2019 XC State Finals – Michigan International Speedway Brooklyn MI Cold and Breezy – Some mud and standing water.   Girls race Taylor Mater (So) was representing the “Pack” as our sole qualifier in the girls race.  Tayor missed all of last season with injury and the middle 1/3 of this season.  Because of this she had not yet raced in a field as large and competitive as the state finals.  (MSU, Portage)  Despite lacking big meet experience she went out and raced like a champ.  She had a decent start, running just outside the top 30 at the mile mark.  The top 30 finishers are all-state.  In the 2 nd mile Taylor moved up through the crowd into 23 rd by the 2 mile.  She was showing signs of stress as she headed back to the infield for the last ¾ of a mile.  From a distance I could see Taylor struggling as she faded to about 26 th with 800 to go.  Getting a little close to losing that all-state spot.  But she never gave up, kept fighting and was able to recover with a strong finish over the last 400 to move up to 22 nd at the finish to earn her all-state award.  Taylor is our first girls all-stater since 2011.  She did a great job of cross-training and believing she would recover during the time that she missed in the middle of the season.   Boys race The boys came in to the race heavily favored and they delivered.  This is still a young group and they handled the pressure well.  They do a good job staying pretty loose until it is time to perform.  The boys seized control of the race by the ¾ mile mark and never let go, finishing with 68 points to 2 nd places 176.  Nathan Walker (Jr), one of the individual favorites led the way going right to the lead pack.  Conor Somers (So) was a the front of a small chase pack at the mile.  At the mile Josh Zerfas (Jr), Ben Paige (Jr), and Adam Ward (Jr) were grouped up at the front of the main field.   Mikko Vesma (Sr) and Colton Best (Jr) were well back in the field at the mile mark.   In the second mile Nathan took the lead and pushed the pace to thin out the lead group of 5 while Conor and another athlete broke free of the chase pack.  Josh, Ben were holding position while Adam was starting to move.  Mikko started to improve his position a little over the 2 nd mile while Colton was holding steady.  Over the last mile the lead pack splintered as Evan Bishop of East Grand Rapids set a fantastic tempo.  Nathan held on to 3 rd until the last 50 meters where he was nipped at the line to finish 4 th .  Conor continued his one on one battle for 6 th and 7 th , until they were caught from behind with about 1000 to go making it a 3 way battle.  He couldn’t quite hand on and finised a solid 8 th .  The last mile saw Adam continue to run strong and moving up and fighting off some strong finishers to finish 18 th .  Ben faded the first 400 of the last mile, recovered started moving back up, lost a shoe with about 800 to go, and took off to have a great last 300 to finish 20 th .  Josh had a rough time the last mile, but fought all the way to finish 43 rd .  Mikko had a screaming last mile impriving 30-40 places to finish 36 th , missing all state honors by 6 places.  Colton had a tough last mile also fighting home in 100 th .   This was Fremont’s 9 th boys State Championship. Their finish also clinched Fremont’s claim to “Team of the Decade” for Division 2 based on finish places at the state finals from 2010-2019.   All-State Athletes Taylor Mater Nathan Walker Conor Somers Adam Ward Ben Paige   It has been a great season.  Thank you’s – to many to list but here are a few. Thank you to the athletes for all of your hard work and commitment.  You guys and girls are great and the reason I love to coach.  Thank you to the parents for all of your support and volunteer help,  administration and FPS staff for your support,  Coach Wheater for all the work you put in and your willingness to help with anything, Fremont XC Nation for your support (we know you are out there watching and living it with us, you laid down the path for us to follow).  A special thank you to LeAnna Perkins for putting up with my daily visits and helping to keep me organized.  Extra special thank you to Coach Hamilton who has been a perfect coaching partner, and my wife for her unwavering support through this season and the past 22.   Here is a news link from MHSAA.   https://secondhalf.mhsaa.com/All-News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/8638/EGRs-Bishop-Fremont-Take-Places-Among-Elite ...

2019 XC State Finals – Michigan International Speedway Brooklyn MI Cold and Breezy – Some mud and standing water.   Girls race Taylor Mater (So) was representing the “Pack” as our sole qualifier in the girls race.  Tayor missed all of last season with injury and the middle 1/3 of this season.  Because of this she had not yet raced in a field as large and competitive as the state finals.  (MSU, Portage)  Despite lacking big meet experience she went out and raced like a champ.  She had a decent start, running just outside the top 30 at the mile mark.  The top 30 finishers are all-state.  In the 2 nd mile Taylor moved up through the crowd into 23 rd by the 2 mile.  She was showing signs of stress as she headed back to the infield for the last ¾ of a mile.  From a distance I could see Taylor struggling as she faded to about 26 th with 800 to go.  Getting a little close to losing that all-state spot.  But she never gave up, kept fighting and was able to recover with a strong finish over the last 400 to move up to 22 nd at the finish to earn her all-state award.  Taylor is our first girls all-stater since 2011.  She did a great job of cross-training and believing she would recover during the time that she missed in the middle of the season.   Boys race The boys came in to the race heavily favored and they delivered.  This is still a young group and they handled the pressure well.  They do a good job staying pretty loose until it is time to perform.  The boys seized control of the race by the ¾ mile mark and never let go, finishing with 68 points to 2 nd places 176.  Nathan Walker (Jr), one of the individual favorites led the way going right to the lead pack.  Conor Somers (So) was a the front of a small chase pack at the mile.  At the mile Josh Zerfas (Jr), Ben Paige (Jr), and Adam Ward (Jr) were grouped up at the front of the main field.   Mikko Vesma (Sr) and Colton Best (Jr) were well back in the field at the mile mark.   In the second mile Nathan took the lead and pushed the pace to thin out the lead group of 5 while Conor and another athlete broke free of the chase pack.  Josh, Ben were holding position while Adam was starting to move.  Mikko started to improve his position a little over the 2 nd mile while Colton was holding steady.  Over the last mile the lead pack splintered as Evan Bishop of East Grand Rapids set a fantastic tempo.  Nathan held on to 3 rd until the last 50 meters where he was nipped at the line to finish 4 th .  Conor continued his one on one battle for 6 th and 7 th , until they were caught from behind with about 1000 to go making it a 3 way battle.  He couldn’t quite hand on and finised a solid 8 th .  The last mile saw Adam continue to run strong and moving up and fighting off some strong finishers to finish 18 th .  Ben faded the first 400 of the last mile, recovered started moving back up, lost a shoe with about 800 to go, and took off to have a great last 300 to finish 20 th .  Josh had a rough time the last mile, but fought all the way to finish 43 rd .  Mikko had a screaming last mile impriving 30-40 places to finish 36 th , missing all state honors by 6 places.  Colton had a tough last mile also fighting home in 100 th .   This was Fremont’s 9 th boys State Championship. Their finish also clinched Fremont’s claim to “Team of the Decade” for Division 2 based on finish places at the state finals from 2010-2019.   All-State Athletes Taylor Mater Nathan Walker Conor Somers Adam Ward Ben Paige   It has been a great season.  Thank you’s – to many to list but here are a few. Thank you to the athletes for all of your hard work and commitment.  You guys and girls are great and the reason I love to coach.  Thank you to the parents for all of your support and volunteer help,  administration and FPS staff for your support,  Coach Wheater for all the work you put in and your willingness to help with anything, Fremont XC Nation for your support (we know you are out there watching and living it with us, you laid down the path for us to follow).  A special thank you to LeAnna Perkins for putting up with my daily visits and helping to keep me organized.  Extra special thank you to Coach Hamilton who has been a perfect coaching partner, and my wife for her unwavering support through this season and the past 22.   Here is a news link from MHSAA.   https://secondhalf.mhsaa.com/All-News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/8638/EGRs-Bishop-Fremont-Take-Places-Among-Elite ...

The lady JV Packers traveled to Sparta to battle with the Spartans.  Leading the Pack this evening was Ashlyn Hoppa and Laney Sipos with 5 kills a piece, followed by Maya Curtice with 4...

2019 Regionals – Benzie Central Cool, light breeze, good footing on course.   Lots of PRs today The girls started things off with a solid run placing 6 th , with 149 points.  Taylor Mater (So) got out at the tail end of the lead pack, while Leah Converse (Jr) was out in the top 1/3 rd .  The rest of the girls were in the middle of the field.  As the race progressed Taylor slowly picked through the leaders moving up into 4 th .  Leah was fighting hard to hold her position after going out a little to fast, while Erin Norton (Jr), Morgan Best (Fr), Taava Johnson (So), Lauren Boerger (Sr), and Annika Tuls (Sr) were moving up.  At about the half way point of the race Annika flipped a switch and really started moving aggressively.  She probably moved from about 60 th to 33 rd by the end of the race.  We ran solid over the 3 rd mile with Taylor closing on 3 rd but not quite getting there and the rest of the girls grouping up in the 30s and 40s. 4 th Taylor Mater PR – All-Region, State Qualifier Indv. 33 rd Annika Tuls PR 35 th Leah Converse SR 37 th Erin Norton PR 40 th Morgon Best PR 47 th Taava Johnson 49 th Lauren Boerger PR   The boys continued to look strong winning the meet with 18 points and qualifying for the State Finals as a team..  Our top 5 separated quickly with Petoskey’s #1 runner in the mix.  Nathan Walker (Jr) spent the meet chasing the lead cart to a winning time of 14:52.8, missing Dathan Ritzenhien’s course record by about 3 seconds.  Conor Somers (So) ran solo in 2 nd for most of the race.  Josh Zerfas (Jr), Ben Paige (Jr) and Adam Ward (Jr) ran pretty close together chasing Petoskey in 4 th , 5 th , and 6 th .  They raced well over the last 1000 with Ben almost catching Petoskey to place 4 th , and Adam and Josh battling over the last 200 to place 5 th and 6 th .  Mikko Vesma (Sr) had his fastest start of the season and was in 15 th at the mile.  He worked his way up to 11 th at the 2 mile and had a great finish to place 7 th .  Colton Best (Jr) had a little more conservative start, but moved up steadily through the first 2 miles, then ran a great 3 rd mile to place 11 th .  1 st Nathan Walker PR – All-Region 2 nd Conor Somers PR – All-Region 4 th Ben Paige PR – All-Region 5 th Adam Ward PR – All-Region 6 th Josh Zerfas PR – All-Region 7 th Mikko Vesma PR – All-Region 11 th Colton Best SR – All-Region   Varsity Results - https://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/meet/155887/results ...

2019 Regionals – Benzie Central Cool, light breeze, good footing on course.   Lots of PRs today The girls started things off with a solid run placing 6 th , with 149 points.  Taylor Mater (So) got out at the tail end of the lead pack, while Leah Converse (Jr) was out in the top 1/3 rd .  The rest of the girls were in the middle of the field.  As the race progressed Taylor slowly picked through the leaders moving up into 4 th .  Leah was fighting hard to hold her position after going out a little to fast, while Erin Norton (Jr), Morgan Best (Fr), Taava Johnson (So), Lauren Boerger (Sr), and Annika Tuls (Sr) were moving up.  At about the half way point of the race Annika flipped a switch and really started moving aggressively.  She probably moved from about 60 th to 33 rd by the end of the race.  We ran solid over the 3 rd mile with Taylor closing on 3 rd but not quite getting there and the rest of the girls grouping up in the 30s and 40s. 4 th Taylor Mater PR – All-Region, State Qualifier Indv. 33 rd Annika Tuls PR 35 th Leah Converse SR 37 th Erin Norton PR 40 th Morgon Best PR 47 th Taava Johnson 49 th Lauren Boerger PR   The boys continued to look strong winning the meet with 18 points and qualifying for the State Finals as a team..  Our top 5 separated quickly with Petoskey’s #1 runner in the mix.  Nathan Walker (Jr) spent the meet chasing the lead cart to a winning time of 14:52.8, missing Dathan Ritzenhien’s course record by about 3 seconds.  Conor Somers (So) ran solo in 2 nd for most of the race.  Josh Zerfas (Jr), Ben Paige (Jr) and Adam Ward (Jr) ran pretty close together chasing Petoskey in 4 th , 5 th , and 6 th .  They raced well over the last 1000 with Ben almost catching Petoskey to place 4 th , and Adam and Josh battling over the last 200 to place 5 th and 6 th .  Mikko Vesma (Sr) had his fastest start of the season and was in 15 th at the mile.  He worked his way up to 11 th at the 2 mile and had a great finish to place 7 th .  Colton Best (Jr) had a little more conservative start, but moved up steadily through the first 2 miles, then ran a great 3 rd mile to place 11 th .  1 st Nathan Walker PR – All-Region 2 nd Conor Somers PR – All-Region 4 th Ben Paige PR – All-Region 5 th Adam Ward PR – All-Region 6 th Josh Zerfas PR – All-Region 7 th Mikko Vesma PR – All-Region 11 th Colton Best SR – All-Region   Varsity Results - https://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/meet/155887/results ...

The lady JV packers defeated Chippewa Hills JV squad this evening 2-1.  Leading the attack was Alexis LaCount with 4 kills and Laney Sipos with 4 kills.  Sipos had 5 Aces on 14 attempts. &nb...

Fremont Packer Volleyball clenched the conference title with a victory over Chippewa Hills! This is the first conference title in over 13 years for the FPV program. Tonight the Packers were led offens...

The lady JV Packers traveled to Tri County High School for a quad this evening.  They defeated Ludington and host school Tri County, but lost to Kent City.  Leading the Pack was Alexis ...

The lady JV Packers traveled to Grand Haven High School for tournament action today.  The faced a tough competition all day against Hudsonville, Traverse City West, and Jenison in pool play. &nbs...

Mel Hall Invitational – cool and calm   Girls The girls had a good race placing 3 rd in the Red division with 4 runners in the top 20.  Taylor Mater (So)-2 nd , Leah Converse (Jr)-14 th , Erin Norton (Jr)-16 th , Morgan Best (Fr)-18 th . Personal records went to Mia Witte (So), Makenzie Boyd (Fr), and Joanna Kramarska (Sr)   Boys The boys turned in a good effort winning the Red division while running as a pack with the leaders for the first mile.  Nathan Walker (Jr)-1 st , Conor Somers (So)-2 nd , Ben Paige (Jr)-4 th , Josh Zerfas (Jr)-5 th , Adam Ward (Jr)-6 th , Mikko Vesma (Sr)-7 th , Colton Best (Jr)-11 th , Gavin Orcutt (Sr)-16 th , and Gavin Schuler (So)-19 th all placed in the top 20.  Personal records went to, Peem Torjaras (Sr), Parker Lammers (So), Bryce Cosens (Sr), and Gary Springstead (Fr).   Full results can be found here - https://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/meet/157175/results ...