Gus Rohde was the No. 1 runner for Reed City this season.
Courtesy photoREED CITY – Gus Rodhe has already established himself as one of the area’s best runners.
Wait till next season.
The Reed City sophomore was the top runner for a team which won the Central State Activities Association and finished sixth in the Division 3 state meet. With most of the team coming back, there’s talk of finishing much higher in the state standings for 2023.
Rohde is among the returning runners for a Coyote team which placed sixth in the state meet and looks poised to finish much higher next season.
“It was going really good,” Rohde said. “It started off strong and I kept getting stronger. Getting first place at a couple of meets and getting second at conference was pretty nice.”
It was “100 percent his best season of the two,” Rodhe said. The key was “summer training. I went to camp over the summer.”
Rohde had three invitational wins. He helped Reed City win the CSAA boys title and then he was sixth at regional to help the Coyotes take second and qualify for the state Division 3 finals. He was 18th at the state finals in 16:36.1 for individual all-state. He got his PR at the MITCA meet of champions in 16:16.8.
“Mostly, I try to set a good pace but I don’t try get too far ahead from where I want to be,” Rohde said of his race strategy. “At Manistee, I won the race and I ran against a good runner. I stood back on him the first mile and got him the second mile.”
The Coyotes were expected to have a strong team and it proved to be the case.
“We have great team chemistry,” Rohde said. “We worked well together. We pushed each other.”
Rohde will be playing basketball this winter and indicated he’ll try some indoor meets. He’ll also be in outdoor track. Cross country is his favorite.
“I like the weather, the environment and the team chemistry,” he said. “You also go on a lot of different courts.”
Rohde’s older brother, Calvin, was also an exceptional Reed City runner and is competing at Concordia University in Nebraska.
THE GUS ROHDE FILE
Favorite athlete: Cole Hockert
Favorite food: Chicken alfredo
Favorite subject in school: Math
Favorite movie: Remember the Titans
Favorite singer: Tom Petty
Favorite activity outside of sports: Hang out with friends
