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IRON MOUNTAIN -- Running a little extra distance didn't hinder the Negaunee boys as they earned top honors in the Kingsford Invitational cross country meet here Tuesday.
The Miners, who placed three among the top four, scored 36 points. They were followed by Escanaba 53 and Stephenson 66.
At least a half-dozen took a wrong turn about halfway through the race, including Negaunee's top three harriers, adding an additional quarter-mile on this sunny and hot afternoon at Iron Mountain City Park.
The Negaunee girls also won with 20 points, and Esky was runner-up at 36.
"I think this is the first time this happened to me as a coach," said Negaunee mentor Vickie Paupore. "This is the first time I remember both of our teams winning on the same day. The girls did very well, and I'm proud of the way the guys battled back. Seeing our top three boys running as a pack was so wonderful. I'm real proud of the kids. They put in a good performance on a hot day on a tough course."
Negaunee senior John Plaxco won in 19 minutes, 51.3 seconds, followed by freshman teammate Simon Jaklin (20:13.9), Stephenson senior Griffin Brown (20:23.1) and Negaunee senior James Dank (20:29.1).
"This feels great," said Plaxco. "It's really refreshing to win one. This is a pretty big confidence builder. We ran together and paced off each other. We ran good times considering we ran a quarter-mile extra. There are no excuses. We didn't see the arrows. It just made for extra training."
Jaklin, who passed a couple runners in the final quarter-mile, said the miscue took place on a sharp turn.
"There was a 110-degree turn to the right," he added. "If you looked right, you didn't see it. I was really tired. I had no energy left. I just knew I had to go hard."
It didn't take very long for the top runners to correct their mistakes, according to Dank.
"We realized it didn't look familiar," he said. "It kind of distracted me, but we kept our composure and went back to work. We're really tightly-knit as a team."
Esky senior Dan Smith placed fifth (20:33.5). He was followed by Holy Name sophomore Joe Carlson (20:44.2) and Kingsford senior Ethan Congdon (20:46.7).
"I think the heat affected me a little today," said Smith. "I think starting near the shade and woods helped. I felt I could go out a little harder. Overall, it felt like I had a good race for in this heat."
Negaunee senior Endla Harris was crowned girls' champion for the second time in a row at 22:29.1. She was followed by sophomore teammate Marlee Plaxco (22:40.7) and Menominee senior Attica Brandt (23:51.3).
"That was good," said Harris, who also won last Thursday's Marquette County meet. "Marlee and I talked about this beforehand and decided to run together because we knew it was hot out there. That took some of the pressure off. That one we had at Presque Isle Park was hard. Surprisingly, it wasn't all that bad here. Marlee is a strong runner, and in the last half-mile, we were trying to pick up the pace. This is a pretty good confidence builder."
Marlee Plaxco was also happy with the way everything turned out.
"It was nice to be able to run with Endla," she said. "She kept pushing me all along. It's awesome to bring two championship plaques home and be up there in the pack."
Esky senior Morgan Makosky placed fourth (24:47.5), followed by Norway freshman Lauren Adams (25:56.4) and senior Taylor Adams (26:15.7).
"Sometimes, I think this course is cursed," said Makosky. "It's always so hot. I actually had no goal at all. This is my senior year, and I just want to enjoy it. I tried to maintain my pace on the hills rather than attack them. Halfway through I could see no one ahead of me or behind me, which made it less stressful. I think this is a confidence boost."
Boys
Negaunee 36, Escanaba 53, Stephenson 66, Kingsford 79, Menominee 104. Gwinn, Holy Name and Norway NTS.
Top 10 -- 1, John Plaxco, Negaunee, 19:51.3; 2, Simon Jaklin, Negaunee, 20:13.9; 3, Griffin Brown, Stephenson, 20:23.1; 4, James Dank, Negaunee, 20:29.1; 5, Dan Smith, Escanaba, 20:33.5; 6, Joe Carlson, Holy Name, 20:44.2; 7, Ethan Congdon, Kingsford, 20:46.7; 8, Ethyn Lusardi, Stephenson, 21:12.9; 9, Ben Smith, Escanaba, 21:17.9; 10, Joe Lundholm, Kingsford, 21:20.2.
Girls
Negaunee 20, Escanaba 36. Kingsford, Stephenson, Norway and Menominee NTS.
Top 10 -- 1, Endla Harris, Negaunee, 22:29.1; 2, Marlee Plaxco, Negaunee, 22:40.7; 3, Attica Brandt, Menominee, 23:51.3; 4, Morgan Makosky, Escanaba, 24:47.5; 5, Lauren Adams, Norway, 25:56.4; 6, Taylor Adams, Norway, 26:15.7; 7, Seere Helms-Gleason, Negaunee, 26:26.4; 8, Amara Rasmussen, Negaunee, 26:28.5; 9, Veronica Spreitzer, Escanaba, 26:43.3; 10, Sophia Weaver, Escanaba, 26:46.7.