Hornet Boys First at South Lyon Invitational Cross Country Meet

The Saline Hornets boys’ cross country team got off on the right foot, Saturday, winning the South Lyon invite at Island Lake State Park.

The Hornets placed five runners in the top 11, led by senior Nick Renberg, who completed the course in 16:16 to win the event.

Saline boys’ cross country coach Carl Spina was pleased to see his team start the season well.

“Opening up the season with a win is always nice. It is some validation for those kids. Those boys have ran a lot of miles this summer and taking home a trophy from South Lyon was a nice reward for all of that running,” said Spina, who was a little concerned to have five boys with no varsity experience running in the big race. “It's tough to predict how a kid is going to react to that kind of situation. You don't know what you are going to get, but most of our guys handled it better than I could have hoped.”

One guy Spina didn’t have questions about was Renberg.

“He focused on doing a few things very well today and he hit those perfectly. He has a lot of talent and has had a great summer of training, so the sky is the limit for that kid. Today he took some nice steps towards his goals,” said Saline boys’ cross country coach Carl Spina.

Freshman Logan Wetzel was the second Hornet over the line. He finished in 17:11 to take sixth overall.

“I knew he would be good, but he's already about four or five weeks ahead of where I thought he would be. It was fun watching him race because he just kept moving up. He may have been a little nervous at the start, but he handled it well,” Spina said. “Saturday was his first high school race, and he pretty much knocked it out of the park on his first try.”

Grant Praschan was the third Hornet to cross the line, placing eighth in 17:20.

“Praschan is a tough runner, a very gutsy kid, and that helps a lot, but sometimes it gets him into trouble. He's learning to run with that raw emotion while being relaxed physically,” Spina said.

Also placing in the top five for Saline were Dylan Jennings (8th, 17:25) and Anthony Lamus (11th, 17:30). Spina said the pair, along with Andrew Kitto and Paul Chandler, were impressive considering their lack of varsity experience.

“Jennings and Lamus worked together throughout the race and just hung on to each other. In the late stages of the race, they made some nice moves while other kids were falling apart, and that was the difference,” Spina said. “Chandler and Kitto didn't have great days, but they are kids that will be contending for top-seven spots and gaining experience is important for those guys.”

The Hornets are back in action Wednesday at Huron Meadows Metro Park.

“It's another chance for our kids to practice smart racing. A few of our older kids will not race there and will focus on training instead,” Spina said.