By Jim Newell
Managing Editor
jnewell@mihomepaper.com
ORION TWP. — The Lake Orion boys and girls varsity cross country teams won the Stan Ford Invitational at Lake Orion High School on Oct. 11.
The Lake Orion boys team finished first with 21 points. Rochester Adams was second with 51 points, Stoney Creek was third with 67 points, North Farmington was fourth with 94 points and Davison was fifth with 155 points.

The Lake Orion girls won the invitational with 31 points, followed by Rochester Adams, 58 points, Stoney Creek, 58 points, North Farmington, 86 points, and Davison, 136 points.
The Stan Ford Invitational is named after legendary cross country coach Stan Ford, who coached cross country and track for 40 years at Lake Orion.
Boys Race Results
“It was a perfect day for a cross country meet at Lake Orion High School. This is the third year of the Stan Ford – Lake Orion cross country meet, and the Dragon Boys did not disappoint on their home course,” said coach Andrew McDonald. “The team honored the efforts of Coach Ford and his 40 years of coaching the boys by winning the event.”
Lake Orion took four out of the first five places in the boys race. Max Houvener won his first invitational in 17:04 minutes and continued a strong junior campaign. Senior Raymond Lucero II was close behind in 17:20 for second place, freshman Ricardo Guajardo 17:35 for fourth place, and junior Alex Skakal ran 17:56 for fifth place. Sophomore Zach McGee ran 18:14 for ninth place, to complete the scoring. Freshman Aiden McDonald ran 19:23, and senior Aiden Callahan ran 19:37 to complete the varsity scoring.
“What a great way to honor the seniors and Coach Ford with a win,” McDonald said. “This was a team goal this season and I am proud of how everyone stepped up to the challenge. Max and Raymond led from the start of the race and set the tone for the rest of the team. This will prepare us well for the upcoming championship races (leagues and regionals).”
Girls Race Results
The Dragons had five runners in the top 10 in the girls varsity 5k race.
Sophomore Natalie Meldrum was Lake Orion’s top runner, finishing third overall with a time of 21:13.1 minutes. Sophomores Liliana Anderson, 21:46.6, and Mary Graves, 21:55.2, were fourth and fifth, respectively. Junior Lillian Brodoski was ninth with a time of 22:56.8 and junior Elizabeth Crawford finished 10th with a time of 22:58.9.
Sophomore Lilly Francek was 19th at 23:4.5; freshman Advika Rao was 20th with a time of 23:41.1; sophomore Gabrielle Goleski was 21st at 23:45.6; senior Amelia Guccione was 24th with a time of 23:50.9 and senior Mariana Milan was 25th with a time of 23:51.2 out of 67 runners.
The teams’ next race is the OAA Red Jamboree 3 on Thursday at Clintonwood Park in Clarkston. The boys varsity race begins at 3:30 p.m. followed by the girls varsity race at 3:56 p.m.
The MHSAA Lower Peninsula Region 8-1 meet is on Oct. 25 at Clintonwood Park. The boys race begins at 3:40 p.m., with the girls slated for 4:15 p.m. start time.
Oakland County Cross Country Championship
The Lake Orion High School varsity boys cross country team took seventh place out of 32 teams at the Oakland County Cross Country High School Championships on Oct. 5, while the girls finished 13th out of 29 teams.
Junior Max Houvener was ninth overall with a time of 16:43.34 minutes in the boys 5k race. Senior Raymond Lucero II finished 25th with a time of 17:15.44 out of 231 runners.