Chuck
Schoedel, Jaylee Brown
and Chips’ Kelly Schubert earn All-State honors
Manistee News Advocate Staff
Report
Published November 8, 2009
Bear Lake’s Chuck
Schoedel (1329) took 22nd in the Division 4 state finals on Saturday
at Michigan International Speedway. (Photo courtesy of Bonnie Brown)
BROOKLYN — The Bear Lake boys cross
country team finished sixth in the Division 4 state finals on Saturday
at Michigan International Speedway.
Individually, Bear Lake’s Chuck Schoedel and Jaylee Brown and Manistee’s
Kelly Schubert all finished in the top 30, earning them All-State
honors.
“It’s just unbelievable,” said Bear Lake coach Eric Ross. “I think the
kids are doing what they’re supposed to be doing. It shows what they
really wanted to achieve this year and I think they achieved everything
they set out to do.”
The Bear Lake boys team, which won a regional title, finished sixth with
228 points. Concord won the Division 4 state title with 109 points,
while Bridgman (144), North Muskegon (165), Potterville (168) and
Saranac (202) rounded out the top five in the 27-team field.
Chuck Schoedel led the Lakers by finishing
22nd overall in 17:01.2 to earn All-State honors for a second straight
year. Among just those competing as members of a team, he was 13th.
“Chucky ran an unbelievable race,” Ross said. “He was 40th at mile two
and his last-mile effort was the hardest mile because it was all into
the wind. People were slowing down and he passed them like they were
standing still.”
Also finishing for Bear Lake (with places reflected by team runners) was
Tyler Groenwald (39th, 17:50.9), Josh Goins (50th, 18:03.8), Danny Brown
(60th, 18:12), Lewis Bartlett (66th, 18:15.4), Ryan Pienta (74th,
18:25.9) and Alex Ringel (118th, 19:16.8).
“It was phenomenal,” Ross said. “Tyler was unbelievable today. For the
boys, really it was Danny Brown, Josh Goins, Lewis, Alex and Ryan that
made the difference. They’re the ones that won us sixth place today. We
were only two points away from being beat by Hesperia.
“They ran like a team today. They ran tight, they ran together, they
stayed strong, and that was the difference.”
Bear Lake girls Brown and Tobi Schoedel ran as individuals in the
Division 4 race and both finished in the top 40. Brown, a sophomore,
finished 24th in 20:34.8 to earn All-State honors for a second straight
year.
“Jaylee was disappointed by her time, but I tried to explain to her that
this race isn’t about time, it’s about place,” Ross said. “That’s a
great compliment to her training. If you had kind of a bad race, and
you’re an All-Stater ... what’s that tell you?”
Tobi Schoedel, a junior, took 40th in 21:07.5. “Tobi had a phenomenal
race,” Ross said. “Tobi has her sights set on being an All-Stater next
year. That’s a great goal for someone to set out for. She knows she can
get there now. She realizes what she can do.”
Schubert, a sophomore, was the first Manistee runner in the state finals
in three years. She finished 29th in 20:00 to earn All-State honors.
Photo -->
“I’m thrilled to see her make it All-State as a sophomore,” said
Manistee coach Eric Thuemmel. “I can see her making a play for the top
10 next year.” |
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The Benzie Central boys won a Division 3 state title while the girls
placed third.
Laker boys show their power
as they prepare for a post-State-Meet football game back in Onekama.
(Photos may come later)
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| Laker harriers epitomize true
meaning of team By MATT
WENZEL, Manistee News Advocate Sports Editor
The Bear Lake girls cross country team didn’t
get a chance to compete in the state finals this year. |
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But, when all the times were clocked and the scores were entered, one
selfless display showed more about the true meaning of a team, and had
more of an impact than any state title ever could.
Sophomore Jaylee Brown, one of only two Bear Lake girls that ran in the
state finals, finished 24th and earned All-State honors for a second
straight year.
However, Brown thought of a better home for the hardware, and decided to
give it to senior teammate Elizabeth Schoedel, who didn’t qualify to run
in the state meet, but was still there for support.
“I went to go give her a hug after she got
her medal and the next thing I know, she’s just trying to put it around
my neck,” Schoedel said. “The next thing I know, we’re crying because
she’s trying to give me her medal and I feel guilty because I didn’t
personally earn it.”
Brown disagrees.
“She had been working really hard this season,” Brown said. “The whole
team didn’t get to make it to state so I thought it was really important
to give it to a senior that really deserved to go to state.
“I knew it would mean a lot to her and it meant a lot to me to give to
her.”
It did, it does, and it speaks volumes about the Lakers.
Sophomore Jaylee Brown
(left) handed off her All-State medal to teammate Elizabeth Schoedel.
There was no police escort for the bus on
its way back into town. No parade route lined with fans, cheering and
shouting their support from the side of the road. But, none of that was
expected by the Bear Lake runners, who returned from the state finals in
a most inconspicuous manner.
The Lakers are used to operating under the radar, but their
accomplishments are nonetheless noteworthy.
The boys finished sixth in the state and had two girls finish in the top
40 as individuals.
Those are significant feats, but pale in comparison to the way the team
operates, on and off the course.
The Lakers co-op between student athletes from Onekama and Bear Lake,
but you could never tell when the team is together. The team seems to
operate as one unbreakable unit, and while cross country can be an
intensely individual sport, the Lakers don’t treat it that way.
A couple weeks ago, there was an invitational held at Manistee High
School. The Lakers didn’t run in the event, but showed up as a team to
cheer on the Chippewas.
And, while not all of the runners qualified for the state finals, that
didn’t mean the season was over for anyone.
The Lakers that weren’t even running in the state finals practiced all
week with the others, staying on to help push their teammates at the end
of the season.
Running a couple miles in cold, miserable conditions might seem like
torture for some, but for the Lakers, it was just a matter following
through on their obligation to the team.
That continued at the state finals on Saturday.
While not all the runners qualified to race in the meet, the whole team
made the four-hour drive to Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn.
And when the last runner crossed the finish line, Bear Lake coach Eric
Ross wasn’t worried about places or times.
“When they finished the race, I could have cared less where they
finished because I was so proud of the effort they put in,” he said. “As
far as I’m concerned, they all finished first. I felt like we won the
state meet today. I couldn’t have been more proud of the kids today.”
Ross had more than one reason to revel in his team, and Brown provided a
couple. “Jaylee was about 200 yards from the finishing line and a girl
she was passing was slowing down and she grabbed the girl’s hand and
told her to get moving,” Ross said. “Who does that in the state meet?
You’re trying to humble your opponents and she’s grabbing her hand
telling her to get her butt moving.”
However, that was nothing compared to what Brown did after the race was
over, by giving Schoedel her All-State medal. “It means a lot,” Schoedel
said. “She’s a really good friend. I told her parents that they should
be so proud of her because she’s so mature and a real selfless person.”
The act reduced a number of people to tears, and had Ross awestruck.
“That’s just incredible,” he said. “It’s so much deeper than cross
country. It’s just the common thread these kids have amongst each other.
When you have a team that’s so unified in what they want, it’s so great
to see the things that come from these kids.
“This is what you ask for and this is what we got — kids being teammates
and finding that being a teammate is more important. The race is 20
minutes out of the day, but being a good teammate is the rest of your
life. That’s what these kids realized and it’s really good to see how it
all came together.”
Teams are predicated on individual sacrifice for the good of everyone.
The Lakers continue to stand out as a shining example of what that
really means.
Matt Wenzel can be reached at:
mwenzel@pioneergroup.com
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