland, the window is open for a cross-country championship. But let's dream bigger. Despite coming from a school with about as many students (126) as some schools have on their XC teams, Aiden may well be one of the state's best runners, regardless of division. She ranked 17th statewide in the 1600 this year, and just seven of the faster girls weren't seniors. D4 legends like Abby VanderKooi and Kirsten Olling have made statewide impacts before - why not Aiden Harrand?

Region 30: Where in the World is Hale, Michigan?

    A) The absolute middle of nowhere Up North.

    B) On M-65, half an hour northwest of Tawas City and 40 minutes south of Mio.

    C) Probably at the state meet again.

    D) All of the above?

    In a division full of tiny schools, Hale is one of the smallest, with just 89 students this year. That hasn't stopped the Eagles, hailing from the most isolated part of the Lower Peninsula, from running a surprisingly strong program. Hale's made five trips to MIS since 2000, including two top-ten finishes, and got back-to-back individual titles from Bob Brent in the 80s. In somewhat of an upset, Hale beat out Sacred Heart for a state berth last fall. None of those runners are seniors yet, so there'll be at least two more years of watching for this little school on the big stage.

Region 31: River Valley Sets Out for Long-Awaited States Return

    River Valley, in the far southwest of the state, almost made MIS last year. The Mustangs came out of absolutely nowhere to become a top team throughout the regular season, but they finished 5th in a tough, tough region (3 top-15 teams at states). With the whole top five back, though, and two freshmen likely to make a name for themselves, it looks like this year will break River Valley's 18-season MIS drought. Yes, the region has only gotten tougher - Potter's House is a title contender, and 2021 state qualifiers Eau Claire arrive from Region 32 - but the Mustangs should have the experience and talent to make it through.

    

Region 32: Hackett Hopes for Freshman-Driven Success

    Hackett's Sydney Van Es had a great junior season in 2021 - two races sub-21:00, top 5 in the region, top 50 in D4. But Sydney was Hackett's only girl under 25:00, as the Irish finished a distant 5th in a tiny region. So why are they here? As Matt writes, Hackett's middle school team was excellent last fall, finishing 13th of 47 teams at Portage (ahead of Grand Haven and Hudsonville!), and four of those middle schoolers should be in Hackett's varsity lineup this season. It's rare, but not unheard of, for such a young team to succeed - see below - so the Irish will be hoping their freshman crew can adjust to the 5K before the season's done.

Region 33: Whitmore Lake, or The Value of Middle School Programs, Part 2

    Whitmore Lake's middle schoolers were also absurdly good last fall. In the middle school regional at Hudson, the Trojans finished a close second to D1 powerhouse Saline, and the four 8th-graders on that squad - including sub-13 Elodie Weaver and Carina Burchi - are all listed on this fall's HS roster. They'll join five returners from the 9th-place team in D4, in a year when half the good teams in the division suddenly find themselves in D3. In theory, Whitmore Lake should be in title contention this year, but even if they fall short, watch out for the Trojans in 2023 - someone else is on the way.  

Region 34: Hillsdale Academy Continues to Defy Mathematics

    I talked a little in the Hale section about how few really small schools there are. Well, Hillsdale Academy (enrollment 83) is their king. The Colts, often a top-ten program in recent years, got their first state title last fall, and they're back for more. Both the boys and girls are in Matt Armelagos' top three headed into the season, returning five and six varsity runners, respectively. Given the successes of track season - both 4x8s all-state, both teams 2nd at MITCA states - the Colts have momentum in the right direction this year. 

Region 35: Multi-Sport Schoen Sets Sights on All-State

    I wrote a bit about Capac's John Schoen over here; let's expand on that. John's already an accomplished XC runner - sub-18:00 at MIS last fall, and the #44 returner from states -  but his track season really caught my eye. John wrestles in the winter, and he's pretty good at it, finishing with a 33-18 record last year and a trip to the state finals. A season of wrestling takes a lot out of you, though, and unsurprisingly, John started out the spring with some rather uneventful 800s. By the end of May, though, he'd earned a trip to states, finishing 10th in a PR-tying 2:03.42. Maybe the 800 doesn't mean much for 5K improvement, but there's something there, and you shouldn't be surprised to see John on the all-state podium this November.

Region 36: CHSL Kids Aim for Top Ten

    Despite being a public-school kid, I clearly have a lot of sentimentality about the CHSL. That's good in this case, though, as this region is loaded with talented Catholic-school guys with a great shot at a high finish. Gabriel Richard's Alex Meszaros took his team to 5th place last fall, finishing 14th individually; the team won't repeat that placement, but Alex very well could. Christopher Russelberg of Cabrini got a big PR at MIS to place 27th, but really excelled in track, with a 5th place in the 1600 and 8th in the 3200. Finally, Cardinal Mooney's Tyler Lenn, only a junior this fall, has a pair of track medals (4th in the 800, 8th in the 1600) but nothing from XC. Mooney's in a great position to make their first-ever state meet, and Tyler's going to be crucial to that effort.