Charlotte runs down Raiders Boys Track

The last duel meet of the year in Charlotte started out the day with Portland's generally strong field events.   Andrew Maynard Long Jumped 18’10” and Ethan Patrick 17’ 8 ½” for 1st and 2nd Place.   Freshman Isaac Dakin also showed he will be in the mix next year with a personal best jump of 16’ 5”.   Winning the High Jump was Brett Beard with a personal best of 5’8”.    Noah Simpson won the Discus with a throw of 114’10” with Evan Bower grabbing 3rd Place points, while Braiden Kehr showed he is coming on, going out over the 100’ mark again in the Discus.   Bower kept improving with a 40’6” throw and 1st Place finish in the Shot, and Jordan Klein just missed 3rd place points for the Raiders to finish the field event scoring.

   On the Track Ethan Patrick, Dustin Wolf, and Michael Almy swept the 100m, while Andrew Maynard and Almy grabbed 2nd and 3rd in the 200m.   Drew Miller showed improvement in the 200m with a 25’ time.   Dustin Wolf ran the open 400m and took 2nd with a personal best 56.17 time, with Jacob Rensberry also logging his PR.   Yannis Maurer took 3rd in the 800m with a personal best of 2:20.49, while Jake Olsen grabbed a 3rd Place in the 1600m with a 5:24 personal best.

   Charlotte loaded up their relays and it worked, getting Portland in the 4x100, 4x400, and 4x800, who had some people missing but also did not run their best times.   The 4x200 Relay remained strong with Reiss Phillips, Brett Beard, Ethan Patrick, and Andrew Maynard running a time of 1:37.12 and taking 1st Place.

   Disappointingly for Portland, it was another meet missing a few athletes that could have placed a more positive spin on the meet, however the young Raiders keep improving distances and dropping times every week.   Portland will be back in action Friday at the Bath Invitational. 

Raiders solid again at Bath Invite

      Pulling the bus up to the front gate for the annual Bath Invite, Coach Simpson told the team to “set up camp at our usual spot (for the long day) and make sure we get everything unloaded”.   As 40 students looked at each other not moving, “it was a reminder to explain everything (‘prelims’, ‘flights’, ‘finals’, multiple times warming-up, etc..) and the need to interact and encourage with all the first-time athletes and nerves at a generally strong meet.”

   The Raiders didn't blink and competed well, starting off with Andrew Maynard and Ethan Patrick each setting personal records, 19’ 3 ¼” and 18’ 5 ½”, in the Long Jump and medaling.   At the same time, Brett Beard leaped to his season best 5’ 8” in the High Jump grabbing a 5th Place medal, while Cooper Hoskins and Drew Miller both Pole Vaulted their personal bests of 9’.   Noah Simpson and Braden Kehr each set personal bests in the Shot (37’ 9 ¼” & 39’ ¾”) and Kehr grabbing 6th Place.   Simpson then finished the Field Events with a 109’ 10” throw and 5th Place in the Discus.   

   On the Track Andrew Maynard started off with a season best 11.73 and 2nd Place in the 100m, while both Ethan Patrick and Andrew Maynard qualified for the Finals in the 200m, Patrick grabbing a 3rd Place medal.   Dustin Wolf and Ben Wassmus finished 7th and 8th just missing medals, but Yannis Maurer took 5th Place in his first 800m.   One of the strengths of the team Portland’s 4x100 Relay of Dustin Wolf, Ethan Patrick, Reiss Phillips, and Andrew Maynard reset the season best with a 46.33 and First Place finish, while the 4x200 Relay of Patrick, Beard, Almy, and Maynard reset their best 1:36.17 and also took First Place.   Finishing the day on the Track was the 4x400 Relay of Dustin and Dylan Wolf, Maurer, and Wassmus grabbing 3rd Place. 

   The young Raiders will have one week to rest up and train for their first Regional Meet in Mason. Go Raiders!

Portland Boy’s have strong showing at Regional Track Meet 

          With temperatures in the mid to high 90’s, Portland knew they got the first win of the day by grabbing the ONLY big shade tree in the stadium area at the Regional Track Finals at Mason High School.   But that wasn’t the only medal they would get.

   The day was a hot one and Portland’s hottest jumper, Andrew Maynard, started the day off qualifying for the finals and grabbing their first medal.   Maynard would follow that up with his second medal of the day in the 100m.   Noah Simpson launched a new personal record in the Discus and grabbed Portland’s third medal of the day and a 5th Place finish.   Brett Beard High Jumped to a 6th Place finish and another Portland Medal.   Next was Portland’s 4x200 Relay team of Ethan Patrick, Michael Almy, Beard and Maynard turn, another season best 6th Place and 4 more medals.   Portland’s 4x100 Relay team of Baron Seal, Reiss Phillips, Patrick and Maynard  raced to another season best time, a 6th Place finish, and 4 more Portland medals.   Ethan Patrick was good and loose after both relays and snagged another medal with his 6th Place finish in the 200m.   The 4x400 Relay of Dustin and Dylan Wolf, Yannis Maurer, and Caiden Pelc ran a season best finishing just out of a medal spot.   Dylan Wolf had a season best in the 400, Caiden Pelc turned in a great time in the 800, and Braiden Kehr in the Shot and Drew Miller in the Pole Vault all finished just out of medal contention, but are all underclassmen and will all be right in the mix of things next year.

   Overall, the Portland boys had a very solid day with all the medals, personal bests, and experience their young athletes garnered at their first Regional Track meet.   With only 5 seniors on their 40 man roster, the team is heading in the right direction.

Raiders Compete at CAAC League Finals 

The Portland Raiders boys track team traveled to Lansing Sexton for the CAAC Championship on a beautiful night this past Wednesday.   Unfortunately on the first event of the day, junior Ethan Patrick took off  from the Long Jump board and popped his hamstring.   One of the favorites in the Long Jump, 200m, and on two Relay teams was now out, so the young Raiders would need to step up.

   Andrew Maynard and Brett Beard stepped up like they have all year, jumping 19’1¼” and 18’1¼” and grabbing 2nd Place and 5th Place in the Long Jump.   Beard went straight over to the High Jump and equaled his season best of 5’8” taking 2nd place.   At the same time Noah Simpson and Evan Bower took 2nd and 3rd Place in the Discus with throws of 121’1¼” and 113’7½”.   Braiden Kehr and Simpson followed up the Discus with 4th and 6th Place medals in the Shot Put for the Raiders, finishing the Field Event scoring.

   On the Track, Andrew Maynard continued to do what he has all year running an 11.82 and grabbing 2nd Place in the 100m.   With Patrick out, Michael Almy stepped up in the 200m with a season best time of 24.44 and a 6th Place points.   The 400m thru 3200m didn’t go as well as the Raiders would hope, but the Relays stepped up.   The 4x800 Relay of Caiden Pelc, Yannis Maurer, Jake Olsen and Ben Wassmus finally had 4 healthy runners and took 4th Place, showing good things to come next year.   The 4x100 Relay was missing two regulars, insterted Dustin Wolf and Michael Almy to go with Baron Seal and Maynard and ran their second best time of the year taking 2nd Place!   The best race of the day was definitely the 4x200 and what the CAAC Championship is about!   With Baron Seal stepping in for the injured Partick, Portland ran their second best time of the year.   AND ONLY after a lengthy review of a diving finish, 1st place was given to Ionia and 2nd to Portland.  Portland’s 4x400 of Dustin Wolf, Caiden Pelc, Ben Wassmus, and Yannis Maurer filling in for the now injured Dylan Wolf finished the day with a 5th Place.

   The Raiders season ended a little banged-up, but still managed to gather 15 medals and leave them encouraged about what next year could bring, with the strong 2021 number of athletes out and only graduating a couple seniors.

Strong finish for year at OE's Freshman/Sophomore Relay

With the Track season all but over, some of the young Raiders were not ready to be done.   SO, when a chance to run just one more time was presented to them at an end of the year Freshman/Sophomore Relay at Ovid-Elsie, a dozen or so were up for the challenge.   However, the biggest challenge would not be the Track, it would be the COMPETE temperature drop and wind!    

Like all meets, things started off with the Field Events and Evean Bower was ready.   Evan won the Discus with his 2nd best throw of the year 111’ 5” throw, while Noah Simpson and Logan Rogers grabbed 4th and 7th Place.   Evan turned around and won the Shot with Logan Rogers grabbing 6th Place, and Devin Spitzley also getting his second chance at throwing Shot Put.   Freshman guys are always encouraged to try many events, because you never know how young guys will grow, and Devn shows a great work ethic and promise.   Conner Kazamer got his legs loose jumping 14’1”, not his best on the year, but with the tempatures and wind it was not for anyone. 

That was all the field events for Portland who were ready to run.   Dustin Wolf took 2nd Place and Kazamer took 6th Place medals in the 100m.   Devin Spitzley left the Shot Put ring and ran a Personal Best of 5:51 in the 1600m.   The 4x100 Relay of Kazaner, Simpson, Bower, and Dustin Wolf grabbed a 6th Place medal, while Kazamer, Dustin and Dylan Wolf, and Yannis Maurer grabbed 2nd Place in the 4x200 Relay.   Boden Nye, Dylan and Dustin Wolf, and Maurer also took 2nd Place in the 4x400 Relay with a solid 3:59 time.   The Wolf brothers, Maurer, and Jake Olen raced to a 1st Place finish in a 400m200m200m400m Medley.   

With 4 events to go, the Raiders shockingly found themselves 1 point out of first place and wishing we had brought more athletes or done a few more events.   All in all; alot of medals were won, confidence and comradery built, and a great finish for the 9th and 10th graders at a meet we WILL go back to next year (most likely with better weather).