BROOKLYN — You’d have to go all the way back almost 100 years to find the last time a Mackinaw City boys cross country team had its best finish at a state meet.
Competing in the MHSAA Division 4 XC finals at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn on Saturday, Nov. 7, the Comets posted their best finish since 1931 by placing 14th with 415 points.
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“The boys worked hard for this,” Mackinaw City coach Heather Huffman said. “The younger runners who weren’t on the team last year knew our success of going to the state finals in (2025), and all season there was chatter about it. I kept giving reality checks that the state finals isn’t a given, you just don’t get to go. Setting goals in August is easy, but putting in the work, determination and commitment during the hard days is another.”
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Mackinaw City received a pair of top-100 finishes from Knox Wilson, who placed 92nd (17:57) and Kyle Valot, who earned 98th (18:01). Mikey Sullivan (131st, 18:41), Cobe Robertson (133rd, 18:42), Clayton VanOrman (161st, 19:12), Joseph Ramirez (213th, 20:23) and Malachi DeLong (227th, 20:54) also represented the Comets in the finals.
“Throughout the season, the older runners helped guide the younger ones,” Huffman said. “Being so young, there was a lot of step by step, hand holding how XC works. By October, the younger runners started seeing and realizing what XC was all about. They didn’t want to let down their older peers, and you could see and feel the team turning into a XC family.”
During Mackinaw City’s sensational season, the Comets won five invitationals, the Northern Lakes and EUP conference championships, and finished second at regionals.
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Huffman praised her two senior runners, Valot and Tyler Allaire, who made their impact in the program.
“Kyle has been on the team since sixth grade and states was Kyle’s final race as a Comet, a moment filled with pride and deep emotion,” Huffman said. “Kyle had an awesome senior year, breaking his (personal record) a few times, and he got bragging rights with his brothers, being the fastest. This was Tyler’s second year on the team and he became a great leader. Both seniors helped guide and shape the younger kids.”
Also running in Saturday’s D4 boys finals was Onaway’s junior Keagan Beyer, who finished 65th (17:34).
Inland Lakes’ sisters Josephine Furman and Elizabeth Furman raced in the D4 girls finals, with Josephine recording 86th (21:37) and Elizabeth finishing 134th (22:34). This was the final high school race in the career of Elizabeth Furman, who qualified for the state finals in all four seasons of her career.
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ST. IGNACE — Mackinaw City was hoping to pull off a district volleyball upset.
Host St. Ignace had other plans in mind.
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The Comets did all they could to stay within striking distance, but their season ended in a 3-0 loss to the Saints (16-25, 10-25, 13-25) in an MHSAA Division 4 district final on Thursday, Nov. 5.
“It was a tough night for my Lady Comets, but I was very proud of our effort, and we gave a good effort right up to the end,” Mackinaw City coach Jake Huffman said. “St. Ignace was very solid and in system all night, and our passing wasn’t good enough to keep us in system.”
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Alaia Mendez’s four kills, six digs and two aces led the Comets (13-23-5), who received 19 digs and one ace from Emily Kruczynski, six digs, four assists and three kills from Julia Short, and six digs, one ace, one block and one assist from Rian Esper. Mackinaw City also received contributions from Disaya Hernandez (11 digs), Ella Kruczynski (nine digs, one ace), Poppy Wallace (six digs, two blocks, one kill) and Sarah Lentell (two digs).
“I am proud of the season my girls put together against a long list of tough opponents,” Huffman said. “We played great for many stretches this season, but unfortunately, our inconsistency cost us some tough losses.”
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Mackinaw City’s three seniors, Rian Esper, Disaya Hernandez and Sarah Lentell, played their final games.
“All three were contributors to our success,” Huffman said of the senior trio. “Rian has put together a great career through her four years on varsity, and Sarah and Didi were significant additions to our team this season.”
St. Ignace meets Newberry in a 7 p.m. regional semifinal at Cedarville on Tuesday, Nov. 10.
KINGSLEY — Just being able to hang with defending Division 3 champion Kingsley would have been a major win for the Cheboygan Chiefs, who traveled to face the Stags in an MHSAA Division 2 district volleyball final.
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Unfortunately for the Chiefs, they struggled from the start and saw their season ended in a 3-0 loss to the Stags (12-25, 13-25, 8-25) on Thursday, Nov. 5.
As for the Chiefs (19-15-4), they had a strong fall under second-year coach Jordan Barrette.
“What a solid season it has been,” Barrette said. “We had some big wins, saw some great moments of strong play, and fought our way back to the district finals. While the season didn’t end exactly how we had hoped, there is so much to be proud of. This is a young team, and I truly believe the future is bright. As the season went on, we continued to grow, find our rhythm and figure out our roles. These girls kept putting in the work, setting goals, reaching milestones, and supporting one another every step of the way. The growth we saw throughout the season is something special, and I couldn’t be more proud of the effort, determination and commitment this group showed.”
Playing in her final game as a Chief was Maddie Long, Cheboygan’s lone senior.
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Kingsley (48-5-1) meets Kingsford (24-3) in a 6 p.m. regional semifinal at Manistique on Tuesday, Nov. 10.
Cheboygan Stats vs. Kingsley (Nov. 5): Diem Schley (six kills, eight digs), Sophia Naden (three kills, four digs, two assists), Lucy Coleman (three kills, nine assists, four digs), Lydia Kosanke (three kills, three digs, one), Maddie Long (two kills), Abby Schulz (six assists, two digs), Charlotte Diamond (14 digs), Audrey Redding (one kill)
Cheboygan Stats vs. Grayling (Nov. 4): Diem Schley (nine kills, eight digs, two blocks, two assists), Sophia Naden (seven kills, 10 digs), Lydia Kosanke (five kills), Maddie Long (three kills, six digs), Lucy Coleman (three kills, 12 assists, 13 digs), Charlotte Diamond (18 digs, three aces, two assists), Abby Schulz (11 assists, five digs, one kill), Audrey Redding (two kills, two digs), Estella Redding (one kill, four digs)
Contact sports editor Jared Greenleaf at jgreenleaf@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @sportsCDT
This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: Mackinaw City boys cross country races at D4 state finals in Brooklyn
