Renberg, Bishop Lead Hornets to Fourth Place in State

BROOKLYN — All-state runners Nick Renberg and Spencer Bishop powered Saline to a fourth place finish in the MHSAA Division 1 cross country race at Michigan International Speedway Saturday.

In his final race for the Hornets, Renberg was in contention for the state championship right up until the final 200 yards, but he couldn't find the kick he needed to overtake winner Garret Zuk, of Lakeland. Renberg finished third in 15:28.6. Bishop, too, made the all-state stage, placing  26th in 15:58.4.

Saline finished with 186 points. Milford, who had three top 10 runners, won the state championship with 128 points. Hartland was second with 172 points. Waterford Mott was third with 177.

"You know, our guys came here and they wanted more. Sometimes I think the only thing that would have satisfied them is winning the state championship," said Saline coach Carl Spina. "But fourth in the state is pretty good. It's our goal to make the top 10 every year. We knew this was going to be a tight race. We just wanted to come here and focus on racing well and I think we did that."

Renberg came to his last meet with designs on a state championship.

"I wanted to get out, take a lead, make it ugly and win it. I did every thing I could but I it wasn't quite enough," said Renberg, who bested his old personal record by six seconds. "Still, I feel like I left it all out on the course. I feel good about that."

Spina said he was impressed by the way Renberg approached the race.

"He developed a plan that he was comfortable with and he executed that plan in a pretty exciting environment. He showed a lot of patience and maturity. He's developed so much as a runner and an athlete," Spina said.

It was also the last race for Bishop, who came in under 16 minutes for the first time in his career.

""He's pretty happy about that. I know he wanted to do more and to help the team achieve more, but he's all-state. That's something that people understand. He'll have that medal for the rest of his life," Spina said.

Freshman Logan Wetzel passed several runners in his sprint to the finish line and placed 33rd in 16:03.2. He just missed make the all-state team as a freshman. He was the fourth fastest freshman in the race.

"This race was perfect for Logan because he loves to pass people, and there are so many people people in this race. What he did today is quite an achievement. He's the fastest freshman Saline has ever had," said Spina, who also likes the way Wetzel handles himself.

"He works hard and always has a positive attitude. He's just glad to be on the team and to help the guys succeed. Not an ounce of his success has gone to his head," Spina said.

Junior Grant Praschan was 92nd in 16:35.1. Senior and co-captain Jonathan Parker, who was added to the team after a solid performance during the regional reserve race, completed Saline's scoring by placing 104th in 16:41.2.

"Jonathan always finds a way to step up in the big races and he did that again today," Spina said.

Anthony Lamus was 150th in 16:58.1. Andrew Kitto was 152nd in 16:58.9.