College Rankings | CCIR HS Rankings | MXC HS Rankings

PORTAGE, Mich, October 7, 2008 — Attached is the week six MichiganCrossCountry.com Prep Ranking. This is the only ranking of both boy’s and girl’s prep cross country teams that covers both the Lower and Upper Peninsula for all schools by division. 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 33 high school coaches or officials who review all available meet results 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.
We include numerical scores reflecting the relative strength of teams in the opinion of the rankers. One hundred points signals a unanimous decision by all rankers that a particular team is number one.
It is obvious that there is a perception of parity at the top of D3 boys and girls and at the bottom of D4 boys and girls by the number of teams less than 100 -- which signifies unanimous agreement of the rankers as to the top team and the number of honorable mentions, respectively.
MichiganCrossCountry.com Prep Ranking
(Lower Peninsula and Upper Peninsula)
Week of October 6, 2008
MichiganCrossCountry.com Lower Peninsula Prep Rankings
D1 LP Boys
1 Ann Arbor-Pioneer 100
2 Saginaw-Heritage 92
3 Auburn-Bay City Western 89
4 Rockford 78
5 Pinckney 72
6 Novi-Detroit Catholic Central 71
7 Saline 66
8 Lake Orion 64
9 Ann Arbor-Huron 60
10 Warren-De La Salle 23

D1 LP Girls
1 Traverse City Central 100
2 Rockford 95
3 Saline 89
4 Grand Haven 56
5 East Kentwood 77
6 Grandville 66
7T Troy 64
7T Brighton 63
9 Clarkston 46
10 Pinckney 40
HM Rochester-Adams 38

D2 LP Boys
1 Linden 100
2 Vicksburg 95
3 Ada-Forest Hills Eastern 90
4 Chelsea 82
5 Williamston 78
6 Grand Rapids-Christian 75
7 Ionia 73
8 Flint-Luke M Powers Catholic 44
9 Mattawan 38
10T Fremont 20
10T Otsego 20
HM St Clair 19

D2 LP Girls
1 Grand Rapids-Christian 99
2 East Grand Rapids 96
3 Williamston 90
4 Ada-Forest Hills Eastern 82
5 Gaylord 80
6T East Lansing 55
6T Fremont 55
8T Ionia 50
8T Milan 50
10 DeWitt 45
HM Dexter 24

D3 LP Boys
1 Hillsdale 88
2 Shepherd 80
3 Bangor 78
4 Grand Rapids-West Catholic 74
5 Whitmore Lake 71
6 Grandville-Calvin Christian 66
7 Benzonia-Benzie Central 54
8 Jackson-Lumen Christi 45
9 Lansing-Catholic 34
10 Allendale 29
HM Scottville-Mason County Central 23
HM Lansing-Catholic Central 16

D3 LP Girls
1 Benzonia-Benzie Central 86
2 Jackson-Lumen Christi 84
3 Leslie 77
4 Allendale 76
5 Hanover-Horton 65
5T Schoolcraft 65
7 Kent City 64
8 Grand Rapids-West Catholic 51
9 Elk Rapids 47
10 Macomb-Lutheran North 41
HM Lansing-Catholic Central 14

D4 Boys
1 Potterville 100
2 Concord 91
3 Harbor Springs 90
4 Saugatuck 88
5 Hesperia Community 81
6 Adrian-Lenawee Christian 73
7 Bridgman 50
8 Mt Pleasant-Sacred Heart Academy 49
9 Wolverine 39
10 Bear Lake (Onekama ) 35
11 Saranac 23
HM Fowler 16
HM Ann Arbor-Greenhills 16
HM Grand Rapids-Covenant Christian 16

D4 Girls
1 Hesperia Community 100
2 Harbor Springs 94
3 Grand Rapids-NorthPointe Christian 91
4 Manton 84
5 Fowler 74
6 Saugatuck 64
7 Harbor Beach Community 62
7T Traverse City-St Francis 56
9 Kalamazoo-Heritage Christian Academy 39
10 Concord 32
HM Battle Creek-St Philip Catholic Central (Battle Creek- Calhoun Christian School) 23
HM Bear Lake (Onekama ) 23
HM Royal Oak-Shrine Catholic 19
HM Pewamo-Westphalia 14

MichiganCrossCountry.com Upper Peninsula Prep Rankings
D1 UP Boys
1 Marquette
2 Gladstone
3 Escanaba
4 Houghton
5 Soo

D1 UP Girls
1 Marquette
2 Gladstone
3 Menominee
4 Escanaba
5 Houghton - Soo

D2 UP Boys
1 Munising
2 Rudyard
3 Stephenson
4 L’Anse
5 West Iron County – Ish.Westwood

D2 UP Girls
1 Munising
2 Stephenson
3 Rudyard
4 St. Ignace
5 Norway - Newberry

D3 UP Boys
1 Superior Central
2 Rapid River
3 Carney-Nadeau
4 Powers - North Central
5 Cedarville

D3 UP Girls
1 Powers - North Central - Superior Central
3 Cedarville
4 Rapid River
5 Jeffers - Pickford

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 four the past three years in the Michigan Interscholastic Track Coaches Association (MITCA) Team State Track Championships (2nd 2006, 3rd 2007, 1st 2008). Passenger helps organize the Cougar Falcon Cross Country Invitational.
Ranking Panel as of October 5, 2008:
Ray Antel East Kentwood
Scott Banghart Mattawan
John Carlson Belding
Amy Coughlin Waterford Mott
Jill Evers Kent City
Rudy Godefroidt Hemlock
Jeff Harding Manton
Mike Holik Chelsea
Doug Jager Grand Rapids Christian
Robert Jazwinski Dexter
David Jordan Concord
Mike Jurasek Albion
Asa Kelley Benzie Central
Emily Kloss Harbor Springs
Mike Kloss Harbor Springs
Grant Lofdahl Allendale
Steve Long Otsego
Brian Maloney Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Central
Kyle McKown Shepherd High School
Gary Meehan Brighton
Mike Nesbitt Bay City Western
Mike Northhuis Portage Central
John Osler Ishpeming
Don Passenger West Catholic
Brian Salyers Milford
Joe Shay Central Lake
Tim Simpson Lansing Catholic Central
Mark Smith Suttons Bay
Cliff Somers Fremont
Ben Watson Rockford
Scott Werner Pewamo-Westphalia Track
Dan Wytko Portage Central
Matthew Yacoub Southfield Christian
On the web: http://michigancrosscountry.com