Lake Orion’s boys cross country squad finished 10th at the Division I state finals, held last Saturday at the Michigan International Speedway.
Ryan Ziolko led the way for the Dragons, placing 13th overall with a time of 16:01.5.
Max Hock (16:36.1) finished 58th overall, while Doug Mack (16:47.5), Kyle Lawton (16:48.7) and Nathan Ziolko (16:48.9) finished 74th, 78th and 79th, respectively.
The Dragons’ five racers totaled 302 points, just one back of ninth place Ann Arbor Pioneer. Pinckney, which had the top two overall finishers, easily won the title with 27 points.
‘Our goal was just to get this team to the state meet,? said Coach Stan Ford. ‘Winning the regional was icing. Then to gain the experience at the state meet level was awesome.?
‘The kids weren’t overwhelmed and ran very well,? Ford added, ‘with a lot of personal bests.?
Ryan Ziolko’s finish among the top 30 runners garnered him All-State honors.
‘Ryan has started to make a name for himself, and to see him develop into an All-State runner as a sophomore has been great,? Ford said.
The coach noted that one good runner doesn’t make a team.
‘To see them all improve throughout the season is the way it should be,? he said, ‘and I’m glad it worked out for this group so well.?
‘They had put a lot into this season, and to do so well, and be so young, was a lot of fun.?
Ford said the team had been ranked number 10 in the state, so their finish was about what he expected.
Though the girls? team did not qualify for the state meet, junior Allie Hock made it as an individual competitor.
Hock finished 25th overall, with a time of 18:38.5, meaning that she, too, earned All-State status.
‘We were both really pleased with her performance,? said Coach Debi Sherman. She ran a smart race and just kept moving up gradually throughout.?
Sherman said her team, which, like Ford’s, was extremely young, exceeded her expectations.
‘We had so many young girls,? she said. ‘I’m very optimistic, and they are too, about what we can do next year.?