Northville XC team cements ‘DYNASTY’ label with 4th straight state title
Northville cross country runners pictured (l-r) are Colton Blackburn, Ethan Hertza, Brandon Cloud, Ben Hartigan, Ryan Stojov and Jack Lewis. State meet runners not pictured are Manny Coates and Lucas Mullan.
The biggest question in the wake of the Northville boys cross country team’s fourth straight MHSAA Division 1 state title: How many more wooden mittens can one trophy case hold?
Judging by the continued excellence displayed by the Mustangs’ long-distance running team, we’re about to find out over the next decade or so.
Led by junior Brandon Cloud’s school-record time of 14 minutes, 52.80 seconds, Northville edged runner-up Ann Arbor Pioneer, 125-134, at the Nov. 1 state meet held at the Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan.
Northville is the first school in state cross country history to win four consecutive state titles.
The Mustangs are mentored by head coach Tim Dalton and his assistant coaches Jack Dalton, Chris Inch and Lauren Peck.
Cloud finished second overall to Pioneer’s Kamari Ronfeldt, who covered the 3.1-mile course in 14:50.60.
Also turning in stellar performances for Northville were senior Ben Hartigan (15:12.80), Ryan Stojov (15:17.60) and Ethan Hertza (16:00.70).
Pressure is a good thing
“There’s definitely a pressure there to keep the state-championship streak going,” admitted Hartigan, who earned All-State honors with his eighth-place finish. “I think we’re pretty good at internalizing the pressure and using it as motivation to stay No. 1.”
The Mustangs lived up to their pre-season No. 1 ranking by holding off the Pioneers, who led after the race’s first two miles.
“I don’t think we expected to be ranked No. 1 in the pre-season this year, so that gave us a boost of confidence,” said Cloud. “The difference between being ranked No. 1 in the pre-season last year compared to this year is that last year we knew we should have been ranked No. 1.”
Hartigan said the Mustangs’ second-place status after the first two miles was part of the the gameplan.
“In typical Northville fashion, we focus on the last mile more than the first two miles,” he said. “Once we were into the third mile, we took the lead and held onto it.”
Motivation comes easily
Cloud and Hartigan said they motivate each other, depending on what kind of a day the other is having.
“When I’m not having my best day, Ben pulls me along with him,” Cloud said.
“And when I see Brandon ahead of me in races, it motivates me to run harder to try and hunt him down,” Hartigan added.
Both Cloud and Hartigan agreed that Stojov was the unsung hero at the state meet.
“A month ago, Ryan was coming back from some injuries and he was running in the 17’s,” Cloud said. “For him to work as hard as he did to get back to 100% and finish 10th in the state, that was really impressive.”
Close on and off the trails
The Mustangs are a close-knit group, spending free time away from the trails bonding with at bonfires and movie nights.
“We also had our team camp this summer at Sleeping Bear Dunes, which is always a good chance to get to know one another better,” Hartigan said.
Hartigan has now been a part of all four Northville state titles, a distinction that brings him pride.
“The first one we won my freshman year was pretty crazy because it was the first time Northville had won a boys cross country state title in like 49 years,” Hartigan said. “This year our coaches emphasized to us not to let up just because we had already won three. They let us know that winning a fourth straight would be something special.”
Northville cross country runners log an average of 50 miles per week, Cloud and Hartigan said, with one runner averaging a whopping 75 miles every week.
Comfort level sky-high at MIS
Familiarity has bred success for Northville, they added.
“The first state meet you run in, you’re obviously a little nervous going in,” Hartigan said. “But once you’ve run it once or twice, you get more comfortable with the routine and the course.”
Northville athletic teams have piled up several state titles over the past couple of years — a scenario that doesn’t surprise Cloud and Hartigan.
“There’s a very competitive culture at this school, both academically and athletically,” Hartigan said. “As far as cross country goes, we work well as a team, plus we know how to push each other individually to get the best out of everyone.”
It’s a culture that may force school administrators to look into building a bigger cross country trophy case, which is an envious problem to have for any high school sports program.
Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.
