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• September 8th- H.S. Rankings

PORTAGE, Mich, September 9, 2008 — Attached is the week two MichiganCrossCountry.com Prep Ranking. This ranks both boy’s and girl’s prep cross country teams. It covers both the Lower and Upper Peninsula for all school divisions. The rankings are released weekly during the high school season.

The MichiganCrossCountry.com Prep Ranking is compiled for each high school division by a vote of 22 high school coaches who review all meet results available to him/her within their respective division in an effort to provide the most accurate ranking possible. (All panelists are listed below.)

The criteria utilized for ranking by the panel is projected finish at the MHSAA Finals scheduled for November 1, 2008 at Michigan International Speedway in Brookyln, MI.

MichiganCrossCountry.com Prep Ranking
(Lower Peninsula and Upper Peninsula)
Week of September 8, 2008

D1 LP Boys
1T Ann Arbor-Pioneer
1T Saline
3 Novi-Detroit Catholic Central
4 Saginaw-Heritage
5 Lake Orion
6 Pinckney
7 Auburn-Bay City Western
8 Caledonia
9 Rockford
10 Ann Arbor-Huron

D1 LP Girls
1 Traverse City Central
2 Rochester-Adams
3 Grand Haven
4 Saline
5 Rockford
6 Brighton
7 Rochester Hills-Rochester
8 Troy
9 Grandville
10T Ann Arbor-Huron
10T Livonia Churchill
10T Grand Blanc
HM Pinckney

D2 LP Boys
1 Linden
2 Ada- Forest Hills Eastern
3 Chelsea
4T Grand Rapids-Christian
4T Vicksburg
6 Williamston
7 Flint-Luke M Powers Catholic
8 Fremont
9 St Joseph
10 Alma
HM Ionia
HM Dexter
HM St Clair

D2 LP Girls
1 Grand Rapids-Christian
2T Ada- Forest Hills Eastern
2T Gaylord
4 East Grand Rapids
5 Milan
6 East Lansing
7 Flint-Luke M Powers Catholic
8 Williamston
9 Dexter
10 Marshall
HM Sturgis

D3 LP Boys
1 Hillsdale
2 Shepherd
3 Grand Rapids-West Catholic
4 Bangor
5 Lansing-Catholic Central
6 Jackson-Lumen Christi
7 Benzonia-Benzie Central
8 Whitmore Lake
9 Grandville-Calvin Christian
10 Elk Rapids
HM Kent City
HM Allendale

D3 LP Girls
1 Benzonia-Benzie Central
2 Allendale
3 Schoolcraft
4 Jackson-Lumen Christi
5 Grand Rapids-West Catholic
6 Leslie
7 Macomb-Lutheran North
8 Portland
9 Leroy-Pine River Area
10 Lansing Catholic Central
HM Freeland
HM Kent City
HM Shepherd

D4 Boys
1 Potterville
2 Harbor Springs
3 Saugatuck
4 Grand Rapids-Covenant Christian
5 Adrian-Lenawee Christian
6T Ann Arbor-Greenhills
6T Concord
8 Hesperia Community
9 Fowler
10 Bear Lake

D4 Girls
1 Harbor Springs
2 Grand Rapids Northpointe Christian
3 Manton
4 Fowler
5T Harbor Beach Community
5T Hesperia
7 Battle Creek-St Philip Catholic Central
8 Traverse City-St Francis
9 Southfield Christian
10 Bear Lake (Onekama )
HM Ann Arbor Greenhills

D1 UP Boys
1 Marquette
2 Gladstone
3 Soo
4 Neguanee
5 Gwinn

D1 UP Girls
1 Gladstone
2 Marquette
3 Menominee
4 Soo
5 Kingsford


D2 UP Boys
1 Munising
2 Stephenson
3 L’Anse
4 Houghton
5 Ish Westwood

D2 UP Girls
1 Munising
2 Stephenson
3 L’Anse
4 Rudyard
5 Norway


D3 UP Boys
1 Rapid River
2 Superior Central
3 Powers - North Central
4 Chassell
5 Jeffers

D3 UP Girls
1 Powers - North Central
2 Superior Central
3 Jeffers
4 Chassell
5 Rapid River

MichiganCrossCountry.com was formed in 2007 by Dan Wytko and Don Passenger to bring recognition to the sport by accurately ranking Michigan teams and to provide a venue for discussion of cross country and track and field issues.

Dan Wytko has coached track & field and cross country at Portage Central High School since 1994. He is a founder and co-meet director of the Portage Invitational; one of the nation’s premier high school cross country invitationals (http://portageinvite.com). His women’s cross country teams have won eleven division/conference titles, four regional titles, made eleven trips to the state finals, including four top ten finishes.

During Wytko’s tenure as Portage Central track and field coach, his women’s teams have won eight division/conference titles and one regional championship. His men’s teams have won two division/conference titles and one regional championship. His 2006 men’s team finished as MHSAA Division 1 State Finals Runner-up. Dan has also been a member of the Team Michigan Midwest Meet of Champions coaching staff since 2001 and he is a member of the MHSAA Rules and Regulations Committee for cross country and track and field. Dan ran competitively in high school at Battle Creek Lakeview, and he then concentrated on road runs during his collegiate years at Western Michigan University.

Don Passenger has been involved in Michigan track and field since the mid-1970s when he competed at Caledonia High School for coach John Soderman. He ran at Saginaw Valley State (NAIA) and Grand Rapids Community College (NJCAA) earning seven All American honors in events ranging in distance from the 800 meters to the marathon. He went on to compete for the University of Kentucky where he set the school record in the 1500-meter run and completed his athletic career at the University of Michigan. During his time at UM he was a varsity member of the Cross Country team that finished sixth in the NCAA Cross Country Championship (1982) and the team won the Big Ten Outdoor Track title (1983). From 1998 to 2003 Don coached at the middle school level in Grand Rapids. Don is a registered MHSAA Track and Cross Country Official. From 2003 to present Passenger has coached the Grand Rapids West Catholic girls cross country team and the girls distance program in track and field. His track team has placed in the top three the past two years in the Michigan Interscholastic Track Coaches Association (MITCA) Team State Track Championships (2nd 2006, 3rd 2007).

Ranking Panel as of September 9, 2008:
Amy Coughlin - Waterford Mott
Asa Kelly - Benzonia-Benzie Central
Ben Watson - Rockford
Brian Salyers - Milford
Cliff Somers - Fremont
Daniel Wytko - Portage Central
Don Passenger - Grand Rapids West Catholic
Doug Jager - Grand Rapids Christian
Gary Meehan - Brighton
Grant Lofdahl - Allendale
Jill Evers-Bowers - Kent City
Joe Shay - Central Lake
John Carlson - Belding
Kyle McKown - Clare
Michael Nesbitt - Bay City Western
Mike Holik - Chelsea
Ray Antel - East Kentwood
Robert Jazwinski - Dexter
Scott Banghart - Mattawan
Scott Werner - Pewamo-Westphalia
Tim Simpson - Lansing Catholic Central
David Jordon - Concord