Lenawee County athletes ready to get back on the track
Track and field season has already begun with Adrian and Tecumseh taking part in the SEC Invite at Ypsilanti Lincoln.
There are a lot of returning stars, including Onsted's Emmry Ross, Addison's Molly Brown and Adrian's Matthew Canales.
Here's a look at what's to come for Lenawee County track and field teams.
Boys Track and Field Preseason Athlete of the Year
Girls Track and Field Preseason Athlete of the Year
ADDISON
Boys: The Panthers took seventh in their regional and return a couple all-county honorees. Senior Spencer Brown was injured during the basketball season and will most likely be sidelined, but senior Brandon Pepper is back after earning Second Team All-County honors as well as Lucas Morse who was a state qualifier
Girls: The Panthers girls finished fourth in regionals led by Brown who won the high hurdles state title as a sophomore and is coming off an offseason full of events. Junior Stephanie Hernandez, senior Sayra Hernandez and sophomore Ava Beard are returning to give Addison a strong core this season.
ADRIAN
Boys: The Maples graduated an incredible group of seniors, but does return the senior Canales from the record breaking 4x800 group. Junior Isaiah Fox was a First Team All-County selection, senior Braylon Petty was a Second Team selection and sophomore Moises Salazar and seniors Donte Lester and William Winckles are back after earning honorable mention nods.
Girls: The Maples return a load of all-county talent to the track as they look to have a strong season. Junior Sophy Skeels and senior Makenna Johnson were First Team All-County members while sophomore Elicia Woods and seniors Ella Andre and Anastee Davis were honorable mentions.
BLISSFIELD
Boys: Evan Vore was the Royals' lone all-county honoree last season as an honorable mention and he'll back to improve in his junior season. Blissfield will look to move up the LCAA ranks and compete to get a few athletes to the state meet.
Girls: The Royals had a great season a year ago, taking third in regionals and will look to move up the MHSAA Division 3 standings this season with a group of strong returners. Senior Avery Collins was a First Team All-County honoree while sophomore Hope Miller and junior Peyton Tennant are back after Second Team All-County seasons and senior Layla Smith, sophomore Hailey Sills and junior Ella Bailey are all returning honorable mentions
BRITTON DEERFIELD
Boys: Jameson Watson is the Patriots' lone returning all-county rep as Steven Martin and Nick Wayne have graduated with Watson earning honorable mention recognition. BD will compete in the TCC with a young group of athletes.
Girls: Junior Aubrey Appleman will lead the Patriots into the season. The girls roster is small, but consists of some good athletes who will help BD compete in the TCC.
CLINTON
Boys: Junior Mason Brodie earned All-State honors in both the discus and shot put last season and will be in the mix for state titles this season. Junior Gabe Manchester and sophomores Elijah Turner and Brenden Benschoter return after All-County honorable mention seasons.
Girls: Senior Samantha Coots, junior Kaylie Livingston and sophomore Morgan Hill are all returning All-County honorable mention honors and will lead a large group of athletes. The Redwolves will look to climb the LCAA rankings this spring.
HUDSON
Boys: Junior Brennan Marshall is back after earning First Team All-County honors and is one of the fastest returners in the area Joining Marshall is All-County honorable mention, senior Alex Czeiszperger.
Girls: Sophomore Naika Rath had a tremendous freshman season, earning First Team All-County honors and is looking forward to improving her numbers this season. Junior Jayla Bright is back after earning an honorable mention nod as the two will look to lead the Tigers this season.
LENAWEE CHRISTIAN
Boys: The Cougars don't have a big team, but they sure are athletic. With the likes of seniors Blake Drogowski, Easton Boggs, Paul Towler and Sam Lutz and juniors Joel Lange and Brenner Powers, LCS isn't lacking in speed.
Girls: Junior Izzy Brooks earned Second Team All-County honors and also had a great fall in cross country, earning all-state honors. Brooks will lead and young LCS group.
MADISON
Boys: The Trojans are always strong, which is sure to make the race for the LCAA title interesting to say the least. They'll have young group, graduating a number of all-county honorees, but junior Jalonn Borders is back after earning honorable mention honors last season.
Girls: Madison takes its 16-straight conference titles to a new league as the Trojans moved to the LCAA. Leading them there is senior First Team All-County selection Tatum Wilson along with seniors Emily Murry and Jillian Kendrick along with juniors Lillian Arnett.
MORENCI
Boys: The Bulldogs will have an entire new look with a new coach, in Jonathan Boesger and no returning all-county members. Juniors Michael Rising and Beau Shaffer each made it states last season and will look to return this season.
Girls: With Madison gone, the TCC is up for grabs and Morenci is one of teams looking to take the title. Seniors Neili Pike and Leah Rorick earned Second Team All-County honors and will look to lead the Bulldogs this season.
ONSTED
Boys: The Wildcats took the LCAA title last season and has a few all-county members returning despite graduating a load of talent from last season. Junior Mitchell Hiatt was a First Team All-County member while junior Aidan Paquin was a Second Team All-County member. Another junior, James Bayes was back after an honorable mention while sophomore Mason Chesser is back as well.
Girls: The 400 and 800-meter champ, Ross, is back to add to her collection of medals. Ross is the returning Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year, but she isn't alone in leading the Wildcats. Junior Alison England is a returning honorable mention honoree as the two will look to make up for a number of graduates.
SAND CREEK
Boys: Senior Corbyn Pinsoneault is back after earning Second Team All-County honors while senior Josh Russell earned All-County honorable mention. The Aggies have a deep roster to compete with in the TCC.
Girls: Tanana Emmendorfer is back to lead the Aggies after earning Second Team All-County honors last season. Sand Creek has a long list of athletes for this season and will look to compete for the TCC title.
TECUMSEH
Boys: Tecumseh is bringing a lot back for the 2024 season with senior AJ Bryan back with Second Team All-County sophomore Declan Cornish. Earning honorable mention nods last season were senior Bryant Batyik and junior Bryan McCutcheon.
Girls: Tecumseh graduated a loaded class and will look to some new names to compete in the SEC White. Juniors Madison Morris, Addison Lucas and Claire Cousineau are all returning All-County honorable mentions and will look to keep Tecumseh strong.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Lenawee County track and field athletes looking forward to strong 2024
