There’s a new No. 1 runner on the Reeths-Puffer boys cross country team, and he got off to a nice start to the 2022 season on Tuesday.
Junior Jaxon Allen finished in seventh place with a time of 17:30.30 in the Eagle Invitational at Fruitport Calvary Christian High School.
Allen takes over for former R-P star Klay Grant, a three-time city champion who capped his career by finishing eighth in the state finals last year.
Grant graduated in June, leaving Allen at the top of the hill, and Coach Darin Grant thinks he is ready to have a big season.
R-P's Jaxon Allen, who finished seventh in the Eagle Invitational.
"Jaxon is a great runner,” Coach Grant said. “He finished 58th in the Division 1 state finals last year, and to do that well as a sophomore against the top dogs in the state is pretty amazing. I think he’s going to have a great season.”
The rest of the R-P boys squad had a so-so run, with the team finishing sixth out of eight in the field with 141 points. Grand Haven won the event with 25 points.
Kye Grant finished 18th overall with a time of 18:24.11. Jamie Neel was 28th (19:23.55), Jack Yonkman was 39th (20:28.62) and Dylan Sturr took 57th (24:25.96).
The Rockets, who have been strong in recent seasons, are in a bit a rebuilding mode, according to Grant.
Kye Grant, who finished in 18th place.
“We have a real young team,” the coach said. “I had them start out a little slower today just to work into the pace. They had a pretty good workout on Monday and they were not super fresh. They don’t need to be fresh right now at the beginning of the season. They have work to get done.
“We are gaining experience, figuring some things out, making mistakes and learning from them.”
The Reeths-Puffer girls team also competed in the tournament, finishing in seventh place with 147 points. Grand Haven won with 33 points.
The top runner for the Rockets was Jersi Bilek, who took 14th with a time of 22:39.69.
Eva Shinabery was 31st (24:43.50), Ellie Knapp took 34th (25:08.56), Keeley Cole finished 36th (26:35.58) and Adrienne Fluette was 39th (27:04.68).
