Sophomore Linda Lopez runs for the girls team at states

By Jim Newell
Managing Editor
jnewell@mihomepaper.com
BROOKLYN, Mich. — The Lake Orion High School boys cross country team competed in the MHSAA Division 1 State Finals on Nov. 2 at the Michigan International Speedway, finishing 21st in the state.
“It was a beautiful day to run cross country, 55 degrees, and the course was firm and fast,” said varsity head coach Andrew McDonald. “At the start line were 252 of the fastest runners in the state of Michigan.”
Junior Max Houvener was the first Dragon finisher with a time of 16:04 minutes, good for 58th place. Senior Raymond Lucero II finished in 16:16 for 86th place, and senior Blake Peardon finished in 16:20 for 96th place.
Freshman Ricardo Guajardo ran the course in 16:56 minutes to take 182nd place, junior Alex Skakal, ran 17:05 for 196th place, sophomore Zach McGee finished in 17:47 minutes for 239th and senior Trevor Meldrum finished in 18:11 minutes for 242nd place to complete the scoring for the Dragons. The final scoring resulted in a 21st place for Lake Orion.
“Overall, this was a great team experience, the captains in the program led a young Dragon squad to the State Finals. I am very proud of the boys and they gave their best effort at the finals. The seniors in the program leave a legacy of success – qualifying for the team state finals – and philanthropy to the community with the 42 Strong run,” McDonald said.
Girls results
The Lake Orion girls varsity cross country team did not qualify for the state finals as a team, but did have one runner representing the Dragons. Sophomore Linda Lopez finished in 96th place out of 266 runners with a time of 19:22.4 minutes.