MUSKEGON TOWNSHIP - Earlier in the season, Reeths-Puffer's Jaxon Allen wasn’t running his best, and one had to wonder if the two-time state qualifier was still hungry for success.
That question answered itself over the past few weeks, when Allen started turning on the jets and winning cross country races again, like usual.
Midway through Saturday’s Greater Muskegon Athletic Association City Meet, one had to wonder if Allen, who was the favorite after taking third last year, had the gas to win the individual championship.
He was in first place, but barely, just a few feet in front of several other runners.
But that question answered itself, as well, as the runners neared the finish line at University Park Golf Course.
Allen was still in first place, but the second-place runner was nowhere in sight, and his title was guaranteed.
R-P's Jaxon Allen, right, when he had a small lead midway through the race.
Allen won his first individual GMAA championship with a time of 16:12.84, easily beating Whitehall’s Stewart Waters, who finished second with a time of 16:19.73.
“He’s competitive, talented, analytical, and he thinks and listens to his body," R-P boys coach Darin Grant said about Allen. "He has everything that’s needed to do well."
The best part was that Allen wasn’t the only Rocket to have a championship day. His entire team was celebrating when it was all said and done, because Reeths-Puffer won the team championship, as well.
The Rockets finished with 66 points, just edging out second-place Fruitport, which finished with 70.
It was the R-P boys’ first team GMAA title since 2020, when Allen was a freshman.
Allen cruises toward the finish line with no opponents anywhere close behind him.
“I knew it was going to be a battle with Fruitport, for sure, and I thought Western Michigan Christian and Whitehall might be right there, too,” Coach Grant said. “The message today was to run your smart race. Just do what we always do and we will come out in a good position.
"The only thing I asked them to do differently was kick a little sooner, kick a little better and take a few more guys out. That turned out to be the four-point difference that we needed to win today.”
Of course Allen’s performance was a big part of the Rockets' team success.
The senior standout said he was less inspired to improve on last year’s finish than he was by the memory of his eighth-grade experience.
He won the middle school GMAA race that year and remembered how good it felt.
“I had memories of that,” he said. “It was rainy out, the same type of weather.”
R-P's Kye Grant, who finished fourth individually.
For Allen, the entire season, and Saturday’s race, have been about pacing himself.
He said it took some time at the beginning of the season to work himself back into shape, but he wasn’t worried, because he knew he would find his stride on time for the big meets.
On Saturday he said he had a plan to start a bit slowly and make his move later in the race.
“The plan was to get through the second mile then go for the lead,” Allen said. “I was with the first person for the first two miles, then the last mile was just go."
Allen said it was nice to win, not only for himself, but for the school and his teammates.
“Coming out and having fun is honestly the main goal, and with winning comes more fun,” he said.
R-P's Tate Bradley, who finished sixth individually.
The Rockets shaved a lot of points by having two other runners finish in the top 10, as well – junior Kye Grant, who finished fourth with a time of 16:53.94, and senior Tate Bradley, who finished sixth with a time of 17:05.72.
The two other R-P scorers also did very well and helped the team secure its narrow victory. Sophomores Jack Yonkman (18:09.54) and Dylan Sturr (18:44.12) finished 22nd and 33rd, respectively, in the 106-runner field.
Kye Grant, who battled some illness lately and had not run as well as usual, said he was happy with his individual finish, but added that it’s a lot more fun to win as a team.
“It’s the best,” he said. “This was something special to win as a team. I could see it come together over the course of the season, because everyone has been putting in the work.”
