ADRIAN — Tom MacNaughton begins his 11th season as coach and 14th overall with the Adrian boys cross-country program, and the team’s goal is the same every year: reach the Division 2 state championship meet at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn.
“Our boys enter the season with a seven-year streak of qualifying for the state meet,” MacNaughton said as his team seeks its eighth consecutive trip in November. “Last year, the boys were 17th in the state.”
Sophomore Parker Smith, senior Landin Fisher, junior Easton Coscerelli, senior Carter Fenner, and junior Lucas Zeckner lead the pack for the Maples.
Smith battled Blissfield’s Michael Weidmayer until the end and finished second at the county meet at Tecumseh High School in 16:42.7.
“We expect to have another strong season,” MacNaughton said. “Both teams have a very good chance to win regionals, and an even better chance of continuing the streaks of qualifying for the state meet.”
Addison: Rick Gramm is stepping into unfamiliar territory as a first-year coach for the Addison program, but he is no stranger to the school’s student-athletes.
“This will be my first season ever coaching cross country, and I’m late to the game, accepting the position about four days before the start of the season,” said Gramm, who has coached the varsity baseball team in Addison since 2017.
“All of our athletes have responded well, and we have all agreed, we can’t go anywhere but up,” Gramm said of the team, which finished ninth in the Cascades Conference Championship meet last year.
Addison graduates Caleb Gramm and Stephanie Hernandez, two former state qualifying cross country runners, will assist Gramm throughout the season.
Junior Tony Gudakunst, who qualified as a sophomore and ran at the Division 4 state meet last fall, returns for the Panthers. Sophomores Connor Evans, Alex Snapp, Daniel Old, and Ruben Thomas, along with freshman Jonah Grabowski, round out the team.
Blissfield: After back-to-back Lenawee County Athletic Association championships in the past two seasons, Blissfield has its sights set on greater things for coach Ryan Bills in 2026.
“With many of our top runners returning and a great summer of conditioning, we have the ability to do some great things,” said Bills, whose team finished third in the Division 3 regional and 22nd at the state meet held at Michigan International Speedway last November.
Juniors Michael Weidmayer, Noah Sills, Brady Bills, and Beckett Klump led the pack for the Royals last season and are returning. Weidmayer earned all-state honors along with first-team recognition in the region, county, and league. Sills garnered first-team region, county, and league honors, while Bills, who earned all-county marks, and Klump received second-team LCAA recognition.
Senior Kaleb Stutzman returns, along with sophomores Cameron Jordan and Bryson Pooley.
The Royals placed third and received all-state team academic honors last year. Besides competing hard on the trails, Bills expects the same from his student-athletes in the classroom.
“As always, I want to see growth as a runner and as a person,” Bills said.
Britton Deerfield: Haylie Shiels returns for her second season with Britton Deerfield, and the second-year coach wants her team to continue their growth from last season.
“We did not have enough runners to field a scoring team, but our individual athletes competed throughout the season, gained valuable experience, and made significant improvements in their times,” Shiels said.
Senior Andrew Calvert recorded a personal record of 19:58 last season, and Shiels said she expects his hard work will help him improve his times this fall. Junior Logan Hilyard, who had a PR of 23:34, and sophomore Donavan Calvert, who managed a PR of 20:22, continued to improve and develop their efforts.
“I want to see our athletes work hard, support each other, and continue to grow throughout the season,” Shiels said. “Most importantly, I want them to compete with confidence, stay committed, and finish the season knowing they gave their all.”
Clinton: Coach Kurt Hillegonds returns for his 17th season at Clinton with a group of runners poised for a strong season on the cross-country trails.
Seniors Peter Baker, Lucas Goetting, and Austin Strand, along with sophomore Haiden Bennett, return for the Redwolves. Freshman Owen Claus is a newcomer that Hillegonds expects to step up and compete at the next level.
“Bennett had a great freshman year and has been logging a lot of miles in the off-season and is poised to have a great season,” said Hillegonds, whose Redwolves finished fifth last fall in the LCAA.
“Goetting has grown a lot after his first year of running, and we expect him to have a good year,” Hillegonds said. “Baker had a successful track and field season and is looking forward to setting more PRs this season. Strand has worked through some minor injuries and is looking to have his best season yet.”
Hillegonds, who is joined on the courses by sixth-year assistant coach Rich Dewald, wants his student-athletes to work hard in the classroom as well as on the trails.
“We expect to work consistently and to develop throughout the season,” Hillegonds said.
Hudson: Coach Matt Carpenter begins his 23rd season at the helm of the Hudson program. The squad has a strong mix of experience and youth with 17 runners, including seven freshmen.
“This is one of the largest teams I have ever coached,” said Carpenter, whose team finished seventh in the LCAA last year. “And not only that, it has been years since I have seen a group of guys this dedicated to the sport. They have been putting in miles this summer, and they are excited about the season to come.”
Spencer Anderson, the lone senior on the team, will provide leadership for his teammates, Carpenter said. Sophomore Blake Aube is the team’s top runner as a second-year varsity runner. He has a top-five time on the freshman board.
Juniors Jerico Borck, Matthew Rowan, Sylas Williams, Ben Vanderlooven, and Isaac Wilson are a strong group of returning runners. At the same time, sophomores Haven Kohlruss, Elijah Worrell, and Xavier Clark are talented and improved runners, Carpenter said.
The Tigers just missed qualifying for the Division 4 state finals with a fourth-place finish, and with a move back to Division 3, the goal remains the same.
“We are a very young team, with seven freshmen, and we are moving back to Division 3, so the competition is much harder, but our goal is to qualify for the state meet with a top three finish at regionals,” said Carpenter. “We want to see a lot of growth, and see just what these young kids can do on the courses.”
Lenawee Christian: Freshman Keighyn Taylor is competing for coach Sheldon Lange and Lenawee Christian. Taylor started the year at the Lenawee County preview meet, where he placed 68th in 22 minutes, 36.9 seconds.
Lenawee Homeschool: After coaching stints at Hudson and Lenawee Christian, coach Ben Bloom went on to create Lenawee Homeschool in 2025, a program for homeschooled students.
“Our season goals are to continue working hard and continue to grow our program,” said Bloom, whose teams are not eligible for Michigan High School Athletic Association-sanctioned regional and state meets.
Senior Logan Boley (Adrian), sophomore Ben Havens (Adrian), and freshmen Evan Tedora (Onsted) and Elijah Crater (Adrian) are joined by a trio of eighth-grade students: Josh Gulotta (Adrian), Landon Bloom (Adrian), and Jaden Ruse (Morenci).
Madison: Madison looks to continue getting better in its bid to top the LCAA after a successful 2025 with coach Jim Sperling, who enters his 21st season with the Trojans.
Junior John Verlinde is the top returning runner from last year, along with senior Alliance Rivera, junior Alize Ramirez, and sophomores Aiden Legg and Emerson Snyder. Madison finished fourth at the Division 3 regional meet.
Onsted: Coach Kevin Hall begins his first season with the Onsted program, and he looks to continue the strong season the team had last year.
“The boys finished in third place in the LCAA and sixth at regionals last season,” said Hall, who coached the Onsted middle school program from 2020 until taking the varsity position.
Senior Nick Holmes, who earned all-league first-team honors last year, returns, as do senior Joel Sniegowski and sophomores Alex Hunt and John Pfeffer.
“My expectations for this year are simple,” Hall said. “Find the confidence from training, trust the process, and believe in the ability to grow.”
Sand Creek: Coach Mike Zyla and his Sand Creek program finished second in the Tri-County Conference and just missed qualifying for the state meet in 2025, and the veteran of the Aggies is looking for more this fall.
“We have 12 runners on the team this year, and these young men have been working hard during the first two weeks of practice,” said Zyla, whose team took fifth in the Division 3 regional meet. “Our main goal this season is to qualify as a team for the state meet at MIS.”
Seniors Silas Daniels and Tre Fluker return, along with sophomores Blake Root, Alec Parker, and Luke Meckley.
“We have high expectations for this season, with four of our top five runners returning from last year,” Zyla said.
Tecumseh: Coach Wes Harden watched his Tecumseh program grow during last season and establish a strong foundation for this year, setting the stage for greater things in the Southeastern Conference White Division and beyond.
Junior Eli Morris emerged as one of the Indians’ top runners last season, running a season-best 16:38 and qualifying for the MHSAA Division 2 state finals. “He is a dedicated worker and provides strong leadership within the program,” Harden said.
“We want our athletes to be committed to daily improvement, support one another, and embrace the challenges that come with distance workouts,” Harden said. “If we stay healthy, work hard, and continue to develop a strong team culture, the results will take care of themselves.”
Junior Harrison Stamper ran a season-best 16:53 and continues to develop into one of the team’s top competitors, Harden said. Junior Dempsey Barrett clocked a 16:53 at the regional meet and qualified for the Division 2 state finals.
“Barrett is one of the team’s most competitive runners and continues to improve,” Harden said.
Sophomore Reid Stamper had a season-best 17:39 and provides additional depth for Tecumseh.
“We have a strong returning core and are excited about the growth of our younger athletes,” said Harden, who is beginning his 10th season with the Indians.