
Wildcats take second at MIS
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SPECIAL MOMENT: Evart cross country coach Andy Eichelberger holds the Division 4 state runner-up trophy Saturday while Max Hodges (left) and David Zinger enjoy the moment. (Herald Review photo/John Raffel)SPECIAL MOMENT: Evart cross country coach Andy Eichelberger holds the Division 4 state runner-up trophy Saturday while Max Hodges (left) and David Zinger enjoy the moment. (Herald Review photo/John Raffel)
SPECIAL MOMENT: Evart cross country coach Andy Eichelberger holds the Division 4 state runner-up trophy Saturday while Max Hodges (left) and David Zinger enjoy the moment. (Herald Review photo/John Raffel)
SPECIAL MOMENT: Evart cross country coach Andy Eichelberger holds the Division 4 state runner-up trophy Saturday while Max Hodges (left) and David Zinger enjoy the moment. (Herald Review photo/John Raffel)
Evart’s Zinger, Cards’ Ruiz have big days at cross country state final
BROOKLYN – Evart celebrated a second-place team finish and also the No. 2 runner in the state to highlight area accomplishments at the state cross country finals on Saturday at Michigan International Speedway. David Zinger took second place for the Wildcats, while in Division 2, Clark Ruiz of Big Rapids was third for the boys and Megan O’Neil of Chippewa Hills was seventh for the girls. Here’s a team-by-team review of local participants. EVART Zinger fired in at second place individually in 15:52.8 as his team took second with 100 points behind Concord, which had 61. It was his last race as a senior and Zinger was happy with his performance. “It’s a pretty good way to go out,” Zinger said. “We thought we’d get top four. We had no idea.” It was almost an hour after the race, when all the points were totaled that Evart realized it had taken second place, ahead of Pewamo-Westphalia, which had 117. “This is the best we’ve ever done,” said Evart coach Andy Eichelberger, in his 13th year of coaching. “They tied for first place at team track (state finals) last year. Now it’s runner-up for cross country.” For team scoring, Max Hodges was seventh in 16:21.1, Logan Hammer 12th in 16:30.5, Santana Scott 22nd in 16:54.1, Zach Douglas 57th in 17:41.9 Ryan Tuttle was 77th in 18:07.3 and Akira Inoue 149th in 19:30.1 With all runners combined, Zinger was second while Hodges was ninth, Hammer 19th, Scott 36th and Douglas 97th. Eichelberger saluted his No. 4 and 5 runners for helping the Wildcats get the necessary points for a high finish. “They were probably the most improved,” he said. “They ran smart.” “We have a good cross country program,” Hodges, a junior said. “We lose David and Logan. Hopefully, we’ll get some new runners.” Grace Hamilton ran for the Evart girls and was 54th in 20:47.6 for her first year at state. “I went out fast, like I should of,” she said. “I passed people the whole race.” A strong start was a key in her race, Hamilton said. “I went out faster than I have been so I didn’t get boxed in,” Hamilton said. “The weather was beautiful. It was a little cold. “I had a great season,” she said. “I had a lot of fun with my team.”
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