On Saturday, the Boys Cross Country squad competed against the area’s top opponents in a battle for All-Area supremacy at Young Patriots’ Park in the Gabriel Richard All-Area Championship....

The lady jags came into the season as the League Champions from last year. Woodhaven added much more depth from the middle school programs and was an 30 point advance to win back in June. What happened over the next 3 months was a long a waited journey from the girls. The first time we faced Woodhaven was 2 weeks ago at their Warrior invite at Lake Erie they beat us by only 8 points. So it was game on for the Jaguar girls. Tuesday at Willow Metropark in the first Jamboree (3 on the season), Allen Park won the meet by 11 points. With Lisa finally getting back into the 19's after her broking hip. Mallory  running a great time for the 2nd race in a row. Kenzie beating a Woodhaven girl she has never beat before en route to a personal record. Luci running a personal record getting her team under the Auto-Varsity letter standard, just get to regionals. Abby running a season best finishing out the score for the team. Nikki Hartley had a personal record on the day. Great job girls as they chanted at the end of the meet, 'We are League Champs!' Meet results https://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/meet/157466/results/656117 ...

              Downriver League Cross Country competition kicked-off yesterday in the Downriver League Jamboree I at Willow Metropark – Chestnut Grove. Isaiah Jacobs had a career day, posting a personal-best 5,000-meter race in 17:14, taking 29-seconds off his previous best! In the process, he challenged the trio from Southgate Anderson early in the race. Trailing by 15-meters at the 4K mark, he mounted a challenge for the race leading Titan. He was able to match the leader with 500-meters remaining and broke him with 450-meters remaining. Isaiah then cruised the final quarter-mile, claiming 1 st Place and besting the next harrier by 3-seconds! Troy Schnell and Ryan Nicholson placed consecutively in 8 th and 9 th , while Troy Rogalski and Ross Koscielny rounded out the scoring in 23 rd and 27 th places, respectively. Ross showed the biggest resolve on the day, elevating his performance with a 34-second improvement!                 NOTES: Isaiah Jacobs is just the 3 rd Jaguar harrier to claim victory with a Downriver Jamboree race victory, joining Jeremy Rafter (2012 Jamboree III) and Drew Johnson (2017 Jamboree II) Isaiah’s time is the 9 th best time posted in the past 20 seasons for Allen Park The Jaguar harriers will next compete Saturday in the Catholic Central Invitational at historic Cass Benton in Northville at 10:00AM Downriver League Jamboree I Results ...

            The Jags harriers competed in the 52 nd Annual Holly/Duane Raffin Festival of Races in Davisburg on Saturday. The event hosted 21 races over 6 hours! The Boys Varsity race is always the final race of the day. After the long wait, the boys were ready to attack the Springfield Oaks course. In a day where season-bests and personal bests, Isaiah Jacobs and Troy Rogalski made the biggest impact. Isaiah executed the Jaguar running philosophy superbly, moving from 80 th place in the first half mile and consistently moving though the field until the finish, where he took the sole medal on the day for the Jags, crossing the line in 22 nd place. Troy, although not a picture-perfect race, show a new level of resolve in besting his previous 5-kilometer best by 30-seconds, finishing with a time of 18:46. Troy Schnell gave a push at another medal spot for the Jags, but came up a few places shy. Collin Miracle and Ross Koscielny rounded out the scoring with solid performances.               In the JV race, the squad had a good day, placing 6 th of 18 teams. 4 harriers had season-bests on the day. Daniel Reckling and Dylan Holly worked together to lead the squad with season-best performances. Drake Steele rounded out the scoring with a personal-best race finish. Spencer Buckler also posted a season-best race. 52 nd Annual Holly/Duane Raffin Festival of Races VARSITY RESULTS ...

Collins, Timothy <collins@appublicschools.com> Sat, Sep 7, 6:27 PM (2 days ago)   ...

The Jaguar harriers traveled to Lake Erie Metropark Friday evening for the 10 th Annual Warrior Cross Country Classic hosted by Woodhaven. The top-3 Jags across the line led the squad to a 3 rd Place Trophy, the first time an Allen Park squad has hoisted hardware at this event! Isaiah Jacobs took charge early and finished strong, placing 7 th . Ryan Nicholson, who was less than 100%, hung close with Isaiah and crossed the line in 10 th . Troy Scnell was also in the mix for much of the race, placing 11 th . Troy Rogalski and Ross Koscielny rounded out the scoring, placing 37 th and 49 th , respectively. In the Reserve Race, the JV harriers dominated the field, with the 5 scorers all placing in the top-12! Jerry Kephart executed the first half of the race perfectly, took the lead at the midpoint, and never looked back, pacing to the first race victory of his career. Dylan Holly, Jason Wu, and Justin Miner worked well together for the majority of the race and placed consecutively for 3 rd , 4 th & 5 th places. Jonah Gaggin rounded out the scoring, crossing the line in 12 th . The Jags will next compete in the 52 nd Annual Duane Raffin/Holly Festival of Races in Davisburg next Saturday. This event will feature the 1 st ever live-scored race throughout competition in Michigan, along with live drone video coverage. Come on out and join our potluck at what is always a premier event!   Warrior Classic Results ...

The Lady Jags thinclads entered Tuesday’s Downriver League Championship meet in the driver’s seat after finishing the regular season with an undefeated record (6-0). After losing the Metro Classic All-Area meet to the Warriors of Woodhaven by 21.5 points, our Allen Park squad certainly would have a say in how the rubber-match would play out. The thrilling, roller coaster of emotion played out during the course of the 9-hour contest. As with any Championship contest, every event yielded surprises, upsets, and plenty of excitement. The day started off with the morning field event sessions, where the Jags jumped out to a 63-58.5 point advantage over the Warriors. Izzy Conn led off in shot put, pulling off a 2 nd -place upset with a season-best put of 30’6.25”. In the High Jump, the contest ended in a 4-way tie for 1 st , which resulted in a sudden-death jump-off to determine 1 st place, with 2 Jags in the mix. After 3 rounds of extra jumps, Lyric Spears claimed a 2 nd -place tie with Woodhaven and Kylee Dietz falling to 4 th . In Pole Vault, all 3 Lady Jags posted scores, with Alaina Goulasarian clearing 6’0” for 8 th place, Julia Beaudrie clearing 6’6” for 7 th place, and Gianna Tiberia clearing 9’0” for a personal-best and a League Title. In Long Jump, the trend continued where all 3 Jaguar contestants acquired points. Adri Carone placed 7 th , Gianna Tiberia placed 5 th , and Lyric Spears claimed the League Title, out-jumping the nearest contestant by 1-foot. The Discus concluded the morning, with yet another 3 Lady Jags seizing points. Izzy Conn took the 8 th place spot, Rebekah Reckling pulled off a mild upset by out-throwing a pair of Warriors and taking 4 th place, and Maddie Scroggins claimed the silver-medal place. AFTER 5 EVENTS – Allen Park 63 Woodhaven 58.5 In the afternoon, the 4x800 m relay of Lisa Luecke, Kenzie Lada, Melena Sclesky, and Chloe Bateman led things off, pacing to 2 nd place with a season-best time. AFTER 6 EVENTS – Allen Park 71 Woodhaven 68.5 The biggest statement from the Jaguar contingent came in the 100 m High Hurdles, where Lyric Spears, Adri Carone, Morgan Cartwright, and Kylee Dietz dazzled the venue by dominating the field with 1 st , 2 nd , 4 th , and 6 th places, respectively! The hurdle squad amassed a point total of 26-points and extended the lead over the Warriors to 27.5 points, the largest of the day. AFTER 7 EVENTS – Allen Park 97 Woodhaven 79.5 After the Jags were shutout in the 100m dash, a disqualification by Woodhaven in the 4x200 m Relay improved the Allen Park squad’s (Emma Watson, Abby Raftis, Avery Beamon, and Lia Raftis) place in the event from 6 th to 5 th , a 1 point gain, and a 5-point swing. AFTER 9 EVENTS – Allen Park 101 Woodhaven 88.5 In the 1600 m, Lisa Luecke battled Trenton’s Madison Price down the final 100 m, coming up just short of the gold, but posting a personal-best performance in the event. Teammate Chloe Bateman also out-performed her projected place, finishing in a crucial 6 th place, 2 spots ahead of another Warrior. AFTER 10 EVENTS – Allen Park 112  Woodhaven 100.5 The 4x100 m Relay unit of Paige Allen, Lyric Spears, Emma Watson, and Marisa Kepes held off a charging Warrior squad to claim another crucial silver medal place. AFTER 11 EVENTS – Allen Park 120 Woodhaven 106.5 Abby Raftis continued to build upon recent successes in the 400 m dash to solidify a 5 th place performance and shutout Woodhaven in the event. After 12  EVENTS – Allen Park 124, Woodhaven 106.5 The next event, the 300 m Low Hurdles presented some unexpected results from the opposition, with Woodhaven claiming gold and the Jaguars Morgan Cartwright and Adri Carone having to settle for 3 rd and 4 th , respectively. The event ended with an 11-point stalemate between purple and green. AFTER 13 EVENTS – Allen Park 135 Woodhaven 117.5 More unexpected developments aided the Warriors in the 800m, when the top Wyandotte Bear was disqualified, vaulting the Woodhaven duo into the silver and bronze medal positions. Not to be outdone, Megan Mathews put up a calculated and gutsy performance, having been on the sideline for the past month with a foot injury. As she entered the final 100 meters, she hunted down the third Warrior and bested her with 60-meters remaining, cruising to a 5 th place finish. AFTER 14 EVENTS – Allen Park 139 Woodhaven 134.5 The Warriors held a distinct advantage going into the 200 m dash. The Warriors posted their expected 3 rd and 4 th . Nevertheless, Gianna Tiberia was not to be outdone, stealing a 7 th place from the slow heat. AFTER 15 EVENTS – Allen Park 141 Woodhaven 145.5 Going into the penultimate event, the 3200m run, trailing by 4.5 points, the Jaguars had a distinct advantage, being the only team in the field with 4 competitors. Lisa Luecke, once again battled into the final lap challenging for the gold medal, but was outdone in the final stretch by the Senior, Mikayla Borg, from Southgate Anderson. Kenzie Lada and Chloe Bateman worked together and locked up 5 th and 6 th place, respectively, early in the race and never looked back. The trio earned 15 points to Woodhaven’s 7, making it a 3 ½ point Jaguar lead going into the final event. AFTER 16 EVENTS – Allen Park 156 Woodhaven 152.5 The Lady Jags needed a 3 rd place to solidify victory heading into the 4x400 m Relay. The squad of Emma Watson, Abby Raftis, Lia Raftis, and Morgan Cartwright were battle tested just days prior at the MHSAA Regional meet. Knowing they had to keep purple and white in immediate sight, Emma Watson led-off with an over-zealous start, but was able to hold on to handoff neck-and-neck with Woodhaven. Next, Abby Raftis remained within a stride around the track handing off to her twin, Lia, who maintained the stride deficit. Going into the final handoff Morgan Cartwright increased the lead over the trailing Carlson Marauders and finished just a few strides behind Woodhaven, sealing the deal and clinching the meet in a season-best time. “This is a special team, a special group of girls. A full team effort was needed and that is what they delivered. The season had plenty of ups and downs, and a mountain of adversity. However, that is where our ladies always stepped up. The preparation by our coaching staff, especially my assistant Joe Donnelly, was outmatched by none! This was 12-months in the making and to finish the journey in such a thrilling matchup makes this Championship even more spectacular.”   NOTES: - Lyric Spears and Gianna Tiberia earned Downriver All-League Honors with their 1 st place finishes This is Allen Park’s first Downriver League Championship and first League title in 14-years This was the 10 th Anniversary Downriver League Championship Meet The Lady Jags scored in 16 of 17 events The team went undefeated in regular-season dual meets AP 95  Gibraltar Carlson 42 AP 92  Wyandotte Roosevelt 44 AP 112  Trenton 25 AP 115  Taylor 22 AP 74  Woodhaven 63 AP 105 Melvindale 27 This was the 7 th Allen Park girls’ athletic program to claim a Downriver League Title this school season!!! Chloe Bateman became the first athlete (along with Abby Slate – softball) to achieve team championships with 3 sports (Cross Country, Basketball, Track & Field) in 1 school season in school history. Results ...

In a matchup of the last undefeated teams in the Downriver League, The Lady Jags traveled to the Woodhaven Warriors at Woodhaven High School on Tuesday. The Warriors sought to end the Jags 10-meet winning streak, which included a win against the Warriors last season. The Warriors came out strong, with quick wins in the Shot Put, Discus, and High Jump. Izzy Conn (30’1.5”), Maddie Scroggins (91’5”), and Kylee Dietz (4’8”) held their ground in the events, respectively, to hold down 2nd place marks. The Warriors kept up the pressure on the track handily winning the 4x800m Relay and taking a strong 2nd and 3rd in the 100m High Hurdles. Lyric Spears cruised to victory in the 100m High Hurdles. The Jags then shook off the lag and rattled off a string of 7-straight event victories and 2 more in the field. Lyric Spears (12.90) and Marisa Kepes (13.50) scrapped out a crucial 1-2 in the 100m dash. That was followed by a determined 4x200m Relay squad who posted a season-best time 1:54.50, 2.7 seconds better than the Warriors and a FULL 3-seconds better than their previous best. Lisa Luecke (5:45.5) then ran a masterful 1600m to claim top-spot. The 4x100m relay of Paige Allen, Lyric Spears, Jessika Palmarchuk, and Marisa Kepes remained undefeated on the season with a season-best 53.10. In the 400m, the Raftis twins battled with a fellow freshman, Klaire Schott, from Woodhaven, where Abby Raftis pulled ahead in the final 10 meters to capture the win, with her sister Lia Raftis just a couple strides back for 3 rd place. By this point in the meet, Long Jump and Pole Vault results became official, with the Lady Jags taking a huge sweep in the Long Jump by Lyric Spears, Gianna Tiberia, and Kylee Dietz (who subsequently suffered an MCL sprain). Gianna also tacked on a victory in the pole vault with a vault of 8’0” and Jessika Palmarchuk added an additional 3 points with a vault of 6’0” In the 300m Low Hurdles, the squad continued to catch fire with Morgan Cartwright dominating the race with a time of 50.20. Her teammate Adri Carone posted her career-best to steal a 2 nd place off of the final hurdle with a tremendous time of 51.20. After being swept in the 800m and 200m dash, the squad still needed just 1 point to clinch victory. In the pivotal 3200m match, the top-ranked “2-miler” Klaire Schott of Woodhaven battled with Lisa Luecke. The two battled back-and-forth for much of the second-half of the race exchanging brief leads in the final 1-kilometer. With 500-meters remaining, Lisa finally pulled away and increased her lead on the back-stretch. Chloe Bateman also finished strong, with the 3 rd -best time posted this season in the 3200m in the Downriver League, placing 3rd. The final event of the day, the 4x400m Relay was closely contested, where the final leg for Woodhaven out-dueled Morgan Cartwright to post the final points for Woodhaven. The final score: Allen Park 74 Woodhaven 63 The Jags will host the Melvindale Cardinals in their final regular season meet next Tuesday at Lincoln Park High School.   NOTES : This extends the the Lady Jags winning streak to 11 meets, the longest winning streak since the 2003-2004 seasons. Personal Best Performances Lisa Luecke – 4x800m Split & 3200m Adri Carone – 300m Low Hurdles Marisa Kepes – 100m dash Paige Allen – 100m dash & 200m dash   Official Results ...

The Jags traveled through the rush hour commute on Friday to compete at the Steve Johnson Relays hosted by Warren Mott. Despite a 30-minute rain delay and persistent 40+ mph winds, the Jaguar thinclads were able to scrap out 63 points and prevail amongst a field of 16 teams! The field events claimed the vast majority of points from the relay-style format, amassing 40 points in 5 events! Pole Vault (Julia Beaudrie & Jessika Palmarchuk), High Jump (Kylee Dietz, Lyric Spears, & Julia Beaudrie), and Long Jump (Lyric Spears, Kylee Dietz, & Julia Beaudrie) all claimed gold medals. Discus (Maddie Scroggins, Bekah Reckling, & Izzy Conn) placed 3rd. Shot Put (Izzy Conn, Kiara Miller, & Paige Tuttle) placed 4th. On the track, the Shuttle Hurdle Relay (Kylee Dietz, Adri Carone, Morgan Cartwright, & Lyric Spears) set a meet record en route to their gold medals. The distance squad put up solid season-best performances in the 4x800 (Chloe Bateman, Melena Sclesky, Mackenzie Lada, & Lisa Luecke) and Distance Medley (Melena Sclesky, Abby Raftis, Mackenzie Lada, & Lisa Luecke) for a pair of 4th place medals. The 4x100 squad (Paige Allen, Lyric Spears, Jessika Palmarchuk, & Marisa Kepes) also claimed 4th place medals. The 4x400 squad (Abby Raftis, Lia Raftis, Alaina Goulasarian, & Morgan Cartwright) rounded out the scoring with a 6th place finish. It is the first time in recent memory that the Allen Park Track & Field program has claimed an invitational Championship. Results ...