 | 11th Annual Portage Invitational
Portage Central HS, Portage MI - Saturday, October 4, 2008
DyeStat onsite with SteveU and Pat Davey
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Ideal conditions should greet 60 ranked Michigan teams
Preview by SteveU
For the last 10 years, the Portage Invitational has brought together the vast majority of Michigan’s top harrier powers, as well as scores of other teams and occasional out-of-state programs, to Portage Central High School for an early October showdown. Last year, runners baked in unseasonal 85-degree conditions, but this year promises to be ideal XC conditions in the upper 50s, which should lead to some fast times on the Portage Central layout.
Using this week’s state XC rankings from michigancrosscountry.com, 60 of the 94 ranked teams in Div. 1 through Div. 4 (including honorable mentions) will be in one of the eight varsity boys and girls races Saturday. Every division, boys and girls, will have at least six ranked teams racing here. The only significant barrier to almost “everyone” being on hand is the same-day Oakland County Champs.
Similar to the Spartan Invitational in September, the girls Division I race is THE most-loaded field, with 10 of the 13 ranked/HM teams taking to the course. At the least, the top four teams – defending champ Saline, Grand Haven, Rockford and Traverse City Central – all have legitimate designs on a state title, and all will be meeting here for the first time this season. Brighton and Pinckney from the top ten will also be on tap.
In D2, the girls race will feature the three Grand Rapids-area powers – Grand Rapids Christian, East Grand Rapids, and Ada-Forest Hills Eastern – that are tabbed at #1, #2, and #4 in the rankings, as well as defending champ Gaylord and Milan. In D3, #2 Jackson Lumen Christi should see its toughest challenges coming from #4 Allendale and #5 Schoolcraft (defending champ). The key battle in D4 should be between #1 Hesperia Community and defending champ and #3 Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian.
Among the top individuals in D1 will be Grand Haven’s Rebecca Addison, Grand Ledge’s Jennifer Snelgrove, East Kentwood’s Alissa Williams, TC Central’s Taylor Mattarella, and Saline’s Alex Leptich. Addison was 2nd in the NON 800 last spring (2:05) and 11th in last fall’s Foot Locker Midwest.
In D2, last year’s 2-3 from this Portage race, Forest Hills Eastern’s Alyssa Dyer and Parma Western’s Megan Freeland, both return. Freeland was 3rd in the state last fall, but then made Foot Locker Finals. In D3, defending Portage and State D3 champ Devan John of Allendale is the clear favorite, but Cara Cremeans, the Jackson Lumen Christi senior who was 2nd here last year and won Holly D3 last month, should give her a big challenge.
The D4 girls race will be a clash of defending Portage champ Melinda Palinkas of Saranac and defending state champ Lindsay Neal of North Muskegon.
For the boys, #1 Ann Arbor Pioneer leads the boys field, with #4 Auburn-Bay City Western (Spartan runner-up), #5 Saline, and #6 Rockford presenting the toughest competition. Defending state champ and #8 Pinckney is also in the field.
The D2 boys is the best field, though, with nine ranked teams – including the first six. Linden, Ada-Forest Hills Eastern, and Vicksburg are ranked 1-2-3, but don’t discount the young Williamston team on the road to eventually try and defend its state title. The D3 race features six of the top seven teams, including #1 Hillsdale, #2 Bangor, and defending champ and #3 West Catholic. D4 includes unanimous #1 Potterville and #2 Saugatuck among seven ranked powers, as well as #5 and ’07 winners Hesperia.
Ben Miller of Warren De Lasalle, the top returnee from the D1 state meet last fall (5th) and from Portage (3rd), is the top individual to watch in that division. In D2, Brad Ferrara, the top state returnee (9th) leads the top-ranked Linden squad. Mattawan’s Jeff MacMillan could be his top challenger.
Alex Wilson of Kent City was 7th at D3 State last year and figures to be the top contender there. Defending Portage D4 champ Christian Birky of Saugatuck could dominate that field.
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